As we are well aware, British consumers are increasingly incorporating the Internet into their daily lives. The Internet has revolutionised the way that people communicate with one another and interact with brands. Social networking sites have facilitated a far greater reach for word of mouth marketing with 59% of Brits logging into their Facebook accounts and 13% signing into Twitter every day.
Mintel's latest social media research report (into the beauty and personal care market) reveals that Brits increasingly go online to research beauty products before purchase with sites such as Facebook and Twitter informing purchase decisions on beauty products for 34% of would-be buyers. Almost four in 10 Brits (37% - equating to 15 million consumers) have interacted with beauty and personal care brands online. Almost 10 million people visit beauty and personal care brand websites with just under 9 million resorting to Google when they want to find out more about these products and brands.
It is no surprise that the ever pervading voucher culture is also playing a part in online behaviour. 33% of UK internet users who interacted with beauty brands in the 12 months to January 2012 did so to take advantage of special offers and 33% said they wanted to get free offers and samples. Just over four in 10 (42%) people will interact with a brand online for discounts or information on sales or money-saving tips and this is as motivating for Twitter followers (52%) as it is for Facebook fans (50%).
Mintel's report considers which beauty and personal care brands are buzzing in social media. For the digital marketer looking for great case studies, the report is a good starting off point for research. I like the conversational nature of L'Oreal's Facebook page which neatly showcases the role of social networks in opinion sharing:
Dior use stunning photography and a video archive to showcase the brand. TREsemme are making heavy use of social media with behind the scenes snippets.
Alexandra Richmond, Senior Social Media and Lifestyles Analyst at Mintel, reports that: “Social networks have established themselves as integral to the consumer’s digital experience. They not only enrich the brand experience, but also help to integrate real-world brands into users’ digital lifestyles. People are turning to online discussions within social media channels for product recommendations, listening to the opinions of others and increasingly forming networks based on shared interests and tastes. For brands willing to engage with participants within these networks, social networks present an opportunity to communicate with an audience and establish a position via the medium of the digital environment.”
Irrespective of the amount of time that people spend online, Facebook is the preferred vehicle to express thoughts or opinions on beauty brands. Almost three quarters (74%) of people who have used the internet to contact a brand or discuss one have used Facebook to do so. It's no surprise that Facebook users are more likely to become a fan or ‘like’ a brand on Facebook than they are to post a status update or engage directly on the brand’s Facebook wall, however, almost two thirds (65%) of those who have contacted a brand via Facebook have become a fan or ‘liked’ the brand compared to just one in four (24%) who have posted a status update on Facebook referencing a beauty or personal care brand.
Richmond states “People use social media to share what they think with many people - not just their friends and family. In fact, sharing their thoughts on beauty products with friends, family or colleagues is a key reason that people talk about beauty and personal care brands both online and offline. This illustrates the strength of word of mouth and the internet plays a key role in enabling people to influence other people’s purchases whilst at the same time providing brands with valuable feedback.”
There are many degrees of intimacy in friendships and associations and it appears that the role of social networking sites is encouraging a greater degree of intimacy between consumer and brand - and also stretching the definition of friendship. Just over one in three people (34%) engage with or share their thoughts on beauty and personal care brands that they already use. But whilst friendship with friends may be based on trust and mutual understanding, one in three (33%) people only friend a brand or share their thoughts on it in order to save money or get free samples.
“The ‘friendship’ between consumer and brand is not based on positive reciprocity, but on an assumption that they will be rewarded by the brand for being friends with it, liking it or sharing their thoughts and opinions on it.” Alexandra continues.
Encouragingly for brands, and particularly those with aspirational status, tribal behaviour also motivates their online visitors. Just over a third of those who interacted with them did so because they already own their label, 22% wanted their friends to know that they like the brand and 14% wanted to be associated with it.
In Britain today, an estimated 6.6 million adults (16%) are Enthusiasts of beauty and personal care products. Although almost a third (32%) of the Enthusiasts keep their negative thoughts and feelings to themselves, they do talk with their fingers and show the greatest propensity to show their dissatisfaction by unfriending or unliking a brand on Facebook. Some 25% of enthusiasts have unfriended or unliked a brand on Facebook when they wanted to express a negative feeling about a beauty and personal care brand.
Perhaps in a nod to the success of Dove's hugely successful Real Beauty campaign, as well as a number of fashion brands such as Burberry, a growing number of beauty brands have used crowdsourced images as a central point of their advertising campaigns. Social media means that people can share their instant reactions and emotions to the things that they see, hear and experience.
By Marie Page
Marie Page @marie_page is one of the UK’s leading Facebook marketing experts. She is a founding partner of digital marketing consultancy The Digiterati and the Digiterati Academy, an e-learning portal for marketers and entrepreneurs. She recently published a book and online course “Winning at Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget”.
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