Did you know that 63% of customers have more trust in brands that have an Instagram account? At least 96% of beauty businesses have at least one social media account now, and for most, it’s closer to 5 or 6 different accounts spread across different platforms. But why? Why are beauty brands investing so much time and money into social media, and is it giving them the returns they need?
The Numbers Say It All
If you boil the complex web of social media down to just numbers, we start to see one trend emerging. Social media isn’t a luxury for beauty and skincare brands – it’s essential and necessary for their survival. A few of the key figures are:
- 45% of consumers find inspiration for new beauty purchases on social media
- Nearly 60% of teenagers follow their favourite beauty brands on social media platforms
- 62% of young people use social media to research beauty products before buying them
- The most popular beauty content creator on YouTube has 24.8 million subscribers
- 67% of beauty enthusiasts will turn to influencers before they make a purchase
On top of all of that, 82% of consumers have increased their social media consumption since the beginning of the pandemic, giving influencers a stronger and larger platform than ever before. Social media has never been more important for the beauty industry, so the only real question is where to be, not if you should be there. The good news is that according to recent surveys, beauty customers have some favourite social media channels to hang out on, so that question is fairly easy to answer too.
- Instagram (82%)
- Facebook (77%)
- YouTube (59%)
- Snapchat (39%)
- Twitter (31%)
- Pinterest (28%)
In other words, your brand needs to be on the most visual platforms, showcasing all of your products in their best light and building up a thriving community.
The Not-Numbers
If we move away from statistics for a second, we get another interesting insight into the reality of social media for beauty brands. And that’s that brands are actually a bit of a secondary user. The real stars of the beauty social media world are the users and the influencers. Since the advent of social media and advancements in mobile cameras, there has been more and more importance placed on appearance, particularly on the more visual platforms.
In response, users are generating their own beauty content, sharing their skincare routines, hair care techniques, style preferences and makeup tricks. If you don’t believe us, just take a look at the beauty hashtag on Instagram – it’s one of the most popular hashtags on the platform, with over 500,000,000 posts and rising.
What does this mean for beauty brands? It means they need to be on social media to connect with their target market and stay on the radar. To be tagged in the thousands of videos made using their products, to develop relationships with influencers who can send their sales soaring, and cultivate a community online of loyal followers who like, know and trust your brand name. In order to succeed in such a social-focused world, brands need to be present and visible.
How has Social Media impacted the Beauty industry?
Social media has had a tremendous impact on the beauty industry. It has created an entirely new way for beauty brands to reach and engage with their customers. Social media has allowed beauty brands to target audiences more specifically, connect with consumers in a more personal way, and create content that is tailored to their customers’ needs.
It has also given beauty brands unprecedented access to customer feedback, allowing them to identify trends, develop more effective marketing strategies, and create products that meet their customers’ needs.
Additionally, social media has allowed beauty brands to collaborate with influencers and create unique content that speaks to their target audience. Finally, social media has provided an invaluable platform for beauty brands to showcase their products and services, leading to increased brand visibility and sales.
Social Strategy For Beauty Brands
As with pretty much everything in the marketing world, it’s your strategy that determines your success. Just being on social media isn’t enough, you need to be doing something with it. Ideally, your social media strategy should be simple, clear-cut and straightforward. You need to understand who your target audience are, the kinds of content they create and view, and the influencers they turn to for recommendations. This information is essential, because it means you can develop a strategy that will hit all the right notes.
Plan your activities, be flexible and reactive to the ever-changing trends of online beauty, and dedicate time to creating content regularly. Have a way of tracking your results so you can see what’s working and what isn’t, and where your biggest audience base is.
Social Pilot is an ideal scheduling tool for managing posts across multiple social media platforms, as it not only allows you to schedule posts in advance, but also provides analytics to measure the success of your posts and allows you to collaborate with anyone else in your team, or even easily give access to an agency to create and schedule your posts for you.
They offer a 14-day free trial so you can test the product first and after that their plan for small businesses is very reasonably priced.
Ensure you’re active on every platform, even if it isn’t where your main audience hangs out, to keep your brand consistent and visible across the internet. Use social listening tools like Awario to monitor your brand reputation, and have fun with your posting – after all, social media is supposed to be fun!
And if you don’t know where to start, hire an expert to give you some guidance.
How can Social Media be used to promote beauty products?
Social media can be used to promote beauty products in a variety of ways. Brands can use platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube to showcase product features and benefits, produce how-to videos, create engaging content, and interact with customers. Additionally, influencers can be used to create content that will reach a wider audience and help spread the word about a product. Many brands also use social media to run contests and giveaways, which can be a great way to generate interest and engagement. We have written a post with ideas about social media posts with examples that you can find here.
Which social media platform is best for beauty products?
Currently, the best platform for beauty products is Instagram. Instagram is a visual platform, making it ideal for showcasing beauty products and engaging with potential customers. Additionally, Instagram offers a variety of features such as stories, reels, hashtags, and influencer marketing that can be used to promote beauty products. We checked the number of followers of over 80 beauty brands and Instagram was the most popular platform followed by Facebook and finally TikTok, however with the current popularity of TikTok, we would expect it to catch up with Instagram quickly especially when you consider that every brand we checked had an Instagram account but only around half were using TikTok.
How do beauty brands use influencers?
Beauty brands can use influencers as part of their marketing strategy to reach a larger audience and drive product awareness. Influencers are typically selected based on popularity, their audience, and their ability to authentically communicate a brand’s message. Brands may partner with influencers for sponsored posts, product reviews and tutorials, brand ambassador programs, and more. Influencer marketing is becoming increasingly popular in the beauty industry, as it allows brands to reach a larger and more engaged audience.
At Lion Spirit Media we love working with beauty and skincare brands, helping them find their ROAR and making a statement in a very noisy marketplace. We have a range of strategies and approaches specifically tailored to beauty businesses of all shapes and sizes, all designed to showcase your products and encourage people to buy. So if you’re looking to make your mark on the beauty world, we’re the digital marketing agency for you! To find out more, get in touch with the team today.
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