By Gayatri Menon
The journey to launching your own beauty brand can feel nothing short of a whirlwind.
However, we believe that one of the most important steps in developing your brand comes from knowing who you’re building all of this for. The most successful brands understand that their audience has the potential to become their fiercest advocates and shape countless facets throughout the brand experience.
To clearly identify your audience, you first need to define the core problem your brand is solving for. Who has the most immediate need for your product, and what are the demographics of this group (e.g. age, gender, location)? Don’t feel limited to just one – maybe your brand is as much for Gen Z as it is for Gen X! You can also reference the core demographics of your closest competitors or imagine who you aspire to own and use your product. Although basic demographics are a good start, approaching this person with more empathy is ultimately what sets them apart from any other consumer (and what makes your brand stand out from the crowd).
Recently, our team has been helping consult True Beauty Ventures’ Bridge Mentorship Program. The professional development program is geared towards supporting beauty and wellness entrepreneurs to help accelerate their emerging brands with meaningful personal and business growth. Here are some of the thought starters we shared with them (no outside help or commissioned research necessary) to humanize your audience and unlock the heart and soul of your brand.
Who are they beyond the numbers?
Start by asking yourself these questions: “What are their core values?” “What does a typical day look like for them?” “What are the different dimensions of their personality–are they a goal-oriented planner, a dreamy creative, a social butterfly?” Give your audience a name and visualize them in real life.
We can take inspiration from Keys Soulcare, a lifestyle-beauty brand by Alicia Keys. In the early stages of development, we began describing the brand’s target audience as “lightworkers.” These are people that always bring good energy, are their most authentic selves, and want to make positive change by becoming the highest version of themselves. This sentiment became such a core element of the brand’s essence that it eventually made its way into various external touchpoints, from editorial and social content to influencer partnerships.
How are they influenced by community & culture?
It's critical that we also look beyond the individual and consider the influences around them. "Whose opinions do they value most?" Think friends and family, but also influencers and industry experts. "Are they more likely to seek out recommendations from a board certified dermatologist or a content creator on Youtube?" This can help you understand where they get their information, as well as whose opinions influence their decision making. "Where do they shop for your category (e.g. Sephora, ULTA, Target)?" "What trends on TikTok or threads on Reddit might they be engaging with?" This can point you to the digital platforms and communities where your audience is spending most of their time.
The role of social perception was a major turning point in recharging Ban, from a legacy brand focused on functional messaging to one that authentically championed the emotional needs of its consumer. We discovered that the Ban audience was not only self-conscious about their sweat, but they also struggled with the public judgment and social pressures that came with it (e.g. unpleasant odors and perceptions of poor hygiene). Pairing this with the cultural shift towards body honesty, Ban reemerged with a fresh consumer-first spin: to fight the shame around sweat and odor and inspire body empathy towards ourselves and others.
What else is on their shelf?
At this stage your audience feels less like numbers on a page and more like a living, breathing person you’ve crossed paths with. This should enable you to imagine what’s occupying their minds, hearts, thumbs and wallets, i.e. “What beauty, wellness, or lifestyle brands are they shopping for?” “What about brands in other categories?” “Whose content are they following on social media?” Sometimes there’s an interesting tension between the brands they actually use versus those they aspire to.
In the case of OUAI, founder and celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin shared a pivotal anecdote about her audience early on in the Brand Creation process, claiming this brand is “for the girl that buys Zara, but wishes it was Céline.” This helped pinpoint the target consumers’ aspirations for a luxury experience but also the realities of their budget, inspiring a line of elevated hair care products at an affordable price point.
If you find yourself struggling with this exercise, try to find someone in your life or even a fictional character that could be a proxy for your audience, and then repeat those questions. Building out the brand ecosystem helps create a big picture of this person and the lifestyle they envision for themselves. It can also be a useful tool for finding competitors or even sparking strategic cross-category partnerships.
Finally, connect the dots back to your brand
While these are valuable tools in getting to the root of your audience, it also helps define the type of relationship you want to build with them. Once you understand the way they think and how they move through the world, your brand can more thoughtfully and meaningfully show up in their lives.
Finally, it’s important to note that, just like you, your audience and their needs will evolve over time. Be sure to adapt your understanding of your consumer(s) by monitoring feedback, observing trends, and engaging directly with your consumer. The power of being an emerging brand in a digital world is that your audience is simply a tap away.
