Alright, so when I first waded into this whole marketing cosmetics thing, I really thought it was gonna be pretty straightforward. You know, get some good-looking photos of the product, maybe find someone with a bunch of followers to show it off, and that’s it. Easy money, right? I figured pretty packaging and a nice shade would just sell itself.
So, I started by doing just that. I took what I thought were amazing pictures. I posted them everywhere I could online. I even tried to get a few small-time influencers to talk about the stuff. And guess what? Mostly crickets. A few likes here and there, but nothing that really moved the needle. It was frustrating, felt like I was just shouting into the void. I looked at what others were doing; some were just doing the same flashy stuff, but then I noticed some brands, the really successful ones, they seemed to be doing something… more. It wasn’t just “buy our new lipstick.”
My “Aha!” Moment Came from an Unexpected Place
It reminds me of this one time, totally unrelated, years ago. I was trying to help my kid’s school raise money for a new playground. We designed these really colorful flyers, listed all the fun equipment they wanted to buy. We put them up all over town. We held a small meeting. Practically no one showed up to the meeting, and donations were trickling in. We were all pretty down about it.
Then, one of the parents, Sarah, she got up and started talking, not about the slides or swings, but about how the old playground was actually a bit dangerous, how a kid had twisted an ankle. She talked about how a new, safe space would mean so much to the kids, especially those from tougher backgrounds who didn’t have big backyards. She shared a couple of stories about kids who found their joy in that little patch of grass. Suddenly, people started listening. Really listening. Donations started coming in after she reframed it. It wasn’t about the equipment; it was about the kids, the community, the safety, the story.
Connecting the Dots to Cosmetics
That whole playground experience kinda stuck with me, and it clicked when I was banging my head against the wall with the cosmetics stuff. I realized I was just showing the “equipment” – the lipstick, the eyeshadow. I wasn’t telling any kind of story. I wasn’t connecting with people on any real level.
So, I changed my approach. I started digging deeper into the brands I was working with.
- What was their mission, really?
- Were they doing anything good, like being cruelty-free, or using sustainable stuff?
- Who were they actually trying to help feel good?
Instead of just “Look at this pretty color!”, I began to weave these other elements into the marketing. I tried to show the ‘why’ behind the product. If a brand was all about empowering busy moms, we’d focus on content that spoke to them, their challenges, their small wins. If it was about clean ingredients, we’d highlight that journey and transparency.
And you know what? It started to work. Slowly, but surely. Engagement went up. People weren’t just liking a photo; they were commenting, asking questions, sharing their own stories. It felt like building a community, not just pushing a product. It’s definitely more work than just posting a pretty picture, sure. You actually have to think and care a bit. But just like with that playground, when people understand the ‘why’ and feel a connection, they’re much more likely to get on board. It’s not just about the makeup anymore; it’s about what it represents or how it makes you feel beyond just looking good. That’s the stuff that actually sticks, I reckon.
