Rebranding and refining a valuable social media strategy for a DTC brand with Romp Stomp Founder Rebecca Mijares

Mariah Parsons hosts Rebecca 'Becca' Mijares, Founder of Romp Stomp, a brand that creates easy-to-wear shoes for toddlers. Becca shares her entrepreneurial journey, starting with a crappy website and Facebook ads during the early COVID-19 days. She discusses the rebranding from Memoir Kids to Romp Stomp, emphasizing bold colors and fun designs. Becca highlights the importance of customer feedback, especially via Instagram DMs, and the role of email and SMS marketing in retention. She also mentions the challenge of expanding their product line to serve customers longer. Becca recommends resources like Twitter and in-person networking for founders. Episode Timestamps: 2:16 Becca Mijares's Background and Romp Stomp Brand Introduction Becca Mijares introduces herself and her brand, Romp Stomp, which makes shoes for toddlers that are easy to wear and protect their feet. She shares her entrepreneurial journey, mentioning her father's influence as a violin maker and entrepreneur. Becca explains the inspiration behind Romp Stomp, stemming from her sister's dislike for wearing shoes as a child. She describes the initial stages of her brand, including creating a crappy website and running Facebook ads to test the market. 3:46 Challenges and Learning in Product Development Becca discusses the importance of starting with a minimum viable product and iterating based on customer feedback. She emphasizes the value of customer feedback in improving the product and making it more appealing to parents. Becca shares her experience with rebranding from Memoir Kids to Romp Stomp to better reflect the fun and bold personalities of toddlers. She talks about the process of choosing colors, names, and brand kits, and the importance of standing out in the market. 4:02 Product Development and Trends Becca explains the balance between being on-trend and meeting customer needs, using the example of checkered shoes. She mentions the importance of small launches to test new designs and gather feedback. Becca discusses her approach to trend prediction, including looking at trending colors and trusting her gut. She highlights the role of social media and Pinterest in finding inspiration for new designs and activities. 4:18 Social Media Strategy and Community Building Becca talks about using Instagram for community building rather than direct customer acquisition. She explains the importance of responding to negative comments and using messaging for detailed feedback. Becca shares her strategy for creating valuable content, focusing on quality over quantity. She mentions using tools like Ask the Public to find popular search terms and create relevant content. 30:17 Advertising and Retention Strategies Becca shares her early experience with Facebook ads and the importance of demonstrating the product in ads. She emphasizes the value of showing the problem the product solves and using user-generated content. Becca discusses the importance of testing new ads regularly to maintain performance. She highlights the role of email and SMS marketing in retaining customers and providing personalized service. 37:40 Future Plans and Resources for Founders Becca talks about the challenge of serving customers for only a few years due to the rapid growth of toddlers' feet. She mentions the goal of expanding the product line to serve customers longer. Becca shares her approach to consuming content and making decisions based on what's best for her business. She emphasizes the value of in-person events and networking for problem-solving and finding solutions. 43:08 Final Thoughts and Promotions Becca mentions upcoming Black Friday sales and encourages listeners to sign up for email updates. Mariah thanks Becca for sharing her insights and experiences. The episode concludes with Mariah expressing her excitement for the audience to hear the conversation.