In a few short years, the beauty industry is expected to reach a value of $580 billion. Thanks to high demand and near-endless niches, it’s one of the biggest industries with a predominantly B2C model.
For established brands like Maybelline and Olay, it can seem like beauty industry marketing is a breeze. After all, these household names don’t need to remind us that they exist. Their products practically sell themselves.
For new or small beauty brands, things aren’t so simple. We’re here to discuss the beauty industry marketing approach to take in 2024 to start making waves and securing loyal customers. Read on to get started.
Curate a Cohesive Social Media Presence
In the past, beauty secrets were found in the pages of glossy magazines. Today, they’re all over social media, from Instagram to TikTok to Pinterest. If you don’t have a social media presence, you’re going to struggle to find your audience and build both brand awareness and trust.
Before you go and launch your social media accounts, make sure you have a cohesive image and persona. You can’t build a community in the world of self-care and beauty if you don’t have high-quality, unique, and consistent aesthetics.
Understand Your Audience
On top of consistent aesthetics, you’re going to need a branded image that aligns with what your target audience is looking for. For example, you might not make much headway as a punk-focused cosmetics company if your branding materials are pink, beige, and minimalist.
Understanding your audience helps you do more than just appeal to their aesthetic interests. It also allows you to create the kind of content that speaks to them. When you know your target persona, pay attention to what they post about, the other accounts they follow, and what might get them excited.
Create How-To Content
Whether you sell makeup, hair dye, or manicure services, you need to establish a strong reputation with your potential customers and clients. In the beauty industry, that means sharing your expertise or showing it in action.
Makeup companies, for example, should create and share tutorials on how to use their product lines, especially to recreate the latest makeup trends. Hair salons should create transformation videos (always with client permission) to establish their ability to work with different hair types and exceed client expectations.
Glamorize Your Products
Not all of your marketing materials will be video content. Whether you’re beefing up your Instagram grid, preparing a paid ad, or generating a product listing, you’re going to need high-quality product photography.
In the beauty world, flat lay photography tends to rule the roost. A crisp white backdrop is always timeless, but you can also play with colorful patterned backdrops if color aligns best with your brand. Sprinkle in some lifestyle photography and packaging photography for a robust and alluring post or listing.
Get In On the Influencer Circle
New beauty brands perform best when they’re touted by trendsetters. While creative adverts and strong beauty copywriting can build your status, few things will make a dent quite as fast as getting an influencer shoutout or partnership. The good news for small businesses is that there are thousands of micro-influencers that are more accessible than the most popular accounts online, and they can still help.
Before you start reaching out to influencers, make sure your products are up to par. Influencers play an important role in the beauty industry and deserve the respect of any other business partner. To make the most out of these partnerships, give influencers unique discount codes their followers can use to buy your products.
Don’t Neglect Your In-Person Experience
It can seem like the entire beauty industry exists online now, but the in-person beauty experience is still a valuable one. In fact, if you’re selling services in a parlor or beauty salon, the in-person experience is far more important than anything you post online.
Your in-person location should reflect your branding materials and brand persona. Bring out your brand in your paint colors, lighting choices, and decor. For example, while a spa often features soft lighting and natural elements, a beauty supply store might be colorful and invigorating.
Go Omni-Channel
How can you get potential customers from your social media page to your website? It’s all about the omni-channel experience. Everything should connect back to your shopping cart, including:
- Social media (posts or profiles, depending on the platform)
- Email newsletters and promos
- Blog posts
- Posts on third-party social media pages and blogs
One way to incentivize the jump from one online platform to your website is to offer specific discounts. For example, you can use paid ads to market a special sale users can only get by clicking on the link in the ad.
Encourage Customer Feedback
Word of mouth is an important part of the beauty industry marketing strategy. New customers will almost always see what others have to say about your products or services before buying them.
Prompt customers to leave reviews with survey pop-ups. If you have a salon or parlor, remind clients that reviews are always helpful. Incorporate positive reviews into your social media posts so potential customers can see them without having to go digging.
Stay True
False advertising has been the downfall of many beauty companies in the past. False advertising includes misinformation about:
- What your products can do (e.g., saying that untested skincare is proven to clear acne)
- The size of your products
- The popularity of your products or notable figures who are using your products
- The ingredients in your products
- The education you’ve received to become an expert in your field
Eventually, customer testimony will shed light on false advertising, shattering any trust you’ve built. Always practice transparency and honesty in all your advertising.
Make 2024 Your Year to Master Beauty Industry Marketing
Are you ready to dominate your beauty industry niche? Whether you’re looking to build a local community or take the social media beauty world by storm, these tips will help you master beauty industry marketing in 2024.
Looking for more industry tips from the world of beauty? Take a look around as we share the latest news, trends, and how-to guides.