Ultimate Guide on Influencer Marketing For Beauty Brands

Many modern beauty brands like The Ordinary, Glossier, Skims, Drunk Elephant, etc. all have one thing in common — they all partner with influencers to bring their brand in front of their target audience & convince them to become loyal customers. They've realized that the customers have drifted away from ads 🚫📺, which are anyway an expensive way to acquire customers.

🤷 But how did these brands achieve success relying on influencer marketing? Does it work only because they had huge pockets full of cash to attract influencers? How can an emerging brand grow its sales with influencer marketing (while staying profitable!)?

If you're running or launching a beauty brand & don't have a money tree in your backyard this blog will help answer these questions. By the end, you'll be able to create an influencer marketing plan for your beauty brand & have the right tools to execute it ⚒️

First, you should understand why influencer marketing is not just 'another-strategy-nice-to-try.' Check out a couple of reasons why it's a crucial strategy for beauty brands ⬇️

🤔 Why influencer marketing is crucial for beauty brands

👁️ 💄Visual storytelling

Beauty products are inherently visual, and consumers want to see the results before making a purchase. This visual nature of the industry makes it particularly well-suited for influencer marketing on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

Beauty influencers can effectively showcase products through tutorials, before-and-after photos, and makeup demonstrations.

🌟 📈 Trends

Do you remember the explosion of Korean beauty trends like glass skin or the 10-step skincare routine? Influencers were pivotal in popularizing these trends globally. Brands that didn't capitalize on this wave through influencer marketing missed out on a massive audience seeking these specific products and techniques..

Or take for instance the contouring craze, largely popularized by influencers. Brands that quickly partnered with such influencers to showcase their contouring kits saw a significant boost in sales. Those who didn't, missed a huge market opportunity during the height of this trend.

💭 👩 Personal experiences

Beauty products are deeply personal.

The personal touch that influencers add to beauty product marketing is undeniably powerful. When consumers see real people — not just models or celebrities — sharing their genuine experiences, routines, and results, it's not just convincing, but also aspirational.

In a world where consumers are bombarded with polished adverts and idealized images, genuine, relatable content from influencers stands out as more persuasive.

🌍 🤝Reaching a broader audience

The beauty industry benefits from a diverse array of influencers representing different ages, genders, ethnicities, and beauty standards, each bringing their unique perspective to the audience. This diversity helps in reaching a broader audience, far beyond the scope of traditional marketing strategies.

The diverse influencer base allows beauty brands to tap into specific, often underrepresented market segments.

For example, mature influencers can provide insights and recommendations for age-specific skincare, while influencers from various ethnic backgrounds can showcase how different products perform on a range of skin tones and hair textures. This helps in tailoring the brand's message for different groups and creates a sense of inclusivity and trust.

This level of personalized engagement is what sets influencer marketing apart in the beauty industry, making it an indispensable tool for brands looking to connect with their audience on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Let's look at the 5 essential steps to successfully implement influencer marketing for your beauty brand without spending money upfront.

Find the right influencers for your brand

The first step here is to outline the kind of influencer you're looking for. The obvious answer is the one that brings you results or someone famous but you have to get more specific & more realistic than that. For this, you can create an ideal influencer profile that outlines the kind of content they post, the audience they have, their engagement rate, posting frequency, etc.

Once you've done that it's time to find your ideal influencer.

Here are some ideas:

Are there any fans on your list?

Look into your own customer list first. Do you recognize any familiar name that might have an audience? Reach out to them.

Do you already have customers who post about your products when they purchase? Start making a note of these people and reaching out to them if they have a sizeable audience (5k+).

Send an email to your customers telling them that you're open to partnerships if someone has the right target audience and knack for creating thumb-stopping content.

Hashtag research

Influencers often use specific hashtags related to their niche or content themes, which means by searching for these hashtags, you can find influencers that align with your brand.

For example, searching #organicbeauty might lead you to influencers who specialize in organic-plant-based skincare. This targeted approach not only narrows down the pool of potential partners but also ensures that the influencers you connect with are more likely to engage an audience that's relevant to your products.

Once you have an initial list of ~20 influencers from hashtag search, go follow all of them and look at the recommended profiles Instagram shows you.

Likely, some of those would also be a good fit for your program. Add them to the list. By doing this, you should easily have a list of 50 influencers.

Use tools like SARAL

With SARAL you can find any kind of beauty influencer on the planet. Easily.

You input what you're looking for, like "natural skincare" or "makeup artist," and with a few clicks, SARAL sifts through loads of influencer profiles. It pulls up a list of influencers who match your criteria, and you can save them all in one easy-to-handle list without any copy-pasting!

This way, you can ditch the messy spreadsheets and adopt a tidy, easy-to-use system.

To vet the influencers — whether they have enough engagement and 'die-hard fans' who listen to them, try the SARAL's free Chrome extension. It allows you to see influencer's stats, and even predict a fair fee to pay.

Reach out to influencers

Once you have a list of influencers you want to reach out to, the next question is — how should you contact them? should you DM or email them? Here's a simple framework for that —

Below are some of the email templates we've used to build an Influencer Marketing program from 0 to 200+ influencers. These give an open rate of > 75% and an average. response rate of ~35% consistently.

Email 1—

Subject: We're fans of your style! [Brand-Name] collaboration?

Hi [Influencer's First Name],

I'm [Your Name], and I handle [Your Position] at [Brand Name]. We've been following your journey on [Channel] and love how you [specific compliment about their content/style].

We believe that [Brand Name]'s [Product/Value Proposition] could be an excellent fit for your content, especially since we both value [shared value, e.g., sustainable beauty]. We're excited about the possibility of collaborating with you and would love to discuss how we can support each other.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,[Your Name][Your Role] at [Brand Name]

You'll likely not get a reply from all the influencers. don't assume they're not interested. People get busy, and emails can be overlooked. It's okay to follow up to make sure they saw your message.

Here's a plan to follow up via DMs and emails —

DM 1 - Day 6

Hi [Influencer's First Name],

Quick check – is [influencer. email] the best contact for a chat about a potential partnership with [Brand Name]?

I reached out via email but thought I'd catch you here too.

We're keen on working with you!

Cheers, [Your Name]

Email 3 - Day 8

Subject: We’re still thinking about the possibilities! 🌟

Hi [Influencer's First Name],

Hope you've had a great week! I wanted to reiterate how [Brand Name] and you seem like the perfect match.

We're genuine fans of your work and believe your audience would love what we offer. Plus, we think you'd enjoy our products too. It feels like a triple win!

Let me know if you're interested or if now's not the best time.

Best,

[Your Name]‍

Comment 1 - Day 8 or 9

[Custom line related to their post]

P.S. Did you get a chance to see our collab proposal? Would love to chat more about it!

The key to successful influencer outreach is personalization, persistence, and a clear, respectful communication style.

SARAL streamlines the follow-up process by allowing you to set up your messages in advance. The platform then takes care of sending these messages at the time you would've set.

It automatically pauses follow-ups when an influencer responds, preventing any unnecessary messages. Try it out for free.

Onboard them as ambassadors

Ship your products & discount code

Start by sending them a package of the products you want them to promote.

But don't just put them in a sad cardboard box. You want them to be stoked the moment they see your package at their doorstep so create an Instagram-worthy unboxing experience with beautiful packaging and personalized swag.

Include a little note that says something like, "Hey [Influencer's Name], can't wait for you to try these out and join our brand family!" It's all about making a great first impression and getting them excited to be part of your brand's world.

Include a personalized discount code that influencers can share with their audience. This not only adds value to their content but also helps track the performance of their promotions.

One of our features is a built-in shipment tracker that works with most postal services, so you’d be sorted if you simply use SARAL.

Share creative guidelines

Provide clear but flexible creative guidelines on the kind of posts that align with your brand image. Share insights about your target audience and what content resonates with them. Include brand logos, color schemes, and any other materials that can help influencers create content that aligns with your brand's image.

Track posts & performance

For tracking the return on investment (ROI) of your influencer marketing efforts, focus on more than just the numbers.

Traditional advertising often emphasizes quantifiable metrics, but influencer marketing can have a broader impact. Think about how people see your brand now, the cool and different types of content being made about your products, and if more people are interacting and talking about your brand since you started working with influencers.

If you use SARAL, you'll get a performance dashboard designed to give you a bird's-eye view of how your influencer marketing efforts are doing.

As you execute your influencer marketing plan you will also notice that not everyone will post regularly even after you promise them commission on sales you make or build a good relationship with them.

Don't ignore those influencers yet. It's easy to engage them again rather than find new ones. Here are some ideas to get your ambassadors pumped and ready to sell.

Build long-term relationships

Ashwin Melwani, the co-founder and CMO of Obvi, beautifully encapsulated his unique approach to building relationships with influencers in an interview.

Don’t treat influencers as a source of revenue, treat them as an extension of the brand. Treat them like you would your VIP customers. Keep them updated with upcoming products and launches. Let them be the first to try new products out. If they feel a part of the brand they’ll want to go above and beyond for you and in turn the content they produce for the brand comes across as more genuine to their following. This is where brands will see the greatest returns.

When influencers maintain a good relationship with your brand, they can become your brand advocates who genuinely love your brand. That's when their endorsements don't come across as sales pitches, and their followers are more likely to convert into your customers. Ultimately, this can lead to more sales.

Ways to build relationships with influencers:

• Engage regularly on social media: Show genuine interest in their content. Leave thoughtful comments on their posts and share their content on your platforms. This interaction shows you value their work and helps build a connection.
• Get to know them beyond work: Learn about their journey and what drives them. This personal connection shows you see them as more than just a marketing tool and helps align your brand with influencers who share your values.
• Send personalized thank-you notes: A handwritten note or a personalized video expressing your appreciation for their work can make a big difference. It shows your gratitude and recognition of their effort.
• Publicly appreciate their contributions: Give them shout-outs on your social media or feature them on your website. Public recognition not only strengthens your relationship but also boosts their credibility.
• Support their growth: Offer resources like access to online courses or workshops that can help them develop their skills. This shows that you care about their personal and professional growth.
• Provide useful tools and mentorship: Assist them with tools and software that can enhance their content creation, or offer mentorship sessions with experts from your team. This kind of support can be invaluable for influencers.

B2B companies maintain relationships with their clients using a CRM. We can learn from them and maintain all our relationships in an Influencer Relationship Management platform, so you never miss out on following up or checking in with one of your long-term partners.

You’d be surprised how much impact it has on your bottom line too!

Examples of beauty brands crushing it with influencer marketing

💅 Glossier

Glossier has become a cult favorite in the last few years, thanks to its ambassador program.

Their products come with a unique touch – whitespace and stickers, perfect for customization. This simple feature encourages users to create and share their own unique content featuring Glossier products.

When these creative endeavors catch the brand's eye, the brand often spotlights it on their main social media channels, which boast ~3 million followers.

The standout content creators are then invited to Glossier's ambassador program, where they get special codes to promote products and earn sales commissions. This not only rewards creativity but also creates a loyal community of brand advocates, making Glossier's approach a masterclass in leveraging user-generated content for authentic influencer marketing.

💄 Sephora

Sephora started its ambassador program in 2019, which is quite late in its journey. But it made up for the years lost by executing a unique ambassador program.

The program gets covered by popular magazines around the world and draws a lot of attention to the brand every year. In 2019, the application process amassed over 70,000 Instagram Stories and more than 10,000 in-feed posts about the program. In 2022, they received ~9000 applications, which is the highest number of applications received since the program started.

⭐ Best practices for beauty brands doing influencer marketing

1. Instead of only aiming for influencers with massive followings, consider partnerships with micro-influencers. They often have highly engaged audiences and can offer more authentic and targeted reach.
2. Beyond social media, reach out to influencers in other spaces like blogs, podcasts, and offline communities.
3. Explore creative compensation models that align with your marketing goals, such as performance-based pay, equity options for long-term partnerships, or exclusive product access.
4. For new brands, hosting virtual launch events or workshops with influencers can be cost-effective. These events can be Q&A sessions, tutorials, or interactive discussions about your product, giving influencers content to share and engage with their audience.
5. Invest in building long-term relationships with influencers through ambassador programs rather than just one-time promotional posts.
6. Repurpose the content created by influencers by featuring it on your website, social media channels, and in email marketing campaigns.
7. Create straightforward affiliate programs that are easy for influencers to join and promote. This can encourage a wider range of influencers to participate.
8. Provide influencers with exclusive discount codes or early access to new products. This not only incentivizes them to promote your brand but also makes their audience feel like they are getting insider access.
9. Actively monitor and engage with the content that influencers create. Responding to comments and sharing their content shows that you value their contribution, fostering a stronger relationship.

These practices are among the most effective ones we've seen brands use and stick by for results but this list isn't exhaustive. You can create your own & a bigger best practice list by exploring our blogs.

Next steps

You've seen the strategies and examples of successful influencer marketing in the beauty industry. Now, you have two options —

👎 You can move on and once again grapple with the daunting task of figuring out how to start influencer marketing for your brand.

👍 Or you can take the first step right now.

Surprisingly, most brands choose the first option 🤦 , endlessly deliberating rather than acting. This hesitation is exactly where your opportunity to get ahead lies.

By initiating an action today — any action aligned with your influencer marketing goals — you propel yourself ahead of the competition.

That's where SARAL steps in – consider it your no-nonsense, get-things-done influencer marketing assistant. It will help you take the first step of finding the right influencers.

Forget about sifting through endless emails, trying to track down influencer contacts, or getting lost in a maze of Excel sheets trying to measure campaign impact. SARAL streamlines all of this.

With SARAL you can find the right influencers, track your campaign’s success, and do everything we've outlined above – all without breaking a sweat or your bank — so you can focus on building relationships with influencers and making strategic decisions.

Claim your free trial here. Try all the features, and our support, and even run a campaign. Cancel it anytime you're not seeing results.