Yan: Welcome to this first edition of the Beans podcast, where we're going to interview Lance Herrington from Unico Nutrition to learn more about the story and how they manage customer relations.

Yan: Do you mind telling us a bit about yourself and your brand, and how it got started?

Lance: Yeah, for sure. My name is Lance Herrington. I started Unico Nutrition about 11 years ago. I was a college hockey player at the University of Vermont from 2008 to 2012. During that time, the NCAA, which is the regulatory governing body of our sport, ramped up their drug testing policy in a big way. All the powders and energy drinks we used to take to perform at a high level were no longer allowed because we didn't know exactly what was in them. Our coaches didn’t want us to risk our eligibility just for the sake of taking a supplement. So, we weren’t allowed to take any of that anymore.

But I knew we benefited greatly from those products, especially with our intense practices and training sessions. I ended up working with our sports nutrition department to develop our own homemade versions of these products. They were very stripped down, with no flavoring initially, but we could get the recovery and performance benefits without risking our eligibility because we knew what we were putting into them. That’s how I got into formulating and developing products. When I graduated, my hockey career wasn’t going to Hollywood, so I took those products, put them on Google, and the rest is kind of history. There was a demand for cleaner ingredient products then, and there still is today. That’s the origin story.

Yan: That's very interesting and original. Your first customer base was basically your teammates?

Lance: Yeah, for sure. My teammates were the first customers. When I made the first production run and put them online, it attracted a lot of competitive athletes and women who didn’t trust the typical marketing of supplements geared towards bodybuilders. Our products were more about athletic performance and being the healthiest version of yourself. It attracted a different type of customer that the traditional supplement market didn’t cater to. Nowadays, you see more female-focused brands and a broader range of products in the supplement industry.

Yan: You mentioned earlier that Facebook was the first platform you used for external reach.

Lance: Yes, Facebook. Our business model has shifted like many direct-to-consumer brands. Advertising platforms evolve over time. We’ve had success with Facebook, Instagram, and now we’re focusing more on TikTok. One thing I’ve learned is not to get too dependent on one marketing strategy because things change so quickly.

Yan: At that time, did you already have your online shop set up?

Lance: Yes, we’ve always had our own e-commerce website. We used Facebook for marketing and advertising to drive traffic to our website.

Yan: How do you keep in touch with your customers?

Lance: Our most consistent way of keeping in touch with customers is via email. We partnered with Klaviyo, which has become the gold standard for email marketing. Social media platforms can change their algorithms, making it difficult to reach your audience without paying for ads. Email, on the other hand, gives you more control. We’ve been consistent with email marketing since day one.

Yan: Do you also do content marketing, like a blog?

Lance: Yes, content marketing has been important for us, especially for SEO. We still update our blog regularly, despite the rise in popularity of video content. Our blog helps customers understand how to use our products, the science behind them, and more about our brand. It’s a mix of marketing and providing a resource for our customers.

Yan: How do you invest in customer retention?

Lance: Customer retention is crucial in the supplement industry. Our rewards program plays a significant role in this. We use the Beans product for our loyalty program because it integrates well with our other systems like Klaviyo. Keeping our product mix fresh with new flavors and launches also helps. It's important to keep customers engaged and excited about our brand.

Yan: You mentioned periods of lower retention. How did you identify and address the issues?

Lance: We track where customers come from and monitor their behavior. If a particular marketing channel isn’t driving loyal customers, we adjust our strategy. Consistent product launches and flavor innovation are key to maintaining customer loyalty. We also analyze customer feedback and monitor retention metrics closely.

Yan: Thank you for sharing your insights. It's clear that innovation and customer engagement are vital to your strategy.

Lance: Absolutely. Innovation and a strong rewards program are crucial. We’re excited to continue improving our loyalty program with Beans.

Yan: Thank you for your time, Lance. It’s been great talking with you.

Lance: Of course, happy to do it.