It never ceases to amaze me how well the beauty industry has adapted to our digital culture. Its almost as if social media and digital marketing was the knight shining armor that the beauty industry was waiting for to be swept off of her feet. In her fantasy, the Digital Age and Beauty could make beautiful work together – the type of work that would change the way that people though about her. But in the digital world we live in today, beauty’s fantasy has become a fascinating reality of social done right. Let’s jump into what makes the marriage of beauty and digital one of storybook proportions.
Beauty is Universal
And so is the internet. Everyone can log on and join in – from a woman in Sao Paulo with combination skin to a woman in Arkanas with a shiny t-zone. Bringing in diverse beauty with the actual consumers for brand collaboration makes loyal consumers feel closer to the brand than ever before. Enter YouTube star Michelle Phan’s deal with Lancome, becoming the brand’s first video makeup artist. Or Christina Caradona, fashion blogger at Trop Rouge starring in Paul Mitchell’s Truth About Curls social campaign both in print and online, liberating curly girls everywhere.
Beauty is about Treating Yourself
Women at work browsing beauty e-commerce sites are looking for a product experience that is going to make them feel beautiful and transformed. And everything is important – from packaging to names of shades to limited edition palettes. That specialness makes people feel good, but beauty e-tailers raise the bar by adding the shipping aspect, everyone loves receiving a package at their doorstep which give beauty e-tailers the opportunity to have a leg up on the competition by offering free shipping for their customers. Not to forget, the power of the loyalty program. I’ve been shopping at Sephora since I was 15 years old, the loyalty I have to the store is reciprocated with Club Sephora. They never miss my birthday and always shower me with small gifts at checkout.
The Consumer Feedback Builds Community and Acts as In-Store MUA
I always love visiting Sephora and having the specialists offer advice, direction and tips. Now, through the power of user comments, ratings and feedback – the consumer acts as specialists by adding valuable feedback on products, and the tips on how to use them. Social beauty site, Bloom has taken the strength of that community a leap further. Women who spend on beauty products love to gab about favorite brands and how/when to use they use them. Bloom has created a fun platform for women to exchange information and encourage each other of new ways to use beauty products by user generated photos of the latest beauty trends uploaded by Bloom members and beauty professionals. You can upload photos of your own or save other member’s photos of favorite lip shades, hairstyles and nail art to your lookbooks and share on your social networks, too. Not to mention, you can shop the products used to acheive these looks right on the site. Social Commerce, check. Engaged Community, check. Fun Environment for Consumers, Check.
Women Love Beauty Advice
All the smart brands are hip to the fact that if you want to be an authority in the digital space, your brand must act as a publisher of strong and interactive content. Beauty brands were the first to notice to this and execute profoundly. Take a look at Birchbox, the magazine section of their website called The Haute Box and is your one stop shop for all things beauty trends, products and tutorials. With interviews with “Birchbox Crushes” like Jamie Lynn Sigler, how-to videos on getting rid of dark circles, and articles on preparing for dinner parties – The Haute Box gives you a well-rounded adventure into what the Birchbox experience is like with great takeaways for you to keep in your beauty arsenal. Then we have Nars, the brand’s YouTube channel is overflowing with tons of how-to videos to create your soon-to-be favorite looks. My favorite video coincides with the NARS Andy Warhol collaboration, helping you achieve that iconic factory girl look with Nars products. The videos are beautifully produced, informative and you can watch them all day.
We haven’t even jumped into the beauty on the go experience on tablets and mobile devices given to us by beauty brands. Maybe, we can save that for another day, another post. What are you favorite campaigns or strategies that you’ve seen the beauty industry implement online? Do you think there are vast improvements to be made? Or do you think that beauty and digital do indeed have that storybook marriage?
Resources:
Beauty & The E-Commerce Beast, ATKearney
Digital IQ Index: Beauty 2012, L2ThinkTank