Million-Dollar Marketing Ideas More Businesses Need to Use

0:00Shopify Masters is on YouTube and you probably already knew that. So the real question is, have you checked out this interview on video? You can watch this full feature plus a whole catalog of others on Shopify Masters YouTube channel. The link is in the show notes. Enjoy. I saw that the owner of this stock manufacturing company was following me and I DMed him. The rest is history.

0:28Hey, what's going on? I'm Benjamin Gottlieb and this is Shopify Masters. If you're looking to start or build your business, you probably have a lot of questions about marketing. Well, good thing Mary Guai is on set today. My followers will always comment about my socks. So I started to realize like this is something that people know me for that's also unique. She launched her fashion sock line, Sock Candy, about five years ago. And since then, she has leaned into artistic designs and social media strategies that many might consider outside of the box. We were getting sales from this one random person linking to our product through Reddit.

1:02She's here now today to share her tips and tricks with you. Mary, so happy you're here. Welcome to the show. Hi, Ben. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here. It is exciting. Almost as exciting as the socks you're wearing right now. Those are super cool. I thought those were part of your shoes when you walked in. Obviously, those are incredible. And I want to hear how you've been so successful marketing those. But why don't we start with your story? Because I think that's also very interesting. You always wanted to work in fashion, right? Yes. But you didn't start there. Where did this love for fashion come from?

1:34Yeah, it's really interesting. I've always loved fashion from a very young age. I think it was something that was very innate as part of me. But I think I was also very influenced by my mom. I would always look at her photos from the 80s. And I actually started wearing her clothes when I was in high school. So I would style her vintage pieces from the 80s and wear that rather than like the Abercrombie polos that everyone else wore. So I always like really stood out and like people were like, oh, Mary likes old clothes. Like she likes like weird clothing. So I think that's where my interest in fashion really started.

2:07But I had a very traditional Asian upbringing, you know, was told that I could only study certain career paths. And fashion definitely was not one of those career paths. You know, I just never thought I could work in fashion. I didn't really know that it was an option for me. You know, looking back, I probably would have tried to go to FIT or something like that, but I majored in business. That's sort of how it started. So it wasn't an option for you. And even so, you knew you had this deep love and passion for fashion. And when you got into the workforce, that didn't go away, right? You were working, but you still had this lingering desire to do something else.

2:42Yeah. So I worked in corporate advertising at large advertising agencies on pharmaceutical accounts, then financial accounts. So nothing close to fashion. I would always try to find a fashion account to work on or go to a boutique agency. I would also try to apply to entry-level fashion jobs. At one point, I even tried to apply to just work in retail at like some of my favorite brands and stores. And I just never like had any luck with it. I think because my resume just didn't reflect that I had any, you know, experience in fashion whatsoever. Yeah, this was a dream for you. It wasn't something you were pursuing activity.

3:17Exactly, exactly. But you know, one day after I had been working in advertising for several years, I just decided that I was just going to quit my job. I had always kept a fashion blog on the side. It was a secret. I would always document all of my outfits every day, like really bad lighting in my little apartment, but I never shared it with anyone. It was just like for me. And so one day I decided that I was going to quit my job and pursue fashion blogging full-time because this was back in the day when, you know, Instagram was just starting to get really popular. There were a lot of large Instagram influencers popping onto the scene, bloggers.

3:53And so I decided that I was going to try and pursue that. And I really saw that as my only way into fashion. And that's why I did that. And so I did that for the next three years. And then that is what really transitioned into launching Sock Candy. Entrepreneurs, they struggle with this transition from full-time employee to founder. It's a tough transition. And you have this, I don't know, let's call it a bridge job, which is the move from full-time employees somewhere at a job you might not like to creator. Yep. How did you know that was the right move for you? And how did you build up the courage to do that?

4:26I don't know that I knew that it was the right move. Because I had been in advertising for a while, I knew that it was really easy to get another job in advertising. So my original goal was I'm going to do this for a year. And if it doesn't work out, I can just go back and get a job in advertising. the turnover rate was super high at ad agencies anyways. And I had gotten to a certain point in my career where I knew that I could easily get another job. So that was my fallback plan. Plus you didn't necessarily really enjoy that job. Exactly. Exactly. And again, I just saw it as my only way in. I always knew in my gut that I had a really unique sense of personal style that people would enjoy if I could share that.

5:04But I just was never, you know, able to share that because I felt like I couldn't do it or, you know, I just felt like I couldn't be in fashion. So for me, I was just like, you know what? I'm just going to put my all into it and just start sharing my outfits with the world and see what happens. That's really inspiring. You brought up a couple of things there. This idea that maybe you didn't feel like you could be in fashion, but also knowing that you had something unique that was different. It's an interesting juxtaposition of like confidence in yourself and also imposter syndrome, kind of battling with each other.

5:37Is that a correct depiction of what you went through? I think so. I think that for me, like people would always comment about my outfits. Like I knew I had a unique sense of style, but I think that part of what held me back was because I had a job. And so I felt like, okay, I'll just do this for me, but I'm not going to try and like put it out and promote it because that felt like a whole separate thing. Like I knew I didn't have like the right camera or the right equipment and like the right locations because I followed a lot of bloggers and I saw what their photos look like and I knew that my photos didn't look like that because I was just taking them at home like after work right like in bad lighting so I felt like if I really wanted to do this I had to put my all into it like really learn how to take a good photo you know how to have it in like a pretty location not just have it in my apartment and all those things takes time Like I would take my photos after work, like maybe the lighting wouldn't be so good.

6:30Like there were a lot of factors involved that I felt like was holding me back. So in other words, the full-time job became an impediment to you doing what you really wanted to do in some respects. And I worked very long hours in advertising. I worked in account management. So like a lot of times after work, like it would be dark outside. So you go from corporate to creator. You start a fashion blog. You start an Instagram page. Did you know that you were going to start a business at this point? Or was this still like, I'm feeling it out. I'm going to do reviews or I'm going to talk about my outfits or my sense of style.

6:58Yeah. I never thought of myself as a founder at that point. Like I did not have in my head that I was going to launch a brand at all. I just thought I'm going to become a fashion blogger. I'm going to share my daily outfits and I'm going to build up a following. And then from there, I'm going to work with brands because that's like how you make money as an, as a creator. What was that like when you first started interacting with companies that were trying to sell things versus you trying to present yourself or your own personal sense of style? I mean, I thought it was awesome. You know, like I did it for about three years.

7:29I managed to build up a following to like 50 ,000 followers, which nowadays is considered very small. But back then you were able to get brand deals off of that following. What time frame is this? Like maybe eight years ago. I loved being able to work with brands and then interpret what they, what their product is, but make it into my own personal style and make it be unique to me and make it feel authentic and then have my followers be able to connect with that. And I quickly realized that I loved taking photos. Like I absolutely loved being in front of the camera. I loved styling outfits. I mean, that's like my bread and butter.

8:06And I will say even to this day, that is still my bread and butter. And that's a lot of what my business is built on. It's just something that comes so naturally to me. And I loved creating beautiful photos, taking it from different angles, figuring out an interesting way to incorporate the product that no one else may have thought of. So for me, it was a dream come true, to be honest, to be, to have been doing that. Eventually you said, you know what, I'm going to create my own products. And you're wearing an example of that today. These incredible, unique socks, certainly an incredible combination, I think of vintage and also vibrant colors and uniqueness.

8:41The way you found a market for these socks is really, really smart, right? I wouldn't necessarily know, is there a market for this or not? But you used your channel to see if there was interest in this, right? Talk to me about what it was like when you first started putting prototypes or early versions of these socks on your Instagram page. It was all born out of my creator background. So when I would style my outfits, I always would style socks with my shoes. Like it was just like a quirk of mine. I've always done it ever since like I was in college. And my followers would always comment about my socks.

9:16So I started to realize like this is like something that people know me for that's also unique. There were not a lot of other creators utilizing socks as a styling element. And as I was doing that, I realized that there was a gap in the marketplace. So the socks that I was reaching for, they would either be really expensive, like very high end,$40 a pair. So I would only wear them like once or twice. Or they were just not as elevated. The prints were kind of cheesy, not designed for the fashion girl. And so I was like, there is a gap in the marketplace that I feel that I'm uniquely qualified to address because I'm already naturally styling socks, which already is very difficult for most people.

9:55So I felt like I could do this brand the right way because most people don't even know how to style socks to begin with. And so it was the combination of those factors that made me decide, like, I think that I could start a sock brand that has elevated prints that are elegant, but still funky, still incorporates, you know, my very colorful style, but that is still also affordable. So the price point for me was also super important from the start to nail that correct price point. We do a lot of these interviews and we hear this a lot from founders. They're often uniquely qualified in their specific niche.

10:26And at the same time, they see a market gap. And you have those two things coming together at this moment with these socks, right? Yes. You know, I talk to a lot of new founders as well. And I think that it's super important for it to be really authentic to you. Like this was always something that was authentic to me. I always styled socks. Most people didn't. And two, that I was uniquely qualified to do because I have a very unique sense of style. And, you know, I was styling these socks in unique ways. Mary, it's one thing to get people on social or on your blog to be like, hey, I love those socks.

10:58I love how you styled that with the rest of your outfit. It's another thing to get them to buy your socks, right? That is a whole different challenge that I imagine you have an enormous amount of advice for our audience here. How did you start to make sales? And where does Shopify fit in in this journey for you from corporate employee or agency employee to entrepreneur? Sure. Well, Shopify has been with me since the very start. I launched a site on Shopify and it's still on Shopify to this day. But I think that when you first start, a lot of it is a test and learn. And what's actually interesting is when I launched my first collection, we launched with seven cotton styles and three sheer styles.

11:38Now, sock candy is known for sheer socks. The majority of our designs are sheer. We're known for executing that unprecedented detail on sheer fabric. No one's ever seen socks like this before. This is like the nylon that you're wearing right now. Exactly. But when I first launched, I actually didn't have the idea for it to be like sheer socks specific. I just knew that I wanted to make super fashionable socks that were affordable. And so when I launched, I launched with seven cotton styles that still had beautiful prints, but they were on cotton, which is much more common. And then three sheer styles.

12:11And immediately the sheer styles started selling way faster than the cotton styles. And that was actually how I knew and then started to iterate. And for the next selection, we launched the opposite. We did seven sheer styles and three cotton styles. And so now like we have very little cotton styles. And so we sort of transition into this sheer socks brand. And a lot of it, I think, was honestly based on market feedback and customer feedback and seeing what people were reacting to. And then me realizing at the same time that, oh, wait, there really aren't any brands doing sheer socks in the market.

12:45So it wasn't even something that in the beginning, I definitely like set my mind to being like, okay, there are no sheer socks on the market specifically. I'm going to make sheer socks. You were open to changing your idea or your assumption, your hypothesis about what your company could be. And you relied on what people purchased to inform those decisions. Yes. And the other piece to it as well was that the reason there aren't a lot of sheer stocks on the market is that they're actually very difficult to execute technically. And so that was another thing that, you know, I think is also really important.

13:15We were able to find a really, really amazing manufacturing partner who we're still with to this day. And they are very open to working out these new ideas, these new types of production with the sheer designs in the beginning. You know, they told me they were like, we can't do this. Like you have like way too many colors. Your patterns are way too complex. Like this is not going to work on a sheer sock. But it was over time, you know, communication. They really did believe in me and give me a chance. They saw my vision. And it was only through that that they were willing to, you know, try and execute these designs.

13:48And now, like now we do so many crazy designs. But the technical challenge was definitely part of it as well. How'd you find them? So how I found my manufacturer is another. Don't say social media is how you found them. It is. It is. It is. And this, I feel like is another just great lesson for new founders is you just have to start putting your stuff out there. So before I even launched Sock Candy, I started an Instagram page for Sock Candy. And I started posting inspo photos of like other socks, like my old blog photos. It wasn't even your product yet. No, it wasn't my product. I would post like my old blog photos or other socks because my idea was, okay, I'm going to get people that are interested in socks to start following this page.

14:30And then once I have my own product, I'll at least already have like a thousand followers or something like that. And so in the beginning, I wasn't getting, I didn't have a lot of followers. So I would literally check every single person that was following me. Like every time I got a new follower, I would go look at their profile. And one day I saw that the owner of this sock manufacturing company was following me. And I DM'd him and we got on a call and the rest is history. It's amazing. Yeah. It's serendipitous, I think. No question. No question about that. and really a great example of leaning into what you want to do and then your business kind of evolved naturally.

15:05I want to get into now, if we can, how you've been so successful marketing these. There are the traditional ways to market something, right? But you've been successful in addition to some of those traditional methods. We've been talking a lot about Instagram. You've been successful in some other places too. Reddit, for example, is a place where you've had some success. Why has Reddit been a successful place for you to market these products? So Reddit is actually very new. It's something that we literally just came upon like three months ago. And the caveat is that we are not directly marketing on Reddit.

15:40So one day, like the website started getting all this traffic from Reddit. And I was like, this is weird. Like we don't actually do ads on Reddit or anything like that. Like there's no sock candy account on Reddit. So I naturally went to investigate and I saw that someone had posted photos of our socks with the shoes and wanted to know where the shoes were from. Because I think part of what sets our brand apart is that we do style the socks with different footwear, with different clothing. Like it is a complete look versus most other sock brands are styling them on white, on flat lates. They're not utilizing that styling editorial aspect.

16:19So people are asking where these shoes were from. And then naturally, people start to ask where the socks were from as well because they were very unique. So someone else knew that they were from Sock Candy, linked to Sock Candy. And that post got like so many views and impressions. And it was driving to our site and we were getting sales from this one random person linking to our product. Yes, through Reddit. So after this, I decided that I was going to start posting my own outfits on Reddit. Okay. Not under Sock Candy. I just created like a random Reddit account. Which is not dissimilar from what you used to do with your blog.

16:55Exactly. Exactly. So I started posting mirror selfies on Reddit. People are like seeing my outfits and like almost all of them have my socks in them. And they'll be like, where are your socks from? And I'll be like, it's from sock candy, you know, but like, it's so funny. But see, now I feel like I'm outing myself though, because no one knows that I'm the founder of sock candy on Reddit. Like people don't look that closely. No, but they think that I'm like this random girl with cute outfits. Like Reddit seems to really love my style. It's very interesting. And they're like, but where are her socks from?

17:26And then there was another post where it was the same thing. People like this other user posted like five photos of our socks and shoes wanting to know where all the shoes were from. But it was the same people like, oh, but where are the socks from too? And then so sometimes I'll answer them. Sure. Like I'll give them all the info on where every shoe is from because only I would know that. And then they're like, oh my God, how do you know that? It's so interesting. Where else can you interact with prospective customers in this way? Exactly. And these people are clearly interested. And the Reddit style seems that they seem to really like a more sort of not mainstream style.

18:00I'm glad you brought up mainstream because you've had successes as well on some other quote unquote mainstream social media platforms in terms of views, but hasn't been so successful with sales. I believe you've done really well on TikTok with views, hasn't translated to sales as much. Same with Pinterest, for example. What hasn't worked for your brand on those platforms? And is there anything to learn about that that you could share with our audience and other prospective entrepreneurs? Yeah, it's really interesting. I really wanted to make TikTok work. We had several videos on TikTok do quite well, but they didn't translate into sales.

18:38And we have TikTok shop enabled. Like we, you know, did all the things that you're supposed to do. From that, I think what I learned is that it's just not my audience. I'm not totally surprised because I have a good feeling of what our demographic is age-wise. And we do have, like our demographic, I think, is definitely older than what the core TikTok demographic is, which is very Gen Z. Our demographic, I think, starts from like age 25 plus. And so I'm not surprised. So I think that it's just about knowing like where your audience is. And so we gave TikTok actually a year where we would create specific TikTok first content to try and, you know, really push TikTok.

19:18And even after that, even when some videos did well, it just didn't translate into sales. So I think you also have to know just like when to stop and when to realize like, OK, this is just not my platform. Like even if videos do well, you're not going to get sales. And, you know, for me, I always evaluate sales. Like we're like sort of a sales first driven company when it comes to the platform. And so for me, I was just like, you know, this is not really the right channel for us. And so now we went back to creating Instagram first content and then we'll still post it on our other channels. Exactly.

19:51Yes. Instagram has always been our number one outside of just, you know, directly to our website. We get a lot of sales from Instagram and it's been very effective for us. But we're not sleeping on Reddit right now. We're not sleeping on Reddit, but I wouldn't say Reddit is a marketing channel because we don't have a sock candy specific channel on it. It's just me. It's like indirect. I guess I would call it indirect marketing. What about Pinterest? It seems like these socks would lend themselves fantastically to a social media platform like Pinterest. Yeah. So that's another one where we had some pins go viral on Pinterest and get a lot of saves and drives a good amount of traffic.

20:27But again, it just is not driving enough sales, like substantial sales, in my opinion, for it to be worth continuing to invest in. We haven't talked much about paid and I believe that paid has been rather successful for you and your company as well. Why has paid been successful and how have you leveraged that type of marketing to grow sales? I have to say that meta ads was a transformative part of our business. We started doing it two years into the business. And, you know, in the beginning, I was just kind of doing it on my own. I didn't really know what I was doing. I think the thing with meta ads is that you do have to know what you're doing.

21:06Well, I think there's two things. One, you have to have great creative. So you have to have really great images and videos. And then two, you just have to know what you're doing in terms of the strategy, like how you're testing each ad set against what audiences. It's done really well for us because I actually was able to find a really great freelancer that I found on Upwork. And she really helped transform our meta ads and really take it to be able to reach so many people and for it to be really effective. But I think that why we've done so well is because we do have really great images and creative.

21:38And the thing now with meta ads, especially like in the current landscape, is you are always having to put in new creative. Like it does fatigue much more easily than it did like two years ago. The landscape is a little bit different. It's harder now. Like the ROI is harder now than it was just due to all the platform updates. So I think that you should really only go into it if you know that you're always coming out with new videos, new photos that you can slot in so that there is no fatigue if you're doing meta ads. So in other words, you need to have fresh and new creative content all the time.

22:13But you also mentioned you need to know what you're doing with the strategy. Can you share anything more about your strategy? What do you do that has been successful? Or what did you do in the past that has been successful for you? Yeah. So when we first launched it with this meta ads expert that I had found, we actually went in testing. I think we tested like 10 different audiences with like 100 combinations of different ads. So like that testing and learning really helped us to build the infrastructure for the rest of our ads. And another great thing was when we're writing the ads, what we did was we put out a survey to my current customers.

22:50So again, you don't want to do it too early. Like we were already two years in and we then use the customer language then write our ads so that that resonated a lot more. Like some of the, sometimes like the way I describe my socks may not be the way a customer describes them, but we would use their language to write some of our ads. And that was like really great. And I was like, wow, this is like genius, right? So in terms of the strategy, like you want to make sure the targeting and then once you do run it, like you always have to go in. Like we go in every single week to optimize. At that point, it's just about learning how to optimize, learning when to increase budget, decrease budget, shut things off.