It’s 2020 folks! So, if you have a small beauty brand or are hoping to build one, then you know that it takes a lot more than a pretty Instagram profile to join the ranks of successful companies. For you to be successful these days, your branding must stand out.
In the last few years, a small but promising number of brands of all shapes and sizes have managed to successfully bust into the beauty scene- which is no small feat. Perhaps this growing crop of entrepreneurs in beauty and skincare has got you inspired and you are now thinking- hmm, I could also pull boss moves and do that. In your journey, however, you will no doubt experience several challenges.
But the good news is that bringing your cosmetic concept or brand into fruition and available to shoppers isn’t as scary, hard, or prohibitively expensive as it may first appear. So if you are interested in growing your beauty brand, here are a couple of things that you should keep in mind:
1. Carve out your niche
Let’s quickly get one thing out of the way- the beauty industry is super saturated so you want to do everything to ensure that you are providing high-quality products as well as concurrently identifying your niche. The importance of supplying quality products cannot be overstated.
Not only do your goods need to be of the right quality, but they also need to be safe, as well as reliable. Establishing your niche, after you have sourced quality products, will only work to easily find customers that will love your brand or products so that they can then spread goodwill. Finding your niche is what will allow you to differentiate your products. (100 Business Ideas)
2. Brand your business from the get-go
Branding your cosmetic business is one of the most fun components of growing your business. It is in the branding stages that you will finally be able to bring your concept to fruition and produce a physical product that others can see and feel- not just one that’s in your head.
You can choose to go the DIY route, although if you want your brand to truly stand out, it is best to seek the help of a professional designer. A trained graphic designer will be able to design your labels, packaging and boxes, flyers, and any other promotional material that you need.
You will need a custom logo and well-designed labels for your products. During the design process, you must be specific about the look and feel that you are going for. Think carefully about the color schemes that you intend to use as it will directly impact your branding, website, social media content, and packaging.
Early on in your business, you will also have to create a website that matches your brand. Thankfully, these days, it is relatively easy to build a sleek yet affordable and secure online store or website with no coding skills needed. Checkout platforms to host your website like Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, or Squarespace.
3. Market your products with everything you have
Here is where brand awareness becomes crucial. The easiest way to make people aware of your brand these days is to focus on your marketing strategy. Social media marketing is by far the most effective and affordable way for small businesses to get their unknown brands out there.
You have to be very consistent when it comes to creating quality content. Keep in mind that content creation will have to be an ongoing thing, not a one-off thing. As such, one mention from a popular Instagram influencer might help to get your brand seen by a couple of people, but it isn’t going to be transformative for your business. You will have to constantly find fresh and interesting ways to market your brand if you want your business to keep scaling.
4. Consider clean beauty
The clean beauty trend may only have taken off a couple of years ago, but it has always played an important role in the cosmetic industry. Almost 50% of individuals are already using beauty products. But because shoppers have more variety than ever before, it is important to make sure that you are catering to this growing market. As such, if you want your brand to stand out, one of the best things that you can do is ensure that it meets the clean beauty standards.
Clean beauty is a subjective term that has a variety of meanings depending on who you ask. Because there is no established definition or standard in place, it’s not enough to just label your products as clean. It is your responsibility to your customers to make sure that the products that you are selling are actually clean.
You can do this by prioritizing the sourcing of your ingredients, as well as by ensuring any products that you are selling only incorporate natural ingredients that have been studied and tested to ensure that they are safe for human consumption. The products that you sell also need to be environmentally friendly.
Branding your products as being clean will help you elicit trust from your customers and it will also help you attract customers that are looking to transition to a cleaner, healthier lifestyle.
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