Thousands of new beauty companies launch every single year, but many of them never see any success. Have you heard of thousands of new brands per year? Probably not, because they had poor branding, bad products, or just bad luck.
The beauty industry is, without a doubt, competitive. With so many people trying to start their own brands, it’s clear that they can’t all succeed. In that case, what is there to do?
If you want to succeed, how should you start? Well, branding beauty products the right way is an important place to start.
If you want to succeed in the beauty industry, whether you’re focusing on skincare, haircare, or cosmetics, you need to have a strong brand. We’re here to help you avoid some of the top branding mistakes.
Branding Beauty Products: Dos
When you’re figuring out how to brand a beauty product, there are a few things that you should definitely put on your beauty branding to-do list. You don’t have to do everything on the list, but each one of these things will help your branding (and, as a result, improve your sales).
Your branding is almost as important as your actual products, at least when you’re first developing your brand and company. It’s the first thing that potential customers interact with, and it’s what makes the difference between them choosing to go with your products or a competitor’s.
Here are a few of our top “dos” when it comes to creating and defining a brand for beauty products.
Understand Your Audience
Who is your target audience? Try to get as specific as possible with customer profiles.
How old are they? What types of beauty products do they typically use and why? What types of jobs do they have, and what are their interests?
Do research and make sure you understand your target audience’s needs, preferences, and pain points. Tailor your branding to resonate with them.
These things may not seem important, but branding for different subgroups can vary wildly. Someone interested in Korean skincare and beauty, for example, would have a very different “profile” than someone who’s interested in full-glam looks.
Offer Something Unique
Your branding needs to communicate what sets your beauty products apart from the competition. Highlight the unique benefits and features that make your products special.
On that note, make sure that your products live up to their claims. You don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver (more on that later).
Even unique packaging can set your branding apart. Consider brands like Too Faced that have a clear aesthetic that their customers love.
Be Consistent
Maintain consistency in your branding across all touchpoints, including packaging, website, social media, and marketing materials. This can be tough sometimes, especially if your brand is large, but it will help you in the long run.
A cohesive and recognizable brand identity builds trust. It also makes your brand more recognizable. If your branding is inconsistent, viewers may not know what they’re looking at.
Focus on, at the very least, having a consistent color scheme and brand voice. You can build up from there.
Be Transparent
Transparency is just as important as consistency when it comes to creating a brand. Transparency helps you build trust. You can’t expect customers to flock to your brand if they don’t trust you.
Be transparent about your ingredients, sourcing, and manufacturing processes. Today’s consumers value transparency and want to know what they’re putting on their skin.
Dishonesty now will only hurt you later. Even if your practices aren’t perfect, resist the urge to lie.
Focus on Professional Design
When you’re first getting started, you can get away with DIY branding. Once you’re trying to grow, however, it’s in your best interest to focus on professional design.
Hire a pro for your product packaging, labels, and marketing materials. Aesthetics matter in the beauty industry, often more so than any other industry.
On that note, when your brand grows, it will benefit you to also hire professionals for things like social media marketing and blogging. These are all important parts of your beauty company’s overall branding.
Tell a Story
All good branding includes some level of storytelling. What’s the story of your brand?
Craft a compelling brand story that resonates with your audience. Share the journey, inspiration, and mission behind your beauty brand. Why did you start it, and where do you want it to go?
Try to be as authentic as possible here. You want a compelling story, but your customers want authenticity. Try to find balance.
Consider Your Social Responsibility
Consider using ethical and sustainable practices when it comes to your beauty products.
Many consumers appreciate brands that demonstrate a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. As a matter of fact, it’s become very clear that customers across the board want sustainable products and packaging.
Avoid “greenwashing,” but instead, see how you can genuinely incorporate sustainability into your brand.
Branding Beauty Products: Don’ts
Okay, so now that you know what you should be doing with your beauty product branding, what should you not do?
We can’t tell you everything you may have to avoid during your branding journey, but here are our top “don’ts.”
Overpromise and Underdeliver
Avoid making exaggerated claims or promises that your products cannot fulfill. Honesty is essential for maintaining trust. Yes, those big promises seem enticing, but as soon as customers find out that your branding isn’t realistic, what will happen to your brand?
If you guessed “success?”, you’d be wrong.
You should be confident in your branding, but you shouldn’t lie. Again, customers value authenticity. When they realize that you’re “all talk,” they’ll go elsewhere for their beauty products.
Ignoring Trends
Trends are your friends. Don’t ignore them, especially when it comes to how you market your brand on social media.
While it’s important to have a unique brand identity, you can’t completely disregard industry trends. Staying updated can help your brand remain relevant.
There are some brands that go 100% against the grain, but even so, they’re still paying close attention to what’s trending so they can subvert those trends and find a niche audience. In other words, they’re still not ignoring trends.
Ignoring Feedback
Don’t disregard customer feedback. Listen to your customers and use their input to improve your products and services. After all, these are the people who are (hopefully) going to be spending money on your beauty products.
It’s a good idea to try out your branding before you release anything. Do things like focus groups to see what is and isn’t working when it comes to your brand.
You should also consult with the other people who work with your brand. Everyone should be offering feedback.
Not all feedback is going to be of equal value, but you should try to incorporate as much of it as possible. This will be a trial-and-error process.
Overcomplicating Designs
Some people have a lot of intricate and fascinating design ideas when it comes to their branding. It’s true that some brands benefit from complexity (particularly makeup brands), but for most brands, it’s best to keep things as simple as possible.
Avoid overly complex or cluttered designs. Clarity and simplicity often work best in beauty product branding. You want the actual name of your brand to be obvious, so obscuring it with unique branding decisions isn’t the best idea.
Once your brand is more established, you’ll be able to get more creative with your designs. You just don’t want the intricacy of the designs to overpower your actual products. Don’t confuse or overwhelm your customers.
Negative Associations
When you’re trying to develop your beauty brand, you need to avoid anything that may have negative associations to the general public. If your brand is intentionally subversive, you have some wiggle room here, but you still want to proceed with caution. Your brand will still be polarizing even if your products are top-notch.
Be cautious about any imagery, words, or associations that could be seen as negative or offensive. The beauty industry is sensitive to cultural and social considerations.
If you’re opting for something that may be borderline offensive, consider your target audience. Run it by a focus group full of people who fit your ideal customer profile.
Remember that negative associations will result in scrutiny, and they may limit what stores carry your brand and what influencers choose to help you market it.
Keep These Beauty Product Branding Dos and Don’ts in Mind
When you’re branding beauty products, you need to be careful! One wrong move can be a disaster for your budding beauty brand. The way you brand a new beauty company can determine its success (or failure), so take it seriously.
These dos and don’ts will help you get started on your path to success in the competitive beauty industry.
Are you trying to get a beauty brand off the ground? At Pioneer Innovation, we can help with product development, branding, and more. We make developing a beauty brand easy.
Contact us so we can start working together today.