You’ve got the perfect products. Your website is looking sharp. And you are busting your booty to really make it happen for your beauty brand!
But when it comes to sales, you’re hearing crickets. Why?
Below is a brief list of the 3 most common mistakes that I see beautypreneurs making.
1. You are offering product discounts
The most devastating result of discounting products is that you are training your customers to wait for a discount before they purchase. You never want a customer to wait to purchase.
Discounts also devalue your brand. Discounts say to consumers that a beauty brand and its products are not worth their stated retail value.
Discounts say that a beauty brand's products are not worth their stated retail value. Click To TweetIf the idea of stopping product discounts scares you, I have a solution. Try adding limited-time value to orders instead. Maybe your customers would enjoy these offers:
- Spend x amount for free shipping (great for increasing your average order size)
- Buy this product and we’ll include two samples of your choice (ask complimentary brands to partner with you by giving samples to include with select orders)
- Buy a full size product for yourself and we’ll send a sample to your friend (this exposures your brand to a new customer!)
2. Your branding is not cohesive
Branding is the creative process and aesthetic communication of a beauty brand to its targeted consumers. When used effectively, branding can be one of the best tools for communicating with prospective customers.
What does branding have to do with the success of your business?
Research shows that it takes 5+ times for new customers to notice new brands. And when your attempts to get noticed are visually consistent, your marketing will be much more effective!
These are some of the most basic ways to ensure that your branding is on point (and consistent):
- Colors: choose 2-3 colors (look to the color wheel for complementary, analogous, monochromatic or triad options; neutral with a pop also looks fantastic)
- Fonts: choose no more than 3 fonts (make sure to establish font hierarchy)
- Imagery: lay out examples of what is and is not acceptable (keep your beauty brand’s messaging and customer in mind)
- Logo: create a logo keeping the above in mind (consider multiple versions of different size proportions for various placement requirements)
3. Your website isn’t capturing leads.
Data suggests that only 1-3% of your website visitors will purchase on their first visit to your site. Ouch! So what are you going to do about it?
The most effective way to capture the attention of your new audience is to provide them with something of value, by way of opt-in.
The best opt-in offers speak to your customer’s values and are in alignment with the core values of your brand. Below are several ideas to get your thinker thinking:
- Host a webinar on how to get the most out of your skin care routine
- Create a downloadable guide on skin care ingredients that should be avoided
- Run a giveaway. Visitors can opt-in for a chance to win a day at the spa (where your products are sold), a credit toward future purchases, a sample box (ask those partner brands to pitch in some samples)
Do any of these three struggles sound familiar to you? Leave us a comment below!
Kristin Molenaar is the CEO/Founder and Business Coach of The Beauty Voice. She is the face behind 25+ personal care products, under the umbrella of 5 different beauty brands. Her passion for business and calling to entrepreneurialism has founded her ability to empower and equip budding entrepreneurs in this industry. As a full-time business owner, she spends her time exclusively helping clients navigate their way through the complexities of owning a business in the personal care/beauty industry.
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Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.
