How to Stand Out in the Beauty Industry: Tips for Founders
Simple fact: we are, without a doubt, living in a brand era. Now more than ever, your brand story can be the thing that captures the attention of your dream clients, retail partners, and investors—and catapults your brand to the highest level of success. Product matters, but brand is Queen.
In this post, we’re going to cover the definition of brand story, why it’s become so powerful in the current state of the beauty industry, consider a few examples, and cover three essential tips for creating one that stands out. Founders and marketers, buckle up, because this is going to help you create a roadmap for building your most compelling brand presence yet.
Plus, stick around for a special offer at the end of this post. 😎
Brand Story, Defined
Brand story is the core narrative that articulates your purpose, value, and point of differentiation to your key audience. It informs all messaging, copy, and content your brand creates across channels. And it’s just one element of your complete verbal brand identity, which consists of three main components:
Brand Positioning — your point of differentiation from competitors and the unique space your brand occupies within the beauty industry
Brand Story — **you are here**
Brand Voice — your tone and style for communicating your brand story and with your audience
Why Creating Your Brand Story Matters
Real question: in a landscape filled with hundreds of beauty brands with thousands of products, what makes your brand memorable to a client? At this point, standing out requires more than just a novel product feature or innovation. Your brand story has become as crucial as product efficacy because clients are no longer just buying products. They're aligning with brands that share their personal values, tastes, and aspirations.
And here’s the thing: when clients can see themselves—or the version of themselves they aspire to be—reflected in your brand story, you have the ability to foster a deep connection with them. And create messages, content, and visuals that resonate with them on an emotional level—which draws them in and cultivates a real sense of loyalty.
It’s why brands like Refy and Rhode resonate so strongly with their audiences. They’re not just selling products—they’re immersing you into their brand world, and telling a story clients want to be part of.
When you’re up against 10 competitors, vying for your key audiences’ attention, your ability to articulate your purpose, value, and point of differentiation in daily marketing messages and visuals can make or break your success.
Images belong to Rhode and Refy.
Brand Story Examples: Vacation vs. Paula’s Choice
To highlight the impact of brand story, let's consider two sunscreen brands with wildly different expressions, and how it shapes the clients they appeal to.
You’re likely familiar with Vacation—a sunscreen brand that’s known for its nostalgic and entertaining approach to sun care. Their brand story fully immerses clients into a throwback world where fax machines, neon swimwear, and corporate holiday parties are at the height of their appeal. This is how they brought that to life in a recent Instagram post:
Golden afternoons spent lounging poolside, the clink of ice-cold drinks, and the scent of sunscreen mingling with the warmth of the sun.
In these moments, true relaxation and ultimate comfort come to life. This is what it feels like to be on Vacation® — where every sunscreen is meticulously crafted to heighten your leisure and elevate your senses.
From the subtle, enviable shine of our Chardonnay Oil to the dessert-inspired “air whip” formula of our Classic Whip, you can count on any sunscreen from the Vacation® Brand Family of Products to not only provide optimal, broad spectrum protection, but also to transport you to a state of blissful indulgence.
Immerse yourself in the luxury and allure of summer, no matter the season, with any choice of “The World’s Best-Smelling Sunscreen” from Vacation®.
Images belong to Vacation and Supergoop!
Supergoop!, on the other hand, offers a stark contrast. Known for their industry-leading approach to making sunscreen a daily habit, Supergoop! positions itself as a modern authority and expert on sun care. This is a snippet from their website that tells their story:
This Was Never Just About Sunscreen.
Hi, we’re Supergoop! You may know us as the Experts in SPF™. For more than 15 years, product has been our purpose — something our founder, Holly, has said since the beginning. But our mission is about so much more than just sunscreen... This is about revolutionizing an industry.
Not long ago, SPF only came to mind at the beach, and it wasn’t something people actually wanted to wear. So, we set out to change the way the world thought about sunscreen. Goodbye, gloopy sticky SPF. Hello, Supergoop!
We continually invest in newer, better ways to bring sunscreen to life with formulas that completely change the game. (We’re looking at you, Unseen Sunscreen!)…
Though both brands offer sunscreen, you can clearly see how their stories position each brand in very different places in the market. Where Vacation appeals to those who value nostalgia and entertainment, Supergoop! attracts those who value expertise and efficacy first and foremost. Their distinct expressions demonstrate just how powerful storytelling is for creating a unique niche within an ultra-saturated market.
Three Tips to Create Your Brand Story
As you think about ways to create your standout brand story, here are three tips to guide your efforts.
Study Your Competition
First, analyze your competitors. Your goal is to glean a clear understanding of what they’re known for, what stories they tell, and what niche, if any, they occupy within the industry.
This will give you a clear picture of the landscape and the areas of opportunity for your brand.
Define Your Brand Positioning
After studying your competition, define your point of differentiation from them and the unique space your brand occupies within the beauty industry. Maybe it’s a fresh and creative way you approach a traditional category (like Vacation) or some technology you’re bringing the market for the first time that will change the way clients see and interact with the products you sell.
Your brand positioning will inform the creation of your brand story, so take your time to get it just right.
Create a Profile of Your Key Audience
Knowing your audience inside and out is critical to building a brand that resonates with them. So, take the time to deeply understand your ideal clients—who they are, what they desire, and what motivates them. What values do they hold? What problem are they trying to solve, and how does your brand serve that need? Demographics can sometimes be helpful, but my suggestion is to focus on psychographics—the characteristics that describe their attitudes, values, interests, and behaviors.
Use what you learn to tailor your positioning and story to their needs, desires, values, and aspirations.
By taking these steps first, you’ll be better equipped to create a brand story that articulates your unique point of differentiation and resonates deeply with your key audience. Plus, it’ll provide a powerful roadmap for creating your daily marketing messages, copy, and content across channels.
Special Offer: Limited Client Openings for Jan/Feb 2025
If you’re ready to build your most compelling brand story, I’m here to support you! I’m thrilled to announce that I have three openings available for my Verbal Brand Identity service for January/February 2025—and for the first time, I’m offering 10% off this service to aligned clients who secure their spot by December 10, 2024.
Contact me here to book a free discovery call and learn more.
I’m excited to hear from you!