How Beauty Products Become Bestsellers in The Digital Age

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Beauty products come and go. But the digital age gives a new medium in which consumers can learn about that soon-to-be-released product. In this article, you'll learn the difference between beauty products and other products, how social media has changed the beauty industry, plus more.

The Difference Between Beauty Products and Other Products

The truth is, there is no difference. Yes, lipstick, powder, and blush may be a different product than, say, a vacuum, boots, and a yoga mat, but they ultimately are a product marketers put out in front of their target audience.

Here's What It Comes Down To...

For beauty products to gain traction in their industry and for beauty companies to earn a product, they need to learn about their target audience. Like any other product, this includes study how their target audience consumes information.

For instance, if a beauty company's target audience is senior age women, chances are, they may consider taking out an ad in newspapers since, according to Pew Research, they're the age group that reads the most print.

Now, considering that only 16% of 18-24-year-olds in 2015 read the newspaper daily, beauty companies targeting that audience would perhaps skip using this medium. Which brings us to...

Know Your Target Audience

As mentioned, in order for beauty products to become bestsellers, companies need to know who they are selling that product to. This means asking (and answering) the questions, such as:

• How old is my target audience?
• Where do they vacation?
• What music do they like to listen to?
• Who do they follow on social platforms?
• What income does my target audience make?
• Where is my target audience located?

These questions (and then some) will help make the beauty products more appealing and marketable to consumers. That and reading (and creating) studies targeting your audience will be beneficial.

At the end of the day, beauty products are just like any other product: study the target audience and use the medium the target audience best responds to.

Speaking of target audiences in the digital age, beauty companies may have an easier time reaching a larger target audience.

Going back to the senior age women example, now, thanks to the advancements in technology, senior age women in Canada and senior age women in Thailand can see the same ad, tweet, message, and post, all from the comforts of their home (and without needing to take a plane).

While, in some respects, this may make it easier for beauty companies to market their products, on another hand they may now need to widen their scope on the types of ads, posts, tweets, and messages they use. Or, other platforms such as Bio could be used. Having the ability to share all of your social platforms on the web and having a link on bio can reach more of the desired audience.

In other words, you can't make a cultural reference that only senior age Canadian women could relate to. It needs to be universal (of course, considering that your target audience isn't narrowed down to one specific country or region).

Influencers, Influencers, Influencers

At the same time, marketing has changed. Especially in the beauty industry, influencers hold clout and are perceived to be trustworthy.

This method could help build their image and credibility by driving perceived engagement, which also acts to have the algorithm working in their favor by promoting posts which are in turn seen by more people. In fact, there is a large variety of automation tools that you should consider utilizing if you're an influencer on the Instagram platform - Quantum Marketer advocates tools that are designed to make your social media use more efficient so you can dedicate more time to the business side of your operation; they are definitely worth reading more about on their website.

Now, thanks to influencers, marketers can take advantage of their large following (and platform), making their product more known (and appealing).

Ads on Target Audience Online Magazine Sites

Similar to print ads, beauty companies can also advertise online on popular online magazines their target audience frequently reads.

As mentioned, since readers across continents and oceans can easily access and read online magazines and news sites, this leaves marketing companies (beauty companies included) with potentially a larger target audience-aka potentially more product.

Summary

• While the digital age may have changed the many ways consumers get information, companies (beauty companies included) need to know their target audience
• This means conducting and reading up on numerous studies
• Not to mention asking questions (and seeking the answers to): age bracket, budget, vacation preferences, etc.
• That being said, beauty companies can leverage influencers to make their beauty products more appealing the influencer's base (and their target audience)
• Online ads work in the same way as ads in print, except that potentially more eyes have an easier time accessing it

Final Thoughts

We like to think of beauty products not related to any other product. But, the truth is, this is not the case. Beauty companies that realize and take hold of this fact stand a better chance of selling a bestseller product.

In what ways do you believe the digital age has affected the beauty industry? Do you agree or disagree with this article? What are your thoughts about beauty being seen as a marketing product-having a target audience? Leave a comment.