Starting a local cosmetic line may not be a popular startup business choice, but there are many wonders the initiative can give. If you lean towards selling beauty products online, you will need more than traditional advertising and sales efforts.
In the age of women empowerment, skincare trends, and normalized beauty, the cosmetic industry has seen significant economic growth. Even amid the pandemic, beauty products are still sought after online, proving that there will always be a need for consumers to feel beautiful and confident. It is something that has been standardized since the Victorian era. People, especially women, will always invest in beauty products (and fashion items) that will please them and make them look good. This consumer need is not something that comes and goes the way technological needs do. Therefore, choosing to start an online cosmetic shop is awisebusiness decision.
To help you get started, here are some tips you must keep in mind.
Your Brand Must Be Relatable
Just because a cosmetic shop is not a favorite choice for a startup does not mean there are no competitors out there. Your online shop would not probably be the first one around the area, so how will you stand out? The first thing you need to do is establish a brand that would sell andspeakto people. What would you want to tell them? What is your advocacy? Whatare you selling? How do you want people to feel when they purchase and use your products?
Your brand will start with your logo and messaging, as these two are the first things that your potential clients would see. For example, if you are selling body lotions with fragrance oils in bulk, you must focus on the “smell good, feel good” concept to accurately tell people what you have in store. You have to make it appealing, genuine, and, most importantly, easy to understand. Sure, you can be creative and passionate about your messaging, but it will be a sad loss if the publicdoes not get it in the first two seconds. Remember to conceptualize a brand that will speak to the end-user, and then you can start incorporating your ideas into it.
You Need Great Content
Nowadays, product quality is not enough to get people’s attention online. You ought to have enticing quality content over your social media platforms. It will help if you can produce viral material, so you have to think about what your target audience would want to read or watch. You also need to follow what is trending and maximize the bandwagon effect. Depending on your brand, you can even create meme content to make your consumers laugh and be interested.
On the other hand, video content currently holds the crown for the best-consumed content material since the global lockdown. So whether you like it or not, having a YouTube channel or a TikTok account is almost mandatory for online brands. Lastly, you need to be consistent in posting content, especially if you want to stay relevant online. You can either do your content on your own or hire services to do it for you.
Focus on Running Ads
As a startup, your goal is to make sales. Thus, after establishing a solid brand and consistent content, you should be focusing on running ads all over the place. Whether you have your website or are selling your Facebook business products, you must remain aggressive in running ads. This will take a large portion of your business funding, so consider yourself warned. Run Facebook ads along with your social media campaigns (promos and activities), and you will reach a wider audience of consumers. You can also take your ads to Instagram stories and make sure you are actively responding to inquiries on the platform. Instagram might be owned by Facebook Meta as well, but you are targeting a different group of consumers here. We advise you to tailor your ads depending on which platform you are running them.
Lastly, do not forget to remind your consumers to refer you by using your official hashtag and tagging your social media handles. Nowadays, people tend to share their latest purchases over Instagram and Facebook stories, and it will be great if they can mention your business profile there, too. That is why you always include your social media accounts on your packaging design. Never forget.
Starting a cosmetic business might seem easy, but it is not. It is all about tapping that consumer emotion and ensuring you have quality products for them. However, when done right, the opportunities for your online shop will be endless.