Beauty brands: how to choose which social media to use?

Nowadays more than ever, with the sheer amount of content being spun on the web, we need to carefully choose which social media we have to use for our influence marketing strategy. This choice can be based on the sector, the needs, goals or targets of the brand/campaign…

In this article, we’re going to focus on the beauty field. Today’s society is heavily reliant on aesthetics and appearance, so to fall in line with these standards and produce the best quality content in the right spaces, we need to select the best influencers and social networks for our micro influencer marketing strategy.

Micro influencers are a huge trend on influencer marketing because of their close connection with their followers as well as the influence they have on them. The relationship between the content creator and its community is based on trust and transparency: 82%  of the consumers are really attentive to the recommendations of micro and nano influencers.

Every social media has its strengths and weaknesses. You need to choose your network well to get the exactly what you’re looking for. In this article, we will help you choose the social media the most adapted to you based on your objectives.

Objective #1 : increasing your visibility and social media presence

Content in the format of videos and images is very easy to watch and extremely captivating, which is why 46% of internet users want to learn more about a brand after watching a video.  This content has 30% more interactions and twice as many shares, which is why you should choose social media that provides content in these formats.

• Instagram is a really visual platform in which you can easily showcase your products. This is a very useful aspect for beauty brands. Instagram stories are also a big plus, as this function allows us to show the entire product experience: its unboxing, application tips, results, updates throughout the day and also in the long term. Real-time content and spontaneity are the keys words for micro influencers, and for Instagram. The immediacy of the application allows micro influencers to be as spontaneous as they want, which is a very interesting asset for beauty and cosmetics brands.
• YouTube is the visual social network of reference for video content. Content on YouTube has a heavy editing process, which shows through in how professionally the videos are filmed, the evident preparation and knowledge of the content creators… This results in less spontaneity, but a more curated assortment of content. People choose to watch YouTube videos very consciously and willingly, which means they’re more receptive to the views expressed by the content creator pertaining a product or brand. YouTubers tend to share a lot about their life and most of the time, their audience has been following them for a long time. As a result, the emotional attachment to YouTubers is 7 times more important than to others.

Objective #2 : generating viral content on social media

Having your content go viral as an aim can be a great way of achieving many other goals, mainly increasing the perception of your brand on social media. Viral content can be an objective in and of itself or a means to get to a different end. Recently, L’Oréal Paris released its new foundation powder: “Infallible”. TikTok’s of this product went viral on the app and millions of people consumed this content and were intrigued by the product it showcased.

TikTok is still a very new app, but its rapidly become one of the most used apps: on average, the daily use of TikTok is of 45 minutes, and 90% of TikTok users open the app at least once a day.

TikTok is the go-to app for viral content and increased visibility. The app has a great algorithm that recommends content based on what you enjoy and watch most often, which means people are usually very engaged and interested in the offered content. Prior to the lockdown, TikTok was mainly use by teenagers, but since then, the app has managed to attract a substantial amount of older viewers as well as influencers. The short videos proposed by the app are very easy and fast to watch. They can be replayed at any time and anywhere. This constant consuming can rapidly make your brand go viral if you land on a catchy challenge, dance, trend…

Creating a micro influence campaign based on a challenge or on a particular sound is the key to start a viral chain of reaction.

Objective #3: boosting sales thanks to influencers

In order to generate sales with a micro influencer marketing strategy, you have to choose the appropriate social networks. They have to be adapted to the product, the sector, but also to the main target and objectives of the brand.

As aforementioned, beauty brands need visual content and powerful aesthetics, but this isn’t the only thing that’s going to drive sales. When considering the purchase of a product, rating and reviews play a huge role in the consumer’s decision-making process. Different tactics that could help you boost your sales are: offering unique experiences to your potential customers or influencers, doing giveaways or facilitating promo codes. All these methods result in the consumers being able to test the product first-hand, following the prompt of a content creator. Once the consumer has had the chance to test the product and like it, his relationship with the influencer will be strengthened, as well as with the brand, and he could potentially review the product to incite future customers to buy.

Objective #4 : Generate consumer reviews

60 % of consumers read blog articles, watch videos or social media publications about a product or service before purchasing it. Specially when it comes to a beauty product: according to a recent Hivency survey, 92% of European consumers will consult reviews when shopping for a cosmetic or beauty product. Micro-influence is great but rating and reviews are also really important and cannot be overlooked. 

• Blogs are essential as they are well-structured, go into detail with the products and services and are longer. Bloggers talk about the product and their personal experience in the long term. Often illustrated by videos and images, blogs are THE review source for the beauty industry. Before purchasing a beauty product, potential customers like to look into the reviews of other consumers.
• Reviews on online shops are really important because most people look into them before buying the product. Indeed, 94 % of the prospects say that a positive review encourages them to buy. Working on getting ratings and reviews on your website and on online stores is essential. Thankfully, some influence platforms, such as Hivency, can help you with it. Hivency ratings and reviews campaigns will bring you quality reviews thanks to its database. Reviews can be published on multiple e-commerce platforms (up to 3) which can help you touch more people.
• Reviews on online shops are really important because most people look into them before buying the product. Indeed, 94% of potential clients say that a positive review encourages them to buy. Working on getting ratings and reviews on your website and on online retailer sites is essential. Thankfully, some influencer platforms, such as Hivency, can help you achieve this. Hivency’s ratings and reviews campaigns will bring you quality reviews thanks to its database of qualified testers. Reviews can be published on multiple e-commerce platforms (up to 3) which can help you reach a wider audience.

Whatever social media you choose, micro influencer marketing campaigns are essential for your business to thrive. They are more beneficial in the long run than a single macro influence operation. The periodicity of their campaigns and their increased engagement account for the benefits. 

Establishing long-term collaborations with micro influencers creates a relationship of trust and proximity between the brand, the content creators and their community. The more you see the brand on a daily basis, the more you will think about it when buying.

Cover Photo: Jess Harper Sunday via Unsplash