Welcome back to The DTC Insights newsletter. It’s Mark there from Dahaus Digital.

Happy Fri…yay. 🥸 

Anyways, before you get read, make sure you already follow me on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X. In today’s newsletter, we are going over:

1. Klaviyo Beginner Setup Guide

2. Top 5 Email Marketing Mistakes Killing Your Revenue

3. Why Retention is the New Growth Strategy for DTC Brands

Shower Thought of the Week:

Doing email marketing wrong is like making a pizza and forgetting the cheese—sure, it’s still a pizza, but is anyone really going to enjoy it? Dave Portnoy surely wouldn't.

Top Links of the Week:

Klaviyo Email Marketing Tutorial For Beginners

Video Here (link)

Must-Have Have Klaviyo Email Marketing Flows Video Training

Video Here (link)

Campaign Framework + Swipefile

Video Here (link)

Klaviyo Email Deliverability Training

Video Here (link)

The Insights

Klaviyo Beginner Setup Guide

Click here to watch now

Top 5 Email Marketing Mistakes Killing Your Revenue

1. Under-emailing If you're not sending enough emails, you're missing major opportunities to build relationships and generate sales. I often see brands holding back, waiting to craft the perfect email before hitting send. But here's the reality: while you're busy perfecting that one email, you're passing up 30 other chances you could’ve taken to engage your audience this month.

By focusing too much on perfection, you're missing out on valuable testing opportunities. Perfect emails = not enough testing = not the results you want. Instead of holding out for perfection, cast a wide net—test different subject lines, content, and offers. The more emails you send, the more data you gather, which helps you hone in on the messaging and angles that actually work. Under-emailing keeps you stuck in the cycle of waiting for the "perfect" strategy, when what you really need is more testing and real-time insights.

2. Bad Segmentation Mass emails are dead. If you're not segmenting your list based on behaviors, interests, and purchasing history, you're treating your audience as if they’re all the same. And guess what? They're not. Good segmentation leads to higher engagement, more relevant content, and ultimately, more conversions. This mistake costs brands hundreds of thousands in lost revenue.

3. Lack of Personalization Generic emails are a huge turn-off. People want to feel seen and understood, not like just another name on your list. Personalizing subject lines, content that makes your audience feel understood, and recommending products based on previous purchases can boost open rates and click-through rates.

4. Poor Design & Mobile Optimization It doesn’t matter how great your offer is if your email looks terrible on a phone. More than 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices—so if your design isn’t responsive, you're losing a lot of potential revenue. The goal is to ensure your emails are easy to read, visually appealing, and mobile-friendly.

5. Weak Call to Action (CTA) Your email's main job is to get the reader to take action. A weak or unclear CTA is like sending someone to a door with no handle. Be direct and specific: “Shop Now,” “Claim Your Discount,” or “Discover Your Next Favorite Product” are examples of strong CTAs that drive results.

Why Retention is the New Growth Strategy for DTC Brands

Customer acquisition costs are skyrocketing, and it's becoming harder for DTC brands to justify the endless spend on ads. The days of cheap customer acquisition are over. If you're only focused on acquisition, you're playing a losing game. Retention is where the real growth is.

1. Lower Costs, Higher Returns Acquiring new customers is anywhere from 5-25x more expensive than retaining existing ones. Yet, I still see brands dumping most of their budgets into top-of-funnel campaigns while neglecting the customers they've already worked so hard (and spent so much) to acquire. A well-crafted retention strategy not only cuts costs but significantly increases the lifetime value (LTV) of each customer.

2. Building Loyalty Leads to Repeat Purchases When you focus on retention, you're not just trying to get another sale—you’re building a loyal customer base that comes back again and again. Through retention marketing, you can turn one-time buyers into repeat customers, which is essential for any DTC brand looking to scale sustainably.

3. Better Predictable Revenue Retention-focused brands enjoy more predictable revenue streams. When you’ve got a solid base of loyal customers who trust your brand, you can count on consistent repeat business. This makes forecasting easier, stabilizes your cash flow, and positions you for steady growth, even in tough economic climates.

4. It’s About Building Long-Term Relationships, Not Just Short-Term Gains Acquisition marketing is a sprint, but retention marketing is a marathon. By shifting your focus to customer retention, you’re building long-term relationships with your customers. They’ll stick around, buy more, and become brand advocates who spread the word about your products. That’s the type of growth that compounds over time.

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How Can I Help You?

If you like this newsletter and you want to work with me, there are a few ways we can do so:

1. Watch out for my content on YouTube (link)

2. Follow me on IG (link)

3. See what I’m posting on LinkedIn (link)

4. Check out my content on X (link)

5. If you want to add $50k-$500k/mo from your email list in the next 60 days, apply to work with my agency. We contractually guarantee results. (link)

Or just reply “ECOM” to this email.

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Referral Program

1. Refer a fellow e-commerce brand owner/operator to me and I’ll give you $500, and they will get $500 off their first month.

2. Refer 10 people to The DTC Insights and get our email templates + training for FREE.

3. Refer 50 people to The DTC Insights and get a FREE audit of your email marketing strategy.