Episode 265: The Merchandising Calendar Blueprint: Turn Email & SMS Into 30–40% of Your Revenue
Release Date: 03/04/2026
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Could your ecommerce store face a website accessibility lawsuit without you realizing there’s a problem? In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Carl and Brooke Wood of Antler Rings to discuss the web accessibility lawsuit their business is currently navigating. They share how the situation began with a settlement demand, what happened when they were formally served, and the website issues they discovered while working with legal counsel. From image-specific descriptions and accessible popups to third-party apps, compliance scans, and WCAG guidelines, this...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
What happens when two childhood friends reconnect, build a life together, and end up creating businesses rooted in community, purpose, food, and rescue dogs? In this heartfelt episode, Molly sits down with her husband, Casey, to talk about their reconnection story, building Morley’s Backyard in Danville, Kentucky, navigating entrepreneurship as a couple, honoring Molly’s dad, and growing Fields of Freedom Dog Rescue. “We’re not working for tomorrow. We’re working for what three years down the road looks like.” – Casey Moppin You Will Learn • How Molly and Casey...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Meta ads are still one of the most powerful growth channels for ecommerce brands, but 2026 has been anything but predictable. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer Agency CEO Pep Hufen to unpack what they’re seeing across client accounts right now, why Q1 felt strong for many brands, why Q2 has been more volatile, and what business owners should focus on when performance starts to feel inconsistent. Molly and Pep talk through platform volatility, declining conversion rates, changes in Meta’s algorithm, the rise of AI-generated creative and landing...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description TikTok Shop is creating a totally different kind of opportunity for ecommerce brands, but it is not just another paid ads platform. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer’s Manager of Advertising, Dilyana Doychinova, for a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to lead paid performance teams, support media buyers, and stay ahead as Meta, TikTok Shop, Google, and AI continue to evolve. Dilyana shares how Smart Marketer builds a culture where media buyers can ask for help without feeling like they’re failing, why strong SOPs need to teach the...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Everybody can generate AI creative now. The real advantage is knowing what to make next. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer’s Director of Creative, Ben Bennett, to unpack the AI-powered creative strategy workflow he’s building inside the Smart Marketer creative department. Instead of using AI only to pump out more ads, Ben explains how to use it to analyze creative, identify hidden performance patterns, build a “creative DNA” system, and turn ad data into smarter decisions. From creative metadata and hook analysis to Claude skills, Gemini...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 279: Smart Marketer’s 2026 Growth Playbook: What We’re Building, Testing & Doubling Down On Episode Description What does growth look like when AI is changing every week, paid traffic is evolving, and your business has to keep adapting in real time? In this behind-the-scenes episode, Molly Pittman and John Grimshaw pull back the curtain on what Smart Marketer has been building, testing, and improving in 2026. From Axon/AppLovin and TikTok Shop to AEO, AI-powered creative, new software, and launching an ecommerce brand from scratch, this episode is a candid look at how Smart...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description AI tools are changing how people research, compare, and make buying decisions, and the brands that show up in those answers are going to have a massive advantage. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with entrepreneur and AEO expert Kasim Aslam to unpack what Answer Engine Optimization really is, how it differs from traditional SEO, and why founder-led content, real expertise, strong reviews, and authentic authority are becoming non-negotiable for brands that want to stay visible. You’ll also hear early results from Smart Marketer’s first AEO client cohort,...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description AI can help your team move faster, work smarter, and free up hours of repetitive work… but only if you build the habits, systems, and ownership to actually use it. In this live session from Mentor Table Nashville, Rytis Lauris, co-founder and CEO of Omnisend, shares the six practical lessons his company learned while transforming a 200+ person organization into a more AI-native team. From monthly AI Days and simple point-solution agents to the mindset shift required to “manage” AI assistants, this episode is packed with real-world examples you can bring back to your...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description AI is changing how customers discover, research, and choose brands. If your business isn’t showing up in AI-generated answers, you may be missing the next major wave of organic visibility. In this live session from Mentor Table Nashville, Julian Lopez from the Smart Marketer team breaks down AEO, Answer Engine Optimization, and what brands need to do now to become the recommended choice inside AI tools, AI overviews, and answer engines. From schema markup and indexability to brand authority and bottom-of-funnel search intent, Julian shares the early signals Smart...
info_outlineThe Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 275: The Paid Ads Machine: Creative Systems That Scale in the Age of AI Episode Description What if your ad creative system could think more like Meta’s algorithm? In this live session from Mentor Table Nashville, Smart Marketer’s Director of Creative Ben Bennett and Creative Operations Manager Melvin Cotton III break down the exact system they use to plan, produce, analyze, and scale paid social creative in the age of AI and Andromeda. From diagnosing what’s actually working inside your ad account to building scalable creator systems and using AI to uncover hidden performance...
info_outlineEpisode Description
Most eCommerce brands are obsessed with traffic.
But what if the real growth lever isn’t more clicks? What if it’s better monetization of the audience you already have?
In this special training, originally delivered live in partnership with Omnisend, Ezra Firestone breaks down the exact framework he uses across his 8-figure brands to turn email and SMS into 30–40% of total revenue.
This episode goes far beyond “send more emails.” You’ll learn how to structure a merchandising calendar with major campaigns, micro-offers, product launches, live events, and strategic content that keeps revenue flowing all year long while building a more valuable business asset you can eventually sell.
If you care about profit, retention, and long-term brand equity, this is required listening.
“Email and SMS are king and queen of revenue, and they should really account for 30 to 40% of your total sales. And if they're not… you got work to do.” – Ezra Firestone
You Will Learn:
• Why email and SMS should drive 30–40% of your total revenue
• The real difference between major campaigns and micro-offers
• How to structure a merchandising calendar that creates predictable revenue spikes
• Why most brands under-promote and how to fix it
• The highest-performing eCommerce promotions including BOGOs, bundles, and threshold offers
• How to use product launches even when you are not launching something new
• When and how to use SMS during campaigns
• How to increase average order value with bundles, basket builders, and one-click upsells
• A proven email layout structure that increases clicks and reduces unsubscribes
• How to use AI to scale content creation without losing brand voice
Links & Resources
Omnisend Special Offer for Smart Marketer Listeners
https://smartmarketer.com/omnisend
Use code SMART for 50% off your first 3 months
Smart Marketer
https://smartmarketer.com
Zipify Apps
https://zipify.com
Timestamps
00:00:20 Introduction: Building a More Valuable Business Asset
00:01:14 Why Ezra Trusts Omnisend for Email and SMS
00:02:17 The Real Game: Wealth Creation Through Asset Building
00:07:22 Inside a $10M eCommerce P&L
00:10:32 Why Email and SMS Are King and Queen of Revenue
00:15:35 Email vs. SMS Conversion Rates Explained
00:17:04 The eCommerce Ecosystem from Traffic to Retention
00:23:17 What a Merchandising Calendar Really Is
00:25:59 Major Campaigns vs. Micro Offers
00:27:40 Why Product Launches Prevent Revenue Plateaus
00:31:51 Examples of Major Campaign Structures
00:34:55 How to Run High-Converting Micro Offers
00:36:21 Launching Products Without Creating Something New
00:40:22 When to Use SMS in Your Campaigns
00:41:14 The Types of Content That Build Trust and Drive Sales
00:46:44 Black Friday Cyber Monday Breakdown
00:48:09 Increasing AOV with Bundles and Basket Builders
00:52:29 Promoting Across Every Channel
00:56:13 The Proven Email Structure
00:59:42 Campaign Communication Frameworks
01:00:26 Why You Should Not Ignore the Shop App
01:01:10 Final Strategy Recap
01:02:28 Outro
YOUR ENGAGEMENT MATTERS!
If this episode helped you rethink how you approach email, SMS, and merchandising, share it with another founder or marketer who needs it.
Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-smart-marketer-podcast/id1522629407
Share this episode on social media and tag us using #WeOutHere
Questions or feedback? Email us at support@smartmarketer.com
Serve the World Unselfishly and Profit.