Luckily for you, we have put together the ultimate list of creators who will up your investing game, give you the latest marketing hot takes, and give you a laugh here and there.

1. NoGood

From brand deep dives to corporate humor to tips for content creators, NoGood has all the content a modern marketer could want. With multiple different contributors to the TikTok account, the viewers and followers get differing hot takes and video styles all wrapped into one page. From “4 Growth Strategies for Beauty Brands” to “Things my millennial managers have said in Slack this week”, there is bound to be content that not only is informative but also gives you a good laugh.

Need help creating scroll-stopping content?

2. Iamdulma

Dulma is a self-proclaimed “Professor of TikTok B-School” where she uses her TikTok platform with over 75,000 followers to break down and evaluate DTC and e-commerce brands. Starting at Brown, she then went on to work for Google, and now is using her platform to spread her knowledge on all things brands with her followers.

3. Tallneil

Tallneil is an expert in all things brands and branding, as a designer himself. On his TikTok channel, you’ll find a variety of videos- whether he’s breaking down what it costs to own a franchise or delving into the different packaging of luxury champagne brand Veuve Clicquot.

4. mike.rama

If you’re looking for any advice on using the TikTok platform itself, how to grow on the platform as a creator, or what the new updates mean, Mike is your guy. He will break down for you how to make videos that build your authority as a creator, and he even has a “brand deal mini course” which outlines how to elevate and attract brand partnerships.

5. Entrekey

From explaining what “ambush marketing” is to explain the ups and downs of Crypto and NFTs, Chirag aims to make business knowledge more accessible with his platform. Chirag also has a weekly newsletter where he shares actionable business advice.

6. Thedigifairy

The digital fairy is a marketing agency breaking down everything from the newest brands, the latest fashion trends, and the direction celebrity skincare is heading. With multiple personalities on their TikTok channel, there are different perspectives as well as a wide variety of topics covered.

7. Grahamcweaver

Graham is a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business as well as Founder and Manager Partner of Alpine Investors, so it’s easy to say that he has a wealth of information to share on TikTok with his viewers. He condenses broad, tough-to-tackle topics in short-form videos to be more easily consumed: from videos like “should you invest in crypto to the 4 most dangerous words in investing”.

8. Wonsulting

@wonsulting’s goal is to “turn underdogs into winners”, and does so by providing a plethora of valuable career advice and information from resume templates to what not to do in an interview. With almost 1 million followers, he is highly trusted as an online career coach and with his tips you could be one step closer to landing your dream gig.

9. maggiesellers_

Maggie is an angel investor and startup advisor with a wealth of knowledge on DTC brands and startup companies as well as giving her hot takes on the latest brand news. She makes videos such as listing out what she looks for in startups as an investor, analyzing the latest skincare brands growth strategies, and more.

10. Jtbarnett

Jt has been a full-time content creator for over 4 years and therefore has plenty of tips and tricks to give on everything creator economy related. He is a TikTok advisor to a variety of companies as well. From tips to avoiding burnout to homing in on the importance of storytelling in your content.

11. Mrsdowjones

Haley’s page is dedicated to “helping you become your own trust fund”, and what’s not to like about that? She makes it her mission to show that understanding and being in control of your finances is cool. Mixing trending content with personal finance tips is her forte.

12. Indexventures

Indexventures covers everything from founder stories to startup tips to tech news. Hosting all different faces from the firm on their TikTok page, followers get a wide range of information, tips, and expertise on their feeds.

13. Corporatenatalie

If you’re looking for a corporate humor page that won’t steer you wrong, Natalie is your girl. Slyly poking fun at the corporate world in TikTok skits and reenactments for the ultimate relatability. She best describes herself as a “corporate America by day, aspiring TikTok star by night”.

14. Vanader

Evan is an entrepreneur looking to share his learnings and tips with his TikTok audience. As he navigates the ups and downs of running his own business, he shares this with TikTok in the form of videos such as “How to Pay Yourself” and “How to Price Products”.

15. Miss.excel

Kat is a self-proclaimed “chief excel officer”, clever right? Her hope is to make excel fun with her broad range of tips and tricks for all your Excel needs. Her expertly crafted and edited videos make watching Excel tips fun and something you really want to learn.

16. Workhap

Sho is an ex-recruiter and career coach who has taken to TikTok to tell his audience all his learnings and corporate must-knows. Whether it’s “interview hacks” or the “ultimate salary hack”, he has your back when it comes to navigating the corporate landscape.

17. LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t a normal company account, they’re a cool company account! They have all different characters on their page with different takes and personalities, showcasing the latest corporate trends and making some all-around funny business content. Rather than pushing their services or informing you about updates on their platform, they simply make some humorous content to make your day just a little bit better.

18. Businesscasualty

@businesscasualty dishes out lively corporate humor daily. But, she makes sure to add a disclaimer in her bio that reads: “if my boss finds this, I swear I’m working”. She has perfected the TikTok skit, whether it’s acting as herself and her boss or going back and forth with a teammate on Slack, she has mastered the corporate “soap opera” style TikTok.

19. Taylorlorenz

Taylor is a tech reporter for the Washington Post, bringing relevant news to your TikTok feed multiple times a week. From discussing Elon Musk backing out of the Twitter deal to the Triller IPO controversy. Essentially condensing her latest new stories into short-form video, straight to your feed.

20. Morningbrew

Morningbrew is bringing you “news for the modern business Tok-er”, often coming in the form of a funny skit or well-thought-out string of sarcasm. Their videos range from explaining the origin behind Nike’s slogan to poking fun at what would happen if your interviewer was super into astrology.

21. Thecorporatechase

Chase makes TikToks with not only career advice but some funny trending content as well. Having been featured in Fortune and BBC, he’s no joke. Giving advice for younger generations entering the workforce in videos such as “3 things I wish I knew before coming into corporate America” or simply just poking fun at the corporate millennial landscape, there is plenty of content for everyone on Chase’s page.

22. Thenataliedawson

Natalie is an Amazon bestselling author and has a wealth of knowledge to provide her TikTok followers with. Her book “TeamWork” is all about building a high-performance team, and her TikTok breaks some of those main points down into short-form content whether it’s a video on how to make a 1:1 more efficient or how to shift your mindset to achieve your goals.

23. Tonyrobbins

Tony is a life and business strategist, along with an NYT bestselling author, who has taken to TikTok to share his business hot takes and mindset tips for the masses. If you enjoy more high-quality, lecture-style short-form videos, Tony is for you. Whether he is interviewing the newest AI robot to speaking on the importance “hunger” plays in success, there is a wide variety of content on his page of value to someone out there.

Even more TikTok

TikTok is a massive space to explore if you’re looking to learn, be entertained, or seek inspiration. As experts on the platform, we are constantly searching for new accounts to add to our roster of current obsessions, and as TikTok pros, our TikTok Studio is constantly partnering with new brands and creators to help them grow audiences, build awareness, and leverage their content to convert.

Whether you’re starting from 0 or are a seasoned professional, we’re always looking for new projects to take on and brands to build.

The post 23 Best Marketing TikTok Accounts to Follow in 2024 appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

This content, whatever it may be, needs to provide some type of value to your viewer, listener, etc. The end goal is customer acquisition, and a brand’s content marketing strategy is an important component of building sustainable growth. Content marketing can feel overwhelming – it’s a beast – but hopefully with these tips, your brand can take its content strategy to the next level.

Content Marketing Tips:

1. Know who your audience is
2. Create a targeted strategy that hits every stage of the marketing funnel
3. Find your voice
4. Optimize based on content that is ranking first in your topic – have a general understanding of SEO
5. Be authentic 
6. Remain timely 
7. Trust the data
8. Demonstrate brand consistency 
9. Reuse your content across multiple channels 

Know Who Your Audience Is

Understand who your audience is. Are readers or viewers in your industry? Are they already experts? Should you be using acronyms or be more explanatory?

The last thing you want to do is write a blog piece or create a social post that goes over your reader’s head with ultra industry-specific jargon. In contrast, you also want to ensure you are remaining expertly on your product, service, or topic of expertise in order to maintain thought leadership.

You want to mold your content around what your ideal customer would want to see. It’s extremely important when starting to build out a content strategy that you know who this ideal customer is – demographics, social platforms they are most likely on, etc.

Ultimately, curating content that aligns with the knowledge and interests of your ideal customer and audience is the sweet spot for your content strategy and ultimately to drive the most conversions.

Create a Targeted Strategy at Every Stage of the Marketing Funnel

The marketing funnel is a visualization of all stages in a customer’s journey with your brand. The 5 stages are as listed top to bottom: awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty, and advocacy.

It’s important for your content strategy to cover each different stage of the funnel, leveraging different platforms and strategies in order to do so. Customers in any stage of the funnel all have different needs and expectations of the content from your brand.

For example, for a customer in the awareness stage of the funnel, content should be information-driven about the brand — assume they know nothing about your value proposition or brand at all. This, for example, can come in the form of a TikTok, the interest-based nature of the platform gives the brand’s the ability of wide reach while putting out content that is widely relatable, yet can tie back to your brand.

If the customer is at the advocacy stage, the last piece of the funnel, content should greatly differ for this group. The content you put out should foster a community with those who have purchased your products, and in turn, encourage them to make content of their own about your brand. This content could come in the form of posts in a Facebook group for brand advocates or resharing content posted by customers.

If these advocates go on to make a TikTok or Instagram video praising your products, this is the best kind of material to reshare onto your channels. This promotes greater social proof and retention.

Find Your Voice

Don’t sound like you’re writing a college essay or leading a lecture because let’s be honest, no one wants to read a term paper in their spare time or fall asleep while watching your content. Crack a joke, show your personality, and give your commentary while remaining expertly.

Video content has especially taken favor of a hot take or a comedic spin of an educational topic. The new way to communicate information is as if you are on FaceTime to your audience – relatability and honesty is key. Customers, at any stage of their journey with your brand want to feel as if they could be friends with whoever is in your content or writing it.

Optimize Content & Have a General Understanding of SEO

In order to generate greater reach and exposure, it is important to master your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy. 

SEO is all about doing whatever is needed to rank higher on search engines. Whether that be using strategic keywords in your blog posts, researching what websites rank the highest depending on what keywords are in your search, and more. In recent months it has also come to light that SEO tactics can be applied to social platforms such as TikTok.

Creating an SEO strategy for the utmost reach for your content starts with a general understanding of SEO and the ways you can actually implement it.

Be Authentic

Authenticity is vital for the success of your content strategy. Before the rise of social media and widespread access via the internet, we were used to seeing glossy, curated ads in magazines and expertly lit displays in department stores as a means to sell products and a brand image. Now, consumers want more authenticity and transparency.

Take a beauty brand, for example, a more successful content strategy than using runway models wearing their makeup would be to repurpose content customers and advocates made by applying the makeup, and wearing it in their everyday routines. This way, potential customers and those who are consuming the content can visualize what the products would look like, how they are actually applied, and look without heavy filters.

Remain Timely

Relevant content is more likely to perform well across social channels, and in turn, provide greater exposure and reach for your brand’s content. When we say “relevant”, we mean information that is current and timely, or hopping on the latest social media trends.

Trends on social media, especially TikTok come and go, whether it’s the latest silly filter or lip-syncing a popular new sound bite from a reality TV show, it’s important to put in the time to perform research on various platforms to understand what is current, and then form content around that in a timely manner. The key here is to take these trending sounds and filters and gear them around what your brand is and what your message is. Below are some examples of Chipotle utilizing trending sounds and filters to form their content around TikTok.

Remaining timely isn’t just about TikTok trends though, this can also be applied to blog content, emails, or other types of long-form content. Your brand and its content should always be commenting on the latest topics that everyone is talking about within your vertical, whether that be a new Netflix release or a new electric car- whatever people are talking about is relevant to your industry and something you could comment on, do it.

Trust the Data

Use analytics and data to track the performance of content and alter your strategy based on the results. Based on engagement rates, and click-through rates.. the list goes on…you should evaluate why certain content achieved the numbers it did, whether that be underperformed or otherwise, and shape your content strategy around those learnings.

On Instagram and TikTok for example, both platforms make viewing your analytics a very streamlined process, and easily done directly on the platform. If a certain TikTok video had a high engagement rate, it’s important to evaluate all the reasons why. Going further, you can A/B test the components of that specific TikTok whether that be using the same song, the same filter, the same hashtag, etc.

Think of this as listening to your audience, and using the data essentially as their live feedback. Rely on the numbers to form your content around what your target customer wants to see and hear.

• Understand your audience
• Gear your content towards that audience

Demonstrate Brand Consistency

Your content strategy must be consistent in relation to who your brand is, and how that is conveyed across channels. While the content you create and the post will differ from channel to channel based on their nature and demographics (the content you post on your blog will differ from the trending videos you post on TikTok) there should still be a sense of cohesion throughout.

Take Duolingo for example, they are known for their mascot on TikTok, and that really has been the root of their virality on that platform. With that said, TikTok isn’t the only channel that uses a mascot in its content which is important for its overall brand image. Duolingo’s mascot can be seen on Instagram, and of course, in their logo.

Beyond this, your brand fonts, colors, and overall branding should be consistent across channels for overall greater recognition on the viewers behalf and cross-channel content strategy cohesion.

Reuse Content Across Social Channels

The more the merrier when it comes to content. Many brands find content marketing strategies overwhelming due to the sheer amount of social platforms a brand is expected to be on and engage with. And we admit, it definitely is daunting. But, content doesn’t need to remain on a singular channel- it can be reused and repurposed.

Take TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube for example. These platforms all have space and highlight short-form video content. So, as a brand it is not uncommon or looked down upon to use the same video and repost to all three or more of these platforms. Each platform has varying audiences depending on age, geographical location, interests, etc, so your audience isn’t always going to overlap.

One Last Tip

Building the perfect content marketing strategy can be daunting, we know. Content marketing is ever-evolving, and is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon, so there’s no time like the present to build the perfect strategy for your brand.

It all starts with understanding who your ultimate consumer and viewer is and going from there. In order to turn discovery into advocacy, there needs to be content set in place for each stage of the marketing funnel. Done right, you’ll have users across various platforms making content for you, advocating for your brand, and contributing to your social proof and ultimate reach.

The post Your Go-To Content Marketing Tips for Sustainable Growth appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

We can’t discuss this shift in the category without an honorary mention of Supergoop!.

Enter Supergoop!

Supergoop! is making SPF “cool” with a mission to disrupt a sleepy category through innovation and differentiation. Founder Holly Thaggard set out to change the way the world looked at sunscreen, and to “deseasonalize” SPF – which she believes should be worn all year long (and she’s right, it should – go put on your daily SPF). For Thaggard, completely shifting the way people look at an entire product category and setting out to educate on the importance of sun safety through a product line was no easy feat, “It wasn’t like I was starting a handbag company and then having to convince women that they needed to carry a handbag every day…I was creating a skincare company with a foundation in SPF and having to convince everyone that they needed to wear SPF daily”.

Having launched in 2007, Supergoop! is not a “new” company per se. They worked to establish themselves and build their startup as a category killer before eventually expanding and prioritizing global growth. As a result of this, Supergoop! has become a household name, applied again and again, and has built a successful strategy for its sustainable growth through an innovative, high-quality product line, community-led growth strategy, and has expanded into the territory of being a lifestyle brand.

Let’s explore the steps they took to get there.

Ideation Stage:

Quality Comes First

Holly Thaggard set out to create something no one else had before and spent a great amount of time researching ways to make this possible. There was an opportunity in the market to create something no one had before, innovative SPF products. And we’re not talking about tanning oils or a sunscreen face powder, we’re talking about something no one had seen or felt before.

Her initial goal was to formulate one great product, that’s it. As we know, the key to starting any successful company is to start small, do less, but deliver great value and a quality product. Supergoop! started by focusing on making one great formula. One. The task seems simple, but took an extended amount of time and research to accomplish: create a sunscreen formula that wasn’t anything you think of when you think of sunscreen – not goopy, sticky, and won’t leave your face with a white cast.

In addition to formulating a sunscreen that was opposite of everything a traditional sunscreen already was, Holly had noticed a larger growth shift in the natural cosmetics industry and wanted her products to follow suit. There was evidence that natural cosmetics were growing YoY and there was a demand at the time for SPF products that were not only effective but clean. Holly made this a priority as she set out to formulate.

SPF wasn’t by any means a new idea when Holly set out to validate her idea of the perfect sunscreen, but she wanted Supergoop! to be everything previous formulas weren’t and this was going to have to be done through unique formulations and branding. The history of SPF and sunscreen use may be less “historic” than you think. Back in the 1960s, cancer became more heavily linked to sun exposure, and it wasn’t until the 1970s that people were starting to apply the most advanced level of SPF, which was 15. It was in the 2000s when higher SPF sunscreen was more readily available and used by the general public. Bottom line, I’m glad I was born into a generation with sunscreen. This brief history lesson is all to say that in order to become a category killer in such a saturated SPF market that was seeking higher demand as the years went on, Supergoop! formulations had to be innovative and the branding needed to stand out amongst the crowd.

Not only did Holly know she needed to create a killer formula in order to shake up the sunscreen category, but she was also going to need to educate consumers on why this product mattered, and why it needed to be worn day after day. Educating consumers on the importance of SPF was going to help build her brand and form an identity, so she needed to keep that in mind as she continued to ideate.

As she continued to form this brand, she knew she could attract all different age groups to this product, and that there was always going to be a need for SPF. Holly took the necessary time to develop the right formula and research properly to build her brand. During this time she knew that Supergoop! was going to start with one strong product offering and be very clear and communicative on its value proposition. This is what would ultimately develop a strong sense of loyalty and community over time.

Validation Stage:

Disruption of a category calls for an educated consumer:

Supergoop! launched one product to start with, their Everyday Formula, which was not only formulated to be everything existing sunscreen was not but was also clean. When Supergoop! launched this product, it was the first chemical formula in the United States to ever debut without oxybenzone, parabens, or chemical fragrances. Since Supergoop!’s launch, clean and natural cosmetics have become a priority in the beauty and skincare space with a more educated consumer who wants to both understand what ingredients are being used in their skincare as well as how they work together. And bottom line – no one wants goopy white sunscreen showing on their face or body, at least I don’t.

After launching the first product, it was time to focus on educating consumers on the importance of wearing sunscreen daily, not just in the summer months. This was the main goal of the brand and the drive behind its innovation. Education was also Supergoop!’s way of defining and validating their value proposition. If consumers are going to wear SPF every day, it had to be something they wanted to apply every day, again and again. The validation stage is all about finding that product-market fit, and in order to do this education had to be at the forefront.

Making a quality product is one thing, but getting consumers to understand why is just as important. This can be applied to any brand and in any industry. Informing consumers on the value proposition and reinforcing that with a why in addition to social proof through various channels.

Daily use, year-round is at the heart of the Supergoop! brand and really has played a role in every move Holly Thaggard made as she scaled the brand. When she was making a deal with Sephora (which is a HUGE deal, by the way) to break into the retail space and expand the brand, they offered her a seasonal window to feature her products. Supergoop! on a retailer’s shelf year-round was a non-negotiable for Holly. Supergoop! stayed true to its mission and reinforced the everyday use mantra by only agreeing to be on Sephora’s retail shelf year round. So, they gave her 6 inches of space and told her to pick 2 products.

She wanted her display to look exactly the same in January as it did in July – the importance was to educate consumers on the value of purchasing sunscreen and wearing sunscreen all year. In addition, it speaks to the quality of the product rather than relying on the scope of the line. Educating consumers and staying true to the values of the brand was more important than taking the easiest route to get into a retailer – and any brand can learn from this. Growing through education and a display of authenticity all while building community is more sustainable than taking a shortcut to the biggest retailer.

Driving it home with UGC for Social Proof and Brand Recognition:

Education also feeds into the community through UGC, finding others who are passionate about sun safety, and who understand its importance. In addition, in the validation stage, it’s important to connect with consumers and build advocates for your brand. With the disruption of a new category, it’s extremely important to educate the consumer. Doing this can be done through influencer partnerships, UGC, and a carefully crafted social media and website presence. Supergoop! has always been passionate about forming the right partnerships with influencers. Not only that but ensuring that their partners are educated on the product and genuinely are passionate about it. Organic content is important for social proof and strong brand recognition. 

Forming meaningful relationships with creator and influencer partners is worth the extra time and investment. Going beyond a transactional relationship with these partners to create genuine advocates and daily users is what Supergoop! has done with their influencer partners – and it worked. In skincare routines, beauty favorites, what’s in my carry-on, and more you’ll find various Supergoop! products being praised by the masses. Holly Thaggard fosters relationships with her influencer partners by “going to dinner with them, spending time helping them be my megaphone. Everything for me ladders up to our mission. If someone who has a large following can help be that megaphone for us, I certainly want to invite them to dinner and get to know him better”

These are a few of Supergoop!’s influencer partners who not only demonstrate how they use the products and how the products look on the skin, but they reiterate the importance of SPF and the value proposition at hand, which is how Supergoop! has formed such a strong brand recognition and community.

Influencers are your “megaphones” and they are your educators, so it’s important that they are well-versed and feel genuinely excited and interested in the products. Forming relationships with them can come in the form of influencer trips hosted by your brand or hosting events in a populated influencer city such as LA or NYC. Not only does this forming community among your brand and its influencers, but it is also the perfect playground to film and push organic content.

In addition, Supergoop! uses its consumer’s content as a growth loop in itself. The consumer buys the product, they then review the product or use it in their routines on TikTok or Instagram, Supergoop! then reposts this content to drive home social proof and contribute to authenticity. A new customer discovers this content and is inclined to buy. And repeat, again and again.

Growth Stage:

Expanding Advertising Mix and Pushing Prosperous Collabs

Supergoop! has really promoted exponential growth in the last few years and a large part of this is attributed to expanding its advertising mix in order to attract different demographics. They wanted to go beyond the millennial woman, and since they had already built a strong product offering and had their footing, they could now do so in a sustainable way. Supergoop! began to scale by stepping away from the advertising channels that they were more comfortable with and moved to more traditional mediums that attracted different audiences and generations. This included mediums such as print and out-of-home, as well as new social platforms they had yet to explore such as Twitch and Snapchat. These new advertising channels are aimed at acquiring men and older generations as customers. Expanding your reach is done through expanding your channels, and this is what Supergoop! slowly began to do in order to build out its brand.

The financial backing and investors that have signed on to support Supergoop! have also been instrumental in growth, which shows the importance of finding these right partners and understanding the influence this has on the growth of your brand in multiple different verticals.

Supergoop! has been around since 2007, and now is the time that fit the company to bring on a majority stakeholder, which is an indication that they are going to rapidly expand into a lifestyle brand because that is what they have slowly positioned themselves to be able to do.

Blackstone is currently the majority stakeholder of Supergoop!, the same private equity firm that has a majority stake in Bumble and also acquired Spanx in 2021- quite the portfolio if you ask me. The common denominator here? These are all companies with female leaders who boast extremely high growth potential. Not only this but fellow female founders who also work with Blackstone, Blakely of Spanx and Wolfe Herd of Bumble, invested in Supergoop! as well. The partnerships that are developed in the form of investors are another very important step to long-term growth. There is power in numbers, and women supporting women — win-win. Blackstone aims to accelerate their global growth, and we’ve already seen this with the brand beginning to lean into lifestyle, and expand its reach on a broader scale through brand collaborations.

Leaning into Lifestyle

Now that Supergoop! has gotten a solid footing based on its hyper-focused brand positioning as well as established trust and advocacy among consumers, they are evolving into a lifestyle brand. They are continuously offering new products and collaborations that are contributing to turning the brand experience into a lifestyle.

They’ve expanded their product line massively in 2022 so far alone, and have been able to do so because they have established that advocacy and trust through the time they took to build quality with their brand. From SPF cream eyeshadows to vitamin C and SPF serums, and more. Beyond this, Supergoop! is going even further by expanding its reach through carefully selected brand partnerships.

Gray Malin is a well-known photographer most known for his landscapes and outdoor scenes from Aspen to Palm Beach. Supergoop! collaborated with Gray to make packaging with his photography. An upscale photographer shooting outdoor scenes, where everyone should be wearing sunscreen – it makes sense. They also have a collaboration with sun scoop, an ice cream company. Limited-edition ice cream along with an ice cream truck traveling across the country during the summer months to hand out free ice cream and sunscreen samples. I can only imagine how long the line is in downtown NYC to get something free, but hey, it’s a great way to gain additional exposure and to capitalize on the busy summer months for sunscreen sales. It doesn’t stop there, you can also find collaborations with MZ Wallace, Minions, and Susan Alexandra.

In addition, they have been slowly ramping up their presence of pop-ups. They recently opened a pop-up in NYC where they are able to real-time educate their consumers and partners. They also have more temporary pop-ups called “The Sunshine Shack” that have found its way to popular events such as Gov Ball the music festival and even frequented ski destinations such as Aspen – reinforcing the idea that sunscreen should be worn anywhere and everywhere, year-round.

In a Nutshell…

Supergoop! set out to change a sleepy category and make SPF daily wear the new norm. Since being founded in 2007, Supergoop! has undergone some serious changes, and gained momentum with a killer growth strategy along the way. Success came in the form of patience, a quality product, and lots of education and social proof. Founder Holly Thaggard was careful to grow in a way that aligned with her mission: only allowing her SPF products to be on the shelf year round. While this may have slowed growth in the beginning stages of the company, it has proved to be successful as she has now scaled into a lifestyle brand with an extensive product line. Advocacy and trust through UGC was another way Supergoop! turned into a household name and category killer. They became something the general consumer didn’t know they needed every day, and it has changed the sunscreen market indefinitely.

The post Supergoop!’s Super Growth Strategy appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

The entrepreneurial pursuits of celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Kylie Jenner have saturated industries across the board, and today the bar is higher than ever for the success of a celebrity brand.

Five years ago, a celebrity could get away with putting their name and face on whatever they came across, whether it was a fragrance, hair care, or beauty line, and earn some quick cash and exposure. But now, the stakes are higher and the average consumer is increasingly scrutinous of celebrity brands entering the market — a well-known name and face are no longer good enough.

In order to stand out as a celebrity-backed brand today, there must be purpose backed with authenticity. A celebrity brand must add value with whatever they bring to the market — exemplifying quality and solving a significant problem or need existing in the market. The most successful brands backed by celebrities are the ones that focus on long-term growth due to a specific positioning strategy or customer needs they meet and satisfy. The celebrity’s involvement should not be the only distinguishing factor for these types of brands — the quality and value-added should be, as well as the community they build. Some of the most successful celebrity brands are the ones you may not initially know a celebrity is behind in the first place. A brand must be unique, and have its own personality rather than relying on the celebrity’s personality and prowess. While there is no exact formula for success, there are some major dos and don’ts you should know when building a celebrity brand.  

The Dos

1. The Proof is in the Pudding

Do: Have Purpose and Passion Behind the Brand

Setting out to make a brand that derives from passion rather than profit-seeking ambition is noticed and valued by the average consumer. In order to stand out the celebrity needs to be involved and in the driver’s seat with direction for the brand and back that with passion. If there isn’t that, consumers can see through the act.

Some questions worth considering are:

• Is there a need in the market? 
• Would consumers value what product I am putting out? 
• Am I, as an already established celebrity, willing to go the extra mile to put the right team together to make this brand successful?

Let’s look at George Clooney and Rande Gerber’s tequila company, Casamigos, as an example.

The first few elements that put this brand in a position to succeed are the celebrity’s spontaneity in the creation of the brand. Both men, established in Hollywood in their own ways, had adjoining homes in Mexico where they started developing their own tequila for fun, and more for personal use. They eventually decided to sell it to the public in 2013.

Rande Gerber said that what was important for them when they decided to make this a brand and publicly sell the tequila, “…was that we have the best tequila, but we make it affordable for everyone. George doesn’t need the money, I didn’t need it… it wasn’t the reason behind launching a tequila. We wanted everyone to be able to drink it and not be exclusive”.

Both of these men saw an opportunity to share something they were passionate about with the world, and that is what drove them. Passion trumped profit-seeking ambition which is important for a celebrity brand to see. Educating themselves on what the consumer needs as well as where their brand fits in the market- and truly putting the work in to do so – that’s the key.

Do: Have a Quality Product

The single most important aspect of a celebrity brand — especially if we were to (hypothetically) strip the celebrity aspect away, for instance — is the quality of the product. No matter how great the launch is, no matter how many millions of followers the celebrity has, there needs to be a great product and thought-out brand positioning in order to ensure strong differentiation, stand the test of time, and retain consumers in the long term. Doing so requires a mix between the celebrity’s passion and personal involvement with the collaboration of industry experts and advisory boards. There needs to be a large prioritization on sourcing the best ingredients and creating a product that consumers will value for the actual benefit it provides rather than the celebrity name behind it.

Shay Mitchell is a celebrity who goes the extra mile to differentiate her stardom from her brands, so much so, that many consumers don’t know the brands that she has founded and continuously works on today. Travel brand BEIS was solely founded by Shay who currently serves as the CEO, and tequila seltzer brand Onda was co-founded by Shay. These brands are able to stand alone without the celebrity name and face on everything that the brand does — a quality found in many successful celebrity brands today.

In the case of Casamigos, Rand says that “when a new batch comes out he’ll send a bottle, and George and I will taste it”. This reinforces their involvement with the brand and the product, which consumers notice and like to see. Not only that but having a product that demonstrates quality is crucial for a high lifetime value and long-term customer retention.

Do: Bring on Industry Experts

Bringing on the right people to be involved in your brand is key to a quality product line and building immediate credibility. Behind the best celebrity brands are industry experts matched with celebrity passion.

As with every celebrity brand, it is important to build a team of professionals who will bring expertise and industry experience to the products. With every successful celebrity brand comes an incredible team behind closed doors. For example, Kim Kardashian released her new skincare line, SKKN, this year, where she enlisted the help of famed facialist and skincare entrepreneur, Joanna Czech, to assist in her formulations. Hailey Beiber partnered with Michael D. Ratner to create Rhode from the ground up and hired a full-time team of six women to reinforce her message of woman empowerment, and the list goes on.

In the case of Casamigos, George and Rande enlisted the marketing expertise of Mike Meldman, who is the founder and CEO of Discovery Land, to come on as a third co-founder for their celebrity alcohol brand. They knew they needed his entrepreneurial experience to become a success, rather than riding on their fame. In addition, Casamigos has a master distiller responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of every tequila batch.

2. Preparing for Takeoff: Landing the Launch

Do: Have a well-thought-out launch.

Be strategic and have a well-thought-out plan to gain exposure and reach your target consumer. A well-thought-out and time-intensive launch is what’s required to stand out as a celebrity brand today. Rhode by Hailey Beiber launched in June, and Hailey and her team put together a launch strategy that was detailed, well thought out, and timely, as it needed to be. Let’s take a look at Rhode as an example, and see what worked for Hailey when launching her skincare line.

Do: Determine your personal relationship to the cause.

It’s incredibly important to ensure the brand aligns with the values and passions of the celebrity. For years, Hailey Beiber has been vocally passionate about her skin and has flaunted her shiny cheekbones all over social media and tabloids alike. So, when she announced Rhode, a skincare brand, it didn’t feel like she was squeezing into a category she didn’t belong in, which is the first major requirement of celebrity brand success.

Do: Align your social channels with the tone and direction of the brand.

Curate well-thought-out partnerships, and schedule a full PR circuit. These are some of the main drivers of building anticipation and gaining exposure for the brand before initially launching.

Hailey hosted Hyrum, a skincare creator known for educating his audience on skincare ingredients, on her YouTube channel where they candidly tried products and discussed all things skincare. Celebrities partnering with popular and relevant creators is a way to not only gain exposure but to tap into an audience who may not already be a fan of the celebrity, yet are willing to try products recommended by their favorite creator. Creators also carry a more authentic and down-to-earth reputation among the masses than A-list celebs.

Co-branding and well-thought-out collaborations are another way to gain exposure and curate buzz before launching a new brand. Hailey partnered with the boutique, LA-based, grocery store Erewhon to make a limited-edition “skin” smoothie. While Erewhon is a relatively small brand and may seem like a random partnership, its buzz and attention on social media are astonishing. All of the “it” influencers and celebrities aspire to have a smoothie with Erewon because not only is it the most expensive, and most talked about grocery store on social media, it naturally generates organic UGC, leading to lots of exposure. The $17 smoothie prompted TikTok users to film themselves trying the expensive drink to see if it was worth the money and analyze whether the ingredients would really promote glowing skin.

Hailey also had quite the star-studded party for the launch of Rhode. Not only were all the hottest celebrities on the guest list, but very carefully picked creators and influencers. The reason these brand events and parties are so important is because of the organic content that comes from them. The common denominator with these launch strategies: amplifying brand awareness in a more organic way

3. Social Media Strategy

Do: Utilize User Generated Content to display authenticity and drive social proof.

User-generated content (UGC) is the name, authenticity is the game. Sparking buzz about your brand to, in turn, prompt organic UGC is beneficial for a brand in a number of ways. Not only can you repost this content to your own organic social channels, but they can be used as ad creative that feels more authentic, and can be shared on the brand’s website as testimonials further driving social proof.

To further drive community engagement and harness the power of UGC, it’s important to have an internal person or team concentrated on identifying community members that align with the brand, sending them products, and then getting their honest reviews in the form of content. Having this process curated on the backend gives the brand more control over the organic content that is being put out while also contributing to the conversation and community around the brand’s products.

Do: Collaborate with creators and influencers who align with your brand

Leveraging the power of influencers and creators, both micro and macro, as a celebrity brand is important. As some influencers have started to rise to the fame level of certain celebs, fans and consumers are still finding these internet personalities more relatable and authentic. Creators and influencers alike feel like a friend, and someone their followers can really trust. Partnering with these influencers and creators when building a brand is important because it taps into their various audiences and niche. Essentially amplifying brand reach and again providing social proof — which is arguably more important for celebrity brands as compared to traditional brands.

Do: Build advocacy and promote growth loops with UGC

SKIMS, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line has had great success with leveraging the power of social media and influencers to build brand awareness and advocacy. By carefully selecting influencer and creator partnerships the brand can spark un-paid UGC by viewers and fans for SKIMS to use.

When viewers see their favorite influencers wearing SKIMS bodysuits in their Instagram story, unboxing a SKIMS PR package on TikTok, or a “Get Ready With Me” YouTube video featuring the famous SKIMS dress – viewers, and fans will be influenced to buy. If the product matches or exceeds expectations, the goal is that these customers will be inspired to make content about that purchase and product. This is a great example of a growth loop- something important for all brands to implement. The UGC content is created, it then validates the brand to a new audience, the new audience then purchases from the brand, and in turn that new audience will create UGC.

4. Standing for a Cause

Do: Align your brand with a cause that feels authentic to your values and the brand itself

As a celebrity brand, it is important to use that amplified voice and reach to support a good cause that is meaningful to the celebrity as well as authentic to them. It feels ingenuine to partner with a charity or pledges your proceeds to something that doesn’t align with who are as a celebrity and what you stand for in general. As a celebrity, usually, these brands are more of a passion project than an attempt to put food on the table, so, this gives more room to tie giving back and amplifying a great cause as a part of the brand. To ensure the cause will resonate with your audience and community members, it’s important to perform market research ahead of the brand’s launch. While it may be important to the celebrity, it should also be impactful to potential consumers.

Take Selena Gomez’s brand Rare Beauty as an example. From day one, Selena made a “rare impact” on a large part of her brand and what it stands for. Consistency is key here, have a mission and stick with that mission. Rare impact aims to increase access to mental health support in educational settings, but Selena doesn’t stop at having a simple “donate” tab on her website. The Rare beauty site houses a blog with various articles relating to mental health as well as a page listing accessible resources and support for those struggling with mental health. Rare beauty ties this mission into their brand in a large way, and authentically — Selena herself states that figuring out how to manage her own “mental health hasn’t always been easy”.

Do: Implement a long-tail strategy

For celebrity brands, with any campaign, it’s important to consider the long-tail strategy — especially when it comes to philanthropic efforts or inclusivity. The long-tail strategy is essentially realizing profits from selling large volumes of more niche products, rather than selling larger numbers of a reduced amount of more popular, easy-to-find items. SKIMS by Kim Kardashian recently released their adaptive line – geared to customers with limited mobility. The undergarment designs prioritize functionality and ease. This new release is not out of the blue – SKIMS was founded with the emphasis and prioritization of inclusivity with their sizing, colorways, and now accessibility. By reinforcing their mission of inclusivity, being consistent with the commitment, and tapping into a niche and unmet needs in the marketplace they are broadcasting that they are aligned with the values of customers — even if it’s not relevant for mass markets.

This is okay, your brand will never be for everyone. Walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

The Don’ts

1. Celebrity Brand Fatigue

With every celebrity, there is usually a brand following shortly behind the explosion of fame. Being a celebrity with a brand isn’t new, innovative, or something consumers are excited to see — the actual product quality and the thoughtfulness behind a brand are what sets it apart. Take the celebrity name and face away from the brand, it should be able to be just as successful. There is so much fatigue in this market that celebrities must work overtime to overcome the skepticism. Don’t believe high follow count, and household recognition is enough to make a celebrity brand a success today.

This ties back into authenticity as mentioned before, the skepticism in this industry is widespread, doesn’t conform to being another inauthentic celebrity brand. The New York Times compiled the opinions of a wide range of consumers and experts, here’s what they had to say on the topic of celebrity brand saturation:

Don’t: Be transactional

Consumers are aware of how transactional celebrity brands often are. Selling a product to rake in some quick cash rather than creating a brand based on passion and interest. Again, this is why it’s so important to only build a brand around passion rather than profit-seeking ambition. One of the most common mistakes is constantly seeking out new consumers while losing focus on retention and community. Sustainable growth is rooted in meaningful relationships, and building those doesn’t happen overnight, or with the intention of purely making a sale.

Advocacy and referrals come from a consumer who feels connected to the brand, which will eventually expand your reach. Social validation is the new mechanism for growth and social proof, which will come once the brand commits to building community rather than constantly converting new customers.

Lastly, lead with the product rather than the celebrity. Consumers will feel as though the brand and products need to rely on the celebrity face to make a sale rather than leading with a product-driven strategy. Take Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand Goop as an example. She has so many products and so many different product lines from skincare to jewelry to clothing. Trying to be everything for everyone quickly comes across as profit-seeking rather than community-building and passion-derived.

Don’t: Set unrealistic expectations

Celebrities building a brand can make a quality product line through research, industry experts, and overall putting the effort in. But, even if it is a quality product line, sometimes that can be questioned by the way that celebrity endorses the brand or product by setting unrealistic expectations around that.

Promising its benefits as a celebrity that has Botox, fillers, and a facial every week does not set a realistic expectation for consumers about your products and makes them question whether it’s the product or simply the skin of a well-manicured celebrity. Because of social media and the consumer expectation of social validation, brands will not be able to get away with unrealistic expectations.

Through UGC a brand will quickly be identified prioritizing quality and results or not. SKKN by Kim Kardashian may have a quality product and may produce great skin results for users, but UGC will quickly debunk if it’s the skincare product she claims is making her skin look like that or the filler and facials she often gets.

Don’t: Underestimate the effort needed

Building a quality brand with a strong value proposition is no easy feat. Celebrities must have the same ambition and passion that someone without an already established following has. If the effort isn’t present and isn’t transparent, it is not going to be able to survive or prosper long-term. The 2017 disaster of the Fyre Festival serves as a cautionary tale when it comes to the effort needed for a brand launch and successful execution. The musical festival in the Bahamas was promised to be a luxury experience promoted by stars such as Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. The disastrous results of this effort show that there needs to be more than a pretty marketing strategy to bring an idea to life. Execution and effort should not be taken lightly. They made the mistake of thinking if they could make the sales, and make the festival look good, that it would actually be successful, but failed at making any meaningful effort beyond their marketing initiatives.

2. The Influence of Conglomerates on the Celebrity Brand Wave:

Don’t: Dilute Your Brand

Celebrity brands have become increasingly normalized, the barrier to entry is low, and we see them everywhere. Here’s why:

Celebrity names such as Marilyn Monroe, Shaquille O’Neil, Catherine-Zeta Jones, and more than you’d ever imagine are available for licensing. Essentially, a manufacturer can decide to put one of these celebrity names on something they’re selling, for a price. The consumer is then under the impression they’re getting that certain celebrities product when in reality, it’s more than likely a generic product that has been sourced from their factory and sold with the celebrities face and name on it. Licenses products quickly became too saturated in the market. 

Another reason celebrity brands are working overtime in today’s market to stand out is the decline of licensing and the shrinking of major holding companies over the past few years. Celebrity and legacy brands alike were heavily resourcing these companies to create their products, which lead to some muddied waters about where exactly products from these brands are coming from as there has become increased transparency among informed consumers. Don’t dilute your brand by selling your name and expanding into too many categories.

This isn’t as prevalent anymore but it’s where the celebrity brand originally got its bad name — and now emerging celebrity entrepreneurs are paying the price for this and working overtime to establish a legitimate, quality brand, that would succeed with or without their name attached to it.

Don’t: Outsource the hard work

Another reason celebrity brands have started to saturate the market in such a rapid way is due to a select amount of companies who essentially act as “incubators” for a large number of celebrity brands. Beach House Group is an example of one of these companies. They are responsible for Kendall Jenner’s Moon Orcal Care, Millie Bobbie Brown’s Florence by Mills, and more. Companies like these either work with the celebrity or create the brand first and then bring on a celebrity after. Either way, the goal is to build these brands quickly and push them to the consumer as quickly as possible, which is not the ideal scenario for a celebrity brand.

The ways of celebrity brand licensing have still left a bad taste in the mouths of many successful conglomerates. Whether it’s hesitancy to work with celebrity brands in any capacity or being more selective when acquiring a celebrity brand. Estee lauder companies for example (owners of brands such as Clinique and MAC cosmetics) steer clear of celebrity brands altogether. John Demsey, executive group president of Estée Lauder companies, says he has “worked with hundreds of celebrities, but there won’t be a brand based entirely on one”. This is yet another reason why celebrities need to put in the work to create a brand around authenticity, passion, and quality, because of not only consumer doubts but industry doubts as well.

In a Nutshell…

The density of celebrity brands in the market has drastically risen the bar for emerging new ones. There is a responsibility to prove the brand is more than just a cash crab, as well as the authentic passion behind the celebrity building of the brand. It starts with a long, well-thought-out launch strategy that informs the consumer of the product offering, taps into a niche using influencers and creators, collaborations that align with the emerging brand for exposure, and a star-studded launch party doesn’t hurt either.

Upon the launch of the brand, user-generated content is key for social proof and testimonials to be used across all brand platforms. The products need to be able to stand alone without the celebrity name behind them, so when marketing the products to consumers, they must ask themselves, how would this product sell without the celebrity exposure? Ensuring quality is key. Doing so with the backing of an experienced advisory board and collaborating with an industry professional will result in a quality product line.

In today’s market, a celebrity name isn’t enough to attract a buyer. In fact, many consumers steer clear of celebrity brands altogether because of the saturation in the market and quality concerns. To overcome this, the brand must be well-thought-out, align with the image and values of the celebrity, and have qualities that could stand alone and succeed without a celebrity name. 

The post Celebrity Brands in the Age of Content Creators: The Dos and Don’ts appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

The visual nature of social media, and the growth of social platforms themselves, have also propelled and intensified the growth of the beauty industry. Consumers can now candidly see the products brands are selling, as well as results that go beyond glossy magazine spreads and expertly curated displays at the store. TikTok and Instagram creators have contributed to the appreciation for authenticity by giving real-time tutorials and candid reviews — both paid and organic. UGC has been huge for the growth of the beauty industry and is essential for any brand’s growth strategy to enter the market.

The beauty and personal care market grew from $483 billion in 2020 to $511 billion in 2021, an increase of almost 6%, and the industry is expected to exceed $716B by 2025. The growth of the category has led to an extremely saturated market, requiring brands to be more strategic than ever when entering the beauty space and standing out in the noise.

Growth in the Age of Social:

Community-led growth is the name, customer retention is the game. Social media platforms allow brands to generate a sense of community among consumers as well as increase brand trust and awareness. So, how exactly do you do this as a brand? Foster connection through interaction.

In today’s competitive beauty market, having a presence on the right channels is an undeniable requirement, but standing out is where it becomes difficult. Cultivating community through live streams, giveaways, comment interactions, and more is a great place to start. Essentially making the consumer feel like they are a part of something and therefore more willing to purchase again and again.

Building community is increasingly important, and in addition, being very distinct about who your consumer is. With the saturation in the industry, a brand will not, and should not, aim to appease everyone — as it is more successful for growth in a saturated industry to pick a niche, and target the specific demographic (or demographics) that aligns with said niche.

Content creators and Influencers have quickly become drivers of brand identity and traction. It is essential for growth and visibility of a beauty brand to pick carefully curated personalities that align with your brand image and have audiences that align with your brand messaging and product.

These influencers even have contributed to the growth of the beauty industry by occasionally becoming entrepreneurs of their own — creating beauty brands where they have seen a hole in the market after candidly reviewing them for years. For example, skincare guru and TikTok creator Hyrum educated his audience on skincare must-haves as well as faux-pas for years before launching his own line of products.

He did so by building trust among a community and with that confidence built a brand. Trust is not an easy thing to gain with an audience, and will always take time, but contributes greatly to long-term sustainable growth by turning customers into advocates. Creators who nail down the ability to foster trust will in turn create a more tight-knit community as well as a greater ability to sell a product. This is being seen a lot with creators and influencers across all industries. For the sake of brand growth through influencer partnerships, it is important to note that organic social content holds great value, and the combination of the two is key. Creating buzz around your brand that naturally generates creators to talk about products is the sweet spot. There are countless brands that work with content creators to create Get Ready With Me’s, How-Tos, tutorials, unboxings, etc., but creating produced content that still feels native and organic is difficult to achieve — though nailing this is the key to success.

This all ties back to the idea of authenticity. Over-produced content loses relatability, and in order to connect and drive community among an audience, organic-feeling content is required. This is especially important in the beauty space as physically using the products and seeing the results is a main driver of sales.

Celebrity Driven Beauty Brands vs. Micro-Influencer Strategy

It feels as though with each new day, there is a new celebrity beauty brand. Rhode by Hailey Bieber, Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, and Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez are just a few. Celebrity brands have the advantage of immediate mass exposure based on the influence of said celebrity. But, with this said, there is so much saturation in the beauty industry with these celebrity brands that they have to have more than just their name backing them. Furthermore, the concept of celebrity-backed products is now decades old and in many ways, it’s lost its charm. To be successful they must demonstrate authenticity, involvement, and longevity to see true success.

In addition, fostering a community and tapping into the fan base that the celebrity has already established, and aligning their brand with that is very important. Let’s look at Lady Gaga’s brand Haus Labs in comparison to Kim Kardashian’s new skincare line SKKN as an example. Lady Gaga has committed not only her beauty line but her career to inclusivity and expression. Back in 2009, she stated in an interview that her goal was to “inject gay culture into the mainstream”, and has been supporting and resonating with key demographics within the LGBTQ+ communities every since. Her brand Haus Labs has been embracing inclusivity in its marketing as well as pledging a percentage of every purchase made to go towards her Born This Way foundation – supporting the mental health of young people. Overall, she has a strong community with aligned individuals who value her dedication to inclusivity and will always be her “little monsters”, and this is strongly reflected in the way she built this beauty brand. When comparing this to SKKN by Kim, it is important to note the definite distinction between how the two brands were built. Haus Labs through existing community values and inclusion, and SKKN through the reliance on celebrity prowess and a broad fan base. SKKN is a luxury skincare line that was expertly crafted with quality ingredients all while boasting sustainable packaging, but there isn’t a community being built around the brand in a direct way.

Celebrity brands have the advantage of focusing less on growth and more on launch strategy, essentially proving the product goes beyond a celebrity name and provides true quality and differentiation. This fad of celebrity beauty brands makes it difficult for new, emerging brands with no credibility in the eye of the consumer without a big name behind them to grow and launch — or does it?

Beauty brands entering the market and looking to grow need to tap into a niche and harness that in order to see successful growth. There is little room for, or a need for, appeasing everyone — especially in such a saturated market. Well-established legacy brands such as P&G dominate the self-care “staples” we all know and use, and have been for decades, which makes it all the more important for specialization and differentiation in new, emerging brands. Tapping into a niche starts with leveraging the power of the micro-influencer. While their followings are smaller, their engagement rates are higher, which speaks to the truthfulness of their audience as well as their community strength: a cult-like loyalty if you will. Christina Garcia of impact.com says that a micro-influencer’s value to brands “is through authentic and original content… which can be measured through performance-based models like CPA”. Micro-influencers also generate a highly desirable ROI with their low-cost marketing solutions by leveraging their strong influence — despite lower follower counts.

Innovation and Standing out in the Crowd

Hyper-Personalization:

Differentiation is key for growth in the beauty industry right now due to its saturated nature. A major trend being seen in the beauty industry right now is the utmost personalization for the consumer. It’s no longer about expressiveness – think eyeshadow pallets with every color on the rainbow – it’s about hyper-personalization and catering to the extremely niche and exact needs of each customer. This is tricky, because as we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For a brand to successfully personalize a consumer experience and increase their engagement in doing so, they need to understand where the consumer is in their buying journey and cater to that.

Beauty brand ILIA sends out personalized emails letting customers know when it’s time to reorder a product, based on when they purchased it and how long the product lasts on average. According to Omisend, these automated email messages had almost double the open rate – 34.26% open rate in Q1 2020 compared to just 18.86% in 2019 before they personalized them.

Function of Beauty is a “100% custom hair, skin, and body care” brand that is also embracing the power of personalization. This brand utilizes quiz pop-ups to diagnose each customer’s specific needs and desires for a product – essentially allowing the consumer to feel as though they are building their own product. Function of Beauty goes a step further by putting the customer’s name on their bottles, adding to that personalized touch.

Even something as simple as engraving on a perfume bottle or lipstick is an aspect that can assist any brand in reaching their consumers in a more personal way. Everyone wants to feel special and as if something was made specifically for them — custom if you will. YSL for example offers engraving on their lipsticks which is the perfect blend of accessibility for a luxury product and the personalization everyone craves (I may or may not have an engraved YSL lipstick – I can attest to drinking the personalization Kool-Aid)

AR/ VR Experiences:

Major players in personalization right now are AI and VR try-on tools, specifically in e-commerce platforms. As DTC formats in this industry become more mainstream, these brands need to make up for the lack of personal interaction and presence they would otherwise attract in a brick-and-mortar format. In Sephora for example, customers can physically put on any beauty product they want to see on their skin, so in order to make up for this experience online comes the reliance on virtual try-on tools.

The technology of today allows brands to expand their offerings online to mimic in-person experiences in a variety of ways. Especially during COVID, brands were prompted to think outside of the box when it came to personal interaction and online shopping. Beauty brands especially had to replicate an in-store experience that often involved physically applying, smelling, and feeling the products on. AR/VR tools have become the answer in recent years. For example, beauty brand NYX, owned by L’Oreal, launched its virtual try-on feature for a variety of products. Even being able to see a lipstick color on your own skincare makes all the difference in an online experience. But it doesn’t stop there. Brands have even been implementing virtual retail spaces on their e-commerce sites where users can “walk around” their store, look at products, and essentially simulate the brick and mortar experience, even providing VR consultations.

Growth Loops:

Growth loops have shifted the way marketers approach acquisition and retention. A growth loop is a self-sustaining, compoundable growth tool where the action taken by one consumer creates an output that further drives demand. With the saturated nature of the beauty industry, the implementation of growth loops is vastly important for customer retention and loyalty- and AR/VR experiences are the perfect mechanism to implement growth loops.

Take the NYX virtual try-on tool for example. If a user is impressed by the experience, they may share it on their personal social channels, which in turn builds additional brand awareness. Once buying the product from this experience, the user is prompted to share their experience with the product, and after being socially validated, sharing this will attract new consumers who then try the virtual tool for themselves. Voila! A growth loop. Not only does this scenario result in a consumer likely to make a repeat purchase, but also attracts new customers in the process.

Ingredient Focused:

Customers are now hyper-informed, thanks to platforms such as TikTok, about skincare and makeup ingredients — what to look for and what to avoid. Not only this, but Millennials and Gen Z especially look for products that are organic and free of animal testing. TikTok and Instagram creators alike have built followings and harbored trust through informing their viewers on ingredient lists as well as what exactly to look for depending on your wants and needs. Because of this, consumers are more informed, and therefore more picky in the realm of ingredient lists and the organic nature of a product. Clean is king in beauty right now- and brands that aren’t adhering to this will lose traction and stunt growth. “Clean beauty” and “organic makeup” are more than just buzzwords with the global natural cosmetics industry expecting to reach $54.5 billion by 2027.

JVN is a fast-growing hair care brand that embodies the importance of sustainability in self-care products. Their products are sold at retail giant Sephora, which in recent years has assigned special badges to products that meet their clean beauty standards. Consumers have become reliant on seeing a green badge or a blatant mark of sustainability and cleanness in order to make a purchase, and this is important for brands to note and adapt to. The green badge with blue arrows on Sephora’s website indicates that this is a brand that is focused on, “…climate commitments, sustainable sourcing, responsible packaging, and environmental giving.” This clean status at Sephora is not only favorable for the consumer’s visibility, but also for the brand, and by reaching this status they are rewarded with greater exposure and special perks awarded by the retailer.

With that said, modern consumers are very cognisant of the charade many brands put on when it comes to being “natural”. Greenwashing is very real in the beauty space: many products and lines will incorporate natural imagery, or even the word “natural” in their name and descriptions while not necessarily being certifiably organic, sustainable, or non-toxic. Tying back to authenticity and community with your consumer, brands need to understand the difference between real authenticity and preformative branding. Consumers are smart, and they will see through performative tactics that come off as ingenuine and cutting corners. In addition to consumers, retailers are also very selective when awarding labels such as “green approved” or “clean status”, so it is in the best interest not only for authenticity but for exposure to be real relating to ingredients, and green in a genuine way.

In any case, it is still important for growth for a brand to stay true to who they are, and not try to check off every single box. There is a fine line between having a niche, sticking to that niche, understanding and acting on innovation, as well as not being too gimmicky. Applying and implementing innovation to your brand shouldn’t feel like a stretch, it should be a natural fit and ever-evolving.

Precisely Priced:

As a brand, it is vital to establish pricing with great meaning and intention, as there is a consistent push and pull between luxury and mass marketing pricing. It seems to be a theme in the past few years that more and more consumers are moving away from only trusting a luxury price point to boast the utmost quality, and are shifting to more ingredient-focused, and accessible brands. Take The Ordinary for example, a skincare brand that boasts minimal packaging, and the utmost simple ingredients, with a staggeringly low price point. Their goal? To show consumers that quality is not defined by price point, and they did just that. More and more brands are emerging with this premise. Sold at Sephora, The Ordinary can be considered a brand of “low-end luxury”. Over are the days that low price point self-care products are exclusively found at drugstores. There are products that have that lower price point yet maintain a prestige element, and therefore consumers are seeing more and more affordable options at retailers such as Sephora. With that said there is still space and great appreciation for luxury products in the beauty market. Take the lipstick effect as an example.

The Lipstick Effect:

The lipstick effect is the idea that consumers still tend to buy small, luxury items during a time of economic downturn or personal financial crisis, such as luxury lipstick. The lipstick effect, not so ironically, applied to much of the self-care and beauty industry — as there is an increased emphasis on the importance of self-care as well as the fact it is the small luxuries consumers want to spend their money on to forget their financial problems. This theory was stated originally by economic professor Juliet Schor who said women “are looking for affordable luxury, the thrill of buying in an expensive department store, indulging in a fantasy of beauty and sexiness, buying ‘hope in a bottle.’ Cosmetics are an escape from an otherwise drab everyday existence.” And this remains true to this day, whether it’s a time of economic downturn or not – hence why the luxury beauty industry is alive and well today – not to say they don’t have some adapting to do in the current climate.

Luxury consumers are still buying beyond those just splurging on the occasional lipstick or perfume, but they are also becoming much more discerning with how they make those purchases. Thanks to brands like The Ordinary and beauty TikTok creators who have educated consumers on ingredients and their true costs. This is causing luxury brands to think outside of the box, just as new and emerging brands would with innovation and micro-influencer strategies. Luxury brands need to leverage the idea that consumers are becoming comfortable with mixing luxury with mass market, and that quality does not have to come in the form of a three-digit price tag. Luxury brands are also exploring ways to enter the beauty space and draw in a new demographic of consumers, harnessing the lipstick effect, such as Hermes making a nail polish in their signature orange.

The beauty industry is one of vast resilience. Taking the lipstick effect into account, even in a time of economic downturn, the beauty industry seems to prevail more than others, and in this post-pandemic world- beauty continues to grow as generational priorities shift and people are spending more and more on the bliss of being seen out of the house and the ability to spend.

Adding a Bow:

A brand must understand the importance of differentiation in the rise of the beauty industry, as well as tapping into a niche and sticking with it. Standing out in the noise becomes more difficult for emerging and legacy brands each quarter, especially with the industry expected to exceed $716B by 2025. Leveraging community, as well as personalization and innovation, has become the expectation and a necessity for growth.

The post Finding Beauty in Beauty Brand Growth Strategies appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

With an estimated 690 million users worldwide, even scratching the surface seems daunting for both brands and users, but look no further, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most influential creators in their respective fields: fashion, beauty, tech, crypto, and comedic relief.

Fashion:

1. Remi Bader

Self-proclaimed queen of realistic hauls with 2.1 million followers and counting.

Known for her “realistic clothing hauls”, 26-year-old Remi injects humor and a lighthearted nature into every TikTok she uploads. Remi is a plus-size model who aims to hold brands accountable for their sizing with her realistic try-on hauls. Remi has crafted a community of trusting fans, who know she will tell it how it is. If the Zara maxi skirt she ordered doesn’t fit as advertised, she’ll let you know. And if the brand she partners with doesn’t deliver on their size inclusive promises, she holds accountability, which again signals to her viewers that she is trustworthy of a recommendation amongst paid promotion, a valuable and rare trait. She’s a no filter, no-fluff, tell it how it is creator that her audience can’t get enough of.

Remi took to her TikTok to call out e-commerce giant Revolve, pleading with them to make bigger clothing, and the next thing you know, Remi announced in March that she was coming out with a size-inclusive Revolve collaboration. Holding brands accountable has opened opportunities for Remi to work with those brands themselves in an effort to shift the fashion landscape when it comes to size-inclusive clothing.

In this video with Swimsuits For All, Remi shows her audience how the swimwear fits her body, and gives honest and raw positive feedback in the video. Her audience trusts her opinion related to sizing as well as relies on her for a laugh in the process.

2. Charles Gross

With an extremely calming demeanor and a voice that almost sounds like a whisper, Charles is the new voice of luxury on TikTok. As Charles would say, “let’s talk about it”.

As a proclaimed “fashion scholar” by Paper Magazine, Charles is an advocate for “quiet branding,” meaning no loud logos, and introduces the idea of a more chic, luxury, minimal style. Are these $1,000USD boots worth it? He’ll tell you. Is getting on the list for a Hermes Birkin the biggest sham of the century? He’ll break it down.

The NYC-born and raised Charles grew up surrounded by immense wealth, forming his opinions through experience in a way that comes across as genuine rather than arrogant or spoiled. His followers value his insights and truly form opinions based on what he has to say about luxury goods and whether he approves of them

Charles understands the power he harnesses in his authenticity combined with expertise. “Luxury is still relevant,” he said. “But it is frantic. Their power is decreasing by the day as the consumer becomes more critical. And they’re realizing that a glossy spread in a magazine does not work as well to increase sales as an individual on TikTok or Instagram.” He most recently teamed up with Paper Magazine and Google Shopping to promote small businesses that are paving the way for this year’s summer trends. Companies understand his influence and the trust his followers have bestowed upon him.

Crypto:

1. Crypto Cita

Crypto Cita, also known as Aliana, is a self-proclaimed “crypto nerd and pro stalker” who is one of the most popular female crypto creators on the platform. She truly does it all, from building a mining rig (I didn’t know what that was either) to all things general crypto insights.

Aliana gears her content to a diversified audience, as she knows her followers range from die-hard crypto nerds to those still digesting what an NFT is. From videos such as “How to make money on crypto” and explaining what Web 3.0 is to appeal to her more novice followers to explaining her mining farm crypto payout, she indeed does it all. Aliana educated her audience on the latest tech and crypto advancements, while also injecting some humor here and there to make the subject more approachable.

Aliana balances beginner crypto educational content with high-level learnings to create a diversified crypto TikTok portfolio for all viewers.

2. MacnCheeasy

Austin, or MacnCheeasy is a “crypto investor and engineer” TikTok creator who is also helping companies win in Web 3. Austin takes to not only TikTok to connect with and inform his community, but to YouTube, Discord, Twitter, and Instagram for ultimate exposure. Austin breaks down complicated topics on TikTok for his followers to understand. 

Rather than only gearing his videos to well-versed crypto connoisseurs, he dissects complex topics and instructs how to tackle them. For example, he explains in one of his recent videos that it is important to practice “small wins” instead of “big failures” in crypto learning. So, instead of trying to understand Defi Protocols, start by grasping NFTs. Austin encourages his community to take baby steps, and his more overarching view of the crypto world is helpful for all levels. 

Austin has not leveraged the potential for brand collaborations on his TikTok account yet, which poses great potential for future partnerships to be fed more organically to his audience relating to all things crypto.

Beauty:

1. Mikayla Nogueria

With an impressive 12.4 million followers, Mikayla’s distinct Boston accent will catch your attention, but it’s her undeniable talent that will keep you watching.

The 22-year-old makeup artist turned TikToker uses her relatability and leverages industry knowledge to test the latest makeup trends, give her best beauty tips, and dish out some expert recommendations. Mikayla worked at Ulta before becoming a TikTok beauty sensation, which lends her credibility to promote the products she talks about. She is able to leverage this past experience to attest to whether certain brands sell well at beauty superstores like Ulta, if certain products are worth the hype, and how new emerging brands on the market compare to the legacy brands she knows so well.

Her audience values her relatability, and beams in her success, as many watched her go from an Ulta retail worker to a TikTok superstar. She is humble, educated on all things beauty, and harnesses her relatability to foster a strong community of beauty lovers around the world.

Mikayla doesn’t just talk about the products she is promoting, she demonstrates how to use them, and what they look like on the face. Doing instead of telling is how she approaches brand promotion, which allows her audience to see the product in action, and to see how a professional makeup artist applies them.

2. Hyrum 

Hyrum is a skincare junkie, who aims to perfect the routines of his viewers around the world, catering to all different skin types, budgets, and ingredient limitations. He leveraged the rising popularity of skincare and took to TikTok to discuss all things lotions and potions: what’s worth it and what’s not

“For me, my passion has always been just helping people,” Hyrum says, “My goal was to facilitate in the journey of people learning about skincare so they basically have an introductory path.”

Hyrum wants to break the misconceptions that skincare has to be expensive to work, and he set out to conquer the complex and ever-changing skincare landscape with his followers by breaking it down, one ingredient at a time.

Hyrum doesn’t just make recommendations; he educates his audience on detailed ingredient lists and what to look for and what to avoid. He encourages the importance of knowing and understanding what is going on your skin — oh and to not forget daily SPF!!

Hyrum collaborates with brands that live up to his skincare standards, with ingredients and promises that provide. Aligning with his values is important in collaboration.

Here he is promoting St. Tropez self-tanner, an option for those who aim to stay out of the sun and prevent skin damage- one of the things he preaches most. Partnering with brands that align with his skincare beliefs allows him to stay authentic and respected in the skincare TikTok community. He also has his own skincare line, increasing knowledge and credibility in the industry and among his followers.

Tech:

1. Tonytechbytes

19-year-old tech prodigy, Tony, is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast located in the Bay Area. Think of every tech product you can imagine, and Tony most likely has unboxed it on his TikTok for his 350,000 followers to see. His enthusiastic tone and energy wake up his audience before delving into a product review, whether an unboxing or a “testing out my own internet” video.

Tony’s TikTok page relies on his viewers’ feedback and questions. Almost every one of his TikTok videos responds to a comment, which promotes a stronger sense of community with his followers. Tony delivers drool-worthy content to his tech-hungry fans, covering everything from responding to simple fan questions or recommendation inquiries, to “What’s in my tech bag?” to a “4k monitor unboxing”.

Tony partners with a wide range of techy brands with the latest and greatest gadgets. Tony is an expert at unboxing videos, taking his followers through the whole experience- from cutting open the box to assembly to final thoughts.

2. Scambl 

Scambl, or Spencer, is a tech-savvy TikTok star who is a self-proclaimed “CEO of framerates”. Covering all things tech,Spencer delves into gaming, PCs, and more on his account, but with an interactive twist.

Spencer understands that TikTok is the name and community building is the game. He interacts with his audience in a unique way, such as quizzing them on what they think a certain cable is/used for or filming his gaming controller and testing to see if his audience can guess which game is being played. In doing so, he creates a community between not only himself and his fanbase, but also as a way for the fans to connect and interact with one another.

Spencer combines his tech knowledge with current, comedic TikTok trends to reach a larger audience, and make all thighs tech more surface level to the average viewer, further expanding his reach.

Although Spencer does not use affiliate links or generally take on paid ads, he candidly reviews techy new gadgets that are sent to his door, like this $60 microphone. He gives his honest feedback and review, as well as giving incredible brand exposure to his 295k followers and counting.

Comedy:

1. Serena Kerrigan 

Serena Kerrigan is an NYC girl who lives by the motto “do it for the plot”. A yes girl, if you will.

Serena isn’t afraid to be bold, put herself out there, and show as much personality as possible. From dating advice to storytimes, she is undoubtedly hilarious and your new favorite hype girl. While her videos aim to be funny and muster up a laugh, at the root of her content is encouragement for greater confidence and hyping her audience up.

She rose to fame with her TikTok series, called “Let’s F***ing Date”, which chronicled, and streamed her adventures on fifty different dates in 2020. After the wild success of this series, she came out with her own card games to help start conversations on dates also called “Let’s F***ing Date”. She’s fiercely outgoing and confident, which stems from her insecurity during her youth that she candidly discusses with her audience.

Serena more organically incorporates paid content into her feed, such as this Blk water collaboration that acts more as a brand placement within a comedic video.

2. Fibulaa

Fibulaa, or Connor Wood, the golden retriever personality of TikTok, shines with his sly humor and dry wit.

When asked in an interview what he is particularly proud of project-wise lately, this is what he had to say:

“There’s a lot of stuff in the pipeline right now, I can’t wait to re-answer this in like 6 months. But I’m really proud of these currently non-existent projects I’m sitting on. Also I’m really proud of my Ben Franklin tri-fold poster project about electricity from 5th grade, let me know if you want pics of it.”

I feel as though this sums up the sarcastic humor that he commonly dishes out on TikTok.

In addition to TikTok he co-hosts a podcast that will have you awkwardly laughing to yourself in public (not speaking from experience)

Connor effortlessly can turn an ad into a comedic skit, fully incorporating the product into the heart of his joke. Take this Supergoop sunscreen collab, for example, Connor hilariously executes the message he and Supergooop aim to convey to a younger generation- wear sunscreen.

The TikTok Takeover

TikTok Creators are taking the world by storm, one video at a time. They have proved the power they hold for brands, and capitalize on their individual communities. Strong, individualized personalities prosper on this platform, and in return give brands the perfect opportunity to tap into an already established personality and community that aligns with their beliefs and desired demographics. These creators are trusted by their fan bases as well as greatly sought after by brands for one main underlying reason: authenticity. Over are the days of expertly curated visuals and hyper-scripted content, viewers, especially on TikTok, crave and expect raw, unfiltered content that is relatable and real. The cold, hard truth is what sells these days and every one of these TikTok creators taps into that authenticity.

The post Influential TikTok Content Creators in 2022 appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.