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When brands become creators: How beauty brands can use YouTube to look their best

Few trends move as quickly as beauty in the style space. With every fashion show or red carpet, a new lipstick color or hair style instantly becomes a look of the moment. While traditional print publications and word of mouth chartered beauty trends in past generations, today trends are established and discovered with a few flips on a keyboard.

Platforms like YouTube are chock-full of inspiration from people across the industry — designers, makeup artists, brands, and publishers — as well as a new generation of beauty influencers. Here’s the really interesting part for marketers: that same survey found that U.S. beauty consumers turn to videos produced by brands and publishers nearly as much as product review videos from other users. That means there’s a massive pre-established community that wants to hear from you and is ready to engage.

So how do you connect with them? It’s simple: think like a creator.

Make what the creators make

Seek inspiration from the variety of content that beauty creators are producing. Derek Blasberg, said his  team recently analyzed all of last year’s beauty content on YouTube, and found that 95% of it fell into one of three buckets: inspiration, education, and access.

1. Inspirational content

Inspirational content is story led, aspirational, and less product focused — think transformational makeover videos or travel diaries. This type of content has a clear narrative, with a beginning, middle, and end.

A great example of how this can come to life is the collaboration between Dior and beauty creator Jackie Aina, who went behind the scenes at Paris Fashion Week to create a day in the life video that brings viewers inside the inspiring world of Dior.

2. Educational content

Educational videos are an opportunity for viewers to learn tips, hear reviews, and receive advice. Beauty fans are hungry for these videos, and will proactively search for them on YouTube, which is something you’ll want to consider when giving them a title.

A favorite example of mine is Jen Atkin’s wedding hairstyles and makeup tutorial with Negin Mirsalehi and Mary Phillips. The concept is simple but effective: Jen and Mary provide fans with a step-by-step guide to how they can get fashion influencer Negin Mirsalehi’s bridal hair and makeup look. It’s casual, helpful, and a perfect use of the medium.

3. Access content

This type of content takes the audience somewhere they wouldn’t be able to go on their own or introduces them to someone they wouldn’t otherwise be able to meet.

There are lots of formats at your disposal, including behind-the-scenes videos, live streams of big events, Q&As with celebs, and making-of videos. Intimacy goes a long way here, so don’t worry if your videos aren’t shiny and polished or the lighting isn’t perfect. Victoria Beckham’s new series “On the Road” is a great example of access content. In the first episode, Victoria gives her audience an intimate look into her trip to New York to launch her collaboration with Reebok.

Do what the creators do

If you pay close attention to your favorite YouTube channels and creators, you’ll notice they all do a few of the same things.

First they establish a regular cadence for uploads, because in our digital world, absence does not make the heart grow fonder. Top creators upload regularly — several times a week for some. Developing a consistent schedule is critical for building your channel and establishing an engaged audience. While you may not be able to upload weekly, remember that consistency is key.

YouTube channel creators all do a few of the same things:

Calendar icon: 1. Upload content regularly. Illustration of beauty video in progress: 2. Cater content to audience interest. Illustration of a smartly dressed black woman hosting a video: 3. Encourage viewers to share and subscribe.

We hope you found these tips useful. Please, feel free to leave a comment.
 Source: Think with google