Find balance in your marketing strategy with Tenzo and Malomo

Frappuccinos? No thanks, we’ll pick high-quality, organic matcha instead.

On Retention Chronicles, we connected with Tenzo’s Co-Founder and CEO Steve O’Dell who’s on a mission to deliver 100% USDA Organic, Kosher, Paleo, and Vegan Matcha and flip the tea industry on its axis.

Let’s break down some of our favorite moments.

Be fiercely authentic in everything you do

Today’s eCommerce market is highly saturated. Consumers have hundreds of products to choose from that are, quite frankly, very similar. From messaging to branding to the actual products available, consumer brands in 2022 might blend together in the viewer’s eyes. So how can your brand stand out from the crowd? Authenticity, originality, and creativity.

Steve understands how important it is to be authentic, “My co-founder Rob and I are a little chaotic and overall genuinely positive and optimistic. And I think that comes across in the brand. In an industry that’s so easy to just copy and paste, being true to yourself is key when you're creating content and building a brand. I truly believe that the founders that do that consistently have a positive impact.”

Find the perfect balance in your marketing strategy

Marketing strategies and best practices seem to shift almost daily. Keeping up with trends and knowing where your customers are is vital for success.

“Most brands wouldn’t post organic content on Facebook anymore because no one’s audience is there. And you can see that in the engagement data. On the other hand, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are popping off. You need to understand where your marketing dollars will be most effective for your brand to excel”, says Steve.

The best marketing strategies are those that perfectly balance art and science. If you stare at a spreadsheet all day, you might miss out on key opportunities to set your brand apart from your competitors. On the other hand, if you only focus on branding you’ll lose sight of the bigger picture.

Do you need a face for your brand?

Steve believes it’s not a one-size-fits-all deal, “There are many ways to build a brand. I don't know who the founder of Hawaiian King’s rolls is, but when Thanksgiving comes I love those mini little rolls. On the other hand, if someone like Kim Kardashian or Diddy is representing and advocating for your brand, then that certainly helps with brand awareness and recognition. There’s a balance there. I think having a face to the brand makes it a lot easier, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary either.”

Putting a face behind your brand gives your audience a relatable person to connect with and there’s no doubt that a robust brand-consumer relationship is essential for long-term success.

But you can’t pick just anyone to represent your brand. They have to be passionate about your product or service, responsible and aware of their actions, and relevant in how they market your brand.

“There are many things you need to do outside of the product for customers to stick around. Customer service, good marketing, relevancy, and education are integral parts of the equation.”

How privacy updates have affected acquisition data

The new iOS14 and Google privacy changes have impacted marketers everywhere, and the team at Tenzo wasn’t immune. To combat these challenges, Tenzo has heavily focused on organic content:

“With the iOS14 updates, we can still see a lot, it's just a little bit cloudy. We adjusted our strategy to focus more on organic content. We're investing a lot to make better organic content and utilize the right platforms and create content that looks native to each platform, and create the right content—all that kind of stuff.”

A final piece of advice

After an incredible episode, Steve had one last piece of advice: “Pick a couple of good books for each specific thing that you're trying to learn, then actually read those books. After you read those books, start doing the work and learn through doing. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people skip this step.”

Want to learn more about Tenzo and how they are disrupting the tea industry? Listen to the full episode here.