Influencer marketing for beauty brands

The digital landscape has changed dramatically in recent years and the way beauty products are marketed has shifted.

There’s a move towards using influencers over traditional advertising, with research showing that more than 67% of consumers follow influencers to find out about new products and 47% rely on their recommendations when making a purchase. 

The beauty industry has embraced influencer marketing like no other and there’s plenty of talent to choose from. Upfluence found 1,288 beauty influencers working across Instagram, 1090 on YouTube, and 167 on TikTok.

What is a beauty influencer?

A beauty influencer is a knowledgeable, credible, and skilled individual who specialises in beauty and skincare. Using their passion for the subject, they create engaging content, which leads to a dedicated following on social media.

These influencers often share how-to tutorials, give honest reviews, and pass on tips related to make-up, skincare, haircare, and other beauty products. Their opinions and recommendations hold significant sway over their followers’ purchasing decisions, making them valuable allies for beauty brands seeking new customers.

What is a beauty content creator? 

The majority of beauty influencers are content creators too, i.e. they create engaging, inspiring, and educational content related to the brands they’re promoting. Not all influencers are content creators though; some are employed by brands because they’re celebrities or household names, and it’s their fans that brands are trying to communicate with.

A celebrity influencer will sometimes create their own content, but they might not be as creative as lesser-known influencers. The big name earns a big fee just for being who they are, whereas a smaller influencer has the drive to think of ingenious ways to showcase beauty products as they’re relying on creative flair to further their career and brand relationships. 

Content that looks less like a paid-for ad and more like an ordinary person shooting footage in their bedroom, bathroom, etc adds authenticity to a brand and is often more effective than flashy adverts. 

The easiest way to work with a beauty content creator is through a specialist platform like Vamp.

Leveraging beauty content creators

Beauty brands can take advantage of the proven creativity and style of an influencer to showcase their products in an authentic, engaging, and informative way. These collaborations can take the form of make-up tutorials, product reviews, skincare routines, and more. This type of content feels more ‘real’ than traditional advertising and as people tend to trust the influencers they follow, they’re more likely to then trust that a product recommendation is genuine.

Some beauty brands have their own influencers. Take a look at Trinny Woodall. Her brand, Trinny London, relies on her being a social media influencer. She regularly shows audiences her ‘before’ and ‘after’ face as she demonstrates the effectiveness of her products. Last year, Woodall stated in an interview with The New Statesman that she never does a retake. What you see is what you get and that’s partly what makes her brand so popular. 

Why influencer marketing is perfect for beauty brands

Influencer marketing has become a cornerstone for beauty brands as it enables consumers to see products in action, being used by real people. That rarely happened before influencers came on the scene. Also, because there’s such a diverse selection of influencers available, brands can showcase their products being used on all types of skin and hair, which means different consumers can see how the items might look and feel on them.

Beauty influencers have already done a lot of groundwork by building lasting connections with followers who have an appetite for relatable content and know that any insights shared are genuine.

They also create interactive communities where followers actively engage with content, ask questions, and seek advice. This two-way communication provides a platform for brands to reach potential customers and address their queries.

And finally, beauty influencers are highly skilled when it comes to content creation and enable brands to plug into trend-led content. 

For a more in-depth look at beauty marketing, download our free guide.

How influencer marketing helps beauty brands

Beauty influencers can help brands do the following:

• Enhance credibility – when an influencer recommends a beauty product, their credibility rubs off on the brand. Followers view these endorsements as peer recommendations rather than sales videos
• Expand reach – beauty influencers have an established follower base, which can significantly expand a brand’s reach and visibility
• Showcase products authentically – through make-up tutorials and other product demonstrations, influencers provide real-world applications of products, making them more appealing and understandable to potential buyers
• Tell stories – influencers can tell the story of a brand, its values, and the journey behind its products, in an engaging and relatable way, which creates a deeper emotional connection with the audience

Finding the right beauty influencer

Finding the right influencer is a critical step in your marketing strategy, so you should consider the following when choosing potential collaborators:

• Audience alignment – ensure the influencer’s followers match your target audience demographics, interests, and preferences
• Engagement rate – look for influencers with a strong engagement rate, as this indicates an active and involved follower base. Take note of likes, mentions, and shares on brand posts
• Content quality – assess the quality and aesthetics of the influencer’s content to ensure it aligns with your brand image and values

The power of beauty microinfluencers

Big is not necessarily better in the world of beauty influencing, as microinfluencers with fewer than 50,000 followers can be highly effective when it comes to promoting beauty brands. They can offer you the following: 

• Higher engagement – microinfluencers often have more engaged audiences compared to those with a bigger following. This leads to more authentic interactions
• Niche expertise – they often specialise in specific beauty niches, allowing brands to reach highly targeted audiences
• Affordability – collaborating with microinfluencers can be more cost-effective than partnering with larger, more expensive influencers who can charge thousands of pounds per post 

Successful beauty brand influencer campaigns

Dr.Ci:Labo wanted to encourage people to claim a free sample of their Super White 377VC so partnered with 31 Vamp influencers, who shared their experience of the product on Instagram. The brand paired this with a paid media campaign and garnered 20,707 link clicks.

Benefit also used Vamp influencers to drive awareness of their Brow Microfilling Pen. They worked with 64 beauty influencers across TikTok and Instagram, who all encouraged customers to trial the product. The campaign got 1.4m impressions.

Eight strategies for your beauty influencer marketing efforts

Here are eight actions to help you get the most from your beauty influencer marketing strategy:

1. Optimise social commerce and ecommerce journeys – social commerce is a rapidly growing trend that beauty brands can capitalise on. Uploading your product catalogue to platforms like Facebook Shop and TikTok Shop enables seamless shopping experiences for users who come to the store directly from social media
2. Sustainability, responsibility, and transparency – leverage the rise of conscious consumers by promoting genuine sustainability efforts. Partner with creators who specialise in sustainable products and amplify their content by boosting campaign.
3. New technology – embrace augmented reality (AR) to provide virtual product testing
4. Reach Gen Z – be seen on Gen Z’s favourite platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, to connect with new customers. Prioritise relevant messaging and create content that resonates with a younger audience
5. Boost for conversions – pay to boost engaging organic creator content. This can lead to higher conversions as authentic influencer content feels native to social media platforms and resonates with audiences better than adverts
6. Always-on strategy – shift to an always-on influencer marketing approach to keep your brand in the conversation. Collaborate with several creators to maintain a steady stream of content that resonates with your audience
7. Prioritise short-form video content – use the popularity of short-form videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Collaborate with creators to produce engaging video content that educates and entertains
8. Diversify your creators – embrace diversity and inclusion by partnering with creators who advocate for social and environmental issues. Ensure your influencer team reflects the diverse society you operate in

Hungry for more? Take a look at our complete guide to influencer marketing.

Devising your influencer marketing strategy

When it comes to devising your influencer marketing strategy for any beauty products, you need to start by identifying your audience. That way, you can work out which content, approach, and social channels will appeal to them.

Consider the following:

• Do your buyers like traditional beauty concepts or are they attracted by innovation and trends?
• Does sustainability matter to them when it comes to buying beauty products?
• How knowledgeable are they about beauty products?
• What kind of content do they like to engage with?
• What channels do they most frequent?
• What is their favoured form of content? 

In summary…

Influencer marketing offers beauty brands a powerful avenue to connect with target audiences in an authentic and relatable manner. By leveraging the strategies outlined above and collaborating with the right influencers and creators, beauty brands can navigate the digital landscape with confidence and creativity, ultimately driving engagement, conversions, and long-term brand loyalty.

Get started with Vamp 

Ready to start your beauty influencer campaign? Get started with Vamp, a creator platform that will help you find the right beauty influencers and execute your campaign from start to finish. Vamp for business is competitively priced with a budget to suit brands of all sizes.