It goes without saying that social media has completely changed the way we function in the world today. If you are to run any type of entrepreneurial business, or even a business in general, it has to be on multiple social media platforms.
In the beauty world, social media has been not only essential, it’s been necessary for beauty brands to showcase their brand and beauty products.
More than ever, potential customers are looking at social media posts and the online community for information on the best beauty products for them. From beauty professionals to beauty influencers, social platforms have become a marketing medium and an opportunity for brands.
This is especially important for startups and smaller companies to utilize in order to stay on top of current trends as well as break out with their online presence for potential customers’ purchase decisions.
Traditional forms of distributing information on products, such as print magazines, are still highly valuable as a traditional marketing tool, but the beauty industry social media space has generated more loyal customers with critical consumer touchpoints to get their customer base to buy.
Plus, having a community of followers creates a huge impact of exposure that can be shared and liked by hundreds upon thousands of individuals who may have never heard of your brand if not for your social presence.
While there is a toxic side to social media with body image concerns, dieting, and the inauthenticity of “likes” equaling self worth, all in all, the effect of exposure through social media as a business can make a positive difference as a beauty brand. These ethical issues in the beauty industry continue to be looked at as more brands are aware of this sensitivity.
However, social media and the beauty industry has changed the way beauty brands market products by getting these products to consumers in a more accessible and integrative way.
Here is the low-down on what social media’s impact on the beauty industry means for your beauty brand.
Stop the Scroll – Social Selling on the Biggest Platforms
While social media is a no-brainer to use businesses, when it comes to different sales techniques in the beauty industry merchandising and marketing, it’s important to note that not all social media marketing platforms are the right selling points for your business.
What’s more is that social media channels are used differently across demographics, depending on their preference. In a Pew Research Center’s survey conducted in 2021, it shows that 71% of people ages 18-29 use instagram vs. 48% from the ages of 30-49. And as the age progresses, the usage decreases.
However, the Facebook usage from those 30-49 is 77% and then from the ages of 50-64 is 73%.
And while 77% of women use Facebook over 61% of men, 31% of men use LinkedIn over the 26% of women who use it.
With the new social media platforms, such as TikTok, usage of this channel between the ages of 18-29 is 48% vs. the age range of 50-64, which is 14%.
So, it’s interesting to see even when only looking at the demographic of generation, how usage of these platforms differ. This is important to keep in mind as you are marketing to your ideal customer.
Questions to ask yourself are:
- Where does my ideal customer hang out online?
- Does my ideal customer prefer one social media site to another to interact?
- Which platform would my ideal customer make purchasing decisions on?
- On what platform would my ideal customer want to follow my beauty brand on?
- How should I tailor my content to make sure my ideal customer stops scrolling?
That’s the ultimate selling point. What is the best place to put content or an ad in so that your ideal customer pauses, looks, and investigates what you have to offer.
Build a Community – the Brand-Consumer Connection
Promoting your brand and products creates an enhanced brand-consumer connection. You don’t have to be a beauty conglomerate or beauty retailer with grand supply chains to sell your product successfully.
By incorporating what is authentic to your business, those who follow you and like your posts can be a community that you’ve formed by essentially being true to what motivates you as a beauty brand.
Interacting with followers is key, if you are to maintain a healthy, lively connection with those who are interested in your brand, and those that are loyal customers. This is a great place to promote sales, show behind-the-scenes footage, entice with video reels of your product content, all to make what you are selling accessible to those who are thinking of buying and/or wanting to keep buying more.
Ultimately, you are in direct contact with your customers. They can comment on what they love, ask questions if they are confused, and offer suggestions of what they would like to see come from your brand.
People especially love when you engage with them directly. People are touched when someone takes the time to answer them back, and the sooner the better. This is why, when building this community, it’s important to stay on top of people commenting because if there is a lack of engagement, there will be a decline of a following, mainly because the interaction can seem fake.
Also, people can make professional connections through conversing on social media channels. You may even find brand ambassadors or financial partnerships that can beneficially aid your business.
In the end, it is the customers that help make the brand successful. Hence why it’s crucial when you market your products, that it’s not just about posting information. It’s posting information to start a conversation with those that will benefit from using your amazing products.
Influencer Marketing – Accessibility for Beauty Enthusiasts
Back in the early days of YouTube, Michele Phan became a rising star in the beauty sphere with her YouTube channel showcasing how to use certain makeup products with easy-to-follow tutorials.
She states in Refinery29 how platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter have made “what was once considered a niche and elitist industry much more inclusive. ‘I believe the internet has widened the marketplace for the beauty and fashion space,’ she says. ‘We are living in an era where people want to share, so of course there will be a growing need for more diversity and ideas.’”
Because of beauty related content on social media, many people are finding answers to their questions and new products through beauty vloggers, especially with the accessibility of the beauty industry on YouTube. It’s so easy now to whip out your phone and type in the search bar, “the best products for sensitive and dry skin” or “how to achieve the perfect smokey eye” or any other skin care or makeup tutorials.
Essentially, with YouTube beauty and more, people are empowered to research and discover what works for them without having to feel embarrassed or ashamed of what they do or do not know.
Furthermore, social media influencers have built a niche community around them as well with followers trusting certain influencers that try out specific products for their review on whether this is a worth-it product to purchase and who this product would be ideal for. Plus, it can be a top paying job in the beauty industry.
According to Forbes, consumers listen to influencers, not company ads.
User-generated content has now been a major marketing tool because now anyone with a social media username can create content praising or criticizing a brand and/or their product just by tagging them on their own social media feed.
Therefore, encouraging your followers to tag themselves when using your beauty products not only creates effective content for your online presence, but it also shows real people enjoying what you are selling to accumulate advocates for your brand that may be the turning point for those who have doubted your products before. This leads to essential social proof to showcase that your products are, in fact, the real deal.
Empower Customers – More Diversity and Inclusivity
Allure magazine states in their article that “The industry’s inability to quickly and authentically change in a holistic way gives rise to a new type of beauty entrepreneur: the social-media savvy individual who is on a mission to make the beauty industry more diverse and inclusive.”
Smaller beauty brands that emphasize diversity with inclusive products have thrived over social media because they are making a statement that the traditional modes of what encompassed the beauty industry is no longer valid in a growing world.
Social media has connected more people across the globe more than ever before. More cultures and preferences have been embraced by breakout members of the beauty space to make their mark on what people actually want from their beauty products.
Your brand could be the answer many people are looking for. You don’t know until you browse the different social channels and see the questions or concerns people are voicing when it comes to standards of beauty.
It’s important to have awareness of issues when it comes to ideal media images, or the idealized body image. However, what is the ideal body image? And to that question, what are the standards of beauty? What could be used–and has been used–as a toxic environment for those who have experienced anxiety and depression from unrealistic trends, could also be used for inspiration and support.
And your beauty brand can be a positive influence in a way that inspires others to do the same.
What Social Media Should Mean for Your Beauty Brand
There are so many ways to be social media savvy in order to get your brand in front of more eyes compared to your competitors. But there is an underlying toxic element even with the importance of social media marketing as a beauty company.
But with the images you use and the content you post, you can be a part of the future of the beauty industry ending this toxicity by raising vs. destroying self-esteem.
According to wearesocial.com consumers are around 41% more likely to be discovering new brands or products from ads seen on social media, and 47% more likely to be doing so from updates on brands’ social media pages.
You don’t need a massive PR firm with a huge marketing budget to get that type of promotion out there. While that helps, as you are starting out as a beauty entrepreneur, you have the opportunity to be seen just by having that presence with your social media channels that are aligned with what you are promoting as a brand.
Promote and protect yourself in a straightforward way to your customers via social media and cement your online presence in the beauty industry.