branding – Kristen Van Nest

Startup + Small Business Copy That Sells

I specialize in writing landing pages and content for startups and small businesses. My copywriting technique focuses on providing all the information necessary to ensure a purchase as well as structuring the page in a sales-funnel format, encouraging the customer to buy as they research the product.

With defining the background of a company and “about us” section, I apply the principles of the “Golden Circle,” helping the target customer see how a company’s vision and values align with their own.

Click on the images below for examples of website copy I have written:

Sample product pages:

China’s Li-Ning Sticks to its Roots to Build Consumer Clout Over Nike, Adidas

As originally published on brandchannel.com. Article made top 5 most viewed.

In China, the sporting apparel market is a bit of an anomaly. For one thing, fitness and physical activity in China is a lot less common than in other global markets like the US, Europe and South America. And when Chinese consumers do hit the gym or track, it’s usually in their street clothes.

That presents a unique challenge for both foreign and domestic brands like China’s Li-Ning, the oldest and second-largest Chinese sporting goods brand. Facing the relentless competition of Nike, adidas and Under Armour on both its home turf and abroad, Li-Ning has had to adjust its product and growth strategies to focus less on hard-core athletic gear as a free-expression trend continues to grow among China’s fashion-savvy youth.

Established in 1989, Li-Ning, which sells basketball, running and women’s fitness apparel, dominated the Chinese market until the late 90s, when Nike and Adidas gained force in China. But, the company has hit hard times in the last few years. In 2012, Li-Ning sales declined 25 percent, allowing ANTA, a local competitor, to become the largest sports retailer. Despite closing 410 stores in 2013, Li-Ning still has the largest distribution network, with 6,024 stores throughout China. The brand gained back some strength in 2013, with inventory reaching relatively normal levels and same-store sales at directly-owned stores increasing 9 percent in the first half of 2013.

Much of the loss over the last several years was actually a result of the sports boom following the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after which, on average, 11 sports apparel stores opened per day in the country. Li-Ning and other local brands were forced to dump products on the market at severe discounts, stripping the brands of their value as compared to Nike and adidas, which are more highly-regarded among Chinese consumers.

But Li-Ning, which also markets products under three sub-brands—Double Happiness, AIGLE, and Lotto—has since focused on rebuilding its brand value and differentiating itself from foreign competitors. The brand re-embraced its lower-priced roots in order to expand to China’s second and third-tier cities, adopting the slogan “Anything is Possible.” But Li-Ning is not alone, as adidas opened up some 500 new stores in China’s higher and lower-tier cities in 2013, flaunting its Neo and Originals labels to appeal to trendy Chinese youth.

One aspect where Li-Ning has been comparatively successful is with sponsorship deals, mainly with NBA star Dwyane Wade. The brand, which signed Wade in 2012, has built up its brand awareness abroad and its street cred among basketball-obsessed Chinese with the deal, which has seen Wade release personalized basketball shoe and gear designs for the brand. It has also focused much of its growth on e-commerce—a rapidly growing channel in China.

Li-Ning, which is already the third largest sports apparel company in the world, has also expanded to the US. In 2012, the company rolled out its US branded website, which has seen a 600 percent increase in web traffic since its soft launch in late 2011. The company differentiates itself by emphasizing its Eastern philosophy around movement.

But relative success in the US won’t keep Li-Ning afloat in the global market that is still being driven by its home country. adidas, Nike and Under Armour continue to invest in China, debuting unique merchandise and retailing concepts, like adidas’ new HomeCourt store design and Under Armour’s “Retail Theater” experience in Shanghai, which also aims to speak to the specific athletic needs of Chinese consumers.

Will Li-Ning be able to break free from the stigma of Chinese brands in China? Only time (and the addition of another major brand ambassador) will tell.

To read the original, click here.

In China, Under Armour Looks to Brand the Workout Experience

As published on brandchannel.com on October 29, 2013.

Earlier this month, Under Armour introduced a completely different retail concept to the Chinese sporting apparel market—a market that has proven hard to crack even for the most seasoned retail veterans, including Nike and Adidas. But Under Armour’s new Shanghai retail theater experience aims to do much more than just sell clothes and sneakers.

Located in the Jing An Kerry Centre, the store features a 270-degree screen that covers 90 percent of the relatively small boutique, encapsulating store-goes in the sights, sounds and experiences of athletic training—a truly foreign concept in China and greater Asia.

In China, especially, working out is not a common activity. Seeing joggers is a rarity and oftentimes in the gym, Chinese are seen wearing jeans or leather shoes as opposed to sporting apparel. Sports participation is also low due to lack of time, the single child policy, and limited governmental support to popularize sports. But, there is still huge market potential; after the Beijing Olympic Games, there has been dramatic growth in sporting brands.

Still, the market has proven difficult, with Nike, Adidas, and others struggling to localize their retail approach to fit the unique needs of Chinese consumers, both young and old. In fact, Nike and Adidas have spent much of their time in the country with a hard focus on building a lifestyle brandaround young consumers, capitalizing on consumer trends towards creativity and self-expression. Still, Nike recently saw a three percent decline in its China sales while it experienced an increase in all other geographic locations.

So Under Armour, a brand built largely on its popular undergarments, is instead focusing on introducing the idea of athleticism to Chinese consumers, putting retail sales second. “You walk in the store going how do athletes train?” Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank explained in a press release. “In China they don’t exercise, so they’re going, why do I exercise? It’s a tutorial on why would I train.” Guests are greeted by a familiar, athletic face: Michael Phelps, who took home eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, serves as the store’s virtual host.

“Wherever we go around the globe, we will lead first with our story and bring the people into the best Under Armour experience possible before we ask them to try our performance apparel and footwear,” said Plank.

The company, which as experienced steady quarter-by-quarter growth over the years, saw a 26 percent increase in revenue in the third quarter ending Oct. 24, growing by over 20 percent for the sixteenth consecutive quarter, according to Seeking Alpha. Netting its highest revenues from apparel, followed by footwear and accessories, the retailer shows a lot of promise—that is if it can maintain its impressive growth rate.

In order to do so, the relatively new retailer is doubling down to turn its largely North American-based business into a global brand. Last year, of Under Armour’s $1.8 billion in revenue, less than 10 percent came from global sales, compared to Nike, where more than half of sales come from outside the US. Plank’s plan is to double overall and international revenues by 2016—a difficult goal, for sure, but one certainly in reach for the hard-nosed company. In fact, Plank says, by the end of the year, Under Armour will have more international offices than those in the US. Beyond China, the brand is especially focused on growth in Latin America, with upcoming opportunities in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil to help make in-roads.

Still, China plays a major role in Under Armour’s ability to become a global leader in sports retail. In the last two years, the brand has opened six stores on Mainland China and one in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the fact that the company manufactures over 50 percent of its products in Asia makes it easy to distribute new designs quickly to the market as the company expands in the region in the future.

To see the original, click here.

Refinery29 Resists Growing Pains with Renewed Focus on Content, Consumers

As published on brandchannel on September 27, 2013.

Refinery29 has hardly had a chance to settle into its new, larger office and its updated online digs. With 800 percent revenue growth in the past 24 months, it is the fastest growing company in the media division of Inc. Magazine’s 2013 5000 list. The fashion-focused site uses its strong consumer loyalty to help brands connect with Millennials, a consumer base that spends $200 billion annually, according to Chicago-based investment firm William Blair & Co.

“A lot of marketers are asking a lot of questions or intrigued by how it is they speak with a whole generation of consumers that are growing up with very different viewpoints, and technology, and opportunities, some challenging and some good that the generation before has had to deal with. It’s created a very interesting conversation,” Melissa Goidel, Refinery29’s Customer Relations Officer told brandchannel. “The thing that makes [Refinery29] unique is that we are actually creating the content of the conversation, where as those who play in the space with us are really more of the channel for the conversation.”

Known internally as the ‘R29 wink,’ the site has developed its own voice that is approachable and tailored to its users. As Christine Barberich, Refinery29’s Editor in Chief explained, “Our readers come to us for our own unique point of view, as well as the reactions and conversation from their fellow readers. Our audience feels personally connected to Refinery29, our editors, and our content because we create it with them at the very center of it…we share and talk to each other, we never dictate. And that really does make a reader feel like this experience and content was created expressly for them.”

One way the site achieves its ‘friendly’ nature is by avoiding out-of-reach, aspirational model shots that you might find in Vogue or W Magazine, instead opting for ‘real’ people, sometimes its own employees, to model new trends. The down-to-earth approach stretches across its content, too, with the site presenting a mix of high- and low-fashion in an effort to be relatable on all levels.

“They’ll be Alexa Chung and then another [article] about someone who knows how to rock a pair of Keds in a new way that’s totally dynamite,” said Eben Levy, the Director of User Experience. Women are especially attracted to the site because they can find trends that fit their own style using items that are in their price range or are already in their closet.

But perhaps what has made the site most successful is its ability to mix R29 content among branded, promotional pieces. For one thing, Refinery29 always has a role in the branded content. For instance, Levy exlains that a recent article featuring Levi’s clothing was written and shot by R29, who interviewed 10 entrepreneurs and photographed them in Levi’s attire. For the consumer, this content helps reposition Levi’s from its cowboy image—and protects R29’s content standards.

“[Brands] are coming to us as this authoritative connection to this audience. And they want to engage,” Goidel told brandchannel. “Generally speaking, it starts with activation against this audience because they know we have the credibility and they want to approach them with a new idea—they either have that connection or the consumer doesn’t realize they have that offering or service.”

Its personalized approach, to both readers and brands, is what continues to set Refinery29 apart from its competitors. “It is our business to create amazing content that Millennial women want to engage with and we do that as passionately for brands as we do for our own purposes,”—and it shows.

To read the original, click here.

Starbucks Former President: Why Same-Sex Marriage Support Matters

As published on brandchannel on April 17, 2013.

Last year, Starbucks declared its support of same-sex marriage, which resulted in a boycott by the National Organization for Marriage. The coffee chain hasn’t backed down one bit, however, as CEO Howard Schultz continues to blur the line between business and the personal lives of his millions of customers.

At a recent annual shareholders meeting, Tom Strobhar, a shareholder and founder of the Corporate Morality Action Center, an anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage organization, suggested the boycott had a negative impact on first quarter sales and earnings. The ever-outspoken CEO swiftly responded, “Not every decision is an economic decision… The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people. We employ over 200,000 people in this company, and we want to embrace diversity.”

Schultz then told Strobhar he was more than welcome to sell his stocks and take his money elsewhere. While the remarks seem brazen, Starbuck’s outspoken stance on hot-button political issues and support of equal rights for its employees has been a part of the brand’s long-term strategy to increase internal brand engagement and decrease turnover. What’s more, taking a stance on causes that affect its workforce has had a positive impact on its bottom line.

Historically, Starbucks has been a leader in prioritizing employee retention. It was the first American company to offer comprehensive health insurance and equity in the form of stock options to every single employee. Its pro-social, pro-diversity human resources policy has put it on Fortune‘s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list ever since it launched in 1999.

The strategy also has decreased costs and differentiated the company from its competitors in an industry where turnover rates are a major issue. According to the National Restaurant Association, there is a 75 percent turnover rate within the service industry, with the average cost of replacing an employee ringing in at $3,000.

John Richards, President of Starbucks North America from 1997 to 2001, aided in the company’s growth from 500 to 3,000 retail locations and worked closely with Schultz in the development of the company’s early-stage core strategy. Richards told brandchannel that the company consciously developed policies to not “churn and burn” employees through a strong benefits package and creating a place where employees were proud to work.

This included, he told us, a “comprehensive compensation program” for its “partners,” the company’s term for employees. The program includes: “competitive base pay, comprehensive health care for eligible full and part-time partners, with an average of 20 hours per week, equity in the company in the form of Bean Stock, a 401(k) savings plan with employer match, tuition reimbursement, short-term disability, paid vacation time, and product discounts,” according to ABC News.

Since its implementation in 1988, the company’s employee benefits package has been enhanced by ‘social benefits’ — a big retention tool for a workforce where the typical employee is around college-age.

“The company pays a lot of attention to causes,” Richards told us. “When you are in the middle of it, different things come and go, it seems like there is always a new cause, but for the typical employee who is college age or somewhere in that area, [Starbucks] seems like a place that from a spiritual and commitment perspective is kind of a better place to be. If they are going to work for a place, it is more consistent with their value system than some other corporate retail company that doesn’t pay attention to stuff like that.”

The most recent decision to support gay rights is an example of aligning with its employees’ core values. Nonetheless, the company still faces criticism for not supporting all causes, such as the negative publicity it received from a false email circulated online claiming that Starbucks would not provide troops with their coffee because the company does not support the Iraq War.

The company’s focus on going the extra mile to care about what matters to employees stems from Schultz’s experiences as a youth growing up in public housing in Brooklyn, NY.

When he was 7-years-old, Schultz’s father, a truck driver, fell on ice at work and was promptly fired, with no benefits or workman’s compensation. In an interview with CNN’s Mallika Kapur, Schultz said, “I think what I was trying to do early on was build the kind of company that my father never got a chance to work for.”

That lesson is part of the company’s DNA today, Richards told us. “Starbucks, in part, has proven that taking better care of employees can eventually help them, particularly in a very competitive business,” he said.

While the focus on employee retention is both a part of Starbucks’ core values and business plan, and the good vibes have extended well beyond its famed baristas to the legions of loyal Starbucks customers that believe the brand to be more about lifestyle than just coffee.

Despite stiffer than ever competition from the likes of McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks remains a leader in brand loyalty, internal and external. The company’s mantra is best described in Schultz’s book Onward, where he says, “Starbucks never set out to be cool. We set out to be relevant!” Clearly, if it’s relevant to employees, it’s relevant to Starbucks’ senior leadership — and relevant to the brand and its stakeholders.

To read the original, click here.