Cosmetics Marketing Strategy

The consumer packaged goods industry is inundated with the next best thing, so when it comes to selling cosmetics in a saturated marketplace, businesses need to set their products apart with creative packaging, consistent branding and product positioning to make the most of their overall marketing strategy.

Of all the categories that comprise your business plan, your marketing and sales strategy serves as the backbone for launching your product successfully into the marketplace. Give thought to your market penetration strategy -- comprising growth, distribution channels and communications, including any public relations -- prior to launching your cosmetic product. Make the most of your marketing strategy efforts by further defining your product through packaging, branding and product positioning.

Creative packaging is an important component to your marketing strategy that captures the overall look and feel of your product. Your cosmetics packaging also can go a long way in branding your business. Be creative, but understand current trends. If simple, clear packaging is the latest trend cycle, adapt to it, using a bold but minimalist approach, rather than froufrou or glitzy packaging with lace, velvet and layers of embellished details such as ribbons, flaps, buttons or fabric cords. Always include your logo on package designs and, if the package warrants it, company information such as your website or phone number.

As you continue to define your marketing directives, branding naturally comes into play. Branding is the emotion behind your product -- in essence, it’s the consumer’s perception and feeling toward your brand. Give thought to your brand personality, a concept that Besame Cosmetics creator Gabriela Hernandez defines as “one of the main points of difference in the product landscape.” She adds that “a memorable [personality] is key to making the brand stick in the consumer's mind.”

Brand personality includes the look and feel of your business, a moral standing, a temperament and a physical appearance. For example, if you intend to market your cosmetic product as a fashion-forward, trendy brand, your marketing collateral should make good use of color and design that appeals to a younger demographic with smells and textures that are light and airy. Launching a luxury product aimed at an older demographic should have a traditional, opulent feel with richer fragrances and a thicker, fuller texture. These factors lead to your cosmetic brand personality, an essential component that leads to product positioning in the marketplace.

Take your marketing directives a step further by zeroing in on your core demographic and marketing to them. Small businesses can work to fully understand their core customers by using online marketing tools like Google Analytics, an interactive tool that details how your website is being used, including incoming search terms. For instance, the search “best oil-free face wash for acne” would likely identify a younger audience, while the keyword “hyaluronic acid night moisturizer” may indicate a mature demographic. Knowing who is buying each product of your cosmetics line opens the door to highly-effective, segmented advertising -- an essential component to your overall marketing strategy.

With a big portion of the cosmetics industry's demographics being tech-hungry millennials or Generation Y, it makes sense to market digitally. By advertising (yourself or with the help of influencers) through social media, YouTube and suitable blogs, for starters, you create numerous places for folks born between 1980 and 1994 to soak up information about your beauty products.