Gain a Cult Following

As we all know, cults are simply and easily built over-night — no prob! KIDDING.

Although this may seem trivial, gaining a dedicated customer base is actually a vital first step in gaining the attention of retailers. Think about it: as customers leverage the convenience of shopping online, the retail industry has continued to struggle with thousands of stores closing their doors permanently last year. But the same is not true for the beauty industry. Beauty retailers have only expended thanks to their loyal customers who love being able to feel and touch beauty products in-person before purchasing.

Having a built-in audience is a major plus when pitching your brand to buyers. Beauty retailers are looking for brands that will stand out on shelves and excite their customers. Below are some suggestions on how you can start gaining a dedicated audience of your own:

• Differentiate yourself early on. Is it an ingredient? Is it an innovative product design? Amazing brand story? Whatever it is, call it out and focus on it.
• Get your name out there, especially on social media. Obviously, spreading brand awareness is the number one goal when your brand is just getting started. Start getting your brand name out there by building a strong identity and online presence. We’ll talk about this more in the next sections.

Influencers — I Want What She’s Having!

I know I don’t have to tell you twice, but influencers have become the expert voices in the world of beauty. The influencer community is the first place a retail buyer will go to do research on new brands and products.

Start sending beauty influencers samples of your products and work your way to building ambassador programs, collaborations, and events.

Connect With Your Target Audience Through Influencer Content

It’s hard to build a following on social media if you don’t have tons of like-worthy content. Yet coming from a traditional retail environment, I’m extremely aware of the time, budget, and energy it takes to create content in-house. I would see $30k easily go into one photoshoot.

For many brands, this type of budget just isn’t realistic. However, there is a way to generate amazing content without breaking the bank. By leveraging influencers for their content creating abilities, you’re able to source incredibly diverse and engaging content at a fraction of the price.

You can then repurpose this influencer-generated content on:

• Your website
• Email newsletters
• Owned social media channels
• Paid social & digital ads
• Offline ads

Boost It ‘Til Ya Make It

I’m sure you’ve at one point discovered a brand you love through social media. With all of the highly targeted sponsored posts on Instagram and Facebook, it’s impossible to avoid. Paid ads on social are a great way to get your brand in front of your target customer.

If you just want to dip your toe into paid social, start with “boosted” posts. Essentially, this is when you pay to promote posts that already exist on Instagram. This could be a post made by an influencer or a post on your own feed that’s performing really well with your audience.

Boosting is different and easier than running a normal ad because you are not creating a new ad set. Instead of an existing post, engagement and all is shown to a larger audience or re-targeted to your own fans. Boosting posts is an incredible way to capitalize on already successful posts. By giving the influencer a little extra budget to boost their post, they’re able to reach more people while keeping the post looking organic and authentic.

Gimme Minis

Little known fact, the travel size section — oh yes, that section that you’re sucked into as you’re checking out that somehow leaves you buying a $25 mini-sized setting powder — that section accounts for over 50% of total sales. And it's a space that is consistently a staple on their websites and apps and is a coveted spot now for all brands. Some brands have already begun enticing customers with travel or sample-sized beauty products that they can get for free after paying shipping and handling.