Do you take the time to “like” your favorite cosmetic companies on Facebook?
There’s no doubt that social media, especially extremely popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter, has fundamentally changed the way customers view brands. There is now an expectation of access and responsiveness – and the world’s best beauty brands are stepping up to meet that expectation.This article from CosmeticsDesign.com regarding Estee Lauder embracing social media serves to inspire and motivate all of us in the beauty packaging world to take a look at social media. Estee Lauder has taken major steps to increase their social media presence online. The two most noteworthy moves are the brand’s new YouTube channel and active Facebook presence. On YouTube, there are 35 videos customers can use to learn makeup application techniques. They can also rate and review products. Clinique has over a million Facebook fans who like the page to receive Expert Application tips and exclusive savings offers. Social media has a tremendous power to shape a brand’s success. For an example, look at Lush, a rapidly growing beauty brand that has been very strategic about leveraging social media to build brand equity and market share.
Why do customers want to connect with the best brands on Facebook? What’s in it for them? Facebook fans realize many benefits from their online associations.For example, on Facebook, Estee Lauder’s customers and fans are doing the following:
Research and Investigate New Products and Product Innovations
Facebook provides an easy way to familiarize customers with new product offerings. Recent posts on the Estee Lauder page highlight the iMatch system, designed to help consumers find their perfect shade of liquid makeup.
Recommend and Promote
Today’s consumer loves to recommend and promote products they enjoy using. Almost every comment on the Estee Lauder Facebook page involves consumers sharing their product stories and experiences – many of which are positive recommendations for specific products. The “like” button has become one of the most powerful word-of-mouth advertising tools.
Provide Feedback and Critique
Facebook provides an opportunity for consumers to share what they think. This feedback has incredible value for the entire organization, as it identifies both strong points, which your brand can promote and capitalize on, and weaker points, which present valuable opportunities for improvement.
The Role of Feedback in Kaizen: Continual Improvement For The World’s Best Beauty Brands
It’s important to correctly assess the value of both the positive and negative feedback a brand receives via social media platforms. This commentary is often raw and unedited. Consumers are sharing their experience directly with the brand, often in hopes of seeing some improvement.
Fulfilling those hopes is what differentiates the world’s best beauty brands from the competition. This type of attention and responsiveness is a key element of Kaizen, the Japanese doctrine of continual improvement that guides our efforts at Taiki.
Dissatisfaction is the mother of innovation. Every problem that consumers identify and articulate creates an opportunity to do better. One of our newest innovations is the Tafre Taiki Fibre that eliminates the use of natural animal hair (goat and / or squirrel) with a synthetic fiber that performs better than natural hair for powder application.
It’s always been good business to listen to our customers and take whatever steps are necessary to provide them with a superior experience. That formula leads to customer loyalty and increased recommendations and referrals. Social media has taken this conversation and made it faster and more visible. Now individual consumers have the power to influence the purchasing decisions of many, instantly and effortlessly. This makes listening to their feedback – and addressing their concerns – a higher priority than ever before.
It’s been fascinating watching Estee Lauder, Clinique, and other make-up brands embracing social feedback. What do you think? What other leading beauty brands are doing a good job connecting with their consumers online? What lessons can we learn from their customer critiques? Please share your thoughts: we’re eager to hear what you have to say.