How to move your first customers from marketplaces to your site
Marketplaces are great for your first sales, but they are terrible for building a brand. To survive, you must get your customers to your own store. A managed content network helps you do this by distributing your brand content and directing people straight to your website. This creates a direct connection with your customers that marketplaces can never offer, helping you launch your brand right.
in one network
from your videos
go live
Sustainable fashion brand, launch stage: moving buyers from marketplaces to the own store.
The problem with marketplaces
When a customer buys your sustainable fashion items on a marketplace, they are buying from the marketplace, not you. They do not know your brand story, your mission, or your values. If you stay on the marketplace forever, you will never build a loyal fan base. You need to bridge that gap. You need to make them want to come to your store. But how do you do that when you are just getting started and have limited reach?
Using a managed content network
A managed content network is a set of many brand-owned Instagram pages that post the brand's existing videos many times a day from real iPhones, built and run end to end by a provider such as TIDE, so organic reach grows with the number of pages instead of headcount or ad spend. This is your tool for building your own community. By pushing your content to a wide audience, you invite them to visit your site, where you can show them your true brand identity.
Why organic discovery is the bridge
Marketplace buyers are transactional. They want products, not brands. By using a managed content network, you are showing your brand in a way that feels discovery-oriented. You are telling your story, showing your manufacturing process, and introducing your mission. This is what converts a transactional buyer into a brand loyalist. By drawing them to your site, you are giving them the brand experience they are missing on a marketplace, making them more likely to return directly.
Getting started with a provider
Send your provider your best video content that tells your brand story and showcases your mission. Explain your goal: to get people off the marketplace and onto your site. Ask them to build the network with this specific call-to-action in mind. Monitor your site traffic from organic social channels. This will help you see if your message is landing and if people are actually clicking through, allowing you to adjust your approach for better conversion.
One account vs a network
| One brand account | Managed content network | |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | 1 | Dozens, each with its own angle on sustainable fashion |
| Posts a day | 1 to 3 | Over 100 |
| Reach | The same followers | New pockets of buyers every day |
| Who runs it | Your team | The provider, end to end |
| Your part | Everything | Send content |
What you would send
Anything you already make for sustainable fashion counts.
Transition your customers from transactional marketplace buyers to loyal DTC fans by using a managed content network to drive direct site traffic.
Put your products on 50 pages.
Tell us what your sustainable fashion brand sells and how you get customers today. We'll show you a live network and tell you straight if it fits. About the cost of one marketing hire.
Questions brands ask next
Will this alienate my marketplace customers?
No. You are just giving them the option to learn more about your brand and purchase directly, which many customers prefer for authentic, sustainable brands.
What happens if a page gets banned?
Running many accounts with automation is against Instagram terms. Some pages get banned, and TIDE replaces them. The provider manages the network.
Do I need to stop selling on marketplaces?
No. You can use marketplaces for distribution while using your managed network to build your brand and your direct-to-consumer sales channel simultaneously.