At Good & Gold, we leverage Webflow for the majority of our non-e-commerce website projects. Why? Quite simply, Webflow is a digital designer's dream. The in-browser design tool essentially blends visual design with code, allowing us to design and develop at the same time. What's more, the platform allows for complex interactions and animated transitions, leveraging the power of CSS and JavaScript in a code-free environment.
Meanwhile, the platform also offers a simple interface for editors, allowing users to update page content and CMS collections without interfering with design elements, layouts, or other settings. Paired with super-simple and reliable hosting plans, Webflow is an appealing option for enhancing design and user experience while simplifying just about everything else.
Let’s break down the reasons we love Webflow here at Good & Gold:
Webflow’s clean interface is uncluttered and user-friendly, following similar layouts as popular design tools like Figma or Sketch. As long as you have front-end development knowledge, everything feels pretty familiar and intuitive. While you need to have a solid understanding of HTML and CSS to comfortably use Webflow, you don’t need to worry about code syntax—you can just click on a few settings to make your designs come to life.
Webflow allows us to create custom animations and interactions with ease. From scroll-based parallax animations to interactions around mouse movement, the sky's the limit! We can even add Lottie and After Effects animations, which is a huge benefit.
Webflow collections are similar to databases. Content is added to a collection, which will automatically generate a new entry (a new page) leveraging the same template as all the other entries. Blog posts, job listings, and case studies are great use cases for collections—the content of each entry is unique, but the layout is the same. At G&G, we define which pages will leverage collections and which will be standalone pages when defining a website’s sitemap. This way, when it’s time to build, we start by creating and configuring all of our defined collections, and then designing the template. Building data-driven pages has never been easier!
Webflow allows us to visualize different responsive breakpoints with the click of a button. Each breakpoint is editable independently from the others, which lets us choose between building consistent web pages across devices, or building unique experiences for mobile and desktop users.
When in doubt, we always check out Webflow University. The library is full of high-production educational videos…and believe it or not, they’re funny! (Like, actually funny!) We very rarely get stuck on issues in Webflow, because we can always find a solution in Webflow University.
The Webflow Editor allows our clients to edit text, images, videos, and links directly on the front end, and to add, edit, or remove any collections or pages. But it doesn’t allow them to edit anything design-related, which means it’s very difficult to “break” anything in the Editor. This creates a welcome peace of mind when using the Editor, and means that we can give clients complete control over the content of their websites while we focus on design and performance.
We’ve been building Webflow websites for a good while now. Here are some recent projects to explore:
Apiary Life founder Katie Lynch had demonstrated the viability of her business model through successful corporate partnerships, and needed a website that could communicate not only her mission, but the breadth of services and level of professional polish that clients could expect from Apiary Life. Read the case study
Though Infinity Images produces world-class, innovative work, the brand’s website felt dated, cluttered, and unprofessional. With our website redesign and migration, we aimed to more successfully communicate the brand’s identity—and most importantly, its capabilities—while also exuding a high level of sophistication and polish. Read the case study
Despite Tamarack’s innovative products and approach, its website suffered from the common symptoms of an overdue update: a muddled navigation untethered from clear user flows, a dated look, and hard-to-parse density with little storytelling. With our website redesign and migration, our goal was to effectively convey the company’s mission, and present its core products within the context of “disruptive innovation.” Read the case study
Allium Financial’s approach to financial management feels different: It’s rooted in understanding, compassion, personal connection, and warmth. Meanwhile, the company’s website failed to successfully communicate any of those differentiators, leaving users uninspired and uninformed. Read the case study
If you’re a marketer or business owner, you've probably noticed the chatter around Short Message Service (SMS) marketing and the proliferation of brands using it. Here at G&G, we're excited about SMS marketing because it can potentially drive 6X more conversions compared to some digital services and has an average click rate of 36%.
We prioritized SMS marketing in 2021 by adding it to our repertoire of digital growth strategies, and we've seen excellent results. So, if you’re wondering if your brand is ready, let’s start with a few key questions.
If you’re unfamiliar with SMS marketing or feel intimidated by adding a new marketing channel to the mix, let’s get you up to speed. SMS marketing is simply another way for marketers to reach their customers by sending promotional content via text messages to subscribers’ phones. It may seem intrusive, but 54% of consumers say they would like to receive promotional texts.
Any business can use SMS as a marketing channel, but we only recommend it if we know the service adds value for our clients. Here are 3 questions we ask ourselves before launching SMS as a service.
1. Does it fit the budget?
As a results-driven agency, going well beyond the bottom line and reaching our goals is our main priority when recommending any new digital marketing service—SMS or text message marketing isn't an exception.
We've found SMS marketing to be a helpful addition that fits most budgets when our clients need a new channel to reach their clients. And while pricing differs based on strategic needs or depth, we appreciate that text marketing can potentially convert 47% of subscribers.
Answering if text message marketing fits your budget is the first step you should take. However, if you need help gauging costs, let us know if we can help.
2. How does it fit within the digital marketing strategy?
Digital marketing is like a highway. Every channel offers varying rules, but they ultimately need to drive your customers to the same destination: Your website.
When we propose SMS as a service, we consider how text marketing fits within a client’s overall digital strategy. For example, can SMS elevate email marketing? Yes. Can it boost all other channels? Maybe.
As digital marketers, we go analog by whiteboarding out each channel to visually understand where SMS marketing fits alongside all other services. Meaning, we only propose it if we learn that text messaging complements every channel.
3. How engaged are your subscribers?
Ultimately, your subscribers will tell you if you’re ready for text marketing based on their engagement. For example, low email engagement likely means you need to improve your marketing efforts there before texting folks.
Here are a few primary areas to gauge customer engagement:
While any business can and should use SMS marketing, list size should also be factored into whether or not you’re ready to text your subscribers. However, no list is too small, but we recommend starting with a goal of 100 or more monthly sends.
First, we know most marketers and business leaders are strapped for time. Full-disclosure: while SMS marketing doesn’t require the time or energy of email marketing, it does require a lot of attention.
It's important to know that every business using SMS marketing must implement and follow specific compliance laws based on their state and country codes, which can be time-consuming. Crafting, responding, and strategizing texts should also be factored into whether or not it makes sense to add it as another digital channel.
If you’re looking for more advice around SMS marketing or need someone to bounce a few ideas off of—let’s chat! If anything, we’ll let you know if SMS is right for your brand.
With rich, passionate voices and nuanced narratives, these are just a few of the Black authors telling stories you can’t miss according to the folx at Good & Gold.
We especially loved…
SWING TIME
Like the NY Times says, Zadie Smith “has a knack for unearthing the deeper truths that lie beneath common experience.” Moving back and forth between childhood and adulthood, SWING TIME does just that, delving into the friendship of two brown girls from North London public housing who dream of being dancers, and everything that gets in their way.
We especially loved…
WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE
Samantha Irby is a master at turning anything life throws at her into hilarious (and relatable) essays you can’t help but devour. From Crohn’s Disease to pets to black women and mental health, WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE weaves together humor and deep emotion to create an accessible, engaging collection that will become an instant favorite.
We especially loved…
A unique and fantastically strange reimagining of the Snow White fairytale, BOY, SNOW, BIRD takes the “skin as white as snow” ideal embedded in the traditional tale and breaks it open in ways only Helen Oyeyemi can. Set in 1950s America, this must-read explores the layers of blackness, “passing”, and mother/step-motherhood with startling imagery and revelatory truths that settle in your heart and stay there.
We especially loved…
THE BODY IS NOT AN APOLOGY: The Power of Radical Self-Love
Transformative and perspective-shifting, this powerful read proclaims: “You have the body you need to live your best life!” On one hand, this book empowers us all to love our bodies the way they are, while the other hand exposes systems of oppression that “thrive off our inability to make peace with difference, and injure the relationship we have with our own bodies”. THE BODY IS NOT AN APOLOGY isn’t just a book— it’s a whole movement we can all get behind, a roadmap to radical self-love and the healing of wounds inflicted by violent systems of oppression. Let’s do this together!
We especially loved…
A multigenerational novel spanning 18th century Ghana to the plantations of the American south to 20th century Harlem and today, HOMEGOING sets the fate of the individual against the “obliterating movements of time”, looking at colonization, generational trauma, inequality, and black resilience with eyes wide open. A deep channeling of “multi-layered humanity”, this compelling and essential collection of linked stories in novel form should be next on your reading list!
We know what it’s like to be in the early stages of cleaning up your digital channels. So, if you’re a digital marketer in the outdoor apparel industry, you probably landed here because you’re looking for ways to hike up your numbers and make your online presence a bit more…adventurous, shall we say?
As avid problem solvers and consummate nature enthusiasts, the team at Good & Gold has compiled some hot digital marketing tips for those working in the outdoor industry. Without further ado, here are 5 ways you can reach new peaks online.
User-Generated Content (UGC) isn’t a new concept, but it’s become an essential digital marketing tool for outdoor brands looking to capture attention and increase brand awareness.
If you’re new to UGC and how it relates to outdoor branding and digital marketing, think of it as a way to source content from your followers through hashtags and shared social media posts. Unlike influencer marketing, the goal is community-driven by encouraging anyone to freely share their experiences with your brand over their personal social profiles or elsewhere online.
Ways outdoor brands can create UGC:
The crown jewel of UGC elevating outdoor digital marketing is REI’s #OptOutside campaign. As of this writing, #OptOutside has been used over 18 million times on Instagram alone. In contrast, more than 4 million people have shared free digital content over Instagram using the branded #REI1440Project, showing UGC's growth potential for outdoor apparel brands.
Digital marketers in the outdoor apparel industry should pay close attention to the rise of ethical branding. For example, Accenture recently found that 60% of people started prioritizing environmentally friendly or more moral purchases during the pandemic, with 90% intending to continue.
Patagonia inspired digital marketers after launching Action Works (a web platform for environmental grassroots organizations), publicly supporting innovative family leave policies, and protesting digitally by closing their online store to protect and increase awareness of Utah's incredible landscapes. They also didn't shy away from promoting environmental initiatives or their social responsibilities online.
We are lucky to work with values-driven brands like Oak & Oscar, with whom we had the pleasure collaborating to support causes like the Saving the Boundary Waters Project over their digital marketing channels.
Looking to grow your social following or reward your email subscribers? Run a giveaway contest!
For inspiration, take a look at Poler’s Instagram giveaway, a local example we entered (and didn’t win…). We like this contest because it uses lifestyle content aligned with the Poler vision, uses a mix of non-branded and branded hashtags, and offers a cross-channel experience that drives people to their website. Their contest also became one of their most successful posts to date in terms of engagement.
Online giveaway tips for outdoor brands:
We're excited about SMS marketing because it has an average click rate of 36% and can convert 47% of subscribers. It's also become one of the fastest-growing channels that digital marketers in the outdoor apparel industry should consider.
An outdoor apparel brand in Oregon called Revolvr uses text messaging to promote sales and events. We like their SMS marketing because it's informative, non-intrusive, and serves branded content that elevates the digital experience.
Before you add SMS marketing to your digital marketing rucksack, it’s important to know that every business using it must implement and follow specific compliance rules based on their state and country codes.
Digital marketers in the outdoor apparel industry should make sure automated emails are fully optimized and contributing significant revenue. Automated flows like a welcome series will produce 4x higher open rates and 10x better click rates than other emails.
We've helped brands like Seek & Swoon, Stumptown, Olympia Provisions, and others by creating automations that have increased email revenue by more than 1,000%.
Essential email automations for outdoor brands:
If you’re looking for more advice around digital marketing for outdoor apparel brands, or need someone to bounce a few ideas off of, let’s talk over a hike! We would love to make sure you’re setting forth on the right trail.
As we enter our third (?!?!?!) year of pandemic-ish life amid unpredictable weather patterns and lots of societal unrest, the book nerds at Good & Gold are retreating to the world of words to soothe our souls and calm our minds (and maybe even scream inside our hearts a little bit). Check out our round-up of reads we’re most excited to crack open as we kick off 2022!
WHEN WOMEN INVENTED TELEVISION by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
We’re all mourning the loss of Betty White over here, so this chronicle of a forgotten (or perhaps, rewritten) chapter in the history of television is at the top of our list. With “fervent, inspired prose” and photos, we’re pretty sure we won’t be able to put this one down!
PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by Grace D. Li
We may have a few months to wait for this Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell tale, but you better believe we’ve already pre-ordered! PORTRAIT OF A THIEF not only promises all our favorite heist antics but also dives into the colonization of art in the western world and examines Chinese American identity. We can’t wait to crack this spine THE SECOND it arrives on our doorstep.
THE MISADVENTURES OF AWKWARD BLACK GIRL by Issa Rae
Insecure may have come to an end, but we’re keeping the hilarious, nuanced, and deeply REAL energy of Issa Rae’s hit show alive with her 2015 bestseller (named for her web series, which we’re also revisiting—check it out if you haven’t already!)
SEA MONSTERS by Chloe Aridjis
Surreal, captivating, haunting… these are all words that reel us right in for more. Plus, you won’t catch us passing up a book “set to a pulsing soundtrack of Joy Division, Nick Cave, and Siouxsie and the Banshees”. Award-winning and bound to be entrancing, not to mention that cover design… :heart eyes emoji:
BURN IT DOWN: Women Writing About Anger edited by Lily Dancyger
We’re angry. Are you angry? I’m angry. A collection of works from a diverse group of writers, BURN IT DOWN promises to be ferocious, and definitely beats screaming into the void.
CREATIVE ACTS FOR CURIOUS PEOPLE: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways by Sarah Stein Greenberg
Practical, thoughtful exercises from Standford’s d.school designed to spark creativity, help solve problems, foster connection, and make our lives better. Curated by d.school’s Executive Director Sarah Stein Greenberg (who also happens to be Anna Louise’s former camp counselor from many moons ago), the exercises, stories, and activities from some of the world’s most inventive minds are designed to help you bring fresh approaches to any challenge, and to “turn your curiosity into ideas, and your ideas into action”. A great tool with which to dive into the new year—and the new you?
This year, we’re particularly thankful to work with a wonderful group of clients who, among many other things, make holiday gifting extremely easy. From progressive nail polish to Old World sausage, sustainable throw blankets, single-origin coffees, hand-bottled chai, and sassy wines, this set of unique businesses reads like a curated wish list from your most discerning friend.
Ready to go shopping? We’ve prepared a festive gift guide that’s got something special for everyone on your list.
Artisan salami and charcuterie are perfect go-to gifts for the foodies in our lives, making Olympia Provisions an easy choice. The best part? They offer presents at all levels, making it easy to go all-out with the Grand Charcuterie Experience, or keep it simple with a Farmers Network Sampler.
Who doesn’t need some interesting new coffee? Unsure which region or blend to get? Stumptown's Holiday Trio takes the guesswork out of gifting by elegantly packaging their festive Evergreen blend, Ethiopia Nano Challa, and the Guatemala Bella Vista roasts into a single set.
Claws Out is a values-driven nail polish company that donates a portion of every sale to a corresponding nonprofit. What's more, they offer awesome customizable gift boxes that let you pick 8 bottles of polish, 8 donation cards, and manicure must-haves in one inspiring package.
A cozy, sustainable throw is just the thing for the holidays. And Seek & Swoon's Winter Wonderland Throw, adorned with modern, Nordic-inspired trees make it a festive favorite. If you're looking for something more local, check out the Portland Throw, a blanket inspired by the natural intersections of our community.
Oak & Oscar is a Chicago-based watch company that makes stunning watches built to discover. Their timepieces range from a classic, 38mm field watch to a rugged, Swiss-powered beauty made to go anywhere. If you're after a timeless gift, you’ve found it.
Meet Prank-O, a group of comics here to make the season more memorable with a set of side-splitting gift boxes that showcase made-up products. Treat your fam to a gift disguised as the “Handy Hand,” the “Earwax Candle Kit,” or another ridiculous product from their website.
This year, Tanglewood is offering a Holiday Gift Pack that bundles three concentrates into a single package. Think of their concentrates as non-traditional take on chai, but with bold and delicious flavors inspired by and sourced from the Portland region. The trio includes Tanglewood favorites Turmeric Thai, Ginger Spiced Chai, and Lavender Fog in stocking-friendly 16-ounce bottles.
Founded in 1946, it's hard to imagine a sandal more iconic than Bernardo's handcrafted Brazilian beauties. Today, the brand offers everything from sandals to rainboots, flats, loafers, wedges, and more—all handcrafted for quality, comfort, and style.
Beautiful, sustainably made, and impeccably crafted, FIL DE VIE'S caftans are stunning works of art that transport you to another dimension. Slip one on and immerse yourself in the whimsical freedom of "resortwear."
Based in Portland, EWF Modern offers gorgeous organic modern furniture and accessories, carefully curated and inspired by nature. If you're looking for that special piece, you'll find it here.
A fine jewelry and lifestyle store from veteran retailer Lori Leven, Love Adorned sells a curated inventory informed by years of traveling and collecting. Visit their website and prepare to lose yourself in a beautiful web of vintage jewelry, one-of-a-kind pieces, and artisanal home decor.
The two wineries we work with are as different as they are delicious...
Located in the heart of Napa Valley, Sinegal Estate boasts sprawling grounds, a beautifully-restored stone winery, and 6,500 square feet of underground caves. Their award-winning wines are blended by expert winemakers from grapes grown entirely on the estate.
With four tasting rooms in Oregon, Evoke Winery offers "feel good wines for whatever the times." Sassy labels (don't miss this season's special "Fugly Sweater" blend) and affordable prices mean this wine delivers good laughs and quality conversations for the moments large and small.
Over the past year, we've had the privilege of working with LOTS of wonderful clients on their email marketing programs. And though email marketing strategy is about much more than design, we love the process of developing and executing great design systems for email. For us, the challenge of creating something eye-catching and compelling within a notoriously restrictive system is hard to beat. Scroll on for a gallery of email templates we created this year.
In many cases, less is definitely more for email design. We've found that simple and consistent emails using native HTML render perfectly on all clients and convert well.
👍 Pros of simple templates:
We use highly branded emails to leverage well-established and recognizable brand systems. These often require a bit more pre-production work, as they typically require lots of custom assets to make an impact.
👍 Pros of branded templates:
This year, we've also designed some great templates that use a mix of native HTML and custom assets. In our opinion, this is a great approach, as it allows us to showcase strong brand systems without losing the flexibility afforded by HTML.
If you’d told us last year that we would be spending another holiday season amidst a pandemic and global supply chain nightmare…well, we won’t go there. But, if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that there is always good news to be found. We have a vaccine! The economy is recovering! Ted Lasso got renewed for a third season! Despite shipping and supply chain turmoil, online holiday shopping is predicted to break records this year.
As we head into the holiday season, we’re sharing our best advice for taking advantage of another highly digital holiday season. Rest assured: There is plenty of opportunity ahead.
Get a jump on your email campaigns and promotions now! “Mega-sale day” shoppers (think Black Friday) are 73% more likely to be high spenders, but this year, you can assume that spending will be spread over a longer period of time. Create your own sale days and share them with your audience early and often.
In case you live under a rock, shipping delays will continue to be a concern for businesses and shoppers this year. Help combat any confusion by being very clear about your deadlines for shipping for the winter holidays.
Consumers expect their shopping experience to be fast, seamless, and hassle-free. So review your website performance and accessibility and make the improvements necessary to guarantee that experience. Additionally, if you haven't either rolled shipping costs into your sales price or started using free shipping as leverage to boost order values, consider this your hot tip. According to Shopify, 50% of abandoned carts are due to taxes and shipping costs. Don’t let that be you.
Social advertising is key for e-commerce prospecting and retargeting, but the space is very crowded during the holidays so competition for clicks is stiff. It's more important than ever that your ad creative be unique, eye-catching, and include movement and video whenever possible to grab a users attention.
Now is a great time to invest in both branded and non-branded terms on paid search channels like Google. A solid paid search strategy will ensure that your business is easily discoverable by people shopping for presents online, whether they are already brand loyalists or they’re just searching for specific products.
This is a big one, so we’ll bullet it out for you:
Surprisingly, Baby Boomers have been adopting mobile online shopping at a faster rate than any other group—that’s right, faster than skeptical Millennials or Gen Z! However, reaching Boomers will require a broader approach to targeting.
We suggest taking advantage of both Facebook and Google Ads’ advanced targeting options and segment messaging to different age groups. Older users tend to prefer more information up front, such as assurance a product is in stock, as well as a clear understanding of delivery options before clicking through to purchase.
Shoppers are jumping on the “buy now, pay later” bandwagon this year. According to Adobe Analytics data, online revenue from buy now pay later programs (such as Affirm) in 2021 has been 10% higher than 2020 and 45% higher than 2019. But don’t forget the basics! Adding options like Apple Pay and Google Pay can help increase conversion rates.
Now is also a great time to launch a loyalty and referral program, which will give your holiday-season customers (and their networks) great reasons to buy again. Though Q1 is historically snubbed by the economy, a great rewards program will help keep customers in your sales pipeline in early 2022. We’re big fans of Smile.io: It’s simple, intuitive, and seamlessly integrates with shopify.
2021 has continued to bring a heap of challenges, so a strong 4th quarter will be essential for many businesses. Luckily, people seem ready to celebrate this year—it’s all about getting your product in front of your customers.
If you need help getting set up for success, give us a holler. We are here to make your holiday season merry and bright.
Whether it’s a beautiful coffee table book, a well-loved novel, or some moody poetry, books make EXCELLENT gifts. Here are the books Good & Gold recommends adding to your giving list this holiday season!
For your friend who accumulated so many house plants over quarantine, you can barely fit in their house anymore...
BOTANICUM: Welcome to the Museum
by Kathy Willis, illustrated by Katie Scott
For your friend who needs some inspiration to get out bed and start making shit again...
THE WRONG WAY TO SAVE YOUR LIFE
by Megan Stielstra
For new parents whom you suspect are in for a rude awakening…
by Adam Mansbach, illustrated by Ricardo Cortes
(Or snag the box set, which includes “You Have to F*cking Eat” and “F*ck, Now There Are Two of You”)
For the badass feminist in your life…
by Roxane Gay
For your friend who needs some help slowing down and ditching grind culture…
by Jenny Odell
For your nature friend who notices all the cool mushrooms when you go on hikes together...
DEVOTIONS: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
by Mary Oliver
For your astrology friend who is also your activist friend...
YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance
by Chani Nicholas
For your horror friend whose movie nights always give you nightmares...
by Jac Jemc
For your trend-setting tiktok chef friend...
SON OF A SOUTHERN CHEF: Cook with Soul
by Lazarus Lynch
For your drug dealer...
THE REBEL’S APOTHECARY: A Practical Guide to the Healing Magic of Cannabis, CBD, and Mushrooms
by Jenny Sansouci
For your friend who is ready for a better way to shape community…
by bell hooks
And finally, for your slightly drunk friend...
by Alyson Brown
As digital marketers, we navigate technology changes all the time. For example, now that Apple has released new privacy features in iOS 15 and Mac OS Monterey like Mail Privacy Protection, we know it's essential to understand how those features will impact email marketing holistically.
Will Apple’s update make tracking harder? Sure. Will it make your emails any less great? Nope. Since we recently answered your SEM questions, let’s explore Apple Mail Privacy Protection and ways to prepare for it.
If you're unfamiliar with Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection update, it's basically a privacy feature that hides your IP address to block a sender from tracking your location, what you do online, and seeing if you've opened their email. It also prevents a sender from seeing the device you use to open their emails.
While this sounds like a metrics nightmare for email marketers, privacy updates like these are generally positive in the long run, making it important to adapt.
Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection features only affect Apple Mail users, and those who’ve toggled the feature within the Mail app. So, for now, you can still track anyone using the Gmail app or others outside of the Apple ecosystem.
Depending on how many of your subscribers exercise their privacy, the impact may vary. This update will, however, cause metrics like open rates, clicks per unique open rate, geolocation, device usage, or anything else captured by IP address to become less reliable or inflated.
Beyond reporting, Apple’s privacy update could change how you manage segments, resends, A/B tests and automations. For example, automations or resends triggered by non-openers will be a no-go for people using Mail Privacy Protection. Similarly, A/B tests based on open rates like subject lines will become slightly skewed for these users. But remember: open rates aren’t going away. They’re just becoming a little more mysterious or inflated. Metrics like clicks—not clicks per unique visitor—continue to be reliable.
The best place to start is taking a look to see how many of your subscribers use Apple Mail. If you’re unfamiliar with how to do that, here’s how in Mailchimp, and here’s a reporting refresher for Klaviyo.
Once you have a good sense of how many subscribers are impacted, it’s time to do a little platform housekeeping to anticipate shifty metrics. At Good & Gold, we took Mailchimp’s advice to:
As daunting as this sounds (or reads), we’re approaching this as an opportunity to continue doing what we do best: create highly engaging emails that generate revenue.
It’s been a while (we won’t say how long) since anyone at Good & Gold headed “back to school,” but we still pick up on those vibes every year as September rolls around. Check out this collection of throw-back reads from our own school “daze.”
Moody moors, haunted hallways, and English estates… not to mention the brooding Mr. Rochester and fierce first-person narrator, Miss Jane Eyre herself. A teenage Anna Louise couldn’t get enough of this gothic tome, especially the version illustrated by the quirky Dame Darcy.
This hard-hitting, prize-winning novel (which Toni Morrison herself said she wrote to remind readers how hurtful racism is) still packs a punch and resonates deeply. If you haven’t re-read this since your own school days, we recommend revisiting, especially through the lens of the BLM movement.
Dark, strange, perfectly crafted. The short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” was Katie’s first intro to sardonic Queen of Southern Gothic, Flannery O’Conner, and it may or may not haunt her still…
Not all of us got to study decadent French poet Charles Baudelaire at school, but Lucie sure did! Still a favorite poem of hers, L’albatros took Baudelaire over 10 years to complete (but it definitely won’t take you that long to read).
Not all of us were big readers from birth, but we all sure came around. When 17-year-old Carrie first read “The Old Man and the Sea,” she was blown away by how a book can transport you to another place completely. And now she’s obsessed with reading, so you know this is a good one to revisit!
No list of school favorites would be complete without “To Kill a Mockingbird”. For Rachel, nothing quite compares to the sweetness, the innocence, the loss of innocence, the family relationships, the eloquent tackling of seriously heavy stuff. And, of course, Atticus.
We've recently been fielding questions from current and prospective clients struggling with navigating YOY e-commerce numbers as the "in-person" world opens up again. If your business was one of those lucky enough to have navigated the pandemic and not only hold on to your sales revenue but grow during this strange time, you may be finding yourself having lots of conversations about how to maintain those numbers moving forward. (The old sales conundrum: any win becomes the new baseline).
So this month, we're diving into consumer trends related to e-commerce, what you can do to grow your YOY online revenue, and how to view your revenue through a new, post-(ish)-pandemic lens.
Real talk: If you’re like me then owning a business, raising kids, and trying to grab social connections when you can, all while balancing personal wellness, managing a predictable schedule feels nearly impossible these days.
I’m a home cook; I love going grocery shopping. Picking out my fresh produce and spending time creating a meal plan with seasonal ingredients is my happy place. However, recently I've had to trade in my love of in-person grocery shopping for a more efficient, online, approach to balance time with my family.
I think this is a common conundrum with many people looking for balance. Even as we exit the pandemic, as we attempt to downshift from the culture of overextension and the Immediacy Era we’ve found ourselves in, people will likely continue to adopt more efficient buying habits. This doesn't mean I will never grocery shop again (because, let’s face it, Instacart never grabs the good produce), but it does mean that I will make trade-offs between what I used to always do in-person and what I now sometimes do online. I may no longer browse in-store for a friend's birthday gift so that I can make my weekly farmers' market trip.
We're all figuring out the art of convenience versus sacrifice. The digital era may be taking more of our time, but it also allows us to streamline ongoing lifestyle needs. According to McKinsey & Company, during the pandemic era 75% of US consumers have tried a new shopping behavior.
So...back to the original question: What can you do to continue to convert more online business?
YES! Always bundle shipping into your prices! These days, shoppers get irritated when they feel they are paying for shipping—90% of consumers say they would shop online more if guaranteed a free shipping option. This is not shady; this is business. Do you publicize your manufacturing fees along with your final sales price? No, it’s business and you don't always need to show how the sausage is made!
There’s no need to include every product and sub-group in your navigation. Think of your navigation as a little guidepost. Broaden the focus; Men’s, Women’s, Home Goods, and then create your funnel or filter from there. Everyone hates being lost, make it easy for people to get to where they want to be.
They say content is king for a reason; it can pull a consumer in and close the gap on the sale. People shopping online need to know the material and size of what they are buying so they feel solid about the purchase. More information around your products will deepen any trust or loyalty between the brand and the consumer. It’s also great for SEO!
We all understand that occasionally a bad review will happen, and customers will let it go in a sea of good reviews. (Alternatively, if you're receiving several bad reviews, it's time to take a close look at your product or service.)
E-commerce can be scary; especially with environmental considerations top of mind, shoppers want to avoid the hassle of returns; they want to know what they are buying is smart and aligns with their needs. So share those reviews!
I’m a big fan of the sidebar checkout in Shopify. I love knowing what I have in my cart and what my running total is at all times (and it can tally any sale items which could mean my transaction opportunity is higher).
Additionally, I LOVE Shopify's Shop Pay...maybe a little too much, just ask my wife. It makes checking out a breeze by remembering my contact/shipping/billing details so I can quickly and efficiently navigate through the process.
Online shopping's kryptonite is an abandoned cart—if you can address those carts, then you're well on your way to capturing a big chunk of additional revenue.
Scenario: you have items in your cart, and your phone rings, baby cries, your oven timer goes off, and you completely forget what you were doing, or that shopping window has vanished. Fear not! Through SMS, the retailer can send you a quick and delightful nudge to finish up your purchase.
No, this is not annoying or overkill; it's actually helpful and nice to have a reminder and potentially save a little bit of cash. Plus, it makes me feel like I don't need to shop around.
I hope my musings on the future of e-commerce and how to leverage opportunities have helped—or at least offer some comfort. If you'd like to talk further, please reach out. Or, find me in your neighborhood produce aisle!
What a PRIDE MONTH it’s been! In honor of the queer folx at Good & Gold and ALL OVER THE WORLD this month (and beyond, forever and ever), we’ve highlighted our favorite LGBTQ+ authors and queer characters. Featuring classic comments from the G&G staff.
GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir
The cover quote says it all: Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space
💀 - Katie
A LITTLE LIFE by Hanya Yanagihara
Like the Atlantic said when this book first came out, “the Great Gay Novel” might finally be here
“So good, so brutal.” - Rachel
HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL: Essays by Alexander Chee
A mesmerizing memoir by the author of an excellent novel (The Queen of the Night), it’s possible you actually won’t be able to put this down once you’ve picked it up
“I would rather buy friends their own copy than lend this to them, because if they failed to return it, we might not be friends anymore…” - Kaitlin
BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA by Dorothy Allison
Banned book love! Controversial, semi-autobiographical, and gritty to its core.
“Dark but deep and beautiful.” - Anna Louise
MILK FED by Melissa Broder
A truly unique novel (just like her previous one, The Pisces); dark, hilarious, sexy, emotional AF.
“Rachel is a fascinating character to get to know.” - Carrie
Given the vast landscape of platforms, strategies, and ad types that it encompasses, Search Engine Marketing is one of the toughest parts of the ever-changing digital marketing universe. Need some help navigating it? We’ve got you covered.
We are OBSESSED with house plants here at Good & Gold and are always working toward our life goal of living inside an indoor jungle. Gynelle’s book is a must-have for this!
Ooohhh boy, if you loved this TV show, you’re gonna love the book even more. Intoxicating, complex, and almost like reading your own thoughts.
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After like a year-and-a-half of not being able to go out to eat, we’ve all gotten really good at making the same five things over and over again. This decadent new cookbook will help you shake up your post-quarantine meal plan with delicious recipes from all over the globe.
This new small-press comic series is experimenting with not-for-profit publishing. Issue #1 of Goes rethinks gender norms (imagine a club where men just stand around hugging and comforting each other!!) and, according to the Ignatz-nominated author himself, is “full of metaphors.”
Introspective and profound, this memoir looks at death, illness, marriage, children, and memory. An emotional read that you won’t be able to put down—but definitely bring the tissues; a journey like Didion’s, however magical, is not without its moments of deep sorrow.
If you’re one of the 1 million plus businesses currently using Shopify, you already know that the platform handles much of the heavy lifting of e-commerce for you. With Shopify, the details that can make e-commerce a real headache to manage—shipping, fulfillment, payment processing, discounts, point of sale, integrations—are all built into the platform, so that you have access to everything you need from your dashboard. (Read our thoughts on the platform here.)
Despite those powerful, baked-in capabilities, we often see store owners miss important opportunities to optimize their websites and leverage those essential features. We’ve compiled a list of our simple tips and tricks to make sure you’re not missing out on the benefits of Shopify.
Our strong belief at Good & Gold is that if you sell products on your website, you should create easy access to those products on your homepage. Yes, it's important to use prime real estate on your homepage to establish your brand’s mission, values, and differentiators—but it’s also important to let the people shop. Whether you include a particular popular product, products within a featured collection, or a selection of primary product collections, create an easy, appealing entry point for those visitors that are ready to purchase.
Dynamic checkout buttons display on product pages as an alternative to “add to cart” buttons for single products. These buttons allow customers to skip the cart and go directly to checkout, giving them the option to speed up the checkout process if they’ve already made their purchase decision. What’s more, depending on your payment settings and the customer’s browser and device, the dynamic checkout button will show the logos for third-party “accelerated” checkout methods, like Shop Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, etc.
The reason it’s so important to toggle on this feature is twofold: 1) Customers appreciate a quick checkout when they already know what they want, and dynamic checkout makes that possible. 2) It’s quite common for shoppers to leave products in their cart, get distracted, and forget to check out. Dynamic checkout helps to mitigate the “abandoned cart” phenomenon by skipping the cart altogether, and guiding customers swiftly from product page to checkout.
Most Shopify themes give you the option to show similar products below your individual product details on product pages. Do it! These sections are extremely effective at generating interest and encouraging further exploration. They also create a helpful tool for recapturing interest if the specific product viewed isn’t quite right for a particular customer—rather than allowing them to move on and search elsewhere, show them some additional options that might be just right.
Customer reviews build “social proof,” which is a powerful force in the world of e-commerce. We highly recommend amplifying the voices of your customers, turning them into an army of brand advocates however and whenever you can. If you’re not up for spending money to enable product reviews on your website, you can opt for Shopify’s free Product Reviews app, which is extremely simple and easy to manage. For more advanced features like review request emails, photos, and a customizable onsite widget, we recommend the Yotpo Product Reviews & Photos app.
This one is simple, but easily missed, because checkout settings for Shopify are configured in a different area than settings for other pages. To avoid a default, off-brand checkout flow, be sure to visit your checkout settings under “Theme settings,” add your logo, and customize the typography and colors of your checkout flow to match the rest of your website. A checkout sequence that doesn’t match your brand will diminish trust in your website, and likely lead to frequent abandoned checkouts.
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Of course, these five tips are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the available features in Shopify, and our thoughts about how to best optimize your store. If you’re seeing a low conversion rate on your Shopify site, or wondering why your store isn’t performing the way you think it should, we'd love to help out with conversion analysis and UX audit.
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You can take big, decadent bites out of this memoir. Nourishment and empowerment for the feminist soul (or any soul, really).
A reevaluation of what craft means outside of the definition established by white male writers and their cultural values. Recreate the workshop, revisit the syllabi, remake a culture.
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Science Fiction geopolitical space opera, please stand up! Like a more inclusive Star Wars fused with a less sexually violent Game of Thrones, this Hugo Award-winning tome (just under five-hundo pages) examines power, colonization, and what it means to love a place that’s hurt you before.
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Speaking of Star Wars… We’re actually listening to this one! Read by the late, great Carrie Fisher herself and her daughter Billie Lourd, this grammy-winning audiobook has us cracking up AND tearing up all at the same time.
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Most of us are really bad at seeing how great we are. This book won’t put up with that shit anymore— YOU ARE A BADASS and now it’s time to start acting like it, y’all!
When figuring out how to market your business, it’s easy to get carried away with what’s new: new products, an upcoming sale, what’s trending, what your competitors are doing, that new social media platform you’re not sure whether or not you should be on...
And while some new things are important, it takes significant time and ongoing effort to keep up with all of the things, all of the time.
Here’s the thing: your customers aren’t worried about which product or service is the newest. They care about what meets their needs in the moment.
That’s why email automations—when correctly planned and customized—are the unsung hero in your marketing toolbox. They’re still sent out to address customer needs in real time, keeping you relevant and timely. But you can plan them in advance.
There’s still no guarantee every email will be opened (spoiler: they won’t). And this is not about creating emails you can “set and forget.” Even the best automations need a periodic refresh.
But if you flip your assumptions about automated emails on their head and look for what is needed in key moments for your customers, instead of what’s new for your business, you’ll unearth new opportunities to win customers over.
Here are four of Good and Gold’s favorite opportunities for email automations that don’t sound like a robot sent them.
No one knows your customers better than you do! And we’re willing to bet you’ve already thought about what will help them make a purchase decision at key moments. So whether they just made their first purchase, subscribed to your list, or browsed a category on your e-commerce site, think about what would be most helpful to them next.
Then send it straight to their inbox! (If you make them go search for answers, they might find your competitor instead.)
Automations to consider: Onboarding or getting started guides, abandoned cart reminders, related products or accessories
Just like any other relationship, it’s important to not only tell your customer about yourself, but also remind them why they’re important to you.
If you have a loyalty program, it’s simple to set up automations that congratulate customers on accomplishments, such as reaching a new tier or reward level, or remind them of rewards they can use. You can also celebrate their birthday or customer anniversary with special discounts or promotions.
Automations to consider: Reminders and opportunities for loyalty program members, birthdays and anniversaries, a personal message from you or your team
For your new customer, the most exciting moment isn’t when they click “purchase.” It’s when your product arrives! Lean into that moment and use your automations to demonstrate you’re still thinking about them and interested in what they have to say.
Automations to consider: Use or product care instructions, check in after their purchase arrives, request they leave a review or share a picture on your website or social media
Do you produce a lot of informational content on your website or social media channels? Chances are your customers aren’t seeing every single thing. Help make sure your subscribers never miss helpful content by sending it straight to their inbox, too. You can automate sending your latest blog post, or even repurposing evergreen content like FAQs into a standalone series.
Automations to consider: Regular news or blog posts, new customer onboarding flows, evergreen FAQ content, best-selling product highlights
When set up correctly as part of your overall email marketing strategy, these automated emails aren’t simply transactional. They address customer needs in real time, are personalized based on your relationship and each customer’s actions, and keep your company top of mind—and top of inbox—with minimal extra effort.
Hear ye, hear ye! In a perfectly awkward virtual ceremony in February, Good & Gold picked up three honors from the American Marketing Association's MAX Awards. Here's a closer look at the awards, and the work that earned them.
In the Email Category, we earned a prize for our work on Oak & Oscar's automated email series. The overview: Through thorough discovery and research, we developed an email automation program designed to deliver thoughtful content to discerning customers at just the right time for independent watch company Oak & Oscar. SEE THE CASE STUDY >
In the Website Category, we won for our redesign and migration of the Infinity Images website. The overview: Though Infinity Images produces world-class, innovative work, the brand’s website felt dated, cluttered, and unprofessional. With our website redesign and migration, we aimed to more successfully communicate the brand’s identity—and most importantly, its capabilities—while also exuding a high level of sophistication and polish. SEE THE CASE STUDY >
Finally, we won Best In Show, a category we did not know existed, but sure makes us feel like an overly proud show dog!
While winning awards is nice, what's really great is being forced to step back and recognize our team's tireless hard work, and the success that it's brought to our clients—brands we wholeheartedly support and believe in. In a year without much reason to celebrate, little nods like this feel especially nice. Hats off, Team Good & Gold!
Right now, economists predict that the GDP will likely be on the rise through 2025, which offers a glint of hope as we begin to emerge from a historically disruptive pandemic. And with a $1.9 trillion aid package on the way, plus many small businesses receiving additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans over the next few months, we expect to see continued signs of economic stimulation and consumer spending this spring.
So, what does this mean for your business? It means it’s the perfect time to generate buzz around your business and products, growing customer interest as we head into a season of increased spending. Forward-looking consumer confidence is up, suggesting that that we’re likely to see more consumers are shopping, marking, flagging, and planning in the months ahead. Given that activity, we’re believers that “Brand Awareness,” or the familiarity of consumers with a particular product or service, is the most important stage within your marketing funnel right now.
To that end, the Good & Gold team gathered and brainstormed ideas for building awareness and interest as we move into a more optimistic season. Here’s what we came up with:
All in all, we know it’s been a tough year. And we know that your business probably doesn’t look much like it did this time last year. But we firmly believe that brighter days are ahead, and that as we emerge from this challenging period, we’ll enter a new season of innovation, creativity, connection, and financial growth. If you need our assistance preparing for those brighter days, we’re always here to help.
