6 Ways To Promote Your Beauty Brand Without Press

We all know that getting press for your brand is crucial but what do you do if you want to promote but you don’t have any press coverage? In the beginning, some people might be skeptical of your product so this is why it’s a common challenge with beauty startup brands. It doesn’t mean that you will have to go without any promotions. There are definitely ways around this and as your brand gets noticed more press coverage will become easier.  

1. Co-Branding With Others 

Find other brands that are within your space but always make sure that the products or services they offer don’t compete with yours. You want to make sure that you both create a partnership. 

2. Create An Experience 

You can create experiences that are either offline (ie: live events) or online (ie: virtual summits). When you create experiences that make people feel great and share valuable information they will naturally share your brand with their circle of people. There’s nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth marketing 

3. Social Media Is Your Friend 

Sometimes brands might be shy about sharing their products when they start out. But don’t forget that we all started from zero. Social media is a great way to let people know about you and they also get a chance to be part of your brand journey. 

4. Celebs and Influencers 

No budget to pay influencers and celebs, no worries there. Sometimes influencers and celebrities are willing to post for product(s). Most likely you would have better luck with influencers when it comes to product post exchange. You can ask them to do a review of your product if they found your product to be great. 

5. Founders Get Out There 

Another way to promote your brand by getting onto podcasts or jumping into speaking opportunities. Make sure that the podcast or speaking opportunities are within your brand’s industry. For example, if you’re a beauty brand you probably won’t be on a podcast about Human Resources. Or if you speak at an event as a beauty brand you probably wouldn’t speak at an auto trade show. 

6. Gift Bag Goodies 

Events are always looking to fill their gift bags (that’s if they provide any for the attendees). You can always offer to provide products for them to fill gift bags. Or if you were a speaker you can also offer those who attend a discount on your products by using a code.  

Can't Hire A PR Agency? Do These 3 Things Instead

These days everyone needs press but what if you don’t have the budget to hire a fancy PR agency? There are definitely ways around it. You can always start small and give PR a try first, it’ll also be a great way for you to be familiar with the PR landscape. But remember to set your expectations. Your first go-around won’t be the best but it takes practice. Know that when you first start you won’t land a feature in Vogue or Inc. 500 instead work your way up to that point. 

By now you’re probably wondering what you can do to get the ball rolling if you can’t hire a PR agency. Here are 3 things you can try: 

1. Learn to Reach Out to Influencers & Editors

If it sounds scary it’s not, keep in mind they are still humans. One of the biggest reasons why people want to hire PR agencies is that they can leverage their existing contacts and get you coverage with speed. Check out our resources section to find more information about how you can better connect with influencers and editors. 

2. Build Your Social Reach and Email List 

These are other ways that you can connect with journalists and influencers who might be interested in your brand. Set up an incentive for people to sign up for something. It can be a discount or some sort of freebie that you give them. 

3. Finding Journalists on Google 

Today we all have access to Google, all it takes is some dedicated time to researching journalists. Sometimes you can find their information on Google, Twitter or even Linkedin. Don’t be shy about sliding into their DM’s and ask if they are open to being pitched to. If they’re interested they will reach out to you. If they don’t make sure you follow up politely. 

PR doesn’t have to be overly complicated it’s simply about communicating with others, crafting a compelling pitch and seeing how you can also help journalists or editors come up with new stories. They are always looking for fresh ideas and new products.

New Rules of Guerrilla Marketing

When it comes to startups and creating experiences it can be a huge challenge due to a lack of cash flow. This means many startups fail to create those experiences that truly connect with customers. They function primarily on a very basic means of building brand awareness which is just social media but it doesn’t have to be this way. Startup brands must have a love for guerrilla marketing in order to succeed. 

The concept of guerrilla marketing has been around for many years. By marketing your brand in this way it can build awareness. Guerrilla marketing is a very grassroots hybrid way of getting your business out into the world. It’s one that focuses on having a dialogue with your customers, encouraging them to engage with you. Versus traditional marketing which is very much a one-way dialogue, where brands tell the world I have this product, buy it. 

One of the key components to building brands is to really ask yourself, “what do I want to do?” What solution(s) is your brand offering to solve a problem in the world? By creating this core concept it provides your brand a Northstar and streamlines a lot of your efforts when it comes to marketing as well as creating brand experiences. The idea is to start with one sentence, cut it down to 7 words and then finally 3 words that describe what you do. 

So the question becomes how do we use guerrilla marketing to encourage a conversation with our customers? It simply starts with these: 

1. Asking Customers to Register For Something 

Maybe you want them to register for a demo of your product or a chance to meet the founder of your company. This is also going to be a great way for you to start collecting email addresses of those who are interested in what you have to offer.  

2. Newsletter Signups 

This is the most common way of encouraging a conversation. Those who sign up for your newsletters find some kind of value in what you’re offering. They want to know more and this is the chance for your brand to shine and educate those qualified customers. 

3. Giveaways and Contests

We see this a lot on Instagram these days where brands ask you to follow, tag a few friends in order to win something from them. If you want new followers for social media this will be the quickest way to do it. 

4. Online polls 

Is another way to get the conversation going. It’s also a great market research tool where you really get a glimpse into the mindset of your customers. Feedback is always great and this is a very non-invasive way of getting it. 

5. Appeal To A Wider Audience 

With over 500 million users utilizing Instagram stories, brands such as Burberry unveiled an interactive AR filter that covers the user's face with white lace, the same pattern used for the house's fashion show invitation during its Spring/Summer 2020 show. 

With all these options which one really works? That’s going to take trial and tribulations because not every brand will have the same goals nor will the audience respond in the same way. It will depend on how you craft these experiences and what your goals are. 

You need a marketing combination, it’s no longer about just about omni-channel marketing. 

Startups with limited budgets can try creating a website, canvassing, telephone marketing, circulars, brochures, signs on bulletins, personal letters, classified ads, direct mail, outdoor signs, billboards (ask for remnant inventory it’s cheaper), demonstrations, seminars, event sponsorships, trade shows, Public Relations, T-shirts, free gift giveaways, newspapers, magazine ads, radio, or television.

Yes, some of these sound like dinosaur advertising methodologies, but I invite you to think about if a marketplace is very noisy, where you’re aggressively competing for attention would your brand be seen? So why not try an area where not many people are playing in.

3 Must Know Media Channels In PR

Public relations isn’t so cut and dry, there are so many facets to it when it comes to media. Every brand needs publicity no matter where in the world you are. If you’re selling products or services then PR is a must-have. Even public relations agencies need PR.  

Publicists have the role of always juggling different opportunities for clients whether its an interview, editorial, appearances, sponsorships or partnerships. But when it comes to the media channels, know that not all media is created equal. Before you dive into allocating your budget to different types of media here are the 3 channels of media you’ll need to know: 

1. Owned Media

This can be from anything from blogs, video content, newsletters, websites, and social media posts. This type of media is generated in-house and controlled by you or by your team. Owned media can act as a home base for your PR activity. Usually, when people mention your brand they’ll link back to your owned media. 

2. Paid Media

Paid media is where you spend some money to gain awareness for your business. It can be in the form of influencer marketing, social media marketing, billboards, pay-per-click (PPC), or even AdWords. 

3. Earned Media 

This type of media is the hardest type of media to get because it takes a lot of effort, consistency, and hard work to establish. It’s also a tactic to boost conversation around your brand. Examples of earned media can be news mentions, feature interviews, editorials, customer reviews or testimonials. 

The ultimate goal of PR is to boost the reputation of your brand and spark dialogue. If you’re wondering what’s the difference between PR and marketing? The goal of Marketing is to drive sales and PR works in tandem with marketing to build awareness.  

10 Core Rules of PR Crisis Management

Every business will encounter a moment where they will need to manage a public relations crisis. In today’s current climate with the coronavirus at the forefront of everyone’s minds, business is scrambling to find solutions to handle this global crisis. We’re all wondering what will happen next as the numbers of those affected by the virus continue to grow by the hour. 

There is no need to when your business is managing a crisis. Here are the 13 core rules of PR Crisis Management to get you through. 

1. Proactive, Transparent, & Accountable

Reputation management is so crucial in today’s world of real-time updates. When something happens you need to acknowledge the incident, accept responsibility, and apologize. 

2. Take The Responsibility

The number one rule to PR Crisis management is not to cover up the incident or make excuses for it. Be the one to take responsibility 

3. Social Media Backlash

You will have social media backlash, so be prepared. It’s not surprising that this will happen since most of the world has access to some sort of social media platform at their fingertips 

4. Be Human 

Just because you are in crisis mode doesn’t mean you turn into an evil spawn, be human. Address the emotions of the crisis and how you plan on making an improvement. 

5. Get Ahead of The Ball 

When something bad happens don’t immediately default to “ghosting” your customers. You want to also bear in mind what are the different consequences, responses and even backlashes you will receive.

6. Hear Your Team Out 

Your team is on the frontlines and they are the ones interacting with clients on a daily basis. Listen to what they have to say because your team might be able to provide you with insights in real-time. 

7. Understand The Situation 

As soon as a crisis happens it's best to stay calm and understand the situation as an outsider who’s not part of the company. This will help you to gain clarity and make sound decisions. 

8. Going Silent 

Once you have addressed the situation properly know that it is ok to go silent on social media for a while. This allows everyone to regroup and process all the information. 

9. Monitor & Plan 

It’s always important to have your team continuously monitor the situation and be flexible with their response strategy. 

10. Apologize & Take Action 

In any PR crisis management, you should send out a heartfelt and genuine apology. Then follow it up with action to course correct the situation.