Tips for Beauty Marketing Success
If you want to outdo your competition and get the lion’s share of leads and sales, you’ll need to go against the grain. But you might be wondering what this involves. We’ve got you covered. Here are some tried and tested ways to become a beauty powerhouse with influencer marketing:
Put the power back into your customer’s hands
The Glossier effect is alive and kicking in today’s market. It involves putting your customers at the center of everything you do.
This empowerment makes customers feel more in control and informed on their purchase decisions. The result is tons of loyal fans who understand your products and are willing to pay a premium.
For example, thanks to its cutting-edge strategy, Glossier is a billion-dollar brand, with an envy-inducing average order value at $173.01 way back in 2017.
You can implement the Glossier effect in your influencer marketing by taking inspiration from Glossier itself. For example, you could:
- Have influencers interact with prospects and customers who engage with posts containing your products.
- You can also chime in to share some wisdom.
- Mix user-generated content with influencer content to boost your social proof.
- Opt for little to no editing on photos to show how the product looks/ results look in real life.
- Use surveys and polls to get a better understanding of your customers’ current wants and needs.
Whatever you do, ensure your customers feel heard and part of your brand’s development in all areas of your business, from product creation to customer service.
Make honesty, transparency, and authenticity a priority
The beauty industry is in a league of its own in terms of the trust it requires from shoppers. The claims you make and even the ingredients you use can have a huge effect on those that buy your products. So, the responsibility to offer truthful representations of your products and results can’t be understated. These traits are critical to maintaining a good reputation.
With this in mind, you could ask influencers to show your products in their real and raw state, e.g., consistency, color, and application/usage process. These steps will help you manage customer expectations and eliminate any surprises when they buy and use the product. Also, it’s important you inform consumers when running sponsored collaborations. This will help ensure you remain transparent throughout your campaigns.
Educate prospects at every stage of the customer journey
It’s no secret that eye-catching photography is a key vehicle to capture your target audience’s attention. But once you’ve got, the best way to keep them engaged and move them along your customer journey is through education. Use influencers to guide and qualify prospects at every stage, so when purchase time rolls around they’re not only ready to act but eagerly waiting. There are many ways you can achieve this. For instance, tutorials are big business. It’s an essential part of every beauty brand. Try different formats across channels.
For best results long-term, look through your data regularly to reveal which content types your target market resonates with. These could be:
- Unboxing videos
- Tutorial style stories
- Q & A sit-down sessions
- Before and after reveals
Be sure to choose the channels your target customers regularly use for maximum impact. Finally, don’t be afraid to take inspiration from trending content and collaborations in beauty and other niches for inspiration.
Connect influencer marketing with your offline sales channels
Online shopping is all the rage. Brands love it, and you can bet shoppers do too. But there’s something about the in-store experience consumers just can’t get enough of. In-store sales account for 85% of beauty item purchases Pre-Covid (barring some sub-niches). So, if you have a physical store or would be willing to set up a popup store, it can be very profitable to use influencers to market it. You’ll also get some great content you can repurpose onto your online sales channels and social media. For instance, you could:
- Have influencers promote products and give them a code to use in your brick-and-mortar stores.
- Host a meet and greet party with your target market favorite influencers, and get your audience to sign up to your mailing list for a chance to win an invite.
- Run a live tutorial with influencers featuring your products and give customers the chance to win items if they attend in-store.
Just be sure to keep an eye on generational gaps. Beauty trends and preferences change as you progress through the generations. So it’s important you find ways to speak to and serve all generations in your target audience both offline and online to maximize leads and sales.
Take Advantage of Social Commerce
You’ve done all the hard work to nurture cold leads into piping hot goldmines; the question then becomes how you can capitalize on them to get the most bang for your buck. Two words.
Social Commerce.
US social commerce sales will increase by 34.8% to $36.09 billion in 2021, equaling 4.3% of retail sales.
Having stores on the platforms your target audience frequent will make shopping a pain-free experience. This one tweak alone can skyrocket your sales. The best part is, you can even blend influencer marketing into your social commerce stores by hiring influencers with cult-like followings to front your store and model products to create a buzz. Try it out!
Let Your Creativity Run Wild
We are in the era of filters, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality, which consumers love to experiment with. So, why not use these to spice up your content and keep your brand on trend.
L’Oreal introduced their first digital makeup line, “Signature Faces.” Their augmented reality (AR) filters are available on Instagram, Snapchat, Snap Camera and Google Duo.
L’Oréal’s virtual makeup demonstrates its possible to jump on trends, without leaving important conversations behind.
Brands could also take the body positivity angle we discussed earlier. Invite influencers to have frank discussions with audiences about the effects of such tools on their mental health and self-image. You could even host #nofilter and self-care competitions.
