Cosmetic Firms Reinvent Their Marketing Using InstagramMakeup companies market their wares using this burgeoning and photo-friendly social-media tool.
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Glossy magazine ads of perfectly manicured models face digital competition from 2014's hottest social network,Instagram. The social network recentlysurpassedTwitter in monthly users.
As consumers continue to rely onmobiledevices, content-hungry andsocially influenced buyerswith ahigh browse-to-buy ratiooffer the cosmetic industry a contemporary marketing platform to affect the bottom line without relinquishing image control.
Instagram is teeming with opportunity: Its audience spends an average of257 minutes a monthinteracting with content. Shopifyreportedthat Instagram's ecommerceinfluence yields on average $65 per order. Instagram's unique position as a network that favors aesthetics above words, paired with consumer impact, has enlivenedluxury-makeup and grooming-product marketing.
Related:Instagram Now Valued at $35 Billion, Analyst Says
According toL2's Intelligence Report released last February, Instagram交付10无法够到的地方Facebook.
But, a quick glance at the scale of interaction on Instagram compared with other networks proves its impact. Despite displaying more than twice the amount of followers on Twitter as opposed to Instagram, Dior received 28,000Instagramlikes for a recent video (along with a stream of tags to follower connections), as opposed to 80 retweets and 128 favorites onTwitter.
Some companies bridgedigital and on-ground marketing efforts to cultivate Instagram brand adoption. Shiseido, a staple of Macy's and Nordstrom beauty departments, took to Instagram last summer in search of college-age brand ambassadors for a millennial-specific line of IBUKI products.
Shiseido's marketing team traveled to 10 college campuses withits #IBUKIGirl campaign. The female-empowerment social-media quest garnered hundreds ofsubmissions, a mass of valuable user-generated content and engagement. Furthermore, theparticipants introduced Shiseido to thousands of new followers and potential customers using a more "human" approach.
Related:The Best Brand Uses of Instagram's Cool Time-Lapse Video App
Granting a backstage pass.
Contemporary consumers demand more than ever before that their interactions with company brands be on their terms. U.S. millennialsreportedin a Boston Consulting Group study thattheir purchases are most influenced by family and friends, particularly when it comes to lifestyle and luxury companies.
Consistent Instagram use fosters a meaningful relationship between high-end companies and consumers who want to trust the firms whose products they purchase.
Dior took followers behind closed doors during Cannes 2014. Bobbi Brown haspromoted philanthropic causesandEstée Lauderhas shared nonstock, creative and playfulphotosof various products.
Rather than companies having to risk compromising brand integrity, Instagram provides a twofold opportunity for them to share unique product visuals and leverage personal relationships with fans. Special-access content such as avideofrom Dior, emphasized product quality and its accompanying lifestyle instead of hinging on deals or discounts.
Cultivating brand ambassadors.
The so-called lifestyle emphasis of Instagram is evident in a new wave of cosmetic-brand ambassadors building product buzz.
Influencer marketing is not a fresh concept, but recent examples prove that it is particularly effective in the luxury-goods industry. Several years ago, marketing expert Aileen Lee described inTechCrunchhow Rent the Runway used fashion bloggers to drive traffic to its site as opposed to paid-search options.
Haley Buckner, Los Angeles-based makeup artist with celebrity clients and photo-shoot gigs for high-end magazines and retailers, uses Instagram as her social-media go-to site. Buckner, who is also a personal friend, has amassed a devoted and engaged following of more than79,000 followers.
Buckner's followers leave a stream of comments and thousands of "likes" on each photo within minutes of her posting. Her followers consistently inquire about the brands she uses, putting her in a position to tout products used in professional settings but available via online and in-store retailers. Her recent collaboration with Anastacia Beverly Hillsresulted in direct interaction for the company brand with just onepost.
Instagram hasno shortageof industry professionals who might serve as a fresh pool of brand ambassadors for high-end cosmetic companies that traditionally only enlisted A-list celebrities and models. Their followers might want the best products, not the cheapest deals.
Instagram has opened the doors for luxury cosmetic companies to cultivate brand adoption via social media without cheapening their image. Their eagerness to use Instagram paves the way for other high-end industries to emulate.
Related:Instagram's 5 Tips for Better Marketing -- With Pictures
