Join us as we chat with Laura Vanderslice from Sam's Club about the magic of connecting with customers through real stories and genuine emotions. Laura shares how mixing practical solutions with heartfelt messages makes Sam's Club's campaigns truly stand out. She believes in finding the deep reasons why people love a brand, showing us that listening to customers, whether through focus groups or online chats, helps create lasting memories.
Laura also dives into how understanding customer needs all year round, not just during busy seasons, can make a big difference. She highlights the value of authentic content and choosing influencers who genuinely match the brand's values. This approach, Laura explains, builds trust and keeps the connection with customers strong.
For small business owners and solopreneurs, Laura offers golden advice: stay true to your mission and use customer insights to make smart choices. She also emphasizes the importance of evolving your brand's story as your business grows and the power of mentorship in supporting women entrepreneurs.
In short, Laura's message is all about celebrating your unique brand journey and keeping it real with your audience, a lesson valuable for anyone looking to make a meaningful impact in the business world.
Join Sams Club Today:
https://www.samsclub.com/join
Connect with Laura Vanderslice:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauravanderslice
Connect with Tona and Al Haywood:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tona Haywood (00:02):
The we Pivot podcast is for you if you're a
woman who has recently pivotedinto entrepreneurship.
You'll find digital marketingtips, trends and strategies to
help grow your business intoday's digital world.
Join Tona and Al Haywood as wehave fun breaking down all
things digital marketing.
So sit back, relax and enjoythe show.
(00:25):
Welcome back everyone.
Today I have a special guestand her name is Laura
Vanderslice.
And guess what?
She leads the charge inmarketing strategy at Sam's Club
, focusing on how to makemembers feel right at home with
(00:46):
the brand.
Laura crafts the kind ofcampaigns that resonate deeply,
showing how membership goesbeyond savings to offer real
value and quality.
Her magic lies in creatingconnections, making sure every
Sam Club member feels like partof something bigger.
(01:06):
Welcome to the we Pivot podcast, laura.
Laura Vanderslice (01:11):
Thank you so much for having me.
This is so much fun.
Tona Haywood (01:15):
Yeah, you're welcome.
I know when we got thisconnection, I was like you know,
I never thought about someonecoming on the podcast from a
bigger corporation, because mostof the people that we have on
there, smaller solopreneurs,have their own businesses and
(01:35):
things like that.
To get to know what you guys doand to really kind of get some
takeaways on how we can takethat information and possibly
use it for our own businesses.
Laura Vanderslice (01:50):
Wonderful.
Yes, hopefully no.
I really enjoyed listening andI think storytelling is
applicable to anyone, with anybrand and anything that you know
, anyone that has anything tosay, so looking forward to the
conversation.
Tona Haywood (02:14):
Yes, and so am I, so let's dive right on in there.
Can you tell or share yourjourney into the role of
director of marketing planningand strategy at Sam's Club, and
what drives your passion formember engagement and brand
storytelling?
Laura Vanderslice (02:26):
Sure, yeah.
So I spent the first I wouldsay good 10 years of my career
on the agency side, working fora marketing agency that
specialized in building customerrelationship management,
management programs and customerloyalty programs.
So from an early, early careerpoint I had to learn very
(02:50):
quickly what kept not just myclients engaged in how their
business ran, but what kepttheir customers coming back.
How did they engage with theirbrand, what drove them to engage
with their brand, and how do wethen use that information to
extend their customer's lifetimevalue.
(03:11):
So it taught me just a lotabout data.
It taught me a lot abouttalking to customers and to
members on the Sam's Club sideand it taught me a lot about
going deep and digging deep andreally understand the motivators
and the drivers of customersand why they engage at all and
how we can use that to keep themcoming back.
Tona Haywood (03:33):
When it comes to engaging with the customers or
talking with the customers.
What does that specificallylook like?
Is it you're stopping peoplewho are coming in and asking
them questions, or is it thatyou're putting together panels,
or is it through email?
What is the specific way thatyou get that feedback and that
(03:55):
build those relationships withthe customers?
Laura Vanderslice (03:59):
Yeah, it's all of the above, I would say.
At Sam's Club specifically, wetalk to our members all the time
.
Every week we do focus groupswith them.
They're very vocal with us.
They will tell you exactly whatthey love and don't love and
where they see opportunities andwhere we see opportunities.
So there's very much a two-waydialogue.
(04:19):
Consistently, that's happeningthrough the means of focus
groups.
You can also go online too.
Don't underestimate the powerof ratings or reviews or social
chatter or what's happening withyour comments on social.
Really, keep your ears and eyesopen, because the information
(04:39):
is there in addition to talkingto them directly.
Tona Haywood (04:42):
Okay, and how would someone participate in a
focus group Like, how would youselect people?
What is kind of the processthat that would entail?
Laura Vanderslice (04:54):
Yeah, we do outreach to them.
They have the opportunity toopt in to a panel that we have.
So post-purchase we send theman invitation to ask them would
you like to participate?
And the take rate's pretty good.
I think they really enjoy itand they enjoy being heard and
they enjoy being listened to.
Tona Haywood (05:15):
I kind of like that, because it kind of goes
along with just being a smallbusiness owner, solopreneur,
really getting to know what yourcustomers want through surveys
or Facebook groups if you have aFacebook group or things like
(05:35):
that just getting feedback orasking people if they would be
interested in giving feedback,and it helps you to kind of move
the needle forward and what youshould be providing for people.
Laura Vanderslice (05:48):
Yeah, and I think it it allows you to have
that two-way dialogue.
I we use a lot of data.
I love data, I love surveys.
You know there's all of this,this information that you can
collect that lets you understandtheir rational need.
You know, I think that'ssometimes when you get survey
responses back it's like this ishow I plan to shop, or this is
(06:11):
what I like, or this is whatmakes me feel valued.
But when you're talking to themdirectly, you can ask them why.
And then the more you start toask why and continue to ask why,
ask it three or four times thenyou'll really start to get down
to that emotional need.
And so the combination of thetwo understanding rationally why
(06:34):
they're participating in yourbrand and engaging with your
brand, but then getting intothat emotional connection is
what really enables thatpowerful brand storytelling,
kind of that nice blend and mixof the two things.
Tona Haywood (06:51):
Yes, that makes total sense to me.
So how would you approachdeveloping marketing strategies
that resonate with the Sam'sClub members and encourage them
to engage more deeply with thebrand?
Laura Vanderslice (07:07):
Yeah, it goes a little bit into that, asking
why, I think, always going forthe pursuit of the feeling
you're wanting, as a brand, toresonate with versus the action
you want them to take.
So I'll give an example for backto school.
You know, it would be very easy,as a large retailer, to say you
(07:28):
know, your Sam's Clubmembership lets you buy more
snacks for back to school for agreat price, like, sure, of
course, that has come through orcan come through.
Is that, you know, by savingyour members money, what you're
(07:50):
really enabling is you, you know, for example, to throw an extra
snack in that kid's lunchbox toshare with that new friend they
just made.
So you're enabling thosemoments of togetherness, you're
enabling this their livelihoods,you're enabling these, you know
, benefits that are beyond thetangible aspect of saving money.
So keep pushing and keep askingand saying why is it important
for you to save money?
Why is it important for you tobuy or whatever?
(08:12):
Just keep asking and whatyou'll really get to is that
strong feeling of I don't haveto think twice about putting the
extra snacks in the lunchboxbecause my friend can take it,
they're so excited to share itwith their new friend or
whatever.
So that's an example of how,how we would approach it.
Tona Haywood (08:34):
I like that, especially with the emotional,
emotional needs and diggingdeeper, because sometimes we
find it's kind of hard to dothat because even with the
surface level questions you onlyget so much.
And so trying to get to thatextra layer of why is that
important to buy this in bulkand save the money, what's the
(08:55):
deeper meaning behind that Rightright?
So in a world saturated, as youknow, with advertising, how do
you ensure that Sam's Club brandstorytelling stands out and
connects with your audience onan emotional level?
And I think we kind of tiedinto that with some of those
(09:17):
digging deeper.
Is there anything more that youcan say that helps you stand
out from some with all the noisethat's out there?
Laura Vanderslice (09:25):
Yeah, I think there's two parts to this.
I think there's a messagingcomponent and a frequency
component.
So, from a we talked a littlebit about the messaging dig deep
, understand why, create thelayer that's going to resonate
deeply and that, in its ownright, will break through If
your message is clear.
(09:46):
It doesn't matter how manyother things they're seeing.
That's what they're going to.
You know your customer, yourprospect, whoever.
That's what they're going toremember because they felt it.
There's a frequency component toI think you know understanding
where your customer is and Iwould say the marketing funnel
with you.
So, for example, your prospectsor someone that isn't as
(10:09):
engaged with your brand sothey're very much in the like
just awareness part of thatfunnel.
You might need something alittle splashier.
You might need something alittle bigger, a little more PR
worthy.
You might be trying to get someearned media out of whatever
you're doing to capture thataudience.
So that could be doing thingslike pushing the envelope on how
(10:31):
they shop with you, how theyengage with you.
That could be trying newexploratory channels.
That's something a little bitbigger.
But I think, in terms ofbreaking through understanding
that some of your customers whoare a little further down in the
funnel, like they already areconsidering you or they're
already engaging with you, theyactually might not need all the
(10:54):
razzle dazzle, they might justneed a steady drumbeat of
relevant, consistent messagingthat's in the channels that they
already are, to remain top ofmind.
And so I think that's what Imean when there's kind of a
frequency component ofunderstanding really who you're
talking to and where they areand how frequently you need to
be talking to them, but alsobreaking through with just that
(11:15):
really crisp, clear messagingand copy and content that is
important to them.
I think sometimes inadvertising it's very easy to
get caught up in the big SuperBowl moments which are important
I mean, look, they're there fora reason and they serve a
really strong purpose for abrand.
But that's not the strategyalone, right?
(11:36):
You can't just have a bigsplashy and then kind of leave
it and forget it.
You've got to continue tofollow up and nurture that
relationship with the frequencyof messaging that matters to
them, depending on where theyare with you.
Tona Haywood (11:48):
So would you classify frequency when it comes
to small business owners andsolopreneurs?
Would you classify that as howoften you show up like the
consistency that you're showingup in the various channels that
they may be a part?
Laura Vanderslice (12:07):
of Exactly, Exactly, Continuity, consistency
.
Tona Haywood (12:12):
Just I kind of call it that steady drum beat of
content, and I guess that isprobably one of the most
difficult parts.
When you are a small businessowner, a solopreneur, because
you have to be in all, it'salmost like you feel like you
have to be in all thesedifferent places at the same
time.
When it's just you, and it'svery difficult to do that, it's
(12:40):
probably going to be better forpeople to decide to, instead of
trying to be everywhere, besomewhere where you know the
majority of your audiences andyou can pretty much develop more
content for that specific area,for those people, and just keep
being consistent there 100%.
Laura Vanderslice (13:03):
Could not agree more.
It it's.
It's not content for contentsake, it's just consistency in
messaging.
And if that's one channel,great, if it's 10, even better.
But like, stay with where youcan do what you can, but do it
well and do it consistently.
You know, and that, and I thinkthat's that that's a great
(13:25):
point and I couldn't agree more.
Tona Haywood (13:26):
Yes, okay, well, thank you, because that does
that makes total sense.
Is it possible to walk usthrough the process of planning
and executing a campaign acrossthe marketing calendar,
highlighting how you tailor yourstrategies for different times
of the year?
Laura Vanderslice (13:46):
Sure, data and insights always first,
always first.
And you know, I think, ifthere's not a lot of access to
rich data, use what you've gotyou know, use what's online, use
what's out there, read thewhite papers.
Right, like data and insightsdoesn't have to be owned data
that comes from your own company.
(14:07):
It can be extracted fromanywhere.
But from a calendar perspective, I would say one of our
learnings over time, as we'vegotten to know our members even
better over the years, is thatseasonally, there are certainly
tentpole moments, right, you'vegot kind of the holiday moments
and you've got the summermoments and you have these
(14:29):
things and these events that areimportant business drivers and
they're important to our members.
But what's equally important isthat really, on the day to day,
what members and customers andpeople are thinking about by and
large is their families.
(14:50):
What are they going to have fordinner that night?
What are they going to do onthe weekend?
How are they going to plan justthe next week?
What is?
How do we start to plan forwhat our next vacation is going
to be?
Right, they're really just,they're not really thinking yes,
it's about summer, but they'renot really thinking in these
tentpole calendar moments that Ithink, as marketers, we tend to
(15:14):
center our business driversaround, so what we've really
done is taken a step back andsay, sure, like, seasonally,
we've got it.
You know tailgating is going tocome up and they're going to be
celebrating, but how do we alsoreinforce that we're here for
them throughout their everydaylives?
How do we make dinner a littlebit easier during?
(15:35):
I mean, I don't know why I keepgoing back to school.
I don't know.
You know it's yeah, the kidsare going off, but the parents
are also strapped to.
So how do we start to talkabout that instead?
You know, in addition to youknow, back to school, snacks and
lunch boxes, but you know, howdo we talk about dinners Maybe?
(15:57):
How do we talk about whatevercurbside pickup that makes it
easier for you to save time soyou can get back to the routine,
right?
Like there are just thesedifferent moments that as we
look at our calendar and as weplan how we're going to talk and
when we're going to talk to ourmembers, we didn't, we didn't
want to think about it just inthose cyclical kind of
(16:19):
timeframes.
We wanted to think about thatevergreen timeframe too.
Tona Haywood (16:23):
And I guess that's kind of how it seems that we do
it when we're marketing,because the first thing that you
see is, you see, you go intoWalgreens and you see, oh man,
the Valentine's Day candy isalready out, or oh, the Easter
candy is out now, or oh, theyhave the Christmas stuff up.
(16:44):
And so you just think about itin the in seasons and not like,
what about the in between?
There is in between.
It's not just, oh, I got to getall of this stuff together just
to market this one seasonspecific, but keeping an eye on
everything in between, thoseseasonal moments on the calendar
(17:08):
.
Laura Vanderslice (17:09):
Exactly exactly.
I mean, there's definitely atime and a place for, you know,
the Easter dresses under 25bucks or whatever it is, but and
certainly it's super relevant.
But you're exactly right, it'show do you sustain their
everyday life, how do you helpthem live their best everyday
life?
You know, how do we, how do westart to talk to that?
(17:31):
And, yes, think beyond justthose tentpole moments, because
our members are, our members arethinking beyond that.
Tona Haywood (17:40):
That is very true.
Now, something that I don'tknow if I've seen before with
your company or not, becausemaybe I'm just not in the right
spaces to see it marketing togain more members at Sam's Club
(18:03):
and how do you have many brandambassadors and things like that
?
Is this part of your marketingstrategy Because I know this has
been a really big thing latelyis using influencers to market
your company.
So just wondering, is thatsomething that you guys have
been doing?
Laura Vanderslice (18:23):
So just wondering, is that something
that you guys have been doing?
Oh yes, oh yes, I feel like theinfluencer world has gotten.
I mean, it's just blown up,it's wild and it's really
complex and kind of the best way.
(18:44):
But yes, we absolutely useinfluencers.
I would say a couple of pointson that.
We, looking at influencers, wedo invite influencers that are
already fans of the brand.
So you know, it's pretty rarethat we would partner with
someone who hasn't shown somesort of engagement or affinity
towards the brand in general andfrom an authenticity standpoint
, that makes the most sense.
(19:05):
They're going to be able totalk about our brand in a way
that they already know and love.
So that's kind of step.
One is understanding just who'salready engaging with you and
how do you start to leveragethat and sort of harness that
power and collectively go at ittogether and collectively go at
it together.
(19:26):
From an ambassador perspective,we use our associates quite a
bit, and I'm not talking aboutthem as influencers, it's more
just making sure that they havea voice and a seat at that
social table, because no oneknows our brand better than our
associates and people that areengaging with our members all
day, every day.
So we do talk to them quite abit, and sometimes you'll even
(19:47):
see them in our content on ourown platforms or on their own
pages.
And the one thing we're alsoseeing when we're partnering
with influencers is algorithmsare changing.
So it used to be the morefollowers you have, the more
your content will go up to thetop.
So, like followers was the nameof the game and, by and large,
(20:09):
still is.
But what some of theseplatforms are now doing are
prioritizing really good content, really really good content.
And so what, what we've sort ofpivoted from or what we're
thinking about or how we'reapproaching it is, you know,
look, we've sort of pivoted fromor what we're thinking about or
how we're approaching it is,you know, look, we'll sort of
partner with our fans of thebrand to say this is kind of
(20:31):
what we're thinking, this iskind of our objective, this is
how our calendar is shaping up,and we're actually letting them
sort of lead more of thatnarrative and dialogue in their
style and how they would do itversus some other brands I've
worked for in the past whereit's been like we have this
product and I need you to gotalk about this product.
And here are the talking pointsabout the product, and this is
(20:52):
what we need you to say.
It used to be a lot more rigid,and so at SANS, I think our
team's done a really nice job ofletting the creator be the
creator.
Let them do their thing, letthem own that content.
They already have shown apassion for us.
So like let's just partner inthat organic way, versus like
using them to sell hard in a waythat might not be as authentic
(21:16):
to that person's channel.
Tona Haywood (21:18):
And it's probably not at the.
I mean it's probably not goingto resonate as much with their
audience anyway if it's notauthentic to them, because then
it's going to feel forced andit's going to feel like this
doesn't seem like them.
Laura Vanderslice (21:34):
So Exactly, I think people know when they're
getting sold and sometimes theydon't mind it, but I think when
it exactly, you're exactly right.
When it's not authentic, itjust doesn't work for for anyone
.
Tona Haywood (21:46):
No, not at all.
So in order to really be aninfluencer marketer for Sam's,
it's basically you have to havealready been a member, like you
have the card and you shop there, is that?
Laura Vanderslice (22:05):
what I'm hearing.
Yeah, well, we like to see thatyou have an affinity for the
brand.
I don't want to put too sharpof a point on it, but most of
the time I would say thatorganically happens.
Anyway, we don't actually combthrough the data and make sure
that you've shopped, but ifyou're already talking about us
on your channel, I mean by andlarge you've probably already
(22:26):
shopped with us and you'reengaging, or you know.
Sometimes we see, like we seethese channels pop up, that
these influencers on their own,there are Sam specific accounts
and they did that on their ownaccord.
So we're just, people love it,people love us.
And so, yes, we do look forthat and to see, you know, are
(22:47):
you, are you already talkingabout us and do you like us?
And have you shocked before?
I mean we like.
I said, we're just, we'relooking to see if the sentiment
is there and if it's a good fit.
You could have shocked once ora hundred times or none, and
maybe you just like us.
I don't know so, but if theaffinity is there, we'll start
(23:08):
looking at it.
Tona Haywood (23:09):
I think that's a really good point because I know
for us we have a Christianonline boutique and so early on,
probably a couple of years ago,I was trying to get influencers
to wear my t-shirts, talk aboutit and things like that.
But it seems like if they don'talready know you and interact
(23:31):
with you and engage with you, itcomes across differently than
if they actually if they woulddo it without having to be an
ambassador or an influencer orsomething like that.
So kind of the thought processbehind it has kind of changed.
It's changing now so that youknow, I might have to think
(23:55):
differently about that movingforward, which that's good to
know from your company and howyou do it.
Laura Vanderslice (24:02):
Yeah, and I would say.
I would say there's maybe roomfor both.
We typically start with thosethat are fans of the brand, but
it doesn't mean that we wouldn'tever send out a PR box or
anything like that.
We send stuff to our members,we send stuff to people we think
could be fans of the brand.
(24:23):
So I think it's two pronged.
I think that there's there'sroom for both, because there's
room for growth in both areas.
Tona Haywood (24:29):
Yeah, well, that that's a really good point.
I'm glad I asked that question.
What are some challenges thatyou faced in your role,
particularly related to memberengagement, and how do you
overcome them?
Laura Vanderslice (24:46):
So every day I mean at Sam's Club we're a
membership business and so everyday when we go to work we are
talking about how we earn thatrenewal of our member and I
don't use the word earn lightlywe know that we've got to
consistently deliver for them,and that's not just marketing,
that's as a brand We've got toshow up.
We've got to consistentlydeliver for them, and that's not
(25:06):
just marketing, that's as abrand We've got to show up.
We've got to be consistent.
We have to have an experienceacross all of our touch points,
not just in our club.
That's clean and clear andcrisp and easy and all of the
things.
And so a lot of that is drivenfrom a deep understanding of how
they entered our brand.
So, for example, if someone, ifa member, joined, you know, on
(25:30):
a discounted rate, you knowwe're going to need to nurture
that relationship a littledifferently than if they joined
at a regular rate.
Or you know how they, how theyfirst came to us, will help us
give an indication of.
You know how we need to nurturethat.
Nurture them and I wouldn't.
You know how we need to nurturethem and I wouldn't.
(25:50):
It's a challenge.
I mean it's hard.
It's something we think aboutand talk about every day.
I would say another challenge isaround data in general.
When I worked on the agencyside, one of the biggest sort of
internal reasons that brandswould come to us to build a
loyalty program for them isbecause they didn't have
(26:13):
customer data.
So at Sam's we're very luckybecause it's a membership.
You know we can, we have, wehave a lot of data, but a lot of
brands don't, and so especiallyretailers, you know they don't
always know who's shopping withthem, and so this loyalty
program helped them get thatdata.
But in the absence of that andI kind of mentioned it earlier
if you don't have the means togo build a loyalty program, use
(26:37):
what's there.
I see a lot of brands, a lot ofyou know a lot of different
companies that really strugglewith.
They think they know who theircustomer is and they think they
know what they're doing, whotheir customer is and they think
they know what they're doing.
But there's an apprehensionthere because they don't know,
know and I would say go for it.
Go with what you know, doubledown on what you know,
(26:57):
supplement with industry,supplement where you can.
There's a lot of.
There are a lot of insights outthere.
You just have to go get them.
So I would say that it's been achallenge in the past, for sure
.
Tona Haywood (27:13):
Yeah, that's really good.
And this is a question that Ihave because when, as a small
business, solopreneur, we'reinundated with lots of things
that other brands like us aredoing, and sometimes it can be
paralyzing because we fall intothe trap of comparisonitis and
(27:38):
we compare ourselves and wherewe are with other brands.
You know, I was supposed tohave out my collection today I
don't have out my collection.
Oh, look what they're offering.
I like that.
Maybe I should do that too overhere.
So the question is do companieslike Sam's Club because I know
(28:01):
the other one would be do youguys suffer with the same thing?
Does, does that kind of?
How does that work in that, inthat world?
Laura Vanderslice (28:14):
No, that's a great question.
I was just thinking about thisthe other day, really.
Yes, yes, you know, and I thinkit's human nature to always be
looking around and it's businessnature and it's human nature,
um, we, we are very passionateand emboldened in our mission of
(28:36):
being member obsessed, and wekeep, you know, our head down to
deliver on that every singleday.
Do we look up every once in awhile, if not more so?
Yes, of course.
Okay, of course we do.
I think you have to.
I think you've got to know kindof what's going on around you.
But I don't think that it'severything.
(28:59):
I think stay strong in yourmission, stay strong in your, be
convicted in what you're doingand don't deviate, because the
plan will work and you know, Ithink it's okay to look around,
I think it's okay to know what'sgoing on.
I think it's human nature, butdon't let it sway you too hard
(29:20):
on pivoting from what youbelieve is your strategy and
your mission and where youshould be going.
I would say stay true to that.
Tona Haywood (29:28):
Okay, all right.
Yeah, I just kind of felt that,like you know, because we, like
I said, we a lot of smallbusiness owners and solopreneurs
, we always talk about this intrying to get over that, you
know, compared to the tinnitus.
And yeah, you have all thesocial media and you know
certain feeds look like this.
(29:49):
Or you know, and you knowcertain feeds look like this.
Or you know, you're alwayssaying, man, am I?
You know, am I good enough tobe here?
or in this space, cause my stuffdoes not look like that, or you
know all of these differentideas that come in your head and
I was just wondering does thathappen at a?
You know, at a?
Laura Vanderslice (30:05):
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
I mean, I think it'sinteresting to hear that side of
it too.
Comparison is such aninteresting topic.
I think I'm kind of speakingmore personally than
professionally.
Oh, that's fine, but it reallyis.
(30:29):
It can be such a thief of joyand I think if you're using that
comparison to motivate and toadd fuel and to have even like a
personal benchmark, orsometimes you can use it as a
goal, I think it's super healthyin that way.
I think when it becomesdemotivating is when I would say
(30:53):
, like put it down, move asideand focus on what you're trying
to do.
Tona Haywood (31:14):
I would like to know if you have how you said
you like numbers and I knowyou're probably all about the
KPIs and all of that.
Do you guys use GoogleAnalytics and things like that
for your finding out results,and just why do you feel like
the data is so important,especially for business, for
(31:34):
business owners?
Laura Vanderslice (31:36):
Yeah, the data will guide you.
The data is is kind of thatfirst indicator.
I would say the data is thestarting point, the why is the
next.
So when it comes to KPIs andmeasurement, it kind of just
depends on what we're trying todo.
So there are definitely timeswhere it's XYZ season and we've
(32:01):
got to move Halloween costumesand we need to know how many we
sold.
I'm making that up.
So there are definitely metricswhere it's like where did we
convert?
And that's where the data willstart.
But then you again going backto well, why Was the inventory
(32:21):
right?
Did we set it at the right time?
Did we have the right messaging?
Did we did, we did?
We did we right?
And so that's when you reallystart to get the insight.
So we use data.
I mean we again it kind ofvaries by campaign or initiative
or what we're trying to do.
There are some some thingswe're doing where it's just like
do we have the awareness thatwe need?
(32:42):
Do people remember Sam's book?
Do they remember seeingsomething?
Do they remember?
And you know.
So we have certain things thatare just geared towards that.
But then you know, justdepending on what the campaign
is, we definitely use the datato measure.
But then we start askingourselves why was it successful?
Why was it successful?
Why wasn't it successful?
(33:03):
How do we start to learn?
So, yeah, I mean the data isthe indicator, but it's not the
sole sort of, it's not just theKPI, it's taking it a step
further and asking why.
Tona Haywood (33:15):
Why?
Ok, I like that, so it's notjust looking at the numbers only
, but trying to figure out thewhat happened kind of what
happened and why did it happenhere?
Laura Vanderslice (33:26):
Right, the critical thinking around the
numbers, I would say, is one ofthe harder parts than getting
the numbers.
But yeah, yeah, we, we look atall kinds of data all across the
funnel.
It just kind of varies bycampaign.
But, that being said, we'revery intentional from the start
of what we're trying to do and Ithink, as we you asked a
(33:51):
question earlier about, like,the execution of campaigns, I
think before you put anythinginto the market, you've got to
be very, very clear about whatdo I need this to do for me?
And then, at the end, did it dothat thing?
Sometimes it's easy to getcaught up in.
I need to, you know I need toput something out, or I need to
do this or I need to do that.
Well, but but why?
Why do you need to do that andwhat do you need it to do for
(34:12):
you?
And asking those questions atthe front and at the end of
whatever initiative you're doingis super critical.
Tona Haywood (34:20):
And I guess sometimes for different brands
it's going to be different basedoff of whatever season you're
in.
You might, your goal might besales right, and you want more
money, but because your brand isstill in the awareness phase,
that might not be a good thingto measure right now.
(34:42):
Instead, maybe it would bebetter to just say you know, I'm
gonna put this out, let's seeif I can just get, let's see if
I could put this thing out onFacebook's, see if I can just
get, let's see if I could putthis thing out on Facebook and
see if I can get people toengage with it, and that might
be the first thing and thenbuild conversations around that,
but not with the focus onselling selling, you know.
(35:03):
So it just has to be a littledifferent, based off of where
you are with your particularbusiness at the time.
Laura Vanderslice (35:11):
One hundred percent yes.
Tona Haywood (35:14):
So, lastly, for entrepreneurs looking to
implement similar marketingstrategies in their own business
, what do you think are the keyprinciples of brand storytelling
and member engagement fromSam's Club that they could apply
to their own businesses?
Laura Vanderslice (35:37):
Yeah, I would say dig deep, dig deep.
Continue to understand exactly,not just what your customer
needs, but why they need it.
And I was thinking about itthis morning.
I saw this ad and it was like Idon't even know who the company
(35:58):
was.
Like we provide end to endsolutions for blah, blah, blah,
blah, and I was like I didn'teven know what that means.
And so it's going beyond justsaying here's what I offer, you
know, here's what I can do.
But it's tapping into that.
Why of like, you know this iswhat I can enable for you, this
(36:18):
is what you know the benefit toyour life I can bring to you and
leading with that.
And there's a huge amount ofwork that goes into
understanding that and itrequires a very deep level of
thought and sometimes it's hardto get to.
So I would just say, in termsof when you're talking about
(36:42):
your brand, your offering oryour company or whatever it is,
really really dig deep inunderstanding that customer.
You know who you want to goafter, like most likely, you
know who your customer needs tobe or is, but but like, why are?
Why are they choosing you andwhy?
What else do you have that youknow they can benefit from.
(37:03):
So, digging deep, I would sayit sounds a little trite, but it
is true it's it's.
It's a pretty sophisticatedpractice that I really believe
that any business person can do.
Tona Haywood (37:15):
Yes, but I also think with digging deep, it
takes time, so you have to havepatience because it doesn't come
like oh, I just asked thisquestion and then, okay, that's
good, I got it, got the answer.
I think it comes over timebecause even when you have
(37:40):
groups that you felt like wereyour target audience, but you
notice that people, there aresome people that they will
purchase from you no matter whatand you're trying to figure out
well, what is the why?
What is it about this brandthat keeps them kind of coming
back and purchasing?
What is that?
What is that thing?
Laura Vanderslice (38:00):
Right, right, the emotional thing and the
rational thing.
Yes, you know, it might be thatyou have great prices on your
thing, but it's.
There's probably something moreto it.
Tona Haywood (38:14):
Yes, and exploring that something more is
important, right?
Yes, indeed.
Well, is there anything elsethat you would like to add, any
other things that you've learnedover your time with Sam's Club
that would be beneficial to thewomen entrepreneurs that are
listening?
Laura Vanderslice (38:35):
Yeah, I would say one's a little more
personal and one might be alittle more professional, but I
would say, just in my career ingeneral, find the women and be
the women, be the woman.
You know that helps the otherwomen.
I think I have benefited sogreatly from having amazing
(38:57):
women, mentors, amazing careerwomen who have helped me,
amazing women who I could go toand say I don't know what we're
talking about.
Can you please explain it to meand know they, they and they
want that, they, they encouragethat, they want you to ask
questions, um, and open up.
(39:17):
And I would say, um, the moreyou can surround yourself with
women like that, I would say doit, um and and be it, can, um,
it's just, it's been such anincredible journey with me, with
some of the mentors that I'vehad, so I would say that's been
amazing.
(39:39):
Professionally, I would just sayyou know, I want to go back to
one of the content things wetalked about a second ago and
what content could look like.
I would say from a contentperspective, I want to give an
example it's not maybe a greatexample, but it's a recent
(40:00):
example of this company I waslooking at renting a boat from
in Austin we are doing a girlsget away and I'm like I want to
rent a boat.
Well, I don't know the firstthing about renting a boat, much
less in Austin.
I don't live there and so I wasonline and this company had put
out an article about thedifferent bodies of water and
(40:20):
the you know the differences of.
You know, if you want thisexperience, go here, this
experience, go there.
And at the end of the day, Iwas like this was so valuable
because I didn't even know whereto start, and so this company
had put out this con aboutsomething that helped me.
And so I think, when we talkabout content in that way, think
about those kinds of tenants.
(40:41):
You know that that can kind ofcome off of your core offering
and see where you can help yourcustomer who might not even know
that what, where to start orwhat they need, and be there for
them in that way.
But yeah, I think so.
So just two things, verydrastically different answers,
but I would say two things.
You know, keep doubling down oncontent.
(41:02):
Think about where you need tobe, think about you know how you
can create content that's anoffshoot of your brand to help
your customer, but at the sametime, you know how you can
create content that's anoffshoot of your brand to help
your customer.
But at the same time, you knowpersonally just keep grinding
and find those people that youknow you can surround yourself
with.
That will, that will help you.
Tona Haywood (41:20):
Yes, that will help support you in your journey
.
Right exactly Big time, becausethat's what you need.
Well, laura, this has been anamazing episode podcast
interview.
It's been great.
I've learned so much.
I'm going to go back and listento it and take notes and try to
(41:41):
apply as much of this as I can,and I hope that the audience
who are listening were alsoencouraged in this episode as
well.
But I just want to thank youfor being here today and we will
or I will see you next timeSounds great.
Laura Vanderslice (42:05):
Thank you, you're welcome.
Al Haywood (42:07):
We're so excited that you tuned in to the latest
episode of the we Pivot podcast.
Thank you for joining us Now,whether this is your first time
or not, please make sure tosubscribe and share with a
friend who can also use somedigital marketing guidance as
well.
Until next time.
The we Pivot podcast is for you if you're a
woman who has recently pivotedinto entrepreneurship.
You'll find digital marketingtips, trends and strategies to
help grow your business intoday's digital world.
Join Tona and Al Haywood as wehave fun breaking down all
things digital marketing.
So sit back, relax and enjoythe show.
(00:25):
Welcome back everyone.
Today I have a special guestand her name is Laura
Vanderslice.
And guess what?
She leads the charge inmarketing strategy at Sam's Club
, focusing on how to makemembers feel right at home with
(00:46):
the brand.
Laura crafts the kind ofcampaigns that resonate deeply,
showing how membership goesbeyond savings to offer real
value and quality.
Her magic lies in creatingconnections, making sure every
Sam Club member feels like partof something bigger.
(01:06):
Welcome to the we Pivot podcast, laura.
Laura Vanderslice (01:11):
Thank you so much for having me.
This is so much fun.
Tona Haywood (01:15):
Yeah, you're welcome.
I know when we got thisconnection, I was like you know,
I never thought about someonecoming on the podcast from a
bigger corporation, because mostof the people that we have on
there, smaller solopreneurs,have their own businesses and
(01:35):
things like that.
To get to know what you guys doand to really kind of get some
takeaways on how we can takethat information and possibly
use it for our own businesses.
Laura Vanderslice (01:50):
Wonderful.
Yes, hopefully no.
I really enjoyed listening andI think storytelling is
applicable to anyone, with anybrand and anything that you know
, anyone that has anything tosay, so looking forward to the
conversation.
Tona Haywood (02:14):
Yes, and so am I, so let's dive right on in there.
Can you tell or share yourjourney into the role of
director of marketing planningand strategy at Sam's Club, and
what drives your passion formember engagement and brand
storytelling?
Laura Vanderslice (02:26):
Sure, yeah.
So I spent the first I wouldsay good 10 years of my career
on the agency side, working fora marketing agency that
specialized in building customerrelationship management,
management programs and customerloyalty programs.
So from an early, early careerpoint I had to learn very
(02:50):
quickly what kept not just myclients engaged in how their
business ran, but what kepttheir customers coming back.
How did they engage with theirbrand, what drove them to engage
with their brand, and how do wethen use that information to
extend their customer's lifetimevalue.
(03:11):
So it taught me just a lotabout data.
It taught me a lot abouttalking to customers and to
members on the Sam's Club sideand it taught me a lot about
going deep and digging deep andreally understand the motivators
and the drivers of customersand why they engage at all and
how we can use that to keep themcoming back.
Tona Haywood (03:33):
When it comes to engaging with the customers or
talking with the customers.
What does that specificallylook like?
Is it you're stopping peoplewho are coming in and asking
them questions, or is it thatyou're putting together panels,
or is it through email?
What is the specific way thatyou get that feedback and that
(03:55):
build those relationships withthe customers?
Laura Vanderslice (03:59):
Yeah, it's all of the above, I would say.
At Sam's Club specifically, wetalk to our members all the time
.
Every week we do focus groupswith them.
They're very vocal with us.
They will tell you exactly whatthey love and don't love and
where they see opportunities andwhere we see opportunities.
So there's very much a two-waydialogue.
(04:19):
Consistently, that's happeningthrough the means of focus
groups.
You can also go online too.
Don't underestimate the powerof ratings or reviews or social
chatter or what's happening withyour comments on social.
Really, keep your ears and eyesopen, because the information
(04:39):
is there in addition to talkingto them directly.
Tona Haywood (04:42):
Okay, and how would someone participate in a
focus group Like, how would youselect people?
What is kind of the processthat that would entail?
Laura Vanderslice (04:54):
Yeah, we do outreach to them.
They have the opportunity toopt in to a panel that we have.
So post-purchase we send theman invitation to ask them would
you like to participate?
And the take rate's pretty good.
I think they really enjoy itand they enjoy being heard and
they enjoy being listened to.
Tona Haywood (05:15):
I kind of like that, because it kind of goes
along with just being a smallbusiness owner, solopreneur,
really getting to know what yourcustomers want through surveys
or Facebook groups if you have aFacebook group or things like
(05:35):
that just getting feedback orasking people if they would be
interested in giving feedback,and it helps you to kind of move
the needle forward and what youshould be providing for people.
Laura Vanderslice (05:48):
Yeah, and I think it it allows you to have
that two-way dialogue.
I we use a lot of data.
I love data, I love surveys.
You know there's all of this,this information that you can
collect that lets you understandtheir rational need.
You know, I think that'ssometimes when you get survey
responses back it's like this ishow I plan to shop, or this is
(06:11):
what I like, or this is whatmakes me feel valued.
But when you're talking to themdirectly, you can ask them why.
And then the more you start toask why and continue to ask why,
ask it three or four times thenyou'll really start to get down
to that emotional need.
And so the combination of thetwo understanding rationally why
(06:34):
they're participating in yourbrand and engaging with your
brand, but then getting intothat emotional connection is
what really enables thatpowerful brand storytelling,
kind of that nice blend and mixof the two things.
Tona Haywood (06:51):
Yes, that makes total sense to me.
So how would you approachdeveloping marketing strategies
that resonate with the Sam'sClub members and encourage them
to engage more deeply with thebrand?
Laura Vanderslice (07:07):
Yeah, it goes a little bit into that, asking
why, I think, always going forthe pursuit of the feeling
you're wanting, as a brand, toresonate with versus the action
you want them to take.
So I'll give an example for backto school.
You know, it would be very easy,as a large retailer, to say you
(07:28):
know, your Sam's Clubmembership lets you buy more
snacks for back to school for agreat price, like, sure, of
course, that has come through orcan come through.
Is that, you know, by savingyour members money, what you're
(07:50):
really enabling is you, you know, for example, to throw an extra
snack in that kid's lunchbox toshare with that new friend they
just made.
So you're enabling thosemoments of togetherness, you're
enabling this their livelihoods,you're enabling these, you know
, benefits that are beyond thetangible aspect of saving money.
So keep pushing and keep askingand saying why is it important
for you to save money?
Why is it important for you tobuy or whatever?
(08:12):
Just keep asking and whatyou'll really get to is that
strong feeling of I don't haveto think twice about putting the
extra snacks in the lunchboxbecause my friend can take it,
they're so excited to share itwith their new friend or
whatever.
So that's an example of how,how we would approach it.
Tona Haywood (08:34):
I like that, especially with the emotional,
emotional needs and diggingdeeper, because sometimes we
find it's kind of hard to dothat because even with the
surface level questions you onlyget so much.
And so trying to get to thatextra layer of why is that
important to buy this in bulkand save the money, what's the
(08:55):
deeper meaning behind that Rightright?
So in a world saturated, as youknow, with advertising, how do
you ensure that Sam's Club brandstorytelling stands out and
connects with your audience onan emotional level?
And I think we kind of tiedinto that with some of those
(09:17):
digging deeper.
Is there anything more that youcan say that helps you stand
out from some with all the noisethat's out there?
Laura Vanderslice (09:25):
Yeah, I think there's two parts to this.
I think there's a messagingcomponent and a frequency
component.
So, from a we talked a littlebit about the messaging dig deep
, understand why, create thelayer that's going to resonate
deeply and that, in its ownright, will break through If
your message is clear.
(09:46):
It doesn't matter how manyother things they're seeing.
That's what they're going to.
You know your customer, yourprospect, whoever.
That's what they're going toremember because they felt it.
There's a frequency component toI think you know understanding
where your customer is and Iwould say the marketing funnel
with you.
So, for example, your prospectsor someone that isn't as
(10:09):
engaged with your brand sothey're very much in the like
just awareness part of thatfunnel.
You might need something alittle splashier.
You might need something alittle bigger, a little more PR
worthy.
You might be trying to get someearned media out of whatever
you're doing to capture thataudience.
So that could be doing thingslike pushing the envelope on how
(10:31):
they shop with you, how theyengage with you.
That could be trying newexploratory channels.
That's something a little bitbigger.
But I think, in terms ofbreaking through understanding
that some of your customers whoare a little further down in the
funnel, like they already areconsidering you or they're
already engaging with you, theyactually might not need all the
(10:54):
razzle dazzle, they might justneed a steady drumbeat of
relevant, consistent messagingthat's in the channels that they
already are, to remain top ofmind.
And so I think that's what Imean when there's kind of a
frequency component ofunderstanding really who you're
talking to and where they areand how frequently you need to
be talking to them, but alsobreaking through with just that
(11:15):
really crisp, clear messagingand copy and content that is
important to them.
I think sometimes inadvertising it's very easy to
get caught up in the big SuperBowl moments which are important
I mean, look, they're there fora reason and they serve a
really strong purpose for abrand.
But that's not the strategyalone, right?
(11:36):
You can't just have a bigsplashy and then kind of leave
it and forget it.
You've got to continue tofollow up and nurture that
relationship with the frequencyof messaging that matters to
them, depending on where theyare with you.
Tona Haywood (11:48):
So would you classify frequency when it comes
to small business owners andsolopreneurs?
Would you classify that as howoften you show up like the
consistency that you're showingup in the various channels that
they may be a part?
Laura Vanderslice (12:07):
of Exactly, Exactly, Continuity, consistency
.
Tona Haywood (12:12):
Just I kind of call it that steady drum beat of
content, and I guess that isprobably one of the most
difficult parts.
When you are a small businessowner, a solopreneur, because
you have to be in all, it'salmost like you feel like you
have to be in all thesedifferent places at the same
time.
When it's just you, and it'svery difficult to do that, it's
(12:40):
probably going to be better forpeople to decide to, instead of
trying to be everywhere, besomewhere where you know the
majority of your audiences andyou can pretty much develop more
content for that specific area,for those people, and just keep
being consistent there 100%.
Laura Vanderslice (13:03):
Could not agree more.
It it's.
It's not content for contentsake, it's just consistency in
messaging.
And if that's one channel,great, if it's 10, even better.
But like, stay with where youcan do what you can, but do it
well and do it consistently.
You know, and that, and I thinkthat's that that's a great
(13:25):
point and I couldn't agree more.
Tona Haywood (13:26):
Yes, okay, well, thank you, because that does
that makes total sense.
Is it possible to walk usthrough the process of planning
and executing a campaign acrossthe marketing calendar,
highlighting how you tailor yourstrategies for different times
of the year?
Laura Vanderslice (13:46):
Sure, data and insights always first,
always first.
And you know, I think, ifthere's not a lot of access to
rich data, use what you've gotyou know, use what's online, use
what's out there, read thewhite papers.
Right, like data and insightsdoesn't have to be owned data
that comes from your own company.
(14:07):
It can be extracted fromanywhere.
But from a calendar perspective, I would say one of our
learnings over time, as we'vegotten to know our members even
better over the years, is thatseasonally, there are certainly
tentpole moments, right, you'vegot kind of the holiday moments
and you've got the summermoments and you have these
(14:29):
things and these events that areimportant business drivers and
they're important to our members.
But what's equally important isthat really, on the day to day,
what members and customers andpeople are thinking about by and
large is their families.
(14:50):
What are they going to have fordinner that night?
What are they going to do onthe weekend?
How are they going to plan justthe next week?
What is?
How do we start to plan forwhat our next vacation is going
to be?
Right, they're really just,they're not really thinking yes,
it's about summer, but they'renot really thinking in these
tentpole calendar moments that Ithink, as marketers, we tend to
(15:14):
center our business driversaround, so what we've really
done is taken a step back andsay, sure, like, seasonally,
we've got it.
You know tailgating is going tocome up and they're going to be
celebrating, but how do we alsoreinforce that we're here for
them throughout their everydaylives?
How do we make dinner a littlebit easier during?
(15:35):
I mean, I don't know why I keepgoing back to school.
I don't know.
You know it's yeah, the kidsare going off, but the parents
are also strapped to.
So how do we start to talkabout that instead?
You know, in addition to youknow, back to school, snacks and
lunch boxes, but you know, howdo we talk about dinners Maybe?
(15:57):
How do we talk about whatevercurbside pickup that makes it
easier for you to save time soyou can get back to the routine,
right?
Like there are just thesedifferent moments that as we
look at our calendar and as weplan how we're going to talk and
when we're going to talk to ourmembers, we didn't, we didn't
want to think about it just inthose cyclical kind of
(16:19):
timeframes.
We wanted to think about thatevergreen timeframe too.
Tona Haywood (16:23):
And I guess that's kind of how it seems that we do
it when we're marketing,because the first thing that you
see is, you see, you go intoWalgreens and you see, oh man,
the Valentine's Day candy isalready out, or oh, the Easter
candy is out now, or oh, theyhave the Christmas stuff up.
(16:44):
And so you just think about itin the in seasons and not like,
what about the in between?
There is in between.
It's not just, oh, I got to getall of this stuff together just
to market this one seasonspecific, but keeping an eye on
everything in between, thoseseasonal moments on the calendar
(17:08):
.
Laura Vanderslice (17:09):
Exactly exactly.
I mean, there's definitely atime and a place for, you know,
the Easter dresses under 25bucks or whatever it is, but and
certainly it's super relevant.
But you're exactly right, it'show do you sustain their
everyday life, how do you helpthem live their best everyday
life?
You know, how do we, how do westart to talk to that?
(17:31):
And, yes, think beyond justthose tentpole moments, because
our members are, our members arethinking beyond that.
Tona Haywood (17:40):
That is very true.
Now, something that I don'tknow if I've seen before with
your company or not, becausemaybe I'm just not in the right
spaces to see it marketing togain more members at Sam's Club
(18:03):
and how do you have many brandambassadors and things like that
?
Is this part of your marketingstrategy Because I know this has
been a really big thing latelyis using influencers to market
your company.
So just wondering, is thatsomething that you guys have
been doing?
Laura Vanderslice (18:23):
So just wondering, is that something
that you guys have been doing?
Oh yes, oh yes, I feel like theinfluencer world has gotten.
I mean, it's just blown up,it's wild and it's really
complex and kind of the best way.
(18:44):
But yes, we absolutely useinfluencers.
I would say a couple of pointson that.
We, looking at influencers, wedo invite influencers that are
already fans of the brand.
So you know, it's pretty rarethat we would partner with
someone who hasn't shown somesort of engagement or affinity
towards the brand in general andfrom an authenticity standpoint
, that makes the most sense.
(19:05):
They're going to be able totalk about our brand in a way
that they already know and love.
So that's kind of step.
One is understanding just who'salready engaging with you and
how do you start to leveragethat and sort of harness that
power and collectively go at ittogether and collectively go at
it together.
(19:26):
From an ambassador perspective,we use our associates quite a
bit, and I'm not talking aboutthem as influencers, it's more
just making sure that they havea voice and a seat at that
social table, because no oneknows our brand better than our
associates and people that areengaging with our members all
day, every day.
So we do talk to them quite abit, and sometimes you'll even
(19:47):
see them in our content on ourown platforms or on their own
pages.
And the one thing we're alsoseeing when we're partnering
with influencers is algorithmsare changing.
So it used to be the morefollowers you have, the more
your content will go up to thetop.
So, like followers was the nameof the game and, by and large,
(20:09):
still is.
But what some of theseplatforms are now doing are
prioritizing really good content, really really good content.
And so what, what we've sort ofpivoted from or what we're
thinking about or how we'reapproaching it is, you know,
look, we've sort of pivoted fromor what we're thinking about or
how we're approaching it is,you know, look, we'll sort of
partner with our fans of thebrand to say this is kind of
(20:31):
what we're thinking, this iskind of our objective, this is
how our calendar is shaping up,and we're actually letting them
sort of lead more of thatnarrative and dialogue in their
style and how they would do itversus some other brands I've
worked for in the past whereit's been like we have this
product and I need you to gotalk about this product.
And here are the talking pointsabout the product, and this is
(20:52):
what we need you to say.
It used to be a lot more rigid,and so at SANS, I think our
team's done a really nice job ofletting the creator be the
creator.
Let them do their thing, letthem own that content.
They already have shown apassion for us.
So like let's just partner inthat organic way, versus like
using them to sell hard in a waythat might not be as authentic
(21:16):
to that person's channel.
Tona Haywood (21:18):
And it's probably not at the.
I mean it's probably not goingto resonate as much with their
audience anyway if it's notauthentic to them, because then
it's going to feel forced andit's going to feel like this
doesn't seem like them.
Laura Vanderslice (21:34):
So Exactly, I think people know when they're
getting sold and sometimes theydon't mind it, but I think when
it exactly, you're exactly right.
When it's not authentic, itjust doesn't work for for anyone
.
Tona Haywood (21:46):
No, not at all.
So in order to really be aninfluencer marketer for Sam's,
it's basically you have to havealready been a member, like you
have the card and you shop there, is that?
Laura Vanderslice (22:05):
what I'm hearing.
Yeah, well, we like to see thatyou have an affinity for the
brand.
I don't want to put too sharpof a point on it, but most of
the time I would say thatorganically happens.
Anyway, we don't actually combthrough the data and make sure
that you've shopped, but ifyou're already talking about us
on your channel, I mean by andlarge you've probably already
(22:26):
shopped with us and you'reengaging, or you know.
Sometimes we see, like we seethese channels pop up, that
these influencers on their own,there are Sam specific accounts
and they did that on their ownaccord.
So we're just, people love it,people love us.
And so, yes, we do look forthat and to see, you know, are
(22:47):
you, are you already talkingabout us and do you like us?
And have you shocked before?
I mean we like.
I said, we're just, we'relooking to see if the sentiment
is there and if it's a good fit.
You could have shocked once ora hundred times or none, and
maybe you just like us.
I don't know so, but if theaffinity is there, we'll start
(23:08):
looking at it.
Tona Haywood (23:09):
I think that's a really good point because I know
for us we have a Christianonline boutique and so early on,
probably a couple of years ago,I was trying to get influencers
to wear my t-shirts, talk aboutit and things like that.
But it seems like if they don'talready know you and interact
(23:31):
with you and engage with you, itcomes across differently than
if they actually if they woulddo it without having to be an
ambassador or an influencer orsomething like that.
So kind of the thought processbehind it has kind of changed.
It's changing now so that youknow, I might have to think
(23:55):
differently about that movingforward, which that's good to
know from your company and howyou do it.
Laura Vanderslice (24:02):
Yeah, and I would say.
I would say there's maybe roomfor both.
We typically start with thosethat are fans of the brand, but
it doesn't mean that we wouldn'tever send out a PR box or
anything like that.
We send stuff to our members,we send stuff to people we think
could be fans of the brand.
(24:23):
So I think it's two pronged.
I think that there's there'sroom for both, because there's
room for growth in both areas.
Tona Haywood (24:29):
Yeah, well, that that's a really good point.
I'm glad I asked that question.
What are some challenges thatyou faced in your role,
particularly related to memberengagement, and how do you
overcome them?
Laura Vanderslice (24:46):
So every day I mean at Sam's Club we're a
membership business and so everyday when we go to work we are
talking about how we earn thatrenewal of our member and I
don't use the word earn lightlywe know that we've got to
consistently deliver for them,and that's not just marketing,
that's as a brand We've got toshow up.
We've got to consistentlydeliver for them, and that's not
(25:06):
just marketing, that's as abrand We've got to show up.
We've got to be consistent.
We have to have an experienceacross all of our touch points,
not just in our club.
That's clean and clear andcrisp and easy and all of the
things.
And so a lot of that is drivenfrom a deep understanding of how
they entered our brand.
So, for example, if someone, ifa member, joined, you know, on
(25:30):
a discounted rate, you knowwe're going to need to nurture
that relationship a littledifferently than if they joined
at a regular rate.
Or you know how they, how theyfirst came to us, will help us
give an indication of.
You know how we need to nurturethat.
Nurture them and I wouldn't.
You know how we need to nurturethem and I wouldn't.
(25:50):
It's a challenge.
I mean it's hard.
It's something we think aboutand talk about every day.
I would say another challenge isaround data in general.
When I worked on the agencyside, one of the biggest sort of
internal reasons that brandswould come to us to build a
loyalty program for them isbecause they didn't have
(26:13):
customer data.
So at Sam's we're very luckybecause it's a membership.
You know we can, we have, wehave a lot of data, but a lot of
brands don't, and so especiallyretailers, you know they don't
always know who's shopping withthem, and so this loyalty
program helped them get thatdata.
But in the absence of that andI kind of mentioned it earlier
if you don't have the means togo build a loyalty program, use
(26:37):
what's there.
I see a lot of brands, a lot ofyou know a lot of different
companies that really strugglewith.
They think they know who theircustomer is and they think they
know what they're doing, whotheir customer is and they think
they know what they're doing.
But there's an apprehensionthere because they don't know,
know and I would say go for it.
Go with what you know, doubledown on what you know,
(26:57):
supplement with industry,supplement where you can.
There's a lot of.
There are a lot of insights outthere.
You just have to go get them.
So I would say that it's been achallenge in the past, for sure
.
Tona Haywood (27:13):
Yeah, that's really good.
And this is a question that Ihave because when, as a small
business, solopreneur, we'reinundated with lots of things
that other brands like us aredoing, and sometimes it can be
paralyzing because we fall intothe trap of comparisonitis and
(27:38):
we compare ourselves and wherewe are with other brands.
You know, I was supposed tohave out my collection today I
don't have out my collection.
Oh, look what they're offering.
I like that.
Maybe I should do that too overhere.
So the question is do companieslike Sam's Club because I know
(28:01):
the other one would be do youguys suffer with the same thing?
Does, does that kind of?
How does that work in that, inthat world?
Laura Vanderslice (28:14):
No, that's a great question.
I was just thinking about thisthe other day, really.
Yes, yes, you know, and I thinkit's human nature to always be
looking around and it's businessnature and it's human nature,
um, we, we are very passionateand emboldened in our mission of
(28:36):
being member obsessed, and wekeep, you know, our head down to
deliver on that every singleday.
Do we look up every once in awhile, if not more so?
Yes, of course.
Okay, of course we do.
I think you have to.
I think you've got to know kindof what's going on around you.
But I don't think that it'severything.
(28:59):
I think stay strong in yourmission, stay strong in your, be
convicted in what you're doingand don't deviate, because the
plan will work and you know, Ithink it's okay to look around,
I think it's okay to know what'sgoing on.
I think it's human nature, butdon't let it sway you too hard
(29:20):
on pivoting from what youbelieve is your strategy and
your mission and where youshould be going.
I would say stay true to that.
Tona Haywood (29:28):
Okay, all right.
Yeah, I just kind of felt that,like you know, because we, like
I said, we a lot of smallbusiness owners and solopreneurs
, we always talk about this intrying to get over that, you
know, compared to the tinnitus.
And yeah, you have all thesocial media and you know
certain feeds look like this.
(29:49):
Or you know, and you knowcertain feeds look like this.
Or you know, you're alwayssaying, man, am I?
You know, am I good enough tobe here?
or in this space, cause my stuffdoes not look like that, or you
know all of these differentideas that come in your head and
I was just wondering does thathappen at a?
You know, at a?
Laura Vanderslice (30:05):
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
I mean, I think it'sinteresting to hear that side of
it too.
Comparison is such aninteresting topic.
I think I'm kind of speakingmore personally than
professionally.
Oh, that's fine, but it reallyis.
(30:29):
It can be such a thief of joyand I think if you're using that
comparison to motivate and toadd fuel and to have even like a
personal benchmark, orsometimes you can use it as a
goal, I think it's super healthyin that way.
I think when it becomesdemotivating is when I would say
(30:53):
, like put it down, move asideand focus on what you're trying
to do.
Tona Haywood (31:14):
I would like to know if you have how you said
you like numbers and I knowyou're probably all about the
KPIs and all of that.
Do you guys use GoogleAnalytics and things like that
for your finding out results,and just why do you feel like
the data is so important,especially for business, for
(31:34):
business owners?
Laura Vanderslice (31:36):
Yeah, the data will guide you.
The data is is kind of thatfirst indicator.
I would say the data is thestarting point, the why is the
next.
So when it comes to KPIs andmeasurement, it kind of just
depends on what we're trying todo.
So there are definitely timeswhere it's XYZ season and we've
(32:01):
got to move Halloween costumesand we need to know how many we
sold.
I'm making that up.
So there are definitely metricswhere it's like where did we
convert?
And that's where the data willstart.
But then you again going backto well, why Was the inventory
(32:21):
right?
Did we set it at the right time?
Did we have the right messaging?
Did we did, we did?
We did we right?
And so that's when you reallystart to get the insight.
So we use data.
I mean we again it kind ofvaries by campaign or initiative
or what we're trying to do.
There are some some thingswe're doing where it's just like
do we have the awareness thatwe need?
(32:42):
Do people remember Sam's book?
Do they remember seeingsomething?
Do they remember?
And you know.
So we have certain things thatare just geared towards that.
But then you know, justdepending on what the campaign
is, we definitely use the datato measure.
But then we start askingourselves why was it successful?
Why was it successful?
Why wasn't it successful?
(33:03):
How do we start to learn?
So, yeah, I mean the data isthe indicator, but it's not the
sole sort of, it's not just theKPI, it's taking it a step
further and asking why.
Tona Haywood (33:15):
Why?
Ok, I like that, so it's notjust looking at the numbers only
, but trying to figure out thewhat happened kind of what
happened and why did it happenhere?
Laura Vanderslice (33:26):
Right, the critical thinking around the
numbers, I would say, is one ofthe harder parts than getting
the numbers.
But yeah, yeah, we, we look atall kinds of data all across the
funnel.
It just kind of varies bycampaign.
But, that being said, we'revery intentional from the start
of what we're trying to do and Ithink, as we you asked a
(33:51):
question earlier about, like,the execution of campaigns, I
think before you put anythinginto the market, you've got to
be very, very clear about whatdo I need this to do for me?
And then, at the end, did it dothat thing?
Sometimes it's easy to getcaught up in.
I need to, you know I need toput something out, or I need to
do this or I need to do that.
Well, but but why?
Why do you need to do that andwhat do you need it to do for
(34:12):
you?
And asking those questions atthe front and at the end of
whatever initiative you're doingis super critical.
Tona Haywood (34:20):
And I guess sometimes for different brands
it's going to be different basedoff of whatever season you're
in.
You might, your goal might besales right, and you want more
money, but because your brand isstill in the awareness phase,
that might not be a good thingto measure right now.
(34:42):
Instead, maybe it would bebetter to just say you know, I'm
gonna put this out, let's seeif I can just get, let's see if
I could put this thing out onFacebook's, see if I can just
get, let's see if I could putthis thing out on Facebook and
see if I can get people toengage with it, and that might
be the first thing and thenbuild conversations around that,
but not with the focus onselling selling, you know.
(35:03):
So it just has to be a littledifferent, based off of where
you are with your particularbusiness at the time.
Laura Vanderslice (35:11):
One hundred percent yes.
Tona Haywood (35:14):
So, lastly, for entrepreneurs looking to
implement similar marketingstrategies in their own business
, what do you think are the keyprinciples of brand storytelling
and member engagement fromSam's Club that they could apply
to their own businesses?
Laura Vanderslice (35:37):
Yeah, I would say dig deep, dig deep.
Continue to understand exactly,not just what your customer
needs, but why they need it.
And I was thinking about itthis morning.
I saw this ad and it was like Idon't even know who the company
(35:58):
was.
Like we provide end to endsolutions for blah, blah, blah,
blah, and I was like I didn'teven know what that means.
And so it's going beyond justsaying here's what I offer, you
know, here's what I can do.
But it's tapping into that.
Why of like, you know this iswhat I can enable for you, this
(36:18):
is what you know the benefit toyour life I can bring to you and
leading with that.
And there's a huge amount ofwork that goes into
understanding that and itrequires a very deep level of
thought and sometimes it's hardto get to.
So I would just say, in termsof when you're talking about
(36:42):
your brand, your offering oryour company or whatever it is,
really really dig deep inunderstanding that customer.
You know who you want to goafter, like most likely, you
know who your customer needs tobe or is, but but like, why are?
Why are they choosing you andwhy?
What else do you have that youknow they can benefit from.
(37:03):
So, digging deep, I would sayit sounds a little trite, but it
is true it's it's.
It's a pretty sophisticatedpractice that I really believe
that any business person can do.
Tona Haywood (37:15):
Yes, but I also think with digging deep, it
takes time, so you have to havepatience because it doesn't come
like oh, I just asked thisquestion and then, okay, that's
good, I got it, got the answer.
I think it comes over timebecause even when you have
(37:40):
groups that you felt like wereyour target audience, but you
notice that people, there aresome people that they will
purchase from you no matter whatand you're trying to figure out
well, what is the why?
What is it about this brandthat keeps them kind of coming
back and purchasing?
What is that?
What is that thing?
Laura Vanderslice (38:00):
Right, right, the emotional thing and the
rational thing.
Yes, you know, it might be thatyou have great prices on your
thing, but it's.
There's probably something moreto it.
Tona Haywood (38:14):
Yes, and exploring that something more is
important, right?
Yes, indeed.
Well, is there anything elsethat you would like to add, any
other things that you've learnedover your time with Sam's Club
that would be beneficial to thewomen entrepreneurs that are
listening?
Laura Vanderslice (38:35):
Yeah, I would say one's a little more
personal and one might be alittle more professional, but I
would say, just in my career ingeneral, find the women and be
the women, be the woman.
You know that helps the otherwomen.
I think I have benefited sogreatly from having amazing
(38:57):
women, mentors, amazing careerwomen who have helped me,
amazing women who I could go toand say I don't know what we're
talking about.
Can you please explain it to meand know they, they and they
want that, they, they encouragethat, they want you to ask
questions, um, and open up.
(39:17):
And I would say, um, the moreyou can surround yourself with
women like that, I would say doit, um and and be it, can, um,
it's just, it's been such anincredible journey with me, with
some of the mentors that I'vehad, so I would say that's been
amazing.
(39:39):
Professionally, I would just sayyou know, I want to go back to
one of the content things wetalked about a second ago and
what content could look like.
I would say from a contentperspective, I want to give an
example it's not maybe a greatexample, but it's a recent
(40:00):
example of this company I waslooking at renting a boat from
in Austin we are doing a girlsget away and I'm like I want to
rent a boat.
Well, I don't know the firstthing about renting a boat, much
less in Austin.
I don't live there and so I wasonline and this company had put
out an article about thedifferent bodies of water and
(40:20):
the you know the differences of.
You know, if you want thisexperience, go here, this
experience, go there.
And at the end of the day, Iwas like this was so valuable
because I didn't even know whereto start, and so this company
had put out this con aboutsomething that helped me.
And so I think, when we talkabout content in that way, think
about those kinds of tenants.
(40:41):
You know that that can kind ofcome off of your core offering
and see where you can help yourcustomer who might not even know
that what, where to start orwhat they need, and be there for
them in that way.
But yeah, I think so.
So just two things, verydrastically different answers,
but I would say two things.
You know, keep doubling down oncontent.
(41:02):
Think about where you need tobe, think about you know how you
can create content that's anoffshoot of your brand to help
your customer, but at the sametime, you know how you can
create content that's anoffshoot of your brand to help
your customer.
But at the same time, you knowpersonally just keep grinding
and find those people that youknow you can surround yourself
with.
That will, that will help you.
Tona Haywood (41:20):
Yes, that will help support you in your journey
.
Right exactly Big time, becausethat's what you need.
Well, laura, this has been anamazing episode podcast
interview.
It's been great.
I've learned so much.
I'm going to go back and listento it and take notes and try to
(41:41):
apply as much of this as I can,and I hope that the audience
who are listening were alsoencouraged in this episode as
well.
But I just want to thank youfor being here today and we will
or I will see you next timeSounds great.
Laura Vanderslice (42:05):
Thank you, you're welcome.
Al Haywood (42:07):
We're so excited that you tuned in to the latest
episode of the we Pivot podcast.
Thank you for joining us Now,whether this is your first time
or not, please make sure tosubscribe and share with a
friend who can also use somedigital marketing guidance as
well.
Until next time.
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