The beauty industry is worth an estimated $532 billion today, and there is no end in sight for the rapid growth of this behemoth of an industry. This value shows that there will be a lot more players in the field as time goes by, which means that for small businesses, thriving in a highly-saturated industry will become a bigger challenge.
Building your cosmetic brand is easy–it’s making it stand out that’s the hard part. And in a market where the consumer has an overabundance of brands to choose from, catching the audience’s attention is a matter of wit, grit, and skill.
While preparing your business plan and looking for the best private label cosmetic manufacturers, here are several strategies that will help make your brand stand out from the (very, very big) crowd.
Target a niche consumer group
A lot of brands have a broad target market, which means that they’re creating products that are aimed towards a wide variety of people. Why not go against the grain and target a niche consumer group? This may mean that you don’t appeal to the general population of consumers, but it’s one of the best ways to make your brand stand out from the rest. Here are some examples of a niche consumer group:
- People in the medical field
- People who love animals
- People with certain skin conditions
- People who love to travel
- People with specific ingredient allergies
Come up with interesting visuals
In the beauty industry, visuals are everything. Your logo, website design, product photos, and social media posts need to be visually appealing and striking enough to catch customers’ attention. However, every other beauty brand has the same idea, so how can you create stunning visuals that will also set you apart from the rest?
Here are some suggestions:
- Incorporate illustrations in your graphics
- Conceptualize unique (or even weird) product photography sets
- Use unusual color palettes
- Go for metallic elements
- Hire unique-looking models
Promote a unique story
Every other beauty brand has the same story about how they started. But after being exposed to so many backstories, consumers are no longer interested in how you “started from nothing” or “came up with this brand to make a change in the world.” Tell them a story in a unique light. You don’t have to make up something outrageous to set your backstory apart, but you have to tell it in a way that won’t make your audience feel that you’re just like any other brand.
Have a distinctive voice
Too many brands use the same “business” voice when talking to their audiences. While there’s nothing wrong with using a corporate tone when speaking to consumers since it’s a great way to remain professional, it won’t do anything to help set you apart from your competitors. Try to come up with a unique voice that is both professional and memorable. And to do so, take a look at your goals as a business, then consider the target market you’re trying to reach. What voice are you going to use to communicate your goals to your audiences? Moreover, how can this voice catch the attention of the people belonging to your target demographic?
Try the limited edition strategy
People tend to consider products more if they are ‘limited edition’. There’s just something about our brains that make us more attracted to a product if there is a possibility that it will be gone soon. So if you want to make your brand more unique, try limited edition marketing for products that are in demand. Although this is not meant to be a long-term marketing campaign, it can help create a good buzz around your name.
Make your packaging unique
In the cosmetics industry, packaging is everything, which is why creating unique packaging for your products is a must. Otherwise, your brand can easily become lost in the sauce before it even starts to gain traction.
Here are several tips on how to make your packaging stand out:
- Personalize the box to make it more Instagram-worthy
- Pick colors that evoke positive emotions and goes well with your brand
- Pay attention to typography and positioning of elements on the package
- Use unique yet eco-friendly packaging materials
- Make opening the packaging a positive part of the customer experience
Making your brand stand out in what is already a heavily saturated market can seem like an impossible feat–but that cannot be farther from the truth. While it may be difficult, making your beauty brand unique is all very doable with the right strategies in mind, just like the ones we talked about in this article. What other ways can you make a beauty brand stand out?