"Don't try to copy big brands as a small business."

You've likely heard this from gurus on social media.

But now I have a real case study to show you why this is the case.

And honestly, the results are shocking.

For context, this was a brand I brought from $500k to $1.5 million in email revenue in just one year.

The results were amazing.

Each month we saw more revenue, and metrics like open rates, order rates, and revenue per recipient were all excellent.

But this was until the start of the year when my client brought on a new CMO.

The CMO had previous experience at several big brands including Nestle.

Her experience and CV were immaculate.

But I very quickly realised a problem...

She wanted to apply big corporate marketing to a brand doing $1.5 million a year in email revenue.

Within weeks she had rejected our campaign ideas, rewritten several major flows and completely overhauled almost a year of work.

And 8 months on...

The cracks are starting to show.

Instead of building a list of loyal buyers, we're copying brands like Kellogg and offer discounts every week.

Instead of talking about product benefits, we're talking about boring features that nobody cares about.

Instead of talking about engaging customer stories, we're talking about how great the company is and how everyone loves us on social media.

The results?

Open rates have dropped from over 60% to 46%.

Click-through rates have gone from 2% to 0.67%.

Placed order rates have dropped from 0.5% to 0.06%.

And revenue per recipient has fallen to $0.03.

According to Klaviyo, the latter 3 metrics are all "poor."

The results have been shocking and I genuinely believe the worst is still on the way.

The audience is burned out and nobody buys without a discount.

So why am I telling you this?

Firstly, it's to prove that the saying "Don't apply big corporation marketing to small businesses" is true.

Large organizations can afford high churn rates and have the brand awareness to just replace customers.

Small businesses don't have these luxuries.

Secondly, to show you that CVs and "experience" are a load of rubbish.

Your CV and who you've worked with mean nothing.

What did you actually do for a brand?

What results have you delivered for clients?

What do brands say before and after working with you?

These are ultimately the metrics that will help you progress as a copywriter.

Have a great week,

Copy "Avoid copying large brands" Maverick