Is beauty brand enthusiasm for social media ‘fading’?

20-Jun-2016 - Last updated on 21-Jun-2016 at 10:56 GMT

It seems that every other day we’re hearing about another beauty brand conquering the social media realm - engaged and ambitious in their efforts to get ahead in the digital field.

But, is the industry as a whole really invested in the time and training it takes to understand online communities and create engaging content that goes beyond sales based communications and PR jargon filled campaigns?

Today’s consumer is savvier than ever and a whiff of lazy content or desperation around gaining ‘likes’ or ‘shares’ can make or break a brand’s online presence.

Initial excitement starting to fade?

According to a survey by global recruitment specialist, VMA Group, there are a worrying number of companies half-heartedly entering the digital world.

The firm reported that 70 per cent of those surveyed rated their businesses use of social media and online communications as ‘poor or average’.

“It seems that the initial excitement around these channels is beginning to fade,” says Andrew Harvey, director of internal communications practice, VMA Group.

“This, coupled with an increasing level of caution exhibited by many employers, is causing investment of time and money into these platforms to decrease,” he added.

‘Only 16% of companies use digital to maintain relationships’

While some beauty brands are getting it right and the potential is there for digital to increase consumer loyalty and the lifetime value of their products, this may not be realised due to a lack of consistent, shared consumer data to improve decision making.

A recent study carried out by Forrester Consulting found that while the expectation of high returns from the digital platform is evident, the research found that just 16 per cent of consumer packaged companies actually use digital technologies to maintain an in-store and online relationships with the consumer to drive repeat purchases in store.

Furthermore, the firm reported that only 38 per cent of companies surveyed used digital channels to drive planogram compliance while 60 per cent of the same respondents find it too difficult to "deliver relevant and personalized content to engage consumers effectively through digital channels".