Around five years ago, I realized that I was losing the ability to engage with people who aren’t like-minded. The idea of discussing any issue that may bring out opposing opinions, with my fellow Americans was starting to give me heartburn. I have always been an introvert, and the situation was getting worse. This lack of tolerance to be around people who didn’t hold same opinions as mine had started taking a toll on my life. It was affecting my work, my social circle, my family; my whole life.
I was constantly changing jobs because I was unable to feel that I belonged there and make any meaningful connections with people. I disliked my co-workers (men and women alike), I despised being around people in lunchroom and just wanted to disappear (or people to disappear).
This strong need for solitude turned me into a loner. But something just wasn’t right. It wasn’t the usual introvert behavior I had always shown. I decided to visit a therapist, (even though I’ve always been skeptical about them).
After a thorough examination and three visits, I was told I had social anxiety and Bi-polar disorder. Bi-polar people are not fit to function around people because of their episodes of mania and rage. I took some time off and went to live with my sister; in such time family is the only support you need.
One day after dinner, my sister and I were sitting on the porch drinking chamomile tea. I told her about my concerns; how it was going to be extremely difficult to work and make a living, considering my mental health. She told me I always loved making organic lip balms and lip-glosses at home and if I had ever considered turning it into something more than a hobby.
My lip-balms and glosses were quite popular in my circle. I made them for myself and sometimes upon request of a friend or family member but I never thought about turning into an entrepreneurial venture. It was not a bad suggestion though.
There were several perks of starting your own business:
- No unnecessary interaction with people
- I didn’t have to leave the house
- I could work on my own accord.
- Even if I had a manic episode, it wouldn’t turn into a public show.
After coming back home, I kept on thinking about it. It seemed like a tempting idea, but the amount of work I would have to put in scared me. After two days, I ended up getting into an argument with my co-worker that escalated quickly and turned ugly.
I left work early that day. Coming home, I give proper consideration to starting my own business, looked at all the possible pros and cons, if I had enough capital or not, if I was going to be able to deliver orders or not. Next thing was finding suppliers for materials for lip-glosses and outsource a packaging company for Custom Lip Gloss Boxes.
I called over a friend who has an MBA in marketing and business analytics. She helped with the business model, pricing, and placement strategies. The initial model was completely online and I was relying on e-commerce a hundred percent.
I started out by making social media handles for my product. At first it was just WOM, I didn’t put a separate marketing budget as custom packaging was going to be main medium for me. I used the same designing i.e. logo, graphics, and color combinations that packaging firm developed for my custom boxes, over my social media pages (later on my website as well).
My family and friends helped me a lot as well. The response was overwhelming, I wasn’t expecting so many people to place order for the glosses, but guess we’re all dying to our hands on organic and natural products. Within first 48 hours of going live, I received 46 orders. It was way more than I had anticipated. After receiving orders, I got the raw material accordingly; it is extremely important for new cosmetic ventures to be careful with supply chain. You can’t afford to lose money by buying more raw material than needed.
I still remember how nervous I was when I was about to ship my first batch of lip-glosses. To build trust and invoke an emotional response from customers, I placed a handwritten note in every package, which summarized as me thanking and asking the customers to leave an online review.
Three days after I dispatched the orders, I got my first positive review from a customer, which was very encouraging. After that, there was no looking back, now I have added lip-balm and lip-sting lines as well and my products have a counter at Sephora. This should be an example for everyone, don’t let your mental illnesses define you. You’re a strong person, don’t reduce your self-worth to a mere diagnosis. You’re still worthy and capable of achieving great things.
The beauty and cosmetic industry are amazing. It feels amazing to work in the beauty and cosmetic industry. The beauty and cosmetic industry are continuously growing. If you are working in the cosmetic industry, let me tell you that your future is secured because it is such a business that can never decline. Have you ever thought why famous people like Rihanna and Kylie jumped into the cosmetics industry? Well, the answer is very simple and obvious, because the cosmetic industry is continuously growing and the future is secure in this field.
No doubt that cosmetic industry is growing rapidly and we see numerous brands popping out in the cosmetic industry. People love the new products that are coming out, they like testing out and recommending it to others. There are so many bloggers and make up influencers these days, whose job is to try out products and recommend them to their followers.
Well, it is not that easy to enter into the cosmetic industry. Competition is tough and the standards of cosmetics have raised. You have to meet the high standards and bring out high-quality products into the cosmetic industry to make your mark. People working in the cosmetic industry are looking for ways to grow and make their mark in the cosmetic industry. Well, the first thing that is important to enter into the cosmetic industry is to make high-quality products. There are so many cosmetic brands, why would people choose you? You need to do something different to make the people choose you. Give customers a good reason to choose you. Are you offering high-quality makeup products? If no, then why would people waste their money to buy your low-quality products?
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The competition in the cosmetic industry is so tough that even if the quality of your products is high, there are few chances that people would choose and buy your products. It takes years for a cosmetic brand to gain customers. Well, a lot of cosmetic brands took the help of marketing campaigns to promote their cosmetic business. They have made a remarkable difference in the cosmetic industry with the help of these marketing campaigns:
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Cover Girl marketing campaign
Long gone are the days when beauty was used to be measured with the scale of how fair or how tall or how thin you are. Not only the cosmetic industry has changed but people have also changed. Their mindsets have also changed. Trends have changed. In 2018, a famous cosmetic brand called “Cover Girl”, did something different that nobody had done before. Brands used to hire beautiful, young faces for their advertisements but Cover Girl changed the whole game. Cover Girl featured a model with vitiligo. They did not cover her flaws with foundation, instead, they enhanced her beauty by using their newly launched truBlend foundation. Cover Girl won the customers’ hearts with this advertisement. They bring the concept that diversity is acceptable and all skin types are beautiful and acceptable.
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Fenty beauty marketing campaign
Who does not know Fenty Beauty? Well, everyone knows about Fenty Beauty because it created a buzz in the cosmetic industry as it was launched. This cosmetic brand is owned by the famous singer Rihanna. The reason for the popularity of this makeup brand was not that it was owned by Rihanna. This makeup brand gained popularity because it brought something different in the cosmetic industry. It was unique. Her marketing campaign was “Beauty for all”. Targeted all the skin types. She launched 40 foundations that were for all the skin types. Didn’t just launch her makeup line but she wanted to inspire people. She wanted to include all the skin types so that everyone can have fun with makeup, not just the fair people.
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Rimmel London marketing campaign
Rimmel London is another famous cosmetic brand. This brand started its marketing campaign #LiveTheLondonLook. It was a short movie in which several makeup-influencers were casted including one male makeup influencer. The message they gave through this campaign was “Be bold, be you”. They gave a message to their customers and followers to be their own type rather than copying others. This marketing campaign changed the way cosmetics were used and it gained popularity for quite some time. Rimmed London changed the way beauty was viewed. It inspired the customers to play with their looks and be their own type rather than trying to be someone else.
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Babor marketing campaign
Our society has created so many beauty standards and media has also played its part in setting the beauty standards. Well, makeup influencers and cosmetic brands are constantly trying to break these beauty standards with their marketing campaigns. Their purpose is not just to promote their products but to break the stereotypes that this world has created. A skincare brand Babor collaborated with the All Women Project and created a campaign in which they showed a 57-year-old women and an activist and some other models. They showed with their advertisement that people of all ages, all races and all colors are beautiful. They did not Photoshop the pictures in the ad and inspired so many people to feel beautiful.
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Revlon marketing campaign
Our media and fashion industry keeps telling us that the ideal body shape is the one that has an hourglass body shape. They keep telling us that plus-size women are not beautiful but the famous cosmetic brand Revlon collaborated with Ashley Graham, who is a plus-size model. People used to tell her that her face does not look plus-size but her body is. Revlon gave her the chance and casted her in their “Live Boldly” marketing campaign. They gave a message to the world that beauty is beyond size. Everyone has the right to be beautiful.
How can you create your unique marketing campaign?
All these marketing campaigns have made a significant difference in the world of beauty. If you are looking forward to create your unique and inspirational marketing campaign, then you should take inspiration from all these marketing campaigns that big brands have used. What were the things that they targeted? Most of the people have targeted the social issues. They have tried to break the stereotypes that do not let the people feel beautiful. Open your mind and brainstorm a few ideas that you can use. Do not restrict your ideas. Target your audience and find inspirational ideas that you can use to make a difference in their lives. Make sure the content you create is powerful and engaging. Create such content that showcases your products and influence the viewers.
There are thousands of ideas that you can use. You can use anything to create your marketing campaign. Even, you can use your own products to engage and attract the customers. You can get visually appealing wholesale custom cosmetic packaging and create a powerful marketing campaign. This is the age of social media, you can take the help of social media to launch your campaign and promote your products at the same time. There are so many brands that have taken their products to social media and inspire people with their marketing campaigns. You can share your message with the help of multiple social media channels. Take inspiration from all the above-mentioned campaigns and create your unique marketing campaign.
