Marketing for personal care products presents a vast pool of creative freedom for social media professionals to dive into and experiment with different content strategies. Additionally, the industry’s close ties with the customer loyalty makes it a valuable opportunity worth investing in. In this blog post, we will outline all the best approaches to personal care products marketing.
why personal care products?
Spanning across skincare, make-up products, fragrances and various other toiletries, the personal care products industry never goes out of fashion, with our continuous demand for such products ensuring they remain at the top of our minds. Moreover, through constant innovation and a quickly adaptive nature, personal care products continue to find ways to reinvent themselves and keep their relevancy and trendiness.
The rise of social media, as with many other industries, has played a big part in personal care products marketing, turning it into a dynamic and vibrant field of opportunities. Influencer collaborations, user-generated content, exclusive seasonal marketing campaigns everyone waits eagerly for – these have not only reshaped the way we promote personal care products but also the way we use them and how loyal we are to them.
customer loyalty
The personal care products industry presents an especially interesting case due to its close connection to the concept of customer loyalty. Since the very beginning, customer loyalty has been at the centre of industry success for such products. A make-up business or a fragrance brand’s profitability would often be directly dependant on whether the customer trusts it enough to keep coming back to it and repurchasing the products.
However, as a result of social media marketing, the idea of customer loyalty has evolved past the simple act of repurchasing. Today, loyalty is often seen as users actively engaging with the brand online and expressing their brand love. It's about owning that exclusive status of a brand fan and a dedicated supporter.
online brand communities
The idea of brand fans directly links to the concept of online brand communities: communities centred around a brand where users partake in a continuous flow of information, content creation and activities with the said brand standing at the centre.
Engaging with the brand’s content on social media, interacting with content by fellow creators or users surrounding said brand, or making your own content like product reviews or tutorials – these are just some of the ways we partake in online brand communities, often without even realising.
online brand communities and brand loyalty
And customer loyalty arguably lies at the core of such communities. Research shows that participating in online brand communities positively impacts brand loyalty and oftentimes vice versa. This could mean that the more we interact with or produce content surrounding the brand, the more that showcases our dedication to it. But as a personal care products brand, how do you begin to build brand loyalty? Let’s break it down.
how to achieve customer loyalty when marketing personal care products?
Customer loyalty can mean many different things, varying in the level of dedication and time customers invest in a given brand or company. Depending on your business objectives, you could be aiming at three different levels of customer loyalty, which can be broken into:
1. repurchasing loyalty
If your marketing efforts are still at an early stage and concentrating on the top-of-the-funnel awareness level, your aim might be to achieve repurchasing loyalty. The most straightforward of the three, but still a valuable asset for a brand to possess.
You want to familiarise your target audience with your product, generate conversions and gain their trust, motivating them to repurchase. When marketing a personal care product at this stage, the best approach would be to focus on the product itself.
content ideas
● Emphasise your Unique Selling Points: what characteristic makes your product stand out against competitors and how are you revolutionising the market of personal care products?
● Address specific customer pain points: after thorough audience research, outline the key problems your customer base is having and focus your content on how your product provides the ultimate solution.
● Feature high-quality visual assets: in an industry where the physical aspect of the product is so important, ensure you provide your target customer base with high-quality imagery and demo videos of your product to boost transparency and gain their trust.
2. follower loyalty
Gradually, as you begin to establish that initial level of customer loyalty, you will look for ways to expand that. Turning your customers into followers who want to learn more about your brand and keep up to date with new campaigns and developments, is the next level to aim for.
With personal care products, your marketing efforts at this stage should be focusing on the human aspect behind your brand. Your target audience already knows your product and is satisfied with the value they receive from it. Now is the time to add to that value by showcasing what your brand identity and ethos is all about.
content ideas
● Provide additional value: add an element of exclusiveness to your socials by sharing unreleased product information, teasers, loyalty schemes, discounts or giveaways as a way to stimulate engagement and reach more people.
● Tell your brand story: relate to your customer base by creating content surrounding your inspirations and motivations which prompted you to create your brand and the values you stand for.
● Put a face to the name: ensuring to add a human touch to your brand is a crucial part of earning and keeping your customer base’s trust. Sharing content with you or your team, or collaborating with influencers and content creators who closely align with your brand, is a great approach.
pro tip: You win customers over with your product, but you keep them with your story and the feeling they are left with. If in doubt, influencer collaborations are always a good strategy to help add a human touch to your brand, share your story and reach new audiences. And in the personal care industry, the storytelling opportunities are endless.
3. fan loyalty
When marketing for personal care products, you may notice that even if users are following your brand, they can still remain relatively passive in engaging with your socials. Turning them into active fans is simultaneously the hardest challenge and ultimate goal for any marketing professional. But we are happy to share that with consistency and dedication, it can become reality.
content ideas
● Be active: engage in community management regularly and always be aware of ongoing online conversations surrounding your brand or products. Strong and regular community management is one of the most important assets to possess in today’s digital landscape. Ensuring your brand is approachable and accessible on socials, and carrying a continuous conversation with your target audience, is key.
● Provide UGC motivation: your content and social media strategy should always aim to further this conversation through UGC creation. User-generated content is what makes your followers active participants in your online brand community, demonstrating the ultimate level of customer loyalty. Organise special giveaways or contests with exclusive prizes as a way to stimulate UGC creation.
● Create exclusive groups or channels: utilise the opportunities of socials and create special Instagram Direct Message channels or Facebook groups, solely dedicated to you interacting with your customer base and sharing the love.
● Spotlight creativity: spend a dedicated amount of time interacting with, resharing and reposting any user-generated content and spotlighting the “Fan of the Month” to further connect with your audience.
pro tip: By promoting and stimulating the creation of UGC, you will steadily begin to build a community of brand advocates, who will support your brand on the road to success. Ensuring you vocalise your appreciation for your fans by interacting and engaging with them is what ties it all together.
