If you’ve heard the rumors that skin care businesses can THRIVE on social media…but you just can’t seem to make it work for YOUR brand…this list of social media tips is for you.
The reality is that successful, converting social media accounts take work.
Don’t fall victim to the ridiculous sales pitches that claim you can ‘get your business to full-time status in just three minutes of social a day’.
Bologna.
⭐️ Scroll-stopping visuals?
⭐️ Valuable copy?
⭐️ Target market research?
I promise you that those essential details take more than three minutes to get together.
To get an adoring, loyal audience (not just fellow skin care makers doing a ‘follow for follow’) that actually SEES the content that you post, you need to create content that is easy to ENGAGE with and tailored to fit YOUR target market.
Because the rumors are true…
Skin care businesses can thrive on social – these tips will make that lightbulb click ON once you see how they all work together!
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links (at no cost to you). Please read the disclosure for more information.
Social Media Tip #1: Know Your Brand
Before thinking about any specific post you’ll publish, you have to know your brand and how you want your business to come across:
- Know your target market and have a customer avatar in mind.
- Have the hex numbers from your business color palette ready to use.
- Understand the intent behind your posts (aka, how do you want to be seen? As a friend? An authority? An approachable professional?) – this will 100% dictate the type of wording (aka ‘copy’) and posts you create.
If these details sound unfamiliar, stop now and invest the time reading through the skin care business branding section of this website.
Branding is all about making yourself recognizable over time – being identifiable makes you more VISIBLE and MEMORABLE.
Check out the branding that NKahoots Bath Body & Butters puts in EVERY SINGLE POST they make. They are a fantastic example for ALL of the social media tips in this article:
Social Media Tip #2: Be Consistent
Consider how often you can realistically post before developing any schedule.
Squash the mentality that you have to post several times a day to do well on social media.
No small business owner has time for that (to do it WELL, anyway).
In actuality, you can get engagement on your posts even 48 hours later if you devote yourself to using the social media tips in this post.
Consistency is more important than frequency.
Algorithms reward users that are reliable, which means you need to have posting habits that a platform can learn to trust.
This means that if you post one time one week, three times the next, then zero times the week you’re figuring out your Black Friday marketing plan, then twenty times at once to advertise ‘said plan’…NOT EVERYONE IS SEEING THOSE POSTS.
Whether you post once a week or three times a week, make sure it’s something you can keep up with on a regular basis for the most visibility.
As skin care makers, we have definite ‘busy seasons’ – consider what your time is like during those seasons and create a manageable posting schedule with that season in mind.
Respect your energy and efforts by allowing the process of growth to develop in a realistic timeframe.
Need help planning ahead? Check out How to Use a Content Planner for Your Skin Care Business (10-Step Guide).
Download Free Social Media Content Ideas for Your Skin Care Business!
Social Media Tip #3: Be Relatable
With your target market in mind, add relatable details to your posts when you can.
Talk about the music you were listening to as you were making a recipe, which lip balm scent is your favorite, or how you snuck in this recipe as your kids were napping.
Get personal (while still keeping it BUSINESS-CENTRIC).
Why is this in a list of social media tips to boost visibility?
Because people *love* to read more about people like them.
If someone shows a post of a natural skin care product that includes chamomile tea in the background and they mention listening to James Taylor or Ray LaMontagne in the first couple words of their caption, you betcha I’m going to stop and read the entire post.
“Oh my gosh, look at this cool person with amazing taste, they are so like me!”
When an individual is scrolling through their social feed and then they stop on a certain post, that is them telling the algorithm “SHOW ME MORE OF THIS”!
That means the next time you post, it will show up closer to the top of their feed and in greater frequency.
Clearly you have to be intentional about details that would be attractive to your target audience for this to work in your favor; when done correctly, being relatable can really boost your visibility.
Slam dunk post for being ‘business-centric-relatable’ by Fir and Flora Essentials. Showing a picture of her toddler in a stack of laundry has other mamas stopping to see if she has any tips…and she absolutely delivers by referring to her essential oil products:
Social Media Tip #4: Add Value
Make sure that while you’re being relatable, you’re still adding VALUE.
It needs to be clear that your account is still about skin care.
That means NO random pictures of your cat and adding a caption like, ‘Fluffy says good morning!’.
If Fluffy is hell-bent on getting an Instagram photoshoot, keep it business-centric by saying, ‘Fluffy helping me manage all of your orders this morning!’.
The same concept goes when adding pictures of your family, your weekend adventures, or even that glass of evening cabernet.
What is the point of the post for your customers and business?
If you can think of none, get it out of your system by putting it on your PERSONAL social media accounts instead.
Remember, the whole point is to get your ideal customer to stop and read your posts.
If your audience gets the feeling that you’re posting content that isn’t valuable to them (or that you’re posting ‘just to post’), they’ll start scrolling right by, making you much LESS visible in their feeds over time.
Keep in mind that what is considered ‘valuable content’ is dependent on your target market.
A first-time mom with a newborn is going to value much different content than a retired engineer. KNOW YOUR MARKET.
The Freckled Farm Soap Company does a fantastic job of regularly photographing their goats (that are key players in their goat’s milk soap) and still keeping it ‘about the business’ for their audience:
Social Media Tip #5: Love Your Products
I have come across countless social media accounts that are so focused on showing ‘the person behind the business’ that I didn’t even know they were selling anything.
And still other accounts showed nothing BUT product photos with the same dry caption, “Now Available, link in bio”.
Overall, it’s apparent that a lot of skin care makers are either:
1) Afraid of sounding too sales-y, or
2) ONLY posting photos of their products without scroll-stopping details.
It’s ALL about the balance.
If people are following your business account, they know that you are selling something. They expect to see products…and WANT to!
It does take time and practice to develop a natural promotional language that sounds more enticing than: “Here is my soap. Buy my soap.”
Just relax and remember WHY you make handmade products!
You’re not selling car insurance, you’re not selling anything sneaky, you’re not selling something that someone else made.
You are in the handmade skin care industry for a reason – YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO!!!
⭐️ You believe in the importance of small-batch products.
⭐️ You want to educate about every ingredient that you use.
⭐️ You know that your products are safer than mass-produced lots.
BRAG ABOUT IT!
Excitement, energy, and confidence are contagious.
When you BELIEVE in what you do, when you are PUMPED to share your knowledge and expertise, when you have a STORY behind your product…THAT is scroll-stopping content (aka VISIBILITY BOOST)!
The makers over at Blue Heron Botanicals have a perfect balance of providing value and explaining the WONDER behind their products in a super classy way:
Social Media Tip #6: Quality Visuals
Assuming that you took the time to create outstanding product photos of your skin care line, you already have this one in the bag.
1) By all means, use your product photos in your social media posts.
It’s not just convenient for you, but it will make those products more recognizable (and trusted) in the long run for your audience.
2) Use the same lighting and vibe that are in your product photos for the rest of the images and videos you post.
No need to reinvent the wheel – you want your overall aesthetic to be consistent (especially true for platforms where you see posts side by side, such as an Instagram grid).
3) Not all visuals have to be photographs or videos.
There are a million ways to use graphic design programs to create scroll-stopping visuals for social media posts (think skin care quotes, natural ingredient education, customer testimonials).
Just make sure the color palettes and font pairings match your business branding.
Of all the social media tips, having high quality visuals is the FIRST thing that is going to make your audience stop scrolling to learn more about what you have to say and offer.
It doesn’t get better than the beautiful photos over at Sweet Hope Soap Co – check out her account and take notes:
Social Media Tip #7: Intentional Captions
An amazing visual is what makes people stop scrolling, but you have to have something to SAY to keep them there!
There are many different ways to find your ‘brand voice‘, and the one that is going to work the best for YOU is the one that has your IDEAL CUSTOMER in mind.
A new mom isn’t going to have the time to read a mini-blog under each post you write. She’ll get more value out of quick tips and motivational short blurbs.
A retired engineer may be more interested in hearing about the long story behind your sustainability practices or formulation chemistry.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: KNOW YOUR MARKET.
Regardless of the target market, your words should serve a purpose – explain your photo, tell a story, SOMETHING to make them hit that ‘read more’ button.
The more OFTEN a person hits ‘read more’ to check out your captions and the LONGER a person stays to read your captions, the more VISIBLE your posts will be to that individual going forward.
The more often this happens across the board for several people, the more people in GENERAL are going to see your posts. Success = more success.
Not the best at writing captions? Consider implementing the help of AI: How to Use AI-Generated Text in Your Skincare Business.
Side note: This text represents your business – SPELL CHECK and use proper grammar!!!
Social Media Tip #8: Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
A CTA (aka call-to-action) is asking your reader to DO something after they read your caption.
What is the point of your post?
Do you want them to…
⭐️ Click over to your website?
⭐️ Make a comment on your post?
⭐️ Share your post to enter a product or giveaway?
⭐️ Answer a poll?
Be crystal clear on what you’re looking for.
People are generally social in nature and happy to participate if they’re told what to do – but they’ll rarely share or comment unless they’re encouraged to!
The more people that interact with your post (do what you ask in your CTA), the greater the visibility of your post across the board.
Social Media Tip #9: Direct Links
I cannot tell you how. many. times. I’ve seen skin care makers so excited about a launch or post in general that they forgot to tell their readers WHERE to go:
“New batch is out…this scent is deviiiiiine!!! Won’t last long!!! Get yours NOW!!!”
(End of post, no direction or link included.)
…Wait …What? … WHERE???
If the reader isn’t told right then, they’re moving on.
Nobody but your mother is going to go clicking around without direction trying to find the scoop on your latest product.
If you want your audience to click on something, provide the easiest way for them to do so and tell them EXACTLY where to go (even if it’s obvious to YOU)!
The more ‘click arounds’ you have on your social media account, the more visible all your future content will be!
Download Free Social Media Content Ideas for Your Skin Care Business!
Social Media Tip #10: Hashtags
Most social media platforms have gravitated towards using hashtags in order to widen post reach and searchability.
This allows your content to be seen by more people than just those that are already following you.
For example, if I posted a time-lapse video and the caption says, “Look at this new amazing soap ready to cure! #coldprocesssoap”, then the individuals who follow me could see my post AND the individuals who are following that hashtag (or look up the hashtag) could see my post.
Keep in mind that all platforms use hashtags slightly differently.
For example, this list of skincare hashtags for Instagram may not be the best hashtags for Pinterest or Linkedin.
To get the most visibility from hashtags, always use as many as allowed AND use hashtags that have a moderate amount of searches.
For Instagram posts, use all 30 allotments and add hashtags that have between 5k and 500k posts.
Learn how to research the best Instagram hashtags for skin care accounts here.
Social Media Tip #11: Know When to Post
If you want people to click on your post and engage with it, then clearly you have to know WHEN to post.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY a quick Google search of “best times to post on Facebook” is going to give you the right answer.
Why?
Because no one knows your target market except for you!
If your ideal customer is a 9-to-5 young professional, perhaps posting at 8:30 am while they’re sipping their latte and scrolling social before clocking in is a fantastic strategy.
If you post at 8:30 am with a stay-at-home mom target market, I’m willing to place a huge bet that all you’ll hear is crickets.
She’s busting her booty to clean up breakfast dishes, throwing on a somewhat presentable outfit, getting her kids to ‘just try to use the bathroom’ one more time, or finding the match to her toddler’s favorite cowgirl boot.
So how do you find the best time to post?
Experimentation!
Think about the really-real-life of your customer avatar and consider when they’re most likely to be checking their social feeds throughout the day.
Post for a stretch of time in all of those time frames and then check your analytics to see which gets the most traction.
Of all the social media tips, this one takes the longest to nail down, but it’s worth the time – and makes all the other tips pay off simultaneously!
You’ll get the best visibility on social media when you really stop to consider the daily habits and social networking behavior of your SPECIFIC target market.
Social Media Tip #12: Get Your Customers Talking
Do yourself a favor and take a few moments to look at your list of followers.
I’m willing to bet that more than HALF are other skin care businesses, just like you.
This isn’t a bad thing!
The community support in our industry is absolutely amazing (and essential!)
But to actually SELL on social, to convert your posts into DOLLARS, you have to build a following of actual CUSTOMERS.
There are so many ways to do this.
⭐️ Contests and giveaways
⭐️ Perks for sending you UGC (user-generated content)
⭐️ Include your handle in every email, business card, and product label
Individuals trust the purchases and reviews of their friends and family far more than any commentary from a stranger.
In your captions, CTAs, value, branding…everything…always be thinking of ways and reasons for your customers to share your posts, tag your account, and advocate on your behalf.
Getting your target audience to engage with your account will make you visible to their friends and family, growing your skin care business exponentially.
Burt’s Bees uses this tactic by having Greivy® provide some user-generated-content:
Have questions or want feedback on your social media accounts? Join us over in the private DIY Skin Biz community to network with other handmade skin care makers!
Grow Your Skin Care Business!
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