Telling Your Story On Social Media

Each year, around the globe, social media has consistently grown into a more powerful marketing tool for brands. The beauty industry, in particular, has used various platforms for tutorials, product launches and global sales on a massive scale. A rise in influencer marketing on platforms like Instagram and the fall of Twitter can leverage a cosmetics player’s presence in Asia’s online social environment during a time when hard sales techniques no longer work, say industry experts.

According to Carl Heaton, founder of Web Courses Bangkok, beauty players should be taking full advantage of their social media marketing potential; investing in Facebook, YouTube and Instagram presence and some good-quality video content.

Ahead of his presentation at In-Cosmetics Asia last year, Heaton told Happi that major changes include the rise of video storytelling content with “a call to action” that draws users in, as multimedia becomes a focal point in all posts.

Cosmetics players should seek to find one or more of these powerful avenues to represent their brand, according to Heaton.

New-Age Marketing
The Asia Pacific region has experienced a massive boom in the use of social media, with more than 55% of the region on some form of a social media network.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the beauty industry as our products are inherently visual—perfecting the use through reach, engagement and sentiment,” Heaton advised.

As an example, the social media guru pinpoints the top networks in Thailand as Facebook and YouTube with messenger apps following closely behind, allowing brands to have a two-way conversation with consumers.

“Many of the practices used as little as a year ago have become irrelevant with the integration of automation, chatbots and all new algorithms,” the entrepreneur told Happi.

Payments and e-commerce are regularly done through messaging apps in Thailand and many other countries in the region. The industry can leverage such developments to access new markets, if done correctly, says Heaton.

This is evident in China, where three of the top four networks are centered around private messaging and the likes of Sina Weibo, a micro-blogging platform that allows for more opportunity with highly-targeted marketing.

It’s Not a Cold Call!
According to Heaton, one of the biggest mistakes any cosmetics player can make is turning social media into “a visual representation of a cold sales call.”

Brand-relevant and informative content is the key to success here, he adds.

“One has to look at the bigger brands, such as Revlon. Their online sales are influenced every time they post to social media,” said Heaton. “Why? Because their content is informative and full of video posts that are easily visible on mobile.”

In the future, social media appears to offer a global platform for cosmetic brands to increase their presence through content and customer relationships.

“Continued constant content management and market research will ensure that cosmetic brands enjoy a higher reach,” Heaton concluded.

The Scrolling Eye
Meanwhile, cosmetic companies are also spending more on product development than ever before to better catch the scrolling eye. Style-over-substance marketing no longer works with consumers.

With consumer power at its strongest online, word of mouth is everything and a photogenic efficacious product can be the difference between achieving a few “likes” and a campaign going viral.

Recent Facebook IQ research found that 53% of cosmetics purchases are influenced by what beauty experts share on social media, while 44% of them are influenced by what brands post on these platforms.

Regarding engagement and brand identity, cosmetics players must recognize the balance between realizing social media platforms are not a sales channel but one for building advocacy. Consumers are essentially allowing their online communities into their personal lives, are influenced by the opinion of those communities and want to project their best selves, creating their own personal brand. 

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Michelle Yeomans
Freelance Journalist
Email: Michelle.yeomans@gmail.com

Michelle Yeomans is an award winning multimedia journalist. She has been reporting on cosmetics industry movements in EMEA, US and Asia for five years and has won an award for her coverage of the complexities of operating in the Middle East. Michelle’s passion lies in tracking the beauty culture and trends of the Asia Pacific region. Ever the AV enthusiast, she also relishes the opportunity to create engaging video and podcast content for the B2B industry.