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We are working with TDBBS (aka “Best Bully Sticks”) in their search for a Director of Ecommerce based in Richmond, VA. This is one of the coolest email marketing jobs around.
TDBBS specializes in bully sticks, elk antlers, and other natural, high protein dog chews that are highly digestible and are becoming increasingly popular among dog owners across the U.S. and abroad. In addition to bully sticks, the company also offers a wide variety of complementary all natural dog treats and chews to consumers through its proprietary ecommerce sites and also through other retail channels.
Founded by Avrum and Lauren Elmakis in 2007, TDBBS has achieved extraordinary growth since inception and was ranked #384 in Inc. Magazine’s 2012 “Inc. 500” ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.
This person will be responsible for the strategy, execution, and performance for both scheduled and transactional emails, driving the calendaring, testing, targeting and analysis of all email products across the business.
HARRY’S COMMENTS: Given the volume of recruiting inquiries we receive each year, I have the luxury of choosing the searches we take. As part of my decision making process, I’ll ask myself “Would I invest my own money in the client’s business?” In Best Bully Sticks’ case, the answer is YES.
Bullish on BBS
Best Bully Sticks, which manufactures and markets all natural treats and chews for dogs, has fantastic underlying economics improved by the fact that so many parts of its business model are impossible to duplicate without directly competing with the company. Amazon, for example, could compete with BBS only to the extent that it was willing to operate a further processing plant and import its own raw materials.
Whoever takes this job needn’t lose sleep over direct competition from Amazon. In fact, Amazon has contacted BBS several times about supplying it with product.
Amazon’s enthusiasm is understandable.
The US pet and pet supply store industry includes about 18,800 stores with combined annual revenue of about $12 billion and is forecast to grow at a high rate in the next two years. The number of households in the US that own a pet is at a record high and continues to increase; four-out-of-10 pet owning households own multiple pets, and many people spoil their pets on a regular basis. Key industry drivers of growth include increasing income levels, as well as a trend toward pet humanization, or treating pets like family members.
BBS was founded in 2008 by Avrum and Lauren Elmakis in their basement. No business plan. No market research. The Elmakises had been making bully sticks for their own dogs when Avrum began to sell the product on Ebay. When demand for the product took off, Avrum invested the couples’ 401k’s in the business. The rest is history. To this day, much of BBS’ growth has been fueled by repeat business and word-of-mouth “marketing” from thrilled customers.
Today, with $19 million in total revenue, Best Bully Sticks is listed in the Inc. 500. Its strengths include a strong brand, a proprietary recipe, a well-developed base of suppliers, an extremely strong supply chain, and a sharply defined, reachable market of affluent, replenishment oriented buyers.
And here’s something else to chew on …
BBS has a new 87,000 square foot facility and two large beef plants under contract in South America. The firm is not constrained in terms of its ability to source the product, nor is it constrained in terms of its capacity to store and handle it. Moreover, the company is well funded, having recently closed on a first round of venture funding which valued BBS well.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute lifecycle email marketing strategy and roadmap across all business units that tracks to department-specific and business-wide KPIs and goals
- Regularly create and enhance HTML-based templates to take advantage of new technologies.
- Create lifecycle workflows using the email solution to automate message delivery.
- Provide leadership and manage the email campaign process end-to-end including: email program strategy, creative, email content / messaging development, campaign execution, analytics, and reporting.
- Develop A/B test plans and apply data driven techniques to optimize email performance including: personalization, frequency testing, messaging testing, offer testing, creative testing, segmentation / targeting and delivery timing testing
- Proactively monitor marketing metrics (open rates/click-through/deliverability/conversion etc.) and provide analysis of marketing campaigns and recommendations for enhancing effectiveness
- Work collaboratively with product and creative teams to develop messaging/content that is both on-brand and takes advantage of email best practices
- Create email reporting dashboards and custom reports based on target KPIs and benchmarks analyzing campaign performance in order to provide actionable recommendations and deliver continuous improvements to our email program
- Look for ways that email can help departments solve problems and accomplish business goals
- Employ a consistent best-practice approach and provide expertise for creating email templates, dynamic content, testing methodologies, list segmentation, deliverability and CAN-SPAM laws
- Stay current with best practices, strategies, and industry standards related to email
Requirements:
- 8-10 years experience in email marketing, in B2C environment
- 4 years hands-on experience creating email templates using HTML
- Expert in email best practices including contact strategies, targeting and segmentation, A/B testing, delivery and deliverability issues, and analytics
- Strong quantitative skills and familiarity with site-site analytics, as well as exceptional communication and presentation skills around analyzing and translating reports to guide strategy
- Current knowledge of industry regulation and privacy issues
- Strong leader who can lead a team of individuals from multiple departments in developing/executing a digital strategy
- Hands-on experience and proven track record managing all aspects of email campaigns and delivery through major email service providers – experience with Bronto a plus
- Strong analytical skills and solid understanding of all email marketing performance metrics as it corresponds to a digital strategy
- Self-starter, with strong initiative and the ability to thrive in, rapidly changing/growing environment
- Exceptional project management skills, attention to detail, ability to manage multiple projects
- ROI and insights-minded, with experience driving measurable results
- Bachelors Degree required
UPDATE: THIS SEARCH IS CLOSED.
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