KEY TAKEAWAYS: In this article, we'll explore some of the must-avoid beauty mistakes that every pro–no matter what niche they're in–should know. We'll go over things like imposter syndrome, confidence draining mistakes, target audience errors, and so much more.
*This article was last updated May 14, 2024
As a modern professional in the beauty industry, you understand that marketing is a big part of what you do.
Sure, your skills speak for themselves, but how are you ever going to get those skills visible if you’re not putting it out there for people to see?
Any smart businessperson knows that marketing, when done correctly, can help to bring in more clients, get your brand’s message out there, and ultimately get you, financially, where you want to be.
But, marketing is more than just posting a photo to your Instagram account and calling it a day (although, we suggest you keep up with your social media platforms).
Marketing takes skill, practice, technique, and of course, research.
Marketing in the beauty industry follows a lot of the same rules that other industries follow, but there are a few exceptions.
Just like with any industry, there are going to be a few key mistakes you’ll want to avoid. We’ve laid out our top five mistakes that beauty industry pros fall prey to in hopes that you’ll stay as far away from these faux paus as possible!
The Top 5 Beauty Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
Accidentally Squashing Your Confidence
The beauty industry is tricky business -- you’re trying to market the idea that you can help enhance someone’s appearance, but you don’t ever want to market that there’s something overwhelmingly wrong with them.
Sure, you think a person would look great with a fresh set of bangs, but you don’t want to insult them or kill their confidence in the process.
Go for a confidence-building marketing strategy --- explain how you can enhance someone’s confidence, don’t destroy it!
Ensure that the entirety of your brand marketing strategy is positive, uplifting, and building up the confidence of your customers.
Forgetting About Men
In case you haven’t noticed, cosmetics, beauty products, and beauty industry services are just as important to men as they are to women.
Unfortunately, many people in the beauty industry have made the serious mistake of forgetting men in their marketing strategies.
Don’t make the mistake of avoiding this ever-growing and expanding market – it could be a fatal mistake!
While a majority of your business might be directed toward women, it’s important to be inclusive.
Market your men’s products and services just as hard as you market your women’s.
Men, it’s been reported, are spending just as much on beauty products as women are. In fact, according to a poll from the Huffington Post, men are only spending 50 pounds less per month on beauty products than women are.
Not Connecting Your Digital Platforms
This is less of beauty-specific problem and more of an overall marketing issue – many professionals and industries are failing to connect their digital platforms to provide ease and cohesion. It’s not as simple as posting a photo, like we said earlier.
Instead, you must post that photo on Instagram, link your Facebook account, tweet about it, send out an email, and provide the cohesion that your brand needs.
Use those things to interact with bloggers, make personalized videos, and turn your marketing strategy into a pop-culture phenomenon that people have easy access to and can relate to.
Make your marketing accessible, make it relatable, and ensure that all of your digital platforms are providing the cohesion you need to make your marketing strategies and plans successful.
Not Setting Marketing Goals
One of the biggest things people fail to do when they’re creating their beauty industry marketing strategy is failing to set appropriate goals for themselves, which in turn, results in failure to create a cohesive brand message.
You’ll want to ensure that you’re keeping your brand messaging cohesive, which includes staying true to your overall message.
As you plan your brand strategy, ask yourself, “What are my goals here? What kind of brand messaging and I planning to promote?” and things like “is this doing too much? Am I diluting my brand’s message with this sort of marketing? Am I staying true to my brand?”
Answering these questions before you plan your brand strategy, during your brand strategy planning, and after, can help to ensure that you’re keeping track of goals and ensuring that your brand messaging is on point.
"As you plan your brand strategy, ask yourself, 'what are my goals here? What kind of brand messaging am I planning to promote?"
Plan for a Mobile Experience for Your Audience
A fatal mistake in the digital era is not considering mobile strategies. In this day and age, we spend most of our time on our phones – from shopping to research to playing around on our social media sites, our smartphones are our main devices.
According to Forbes, many industries average their mobile share of website traffic now exceeds almost 50 percent.
If you fail to account for your mobile customers, it means that your marketing would not only be wildly ineffective, you’ll also alienate tons of potential customers, too!
Mobile is essential for the successes of marketing efforts, so ensure when you’re updating your digital marketing plans (like your website, for example), you’re ensuring it’s mobile friendly.
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Meet Hanna Marcus, the Founder and Head Copy Gal behind Boundless Copy, a one-of-a-kind copywriting agency that specializes in big, bold brand voice and industry-disrupting copy that’s all about resonating with the right audience.
Hanna has proudly teamed up with Elite Beauty Society for several years as their go-to copywriter on all things beauty, small biz marketing, and brand voice development. She’s big on feeling-first writing–her personal soapbox is that the best copy starts with telling a story.
When she’s not writing cheeky, converting copy for clients, she’s mentoring other aspiring copywriters and creating digital copywriting products designed for service pros and focused on taking the stress out of DIY copywriting.
