We stumbled across OMilk at their Brooklyn flee stand. Impressed with their passion, enthusiasm, and social media campaign, we interviewed them to find out more.  We learned about how their unique product and successful marketing campaigns have generated such a great local and online following.

Tell us a bit about your product!

OMilk is an artisanal line of almond and cashew milks, based in Brooklyn, NY. We cater to folks who are lactose intolerant, vegan or just enjoy the healthier benefits of nut milks. We started selling our milks at a weekly flea market called Brooklyn Flea which generated a good local following and now we deliver directly to customer’s homes like an old fashioned milk delivery service. We are now working on getting into some retail stores.

What OMilk campaigns have been most successful to “Spark Growth” in your business?

We’re really big fans of Limited Time Only products! Our core product never changes, but like the McRib or the Disney Vault, our seasonal flavors generate a renewed interest from everyone on our list. People who order regularly get some extra bottles, and people who we haven’t heard from in a month or two pop up to order as well.

We haven’t really hit the critical mass needed for a UGC campaign, so our methods are fairly traditional for the time being: email marketing, social as a customer service and brand awareness channel.

What advice would you give to small businesses about building up their distribution lists / e-mail newsletters?

Make it easy for people to sign up when they are showing interest in your product. From our first day selling at Brooklyn Flea, OMilk has had a simple mailing list signup on an iPad display (we used countercultureapp.com). That list was our starting point when the Flea moved indoors and we took a hiatus for the winter to focus on our delivery service. It’s also important to keep folks engaged in your progress as a growing company: use email and social media channels to let them know if you signed a lease on a new manufacturing location, if you’re flavor testing, even get them involved in voting on the newest flavor. We believe engaging your customers and letting them engage in the growth of your brand is key to retention.

Find out more about Omilk by joining the “nut-milk enthusiast” community on Facebook and Twitter!