The Role of Social Media in the Cosmetic Industry

Accord­ing to the Adobe 2013 Mobile Con­sumer Sur­vey, access­ing social media is the num­ber one mobile activ­ity today. 

With this in mind brands and companies need to become savvy with this technology to ensure they can connect on a personal level with users. Social media has revolutionised the way that the cosmetic industry connects and communicates with customers. The customers are there, brands just need to be present and engage.

There are many different social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram which allow brands to build trust and give a sense of community online, which leads to loyal followers and brand advocates.

High Customer Involvement and Engagement

Social media is a two-way communication between the target audience and the cosmetic provider. The cosmetic companies are able to generate customer feedback via different online presences. Additionally, they are able to use social media to better target and approach their own customers and listen to different voices from them.

Cosmetic Industry brands need to be really honest, which can be at the root of some of the fear for the industry; Shami from Transform Medical Group,

“We understand that social media isn’t just used to highlight good news, that you have to be honest and if your consumers raise concern then you need to be able to answer their queries truthfully – it’s a two way conversation after all. We saw many of our competitors especially throughout the PIP scandal remove their social platforms avoiding association with the issue.”

High Brand Loyalty

Social media is great for storytelling and allows for companies to maintain and build up their brand to build online communities. Platforms such as Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram are commonly used to present new products, display before & after images and gain brand loyalty from customers. Social media offers cost-effective opportunities for the industry to build their brands. “with at least half of Twitter and Facebook users said they are more likely to talk about, recommend or purchase a company’s products after they begun following them on social media,” according to eMarketer 2011.

Creating Sales

Social media is transforming the way that cosmetic companies generate their sales, through word-of-mouth. Many users who haven’t had previous experience with a brand will endeavor to look at their social platforms to gauge other user’s reviews and comments.