Snap Happy: Are The Selfie Generation Driving Beauty Content?

It doesn’t take much searching on social media to find a selfie. In fact, taking a selfie has become as much a part of our everyday lives as eating and sleeping.

In cultural terms, before we knew what was happening the selfie had become “a thing” and the selfie generation was born. Typically, this group of self-snappers are youngsters, but young people aren’t alone in turning the lens on themselves.

The apparent need to self-qualify and broadcast our own image through selfies is now something of a cultural norm. And social media is the perfect vehicle for a selection of self-snaps. Now, you could look at this as a distinct comment on the rise of the ego and self-esteem in modern culture. You can also see just how this is influencing the way brands to connect with their audiences. Especially in sectors like health and beauty, where physical appearance and wellbeing comes first.

Sizing up the beauty industry

Recent figures for the UK alone value the beauty industry at £17 billion with more than 1 million people employed in the sector. And although the majority of sales are from the 18-34 selfie-gen age group, other demographics are spending more and more, including women 50-plus and men.

Unsurprisingly, the online beauty market is an area that’s growing fast too. So, what does all this tell us? Firstly, yes, the selfie generation are certainly big purchasers of cosmetics and beauty products. But there’s a rise throughout the age groups of people taking more care with their appearance.

From a brand perspective, this offers an undeniable opportunity. The market is growing and diversifying. But the positive news doesn’t end there. This growing trend is moving in tandem with tech, with innovations like augmented reality giving us new ways to promote beauty products with valuable content. Just look at the virtual apps launched by brands like Estee Lauder and Benefit for starters.  

Making a noise on social media

But back to the selfie gen. Beauty brands haven’t been slow to pick up on the way people are using social media to promote their self-image. Social media influencers are becoming a fast ticket to promoting brands, particularly to a younger audience.

This doesn’t come without its pitfalls from a marketer’s perspective, however. A recent study revealed that 38% of marketing professionals couldn’t tell if their influencer activity was generating sales. Despite this, the spinning wheel of content driven by beauty influencers is going at a pace, unabated.

Here’s just a short list of the influencers shaking things up for beauty industry:

·         Robin Black – the makeup artist and photographer currently has 129k followers on Instagram and is rated as one to watch in 2018, featuring brands like Tom Ford Beauty.

·         Huda Kattan – one of the biggest beauty influencers out there, she has 26.1m Insta followers and her own cosmetics brand. Her posts include makeup tutorials. Peppered with the odd inspirational quote, of course.

·         Wayne Goss – this makeup artist has his own range of brushes, 625k Instagram followers, and is a promoter of brands like Victoria Health and Too Faced.

How can beauty brands keep up?

So, the answer to creating content is simple for beauty brands, right? Get on social media, hire an influencer or two, and go great guns. Well, kind of. That opportunity certainly warrants upping your game in the content stakes and choosing your media channels wisely. Digital clearly is an area to look at.

The question is, how do you spin your content into something appealing, clickable, and valuable? To give you some ideas, here are what just some of the best beauty brands are up to:

·         NYX – top cool points to the L’Oreal-owned brand NYX. They really know how to use digital marketing and content to their advantage. Their annual Face Awards encourages vloggers to submit their makeup videos for a chance to the dubbed the new Artist of the Year. Not only does this up the ante when it comes to connecting with their audience, it also allows their customers and fans to drive content. This strategy is big news with other beauty brands too, like Estee Lauder. More than 40% of their content comes from their customer’s stories.     

·         Birchbox – social media is big, but there are other ways to build your brand and attract customers through content. Blogs are just the thing if you want to cleverly combine beauty tips with product placement and set yourself up as an expert in the field. After all, everyone is after tips and cheats when it comes to swotting up on health and beauty. Birchbox is one blog that writes smart, product focussed content that doesn’t smack of salesy desperation. Lovely, readable and useful to their audience, just as good content should be.

·         Glossier – everything about this brand’s content marketing is slick and fresh. From their aspirational Instagram page to their A-class approach to interacting with customers and turning real feedback into news items in their own right. Part of their secret is down to their great handle on their own identity and their tone of voice. This is best seen in their playfully humorous, info-packed newsletters.

Top tips for winning beauty content

When all’s said and done, health and beauty is one sector that’s aspirational and visual. This is exactly why social media channels are so important. It’s also why beauty influencers hold such sway with audiences through their vlogs, online tutorials, and social posts.

But, there are some general content tips that still matter when creating a full plan for your beauty brand. From a writer’s point of view, here are just some of the things that are front of mind when putting pen to paper:

·         Nailing the tone of voice – just like our friends at Birchbox, getting your tone of voice right will help you build your personality as a brand, and delight your readers with fun, engaging content. Not all brands choose to be quirky. Take L’Oreal for instance. But whatever your thing is, make sure it matches your audience personas to make it relatable to them. As a writer, understanding who the audience is from the beginning will help them shape your tone of voice.

·         Creating content that encourages engagement – perhaps more than some sectors, interaction with customers can make all the difference to the success of beauty content. Putting the spotlight on them in new, inventive ways that reward the audience generates engagement and drives the success of your content.   

·         Not being afraid of product-led pieces – let’s face it, there are instances where product placement can feel crass and out of place in content. Not so when it comes to beauty! As we’ve said, this is a place where people tune in to get recommendations, tips, advice, and cheats. By directing people to products, you’re actively demonstrating how a look can be achieved, working your collections and driving sales all at once.

·         Keeping the posts regular – the audience really does want more, more, more. So, don’t be stingy with your content. Regularly update blogs, send out those newsletters and be an active social poster. In this competitive, loud marketplace, it’s the only way to stand out and continue to create value for your customers through insightful, informative and inspirational content.

In conclusion …

The world has changed in the last couple of decades, and the rise of social media and increased hype over personal appearance has carved a new path for beauty brands to follow. This exciting, customer-led content trend is filled with possibilities for brands.

More than ever, it’s defining how writers for the beauty industry are shaping their content. Writing relatable copy is a piece of advice that’s as old as marketing itself, but it’s the way we’re doing it that’s changing. The rise of social media and beauty influencers has created a collective thirst for aspirational, product-focussed content. That means making it sound natural, informative, useful, and yet juxtaposing that with pushing beauty products along the way.

All this combined with an unwavering focus on the customer, their story, and their experiences are setting smart beauty brands apart. The exciting bit is that as long as you know your customer, have a great writer on board, and clearly define your content plan, you can get in on the action, and make yours a beauty brand to rely on.

Like to find out more about how I can help your beauty brand create winning content? Simply get in touch now to talk it through.