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Most small and medium-sized beauty brands (SMBs) have some catching up to do with their competitors. As they have smaller audiences, beauty brands of this scale must put extra effort toward building customer trust and loyalty.
Luckily, numerous strategies for successfully marketing small and medium beauty brands exist. Keep reading to learn five of the top marketing tactics that can help smaller beauty brands find their audiences and thrive.
What Are Small & Medium Beauty Brands?
Small and medium beauty brands operate as smaller-sized companies. Small beauty brands typically have a relatively limited product range and a smaller customer base. They may be operated by a small team or even an individual entrepreneur. These brands often focus on niche markets or specific product categories.
Medium beauty brands may have a larger presence than small brands but are less globally recognized than industry giants. Medium beauty brands often have a broader range of products, a bigger customer base, and a more established distribution network. Beauty brands of this size typically have up to 50 employees and are less likely to be managed by a sole proprietor.
SMB Marketing Challenges
Small and medium brands — also called SMBs — often face marketing struggles due to limited resources, competition, and changing consumer trends. Some of these common challenges include:
Limited Budget
Small and medium beauty brands usually have constrained marketing budgets, making investing in extensive advertising campaigns, influencer collaborations, or large-scale promotional activities more difficult. Thus, rapidly reaching and growing their target audiences can be difficult. With smaller budgets, these brands may focus more on organic and free marketing strategies like social media marketing. Additionally, a limited budget means fewer resources for hiring employees that help businesses grow. Small teams cannot complete the same amount of business tasks as larger companies, hindering company growth.
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is crucial to growing a company, but it can be tricky for brands of these sizes. Small and medium beauty brands must compete with well-established brands with a strong market presence and customer loyalty. Creating brand recognition and capturing potential customers' attention can be challenging with limited resources.
Limited Distribution Channels
Securing shelf space in established retail stores or partnerships with online marketplaces can be harder for SMBs. Physical and online retailers only want to work with brands that will bring guaranteed sales, and there is little room for uncertainty. It's more difficult to reach potential customers when a business's products aren't available in multiple storefronts.
Building Customer Trust and Loyalty
Establishing trust and building a loyal customer base takes time and effort. Small and medium beauty brands may face challenges gaining credibility and convincing potential customers to choose their products over established brands. Nonetheless, building these relationships is necessary to attract and retain customers.
5 Effective Marketing Strategies for Small & Medium Beauty Brands
Despite the challenges of marketing a small or medium beauty brand, it is possible to grow an audience when following the right marketing strategies. The following are five crucial marketing strategies small and medium beauty businesses can — and should — implement for success.
1. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a free or low-cost marketing strategy that brands of any size can use to grow their customer base and increase sales. To start, brands must build an email list by offering incentives like exclusive discounts or free beauty guides.
A regular newsletter can provide updates on new product launches, promotions, and helpful beauty tips. Brands can also customize and personalize their emails to make them more engaging and relevant to their subscribers and automate with tools like Mailchimp.
2. Virtual Try-On
Another excellent marketing strategy for smaller beauty brands is offering ‘virtual try-on’ technology. Virtual try-on tools allow customers to see what certain makeup products, shades, and colors look like on them. Perfect Corp. created a revolutionary virtual try-on tool using AR (augmented reality) technology that beauty brands can easily add to their eCommerce sites.
Offering a virtual try-on feature is an excellent way for small and medium brands to attract customers intrigued by this unique experience. The tool also lets shoppers test how products will look on them, making them feel more confident in purchasing from a brand that's new to them.
Perfect Corp. is offering a 6-month free program for POC- and women-owned beauty businesses to use the AR makeup try-on tool on their sites. SMB owners can apply online today by answering a few simple questions; applicants will be notified of their acceptance within one to two weeks. Brands have until September 30th to apply, and those accepted will have access to this sales-boosting technology through December 31st.
3. Collaborations and Partnerships
Another SMB marketing strategy is to seek collaborations and partnerships with complementary brands or local businesses. For example, SMBs can work with a local salon or spa to offer joint promotions or cross-promote each other's services. SMBs can also collaborate with online influencers to increase brand awareness. While more prominent influencers may be expensive to partner with, smaller influencers may accept product gifting in exchange for promoting a brand.
4. Social Media
Small and medium-sized enterprises should utilize the power of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to engage with their target audiences. With these platforms, brands can create visually appealing content, share product tutorials, offer beauty tips, and collaborate with influencers or micro-influencers in the beauty industry. Brands should use relevant hashtags, locations, keywords, and tags to reach their online niches.
5. Content Marketing
Another effective marketing strategy for indie beauty brands is content marketing. Brands can develop a content marketing strategy that focuses on providing valuable and educational content related to beauty. This can include blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, and more shared across digital platforms, sparking the interest of potential customers.
Virtual Try-On Tool for Small and Medium Beauty Brands
SMB beauty brands face challenges in growth, finding their audiences, and increasing brand recognition. But following the free and low-cost marketing tactics outlined above can drive organic traffic and improve sales.
Perfect Corp.’s virtual try-on tool is the perfect solution for a growing indie beauty brand. Virtual makeup try-on technology offers customers a unique experience, increases brand presence, and improves confidence in purchasing.
Apply for Perfect Corp.'s free virtual try-on program for minority-owned, indie beauty brands for a chance to use this revolutionary technology on your website.
Get expert advice from Perfect Corp. and be part of the beauty tech trend. Contact us for details on beauty tech solutions trusted by 500+ brands globally.
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