The secret to sustained success when promoting beauty brands on social media is to have a well thought-out, focused social media strategy. Here are four tips for promoting beauty products on social media.
1. Match the channel to the campaign
Beauty brands typically “splurge” their content across social media channels without giving enough thought to the role of each medium. Successful brands understand the strengths of the different platforms.
For example, Dove’s brilliant “#SpeakBeautiful” campaign couldn’t have run anywhere else: it demanded the real-time capabilities of Twitter. Twitter and Instagram suit Chanel’s up-to-the-minute exclusives from fashion shows. And YouTube is where Dove’s provocative and informative videos make the best impact.
The most effective communications play to the particular social media channel’s individual strengths. To succeed, brands need multi-channel strategies that take this into account.
2. Reach out to the male market
Male grooming is on the rise, as men become more comfortable with grooming and image becomes more important to them.
Consider that…
- As of April 2015, men’s grooming content has attracted 383 million total views.
- Men’s grooming videos make up 2.6 percent of all beauty content on YouTube, attracting 0.85 percent of all YouTube beauty views.
- Men’s grooming channels have a total of 28.5 million subscribers – an average of 8,530 subscribers per channel.
- 92 percent of views within men’s grooming space on YouTube are of videos demonstrating how to cut or style men’s hair.
If your beauty brand targets the male market, producing good quality YouTube content that is relevant and appealing could be a winning strategy.
3. Work with key teen influencers
It’s official - YouTube stars are the new super-influencers of the youth market.
In a 2014 Variety survey of 1,500 US teens, YouTube stars scored significantly higher than traditional celebrities across a range of characteristics closely correlated to influencing teen purchasing decisions.
The five most influential celebrities among American teens aged 13 to 18 are YouTube stars.
Any effective social media strategy for the teen market has to bear in mind the huge impact the endorsement of these influencers has on buying decisions.
4. Tap into the fastest growing YouTube segment: mature beauty
A previously under-populated niche segment of beauty on YouTube, mature beauty content targeting those over 45 years of age may hold the key to critical future growth for beauty brands.
Interest in mature beauty routines and reviews of anti-ageing skincare products aimed at mature beauty viewers is growing on YouTube, as evidenced by a sudden rise in monthly views in early 2013.
- Beauty videos targeting a mature beauty audience now account for 1.9 percent of all YouTube beauty videos.
- The 33,470 YouTube videos featuring mature beauty solutions have attracted 313.8 million total views.
- Monthly views of the mature beauty segment on YouTube are growing significantly faster than monthly views of YouTube’s beauty content overall.
The mature beauty market is growing fast and is very lucrative. As more consumers go online, the winning brands will be those that are ready to meet them, with a strong online presence and a clear, compelling message.
For more information please contact Tanja Weber at tanja.weber@gfk.com.
