Introduction
The cosmetic industry in the U.S alone is valued at over $56 billion, it is therefore not surprising when the industry players exploit all possible ways of increasing their market share. It is critical to identify the right technique to advertise to the masses and get your product noticed. In this fast paced world, e-commerce sales in the beauty industry grew by a massive 25.4 per cent between 2005 and 2010. It is therefore evident that the modern cosmetics shopper is now using the internet more than ever. The report ‘Marketing Beauty with Internet Beast’ by Mary Kemp shows that the daily cosmetic user will favor the internet for their beauty needs. This could be due to the fact that the internet provides more variety and most importantly, information, which helps the users make decisions on their purchase.
The journey of purchasing cosmetics is a personal experience for all those involved and the ability to connect with online users with relevant content is paramount as it helps form a connection between the user and the product. Unless a personalized customer experience is developed, most customers will leave a website without purchasing anything from it. The use of advertisement alone has stopped being as effective as it was and content marketing helps bring a new edge to a company’s marketing strategy. Cosmetics manufacturers and retailers who provide online users with helpful information end up grabbing the largest online market share. Marketing content empowers the industry players to grow past their traditional marketing strategies and find new ways of reaching the consumer.
LITERATURE REVIEW
As more cosmetic products are being sold through the internet, manufacturers and retailers are fighting to keep themselves relevant to the market needs. This article will highlight how good website content can be an important marketing strategy in the cosmetic industry over the traditional methods of marketing. We will explore target audience and understand how they use the internet and what they consider when purchasing products. Online content increases the clarity and consistency of a product by keeping new and existing customers informed, consequently creating demand. There are many aspects that can make content marketing successful or not, this essay delves into how the content needs to create the best user experience, be creative and have excellent execution so as to have content that emotionally connects with the users.
METHODOLOGY
The goal of this essay is to deepen our understanding on the significance of having quality website content in the cosmetic industry. Since this is a theoretical analysis, the main method used in this essay is literature search. This involves reviewing all the available materials from publications to the web. It will include a detailed comparison of all ways of acquiring quality content from the web a bid to establish which are best suited for various products. It is an inexpensive method of collecting data and is also the fastest. The other method that was used to collect data is telephone interviews, where participants were chosen and their online behavior analyzed using set questions. After the information was gathered, careful analysis was done in order to come up with the best conclusion. The information was acquired from the web articles and magazines that have gathered information on the relevant subject.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
There are several kinds of shoppers who are targeted by content marketing;
- Information seekers, these are shoppers who go online to look for information on beauty products, then use this information to go to departmental stores and buy the products. They form their general opinion on a product depending on; the online reviews they find on the internet, product presence on the internet and quality of content the manufacturer provides to support the product.
- Online enthusiasts. They are motivated much by the chance to do product research as they are by the opportunity to purchase the product. These shoppers are more willing to interact with manufacturers and online retailers by posting reviews and even directly contacting them.
- Creatures of habit. This group of shoppers feels comfortable purchasing products from online retail stores they trust and rarely experiment with new online opportunities.
Below are the most important attributes of online content that will convert a reader into a buyer;
- Understanding the consumer and what matters to them
Before committing to any successful e-commerce strategy, a background check must be done on the potential consumers. Determining what the consumer is looking for and understanding their needs will be a key factor in attracting them to a product. Most consumers are willing to provide this kind of information that will give the seller the edge as long as they feel safe that the information will not be used against them. There are several ways of engaging with consumers, asking them to provide reviews and suggestions are a fairly easy way of collecting this data.
- The clarity and consistency of a brand.
The brand needs to have a consistent story behind it,a story that will build its reputation in the market place. This ultimately creates an emotional connection with the consumers and powers the online sales by creating brand advocacy and differentiating a brand from its competitors. The entry to the exit of the website should give the impression of quality and efficiency.
- Good user experience and creativity.
Physical stores are able to provide their customers with excellent customer service. They are able to listen to them and advise them depending on their needs. This form of personalization needs to be adopted by their online counterparts so that consumers can have the same experience. This can only be done if online marketers create real time campaigns which are able to reach their audience in new ways. However, sharing information on the internet is sensitive matter and needs to be handled with special care. The initial research on the consumer should also help in coming up with innovative and technical ways of presenting the content, therefore, consumer psychology needs to be understood so that important designs are not based on opinions.
- Quality content that is mind provoking
Thought provoking messages need to be passed through the content with a well-defined voice that brings out the emotions of all those who come across it. This is necessary because beauty is an emotional thing and these web contents need to reach to the deepest parts of our hearts and conjure emotions. The flow of the content should offer a seamless experience with no dead ends and be able to guide the reader to your objective, which is sales.
There are four important steps that online content should achieve so as to be seen as successful;
- Creating awareness of the product to the consumer.
- Satisfying the research need of the shopper. It should contain all the necessary information on the product that will assist them in making a decision on whether to purchase the product.
- Considerations for other competing products. At this stage, the shopper will be trying to compare different products in order to know which the best is. If information about other competing products is not available, the shopper will go to the next site.
- Finally, when the shopper makes the all-important decision to buy, the content should provide them with enough details directing them to the point of purchase.
CONCLUSIONS
It is clear that the majority of cosmetics users are women, their main source of information being online research and word of mouth. There are many online articles that shoppers can use to get this information and it is only obvious for manufacturers to tap into this phenomenon for their own benefit. There are various ways of writing articles that will lead to a purchase. There are articles that are specific to products and that have step by step instructions on how to get the product, there are others that mention the products and give necessary links so that the readers can access the products. It is however very essential that people find these articles through SOEs(Search Engine Optimization) and when they find them, they should be captivating and have the ability to connect with reader. It is therefore necessary that web based content be outsourced to a professional content writer who will create quality content which has the appropriate tone, either professional or friendly depending on your needs. SEO content writing makes your web site and its content attractive, relevant and visible to search engines and web searchers. It is very easy for manufacturers to get stuck at the cost of doing this, but the facts are clear, the benefits outweigh the cost.
Why should you engage a good web content service provider?
- A website with good content is more likely to create a bond with the consumer and has a high chance of turning them to buyers.
- Search engines are grabbing more market share. 80-90% of shoppers search for product reviews before purchasing it therefore making it indispensable for manufacturers to increase their presence online.
- Not having enough and regular content may be damaging to websites. Most search engines review their search algorithms daily and if your content is not dynamic enough, the website risks falling behind.
- SOE provides a fairly cheaper ROI compared to other online marketing schemes.
- If you are not moving forward and covering a higher position, you risk losing ground to your competitors.
It is essential for any cosmetic business to have a working SEO strategy to complement their marketing. In this day and age, people engage using the internet and it is important for businesses to engage with their customers and ask them how they can increase the value of their web content. It is a misconception that people skip over advertisements when they are going through a website. People spend as much time looking at the ads as they spend looking at the photos and pictures. This is because they are getting the value of they want. The value of content goes beyond the language and grammar used, it is a cooperation between visual aspects, simplicity of access and a captivating way of expressing words. With the increase in use of phones and tablets, content should be mobile friendly and should be linked to the dominant social sites so that people can share it. In summary, giving your customers essential information will market your company with great results.
References
Merisavo, M., & Raulas, M. (2004). The impact of e-mail marketing on brand loyalty. Journal Of Product & Brand Management, 13(7), 498. doi:10.1108/10610420410568435.
(2014). Global Cosmetic Chemicals Industry. PR Newswire.
Radford, M. (2010). Reference renaissance: Current and future trends. New York: Neal-Schuman.
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