Want to know what women desire in their beauty products? The answer is surprisingly simple—ask them! Until recently, brands spent countless hours and millions of dollars in development and marketing–only to find their products ignored and money wasted. Today, through social media marketing, brands have a unique opportunity to communicate directly with their current customers to develop products that sell, and the audience becomes true product “co-creators.” Co-creation marketing is a way to make products more appealing and engage your consumer at the same time.
Beauty brand Origins is using co-creation projects to attract Millennial consumers. Origins already had a strong following among women in their 30s and 40s, but it wanted to make inroads with a younger demographic, so they interviewed hundreds of Millennial women to understand their skin care challenges. They found many young women were lamenting a loss of radiance. In response, they created Original Skin a serum designed to restore youthful skin’s natural glow. The product also targeted other concerns that emerged during the conversation—enlarged pores, roughness, and dullness. Origins tailored its advertising to a younger audience in both design and via influencer programs and social media, where there was a concerted effort to represent the brand as a lifestyle rather than a hard-sell for the product.
While larger brands, like Origins, have considerable marketing and research budgets, emerging brands can learn from their co-creation playbook. Women’s Marketing offers insight that may help brands to better understand what their customers want and drive product innovation.
Ask…And Listen
We know that women, particularly Millennial women, spend more than 3.6 hours per day on social media sites. In addition to gathering feedback on your existing products, social media engagement presents an opportunity to obtain insights into what women want. Approaching your audience and speaking directly with them allows brands to create products that address their real—not just assumed—beauty concerns.
Insert Your Brand into Their Lifestyle
Creating a one-to-one dialogue with Millennials is key to understanding their motivations and needs when it comes to brands. But brands must also learn to speak the “language of lifestyle” to create an authentic dialogue with their followers that will lead to trust and loyalty. For example, Origins posted quips on social media about what it’s like to be a twenty-something with the hashtag #QuarterLifeCrisis; “When life gets real and you miss college”; “When you make plans to go out, but really want to stay in…” The messages started a broader conversation with customers, spurring them to respond with their own stories. This created a sharing dynamic that drove engagement with the brand and built trust with consumers.
The Rise of Co-Creation Marketing
Co-creation is an emerging model that brands can use to spur creativity; it allows marketers to proactively respond to changing attitudes and preferences. Having a strategic social plan is essential to utilizing social media as a research tool.
At Women’s Marketing we know how to use social platforms to reach women on a personal level and understand how to speak to them for maximum engagement. Contact us today to explore our capabilities and learn how we can help your brand reach female consumers.
Read more! Beauty Marketing Trends 2017
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