In a world of protein bars and better-for-you snacks, Elavi stands out by turning dessert-inspired favorites into low-sugar high protein treats. Founders Michelle Razavi and Nikki Elliott met while working at Equinox, a fitness club chain with locations throughout the US. It was there, in 2020, that they knew they needed an alternative to the workout bars that were currently on the market. Elavi was born out of their personal need to find indulgent options that wouldn’t spike their blood sugar or cause digestive issues.
Michelle’s previous experience on Sephora’s corporate innovation team experimenting with marketing and different growth tactics helped Elavi find its initial audience. She knew how to create a community and support meaningful relationships with customers online.
Starting off with its signature blue vanilla frosting cashew butter spread and expanding to protein brownies, the brand has grown from kitchen experiments to securing shelf space at major retailers like Costco. Throughout the years, it’s maintained a direct connection with its customers through social media surveys, polls, comments, and DMs.
Things were not always easy. Elavi faced major manufacturing mishaps and countless rejections, but ultimately landed on Costco shelves.
Ahead, Michelle shares the strategies and lessons behind Elavi’s most pivotal moments.
How to capitalize on problematic moments to market your brand
Turn setbacks into opportunities
As an entrepreneur, problems will arise that are out of your control. When a crisis occurs, it’s important to respond with honesty.
Elavi discovered a major production mishap when a large batch of its nut butters weren’t sealed properly. Michelle made a bold choice: Instead of throwing the product out, or hiding the situation, she turned on her camera and went straight to their customers with complete transparency. The result? A month’s worth of sales in just one week.
Using adversity as an opportunity to connect with your audience allows them to understand your company on a deeper level.
When faced with a sealing issue in their production run, Elavi could have quietly dealt with the problem behind the scenes. Instead, it:
- Immediately addressed the issue on social media
- Rebranded the affected products as “oopsie jars”
- Offered a significant discount while being transparent about the quality issue
- Created content around the situation
“We didn’t want to sweep it under the rug. We wanted to be very forward-facing about it,” Michelle says. “It was very nerve-wracking, almost didn’t even post the video. And thank God we did because … we did a month’s worth of sales in one week.”
Customers appreciate authenticity and are often more forgiving than brands expect. This transparency has become a cornerstone of Elavi’s brand identity, helping it build trust in an industry where clean ingredients and honest communication are increasingly important to consumers. Michelle suggests entrepreneurs find ways to embrace vulnerability in their day-to-day operations and maintain radical transparency with their community whenever possible.
Put the KISS principle into action
Elavi follows the Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) principle in its marketing, limiting itself to one to two key messages at a time. This approach helps online customers and social media users to stay tapped into the brand and everything going on.
When it first launched, the number one point of confusion for customers was why the nut butter was blue. The reason is the spirulina and other superfood ingredients in the Elavi nut butter recipe.
While that was the most popular question, Michelle sought to answer as many questions about the product as possible. Here are some specific examples in her marketing language:
- Use comparison marketing: “We’re like a healthier alternative to Nutella, but 10 times less sugar and no dairy.”
- Make messaging easy to share: “Is it simple enough where someone can then go tell their friend about the product, or what they just saw?”
- Track patterns in customer questions and reviews to inform messaging, and focus on the most frequently asked questions for each product.
Elavi makes it clear the blue color comes from superfoods, and when you click on the ingredients tab for more information it shares its 100% blue spirulina.Elavi
This simplified messaging made it easier for Elavi to navigate its production mishap and explain what the oopsie jars were. After Michelle shared the oopsie jar story, she received more than 100 comments in support of the brand on Instagram alone.
Maintain a sustainable social media presence
Elavi’s social media marketing strategy is all about connecting with the viewers on a very vulnerable level. Beyond the time commitment, it takes a certain amount of emotional energy for Michelle to share openly and honestly online about her struggles growing the brand. In order to show up consistently, she maintains healthy boundaries with Elavi’s social media to avoid burning out.
For founders struggling with social media demands, Michelle shares her sustainable approach:
- Implement a day for a “social media detox” by logging out of all social accounts.
- Batch create content in advance.
- Repurpose successful content: “One of the best pieces of advice from my angel investor, Tori Dunlap … is that it’s OK to repost and reshare content that did really well.”
- Delegate social media management when you can, while maintaining authenticity.
This balanced approach has helped Elavi maintain strong engagement across platforms while preserving the founders’ mental health—a crucial consideration for any entrepreneur managing both business operations and brand presence.
When things go wrong, as they invariably will, consider being open with your community, your team, and even the investors or supporters around you. It can strengthen customer relationships, drive sales, and teach you invaluable lessons.
Be sure to catch the full Shopify Masters episode to hear Michelle’s best community engagement tips and how you can build a community online that converts to sales!
