Scrolling on social platforms has become second nature for many of us – so much so that we rarely wait to absorb one video or post before moving on to another. But sometimes, content strikes the perfect balance between engaging and authentic and makes us pause. And this content is often by beauty influencers.
The proof of the beauty influencer’s unique handle on pause-worthy content is in its ubiquitousness and the way in which their content has fundamentally changed how companies market themselves.
Instead of solely cashing in on the star power of a major brand ambassador (think Megan Thee Stallion with Revlon or Kendall Jenner with L'Oréal Paris), brands are leveraging the power of user-generated content by micro and nano influencers, or people with smaller circles of followers that trust them implicitly.
Micro and nano influencers have follower counts of fewer than 100,000 and 1,000 respectively, and typically drive the most engagement for brands. Their impact can be credited to the fact that people are more likely to engage with accounts they trust and when they view content as honest or credible (more on this later). Sharing everything from their morning makeup look to their skincare routines, influencers create believable, relatable content with which followers love to engage.
The success of the beauty influencer can be boiled down to a few key aspects.
Why content by beauty influencers is so often pause-worthy can be condensed to the nature of what they create. Their videos, posts, stories, and streams usually include the following:
- Visual Appeal. The beauty industry inherently focuses on aesthetics and visual appeal, making it easier to create eye-catching content. Influencers in this industry often showcase their makeup skills, skincare routines, and fashion sense, which naturally resonate with their followers.
- Authenticity. Authenticity is critical to an influencer’s success and can be highlighted within the beauty industry. Influencers who share their genuine experiences, real-time reactions, and honest thoughts resonate better with their audiences, creating a loyal and engaged fan base.
- Innovation and Trend Awareness. The beauty industry is always evolving with new products, techniques, and trends – which are often hard to keep up with. Influencers stay ahead of the curve by regularly experimenting with new products and sharing candid reviews, which builds trust and credibility among their followers.
- Empowerment and Self-Expression. Beauty influencers often promote self-love, empowerment, and self-expression. By sharing their personal stories and experiences, they create a connection with their followers, making them feel understood and represented – which often translates to engagement.
Why Spa Professionals Make Natural Beauty Influencers
So how does this all translate to the spa industry? Remember when we talked about trust and credibility being among the most important aspects of engagement within an influencer’s audience? Spa professionals have credibility built in, as they are naturally understood as masters of their craft. Just as people are most likely to buy shampoo recommended by their favorite hair stylist, followers will understand that anything endorsed by a spa professional can be trusted as an honest, authentic review.
5 Strategies for leveraging what we’ve learned from the beauty industry to create influence as a spa professional.
There’s a lot we can learn from the traditional beauty industry, leveraging all that they’ve built to create the next generation of influence, especially in a-typical or less inherently fashionable sectors like the spa industry. These translatable cornerstones of influence include:
- Storytelling and Personalization. Sharing personal stories, challenges, and successes helps humanize you as a business and as an influencer, creating relatability and authenticity from which trust can be built.
- Visual and Engaging Content. Even in less glamorous industries, creative and engaging content can make a significant impact. Utilize videos, images, and infographics to showcase your work and its relevance to people's lives.
- Community Building. Foster a sense of community among customers and followers by encouraging interactions, engagement, and feedback. Highlight the positive impact your work and your industry have on individuals and society as a whole.
- Diversity and Inclusion. Embrace diversity and inclusion actively by showcasing a diverse workforce within your company, and promoting the contributions of employees, collaborators, and followers from various backgrounds.
- Innovation and Advancements. Showcase ongoing innovations and advancements within the industry, demonstrating your grasp of the latest trends. Offer your platform as a source for honest information and authentic reviews of the current and future state of your industry.
By incorporating these beauty industry cornerstones, spa professionals can seamlessly step into their influence, becoming leaders not only in their own circles, but in the industry as a whole.
Think the power of an influencer only applies to solo-preneurs and small spa businesses? Well think again.
The Next Beauty Influencer Could be Working in your Large Spa Business or Medi-Spa Franchise
The impact of influencer marketing isn’t only applicable to solo-preneurs and small spa businesses. Large spa companies or medi-spa franchises can also benefit from this largely untapped resource by empowering their internal leaders to harness their natural influence within your company and their own circles.
Master estheticians and highly knowledgeable staff have the credibility, both from their own experience, and also from the power of your brand. They are insiders who have genuine knowledge and experience about your business, products, and services, and their endorsements come across as authentic and trustworthy to their network. This fosters stronger connections to them and to your business.
Need more convincing? Here are our 4 favorite reasons to consider keeping your influencers in house.
-
It Humanizes Your Brand. Highlighting your employees as influencers shows that your company is made up of real people who are passionate about what they do, which can resonate well with customers.
-
It Showcase Their Expertise. Your employees are experts in their respective fields. Allowing them to share insights, tips, and thought leadership can position your company as a knowledgeable industry leader.
-
It Can Contribute to In-House Content Creation. Employees can contribute to your business’ content creation by creating valuable collaborations that can be dually shared on your platforms and theirs.
- It Can Boost Company Culture. Encouraging employees to be influencers can strengthen your company's culture. When they share behind-the-scenes glimpses and positive experiences, it showcases a vibrant and inviting work environment.
Are you an influencer in the Spa Industry? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at hello@noelasmaruniforms.com.
