This isn’t a story about overnight wins. It’s about sustainable growth, smart decisions, and building systems that last.

Eczema Honey is a skincare brand focused on effective relief for sensitive and eczema-prone skin.

At Alpha Inbound, we’ve been working with Eczema Honey for nearly three years now. What started with one TikTok test turned into full-channel management, cross-agency strategy, and a trusted relationship that goes way beyond media buying.

Not always loud or flashy work, but the kind that makes a business more stable, more profitable, and easier to run.

Eczema Honey weren’t looking for big promises. They needed a partner who could help them grow profitably, refine performance, and stay committed as the business evolved.

So that’s what we built. A system that supports the business long after the founder steps out of the ad account.

Where We Started

When Eczema Honey first connected with Alpha Inbound, they weren’t new to digital marketing.

• Meta ads? Already running.

• Email? Covered.

• TikTok? Had been tried, but didn’t really gain traction.

• Amazon? Connected, but didn’t start growing until last year.

Direct-to-consumer growth had leveled off, and the creative pipeline needed more variation to keep pace.

The initial connection came through Nigel on our team. Suffering from eczema himself, he used Eczema Honey, saw real results, and posted about it on LinkedIn. That post turned into a conversation with Minesh Patel (the founder).

At the time, Eczema Honey was working with a digital marketing agency that handled their Meta and email marketing. But results weren’t scaling, and TikTok was a definite gap in the strategy.

A few weeks later, we were testing TikTok campaigns and building out a creative pipeline for them. That was the start.

From First Test to Full-Channel Strategy

This wasn’t a plug-and-play engagement. It was a gradual, earned expansion based on trust, clarity, and results.

Here’s how the partnership evolved:

✅ TikTok Launch and Media Buying

The channel had never really worked before. We brought native strategy, fresh creator content, and a media approach built for TikTok, not repurposed from Meta.

✅ Meta Ads (Head-to-Head with Another Agency)

After an in-person strategy session with Eczema Honey, we proposed a test on Meta. We ran ads alongside the incumbent agency - in the same account. Our results consistently outperformed theirs, and we took over the channel.

✅ Google Ads Takeover

Once Meta was running cleanly, we looked at Google ads. Same story. Same outcome. A clearer structure, better intent-matching, and a focus on profitability over volume. We rebuilt the strategy with full-funnel alignment.

✅ Creative and Content Systems

Performance needs good fuel. We became the brand’s content engine:

• Regular and consistent user-generated content

• Founder-led videos

• Iterative statics and videos

No delays. No backlogs. Just consistent, test-ready creative.

✅ Web Consultancy

We advised on User Experience (UX) updates, content strategy, and landing page structure, tightening the site experience to better support DTC performance and reduce friction.

✅ Cross-Agency Collaboration

We weren’t just “the Meta team”. We partnered closely with Amazon, email, and ops teams to keep the strategy aligned, maximize efficiency, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

✅ Cross-Channel Consultancy

We don’t actually manage email marketing as a service, but we flagged inefficiencies, and helped guide the switch to a better provider.

We don’t manage Amazon directly, but our challenge to unnecessary branded search spend saved around $35K/month. That’s how we work: we ask better questions, even in channels we don’t “own”.

✅ Beyond the Ad Account

We’ve flown out to Eczema Honey for content shoots. Joined them at expos. Helped manage agency transitions. We’re not just in the ad account. Our role goes beyond performance. We’re a hands-on partner to all the teams.

Before vs. After: What Actually Changed

Not just cleaner dashboards, but measurable, meaningful impact on how the business runs.

A Note on Amazon vs. Shopify

Amazon’s been a growth machine.

Fast shipping. Low friction. Easy repeat orders. For second and third purchases, it’s often the default.

But that convenience comes with trade-offs:

• Lower margin than selling directly to the customer

• Limited control over the customer experience

• Competition from lookalike products and ad placements on your own listings

At the same time, Eczema Honey stepped away from retail (no more Target, Walmart, or Ulta). That opened up both margin and focus.

The result?

Two core channels emerged: Shopify and Amazon. One built for tighter brand control, the other built for volume.

Growing DTC has its challenges. Amazon Prime sets high expectations for fast, free delivery, while on-site orders still require a minimum spending threshold. But with the right strategy and structure - better content, leaner spend, sharper landing pages - Shopify started to work harder for the business.

Amazon, meanwhile, continued to scale. Some of that was organic. Some of it came from being US-manufactured as overseas competitors got hit by tariffs. And part of it was the result of our media buying, anchored in strong strategy and spend control.

The goal wasn’t to force DTC to outpace Amazon, it was to make sure both channels worked efficiently and profitably.

The Results

Year-over-year revenue growth sustainably

We weren’t chasing scale, we were building stability. The goal? Sustainable growth. That meant making smarter choices not just spending more.

A few standout wins:

• Saved $35K/month in Amazon branded search spend

  We pushed back on over-investment in branded search. It’s the same logic we apply to Google. The result? Incremental purchases and a more efficient use of budget.

• Full-funnel media buying across TikTok, Meta, and Google

  Creative, paid advertising and performance under one roof. Tighter feedback loops, faster pivots.

• Rebuilt creative pipeline

  Regular UGC, statics, and branded content, so the brand stayed fresh in a crowded category.

• Stabilized DTC performance, even as Amazon exploded

  Amazon surged with Prime shipping and paid media. We kept Shopify profitable and predictable.

• Shopify sales up 16% YoY

  Even as Amazon captured more repeat buyers, Shopify revenue still increased - alongside stronger performance metrics.

• Founder time reclaimed

  The founder no longer had to juggle campaigns and strategy alone. With Alpha managing performance, he had space to focus on building the brand.

POV: Your Agency Should Think Like an Operator

We don’t just run ads, we scale intentionally.

That means:

• Asking hard questions, even in someone else’s channel

• Treating ad spend like our own and optimizing budget

• Saying no to spend that isn’t incremental

• Thinking like operators, not just marketers

• Building real relationships with founders and going the extra mile

Because sometimes, the goal isn’t to double revenue. It’s to stop wasting $35K a month. Or to clean up an ad account so it doesn’t fall apart at scale. Or make cross-channel coordination actually work. Or to help a founder finally take a step back without losing control.

That’s the Alpha way.

We're not here to chase metrics, we’re here to protect what you’ve built and make it stronger.

Final Thought

Three years in, this relationship is still going strong.

• Revenue is up

• Systems are cleaner

• Content is flowing

• Spend is smarter

• The founder? Still pivotal but no longer buried in the ad account

We’re not just here to manage media. We build systems rooted in trust, profitability and decisions that hold up under pressure without sacrificing sanity, efficiency, or long-term control.