Case Study: Building a Marketing Engine For Salt Sisters

When we started working with Salt Sisters, Charmane had built a successful gourmet salt and seasoning business, but revenue had plateaued. Marketing was handled by a part-time student who posted irregularly on Instagram and Facebook and sent occasional email campaigns. No strategy. No systems. No automation. No schedule.

The bigger challenge? Salt Sisters generated revenue through three distinct channels: wholesale accounts (retailers and specialty food stores), direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and national sales rep groups.

Wholesale and sales reps were the primary revenue drivers, but the consumer relationship was completely neglected. They weren't building brand presence online to drive e-commerce growth or create demand that would support retailers selling their products in stores. Without consumer awareness, wholesale accounts had to work harder to move products.

They needed a complete marketing ecosystem that could simultaneously drive direct sales and make wholesale partnerships more profitable.

The Strategic Approach

We didn't just start posting consistently on socials or running more email campaigns. We built an integrated marketing system that turned Salt Sisters into a content machine that supports both revenue streams.

Foundation: Content That Actually Showcases the Products

Before any tactics, we needed assets. Professional photo and video content that showed the products in action. Not just beauty shots of spice jars, but the kind of content that makes someone want to cook.

We overhauled the existing book of recipes and developed recipes specifically designed to highlight how versatile the products are. Each recipe demonstrated multiple use cases and made the products feel essential rather than optional.

This content became the fuel for every other marketing channel.

Email Marketing Infrastructure

Salt Sisters was sending occasional newsletters. We built a complete email marketing system:

• Regular Campaigns: A strategic calendar tied to seasonality, product launches, and promotional events 

• Automation Flows: Email marketing automations including a welcome series, post purchase sequence, abandoned cart and winback campaigns for lapsed customers.

• Monthly Retail Sales: We recommended a consistent promotional calendar. This gave customers a reason to check in regularly and created predictable revenue spikes.

Faire Wholesale Marketing

When we took over, Salt Sisters was working with an agency that specialized in Faire (the leading wholesale marketplace platform). Despite their specialized focus, the email campaigns weren't performing.

We redesigned their Faire email strategy from the ground up. The results: a 68.59% increase in site traffic driven from Faire emails, contributing significantly to the overall 17.58% revenue increase.

The remarkable part? We didn't increase email volume at all. We just made each email dramatically more effective. Better design, clearer product storytelling, stronger calls to action. Quality over quantity.

Social Media Strategy

We moved from sporadic posting to a consistent content engine:

• Regular posting schedule across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube

• Mix of product highlights, recipes, cooking tips, and founder storytelling

• Professional photography and video content that actually stopped the scroll

• Engagement-focused content that built community, not just audience

Support Programs That Enable Partner Success

We developed three programs to support different parts of the sales ecosystem:

• Wholesaler Support Program: Monthly content drops with marketing assets and sales tools. When retailers have ready-made materials to promote Salt Sisters products, reorders increase.

• Sales Rep Support Program: Monthly packages with sales tools, marketing assets, and product updates. Sales reps could walk into meetings equipped with everything they needed to close deals and support existing accounts.

• Influencer Marketing Program: We designed an exclusive PR box and partnered with food creators and home cooking influencers to create authentic content and reach new audiences beyond Salt Sisters' existing follower base.

The Results: January - December 2025

What Made This Work

The results weren't about doing more marketing. They were about building systems that work together.

1. Content Creates Compound Value

Every recipe we developed served multiple purposes:

• Email content for campaigns

• Social media posts that drove engagement

• Website content that improved SEO

• Sales tools for wholesale partners

One asset, multiple uses, compounding returns.

2. Consistency Builds Trust

Monthly sales created a predictable rhythm. Customers knew when to expect new offerings and promotions. This trained behavior and improved open rates over time.

Regular posting builds audience trust. Salt Sisters became a reliable source of cooking inspiration, not just a brand trying to sell products.

3. Infrastructure Enables Scale

Automation means email marketing works 24/7. A new customer gets the welcome series whether Charmane is in production, at a trade show, or on vacation.

A content calendar means the brand stays visible even during busy seasons.

Pre-built support materials mean wholesalers and sales reps can start promoting immediately without waiting for custom assets.

4. Multi-Channel Strategy Compounds Growth

Direct-to-consumer sales create brand awareness that makes wholesale conversations easier. When a retailer's customers are already asking for Salt Sisters, the pitch writes itself.

Wholesale presence creates local credibility that drives online sales. Customers discover products at a farm stand or specialty store, then reorder online when they run out.

Sales reps armed with strong consumer demand data and marketing support close deals faster and maintain stronger relationships with existing accounts.

All three channels feed each other.

The Strategic Takeaway

Most food brands approach marketing tactically: "We need to be on Instagram." "We should send more emails." "We need influencers."

But tactics without strategy just create more work.

The transformation at Salt Sisters happened because we built a complete marketing ecosystem:

• Content creation that fuels all channels

• Email infrastructure that nurtures and converts

• Social strategy that builds community and drives traffic

• Support programs that enable wholesale, sales rep, and D2C growth

When these pieces work together, you don't just see incremental improvements. You see compound growth across every metric. 17.51% revenue growth isn't about running one successful campaign. It's about building a marketing engine that runs whether you're actively working on it or not. That's the difference between marketing tactics and marketing infrastructure.

Ready to build a marketing system that drives predictable growth? We help businesses create a comprehensive marketing infrastructure that actually works. Book a consultation to see if we're the right fit.