“Building a Premium Tradesmen Brand Through Innovation and Customer Feedback With David Kestner”

David Kestner is the Vice President of Marketing and E-commerce of Diamondback Toolbelts, a leading manufacturer of premium modular tool belts, vests, and work gear for tradespeople. Known for his customer-centric approach to scaling brand growth, David has held senior roles in digital marketing and e-commerce, including at ALPEN Storage and SpotTrot. At Diamondback, he leads strategies to grow online sales and drive brand visibility. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky in sports administration.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[03:13] David Kestner explains what Diamondback Toolbelts does to create ergonomic and modular tool belts for professional tradespeople
[07:34] How Diamondback leverages social media and user-generated content to build brand trust and drive sales
[17:03] Why shifting focus from return on ad spend to marketing efficiency ratio helped scale revenue
[25:39] The value of constant product innovation and launching new offerings to keep customers engaged
[28:35] How Diamondback designs products for female tradespeople and creates solutions

In this episode…

Building a premium brand for hardworking tradespeople takes more than quality materials. It demands constant innovation, close attention to customer feedback, and smart marketing to reach the right audience. How does a niche tool belt company turn these principles into rapid growth and industry recognition?

According to David Kestner, a marketing and e-commerce leader, success comes from combining customer-driven product development with disciplined digital strategy. He highlights how Diamondback relies on input from real tradespeople to design ergonomic and modular belts and vests that outperform traditional leather gear. By focusing on authentic user-generated content and community engagement, the company built trust without relying on paid influencers. Careful tracking of metrics, such as the marketing efficiency ratio, allowed the team to scale ad spend intelligently, ensuring steady growth while maintaining profitability. Diamondback’s commitment to continuous product launches and responding to feedback keeps customers engaged and returning.

In this episode of Truth About Social Ads, host Jason Smith sits down with David Kestner, Vice President of Marketing and E-commerce of Diamondback Toolbelts, to talk about building a premium tradesmen brand through innovation and customer feedback. They discuss how user-generated content fuels marketing success, why focusing on marketing efficiency over return on ad spend drives growth, and the importance of constant product innovation.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Quotable Moments

"That modularity and having a lot of different options on setup, you know, it keeps that customer coming back as well."
"We've made it a priority to continue to innovate, continue to come out with new products on a regular basis."
"We have a return customer rate consistently between 40 and 45%."
"That's a big thing that we pride ourselves on, which is being able to give tradespeople the products they need to really meet their needs."
"We're getting input from our customers, from our ambassadors, and they're out testing our products before we ever launch.”

Action Steps

Gather customer feedback before launching new products: Direct input from users ensures products meet real needs and drive stronger engagement.
Track marketing efficiency ratio alongside return on ad spend: Balancing these metrics helps scale ad spend while maintaining profitability and sustainable growth.
Leverage authentic user-generated content: Real customer stories build trust and credibility without the cost of paid influencers.
Continuously innovate product offerings: Regular product updates and improvements keep customers excited and encourage repeat purchases.
Test and optimize across multiple ad platforms: Expanding to channels like Pinterest or TikTok uncovers new audiences and diversifies revenue streams.

Sponsor for this episode

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