Beauty brands and social media make a splendid combination.
Beauty products are visually-oriented and fun, and CPG marketing trends change fast enough that there’s little risk of brands falling into a rut as far as new content is concerned. The leading consumer beauty brands engage customers daily on social media with interesting, savvy CPG branding techniques.
According to Statista, this includes the 2019 leader, Huda Beauty brands, with more than 246 million active followers, to Tarte Cosmetics, with a “meager” 50 million engaged viewers on their social channels. Currently, Instagram is the social media platform where the overwhelming majority of beauty brand interactions take place.
In 2018, there were 3.7 billion brand-sponsored posts on the platform. In 2020, that number doubled. Social media for beauty brands is reshaping the CPG marketing category. Here are five beauty brands that are making the most of social media with their CPG branding and how they’re doing it.
1. L’Oréal
L’Oréal focuses on the content users search for online, mainly tutorials and beauty tips. The brand leverages social media influencers to build engagement. It has shifted more of its media spending to online channels in recent years. L’Oréal has had great success on Twitter with its #POWERON campaign, an omnichannel women’s empowerment campaign.
Another of its most popular digital initiatives was its Beauty Squad campaign. This CPG marketing campaign was a partnership with several influencers who worked with the brand to create YouTube videos and articles about beauty trends. One winning tactic has been putting the “how-to” aspects of products at the beginning of their videos, so viewers can get the information they need and then choose whether or not to view the rest of the video.
2. NYX
L’Oréal owns NYX, and its digital strategy has created a strong, almost cult-like online following for their CPG branding efforts. The company makes use of user-generated content and launched its own annual Face Awards, an online makeup competition for beauty video bloggers to showcase their skills, with the winner being decided by the audience. The competition is a great way to generate buzz about the brand while getting the social media audience invested in the outcome.
3. Huda Beauty Brands
Launch Metrics says Huda Beauty has an “Instagram empire,” turning into a billion-dollar business characterized by influencers and strong community engagement. Huda Beauty’s Media Impact Value (MIV) in June 2019 of $54.4 million.
The brand posts CPG marketing content consistently three to five times a day, with a heavy emphasis on video that receives a 38% higher user engagement rate than any other form of content. Key to their influence is the voice of their CPG branding efforts, which speaks to Instagram followers as if they were friends, establishing brand trust, consumer engagement, and a long-term relationship with their customers.
4. Fenty
Fenty, owned by Rihanna, launched just four years ago with an entirely digital campaign that focused heavily on Instagram and influencer content. The brand reinforced its “beauty for all” concept by creating 40 different shades of foundation makeup to cater to the needs of women with every skin tone.
This “inclusivity” philosophy, combined with reviews and testimonials from makeup artists, models, and everyday consumers, pulled in 1.4 million Instagram followers in just four days. Dayo on Medium says, “No brand is perfect, but Fenty Beauty’s revolutionary take on social media has placed it miles ahead of the rest.”
5. Bumble and Bumble / Coveteur
Hair product brand Bumble and Bumble invested heavily in tutorials and how-tos and gave a push to its social media presence by collaborating with lifestyle publisher Coveteur. With help from the publisher, Bumble and Bumble categorized hair problems into four categories and then offered videos, tips, and product information to help fans solve them. Partnering with an appropriate publishing company enabled Bumble and Bumble to mix content and commerce in an effective, appealing CPG marketing initiative.
Beauty brands have significant scope when it comes to creativity and pushing boundaries, but they also operate within a highly competitive industry and must act decisively and quickly. The power of the strong social media campaign is evident in these and other beauty brand online strategies, and CPG marketing teams in many other industries can learn from them. Hangar12 is at the forefront of CPG marketing strategy and more. Subscribe to our blog to stay up-to-date with our latest insights.
Topics brand