Sephora just made the best out of its influencer marketing

In 2019, Sephora announced the #SephoraSquad program in an effort to diversify its advertising efforts. Although Sephora has worked with many influencers through events and campaigns, the aim of the #SephoraSquad program was different. It was to scout for “unique, unfiltered, sorry-not-sorry storytellers with a diverse range of followers, points of view, and interests”. The brand encouraged influencers of all “races, ethnicities, religions, gender identities, body types, sexual orientations, and abilities” to apply. Selected influencers would have an active relationship with Sephora for 1 year and are entitled to a multitude of benefits. Such benefits include; free products, product collaboration, peer and professional coaching, networking events and more.

Sephora then held an online contest to select 24 influencers to work with, drawing in 16,000 applicants. The brand also collected 250,000 testimonials from the influencers’ followers regarding diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry as well as the influencer itself. This allowed the brand to learn what influencers and their followers were talking about on the topic of beauty. Additionally, fans were asked which influencer best resonated with them.

In summary, the entire program was a huge success for Sephora:

1. They managed to create a huge community of diverse people with a unified interest in beauty and cosmetics.
2. They did not have to rely on the traditional influencer path, instead, had a “homegrown” vibe to its own set of ambassadors. This allowed for cost savings, enhanced brand equity and awareness.
3. Had a mutually beneficial relationship with its influencers by further investing in them. While influencers were promoting products for the benefit of Sephora, the brand was also investing in them through training and networking opportunities for possible collaborations. This allows for long-standing relationships that could benefit Sephora in the long-term as it fosters brand advocacy.
4. Exemplified its authenticity as a brand. Sephora listened not only to figures of influence, they included the influencers’ followers and the general public to contribute to the final decision. This allows influencers and audiences alike, to connect with the brand on a more personal level, allowing for more authentic relationships and increased respect for the brand.
5. Enhanced credibility. Final decisions of the selected squad involved the opinions of thousands that follow the brand and the influencers. According to The Drum, only 4% of people trust what online influencers say online. However, Sephora managed to get rid of this negative stigma through actively listening to their audience, allowing for a more authentic campaign.

So, what can other businesses learn from Sephora?

1. The immense power of crowdsourcing

According to eYeka, 85% of the 2014 Best Global Brands have used crowdsourcing in the last ten years, indicating the influence and power leveraged on by the biggest of organisations. Crowdsourcing leads to increased engagement with your audience, allowing for potential pain points to surface as well as potential issues that can be addressed by the brand to streamline customer experiences. Secondly, due to the increased diversity in thinking, innovation can take place, allowing for new ideas for your brand. In the case of Sephora, it enabled them to discover what their audience were talking about, further allowing them to cater advertisements that resonated with their audience.

2. Data collection

Due to the immense number of conversations happening during the #SephoraSquad campaign, Sephora tapped onto this opportunity to listen to its audience regarding the topic of beauty, diversity and inclusion, and other beauty-related topics. This is a huge benefit as it further enhances its value proposition and allows the brand to collect valuable data from its target audience for future purchasing decisions.

3. The power of listening to your audience

When a brand can listen to its audience, this allows them to better understand their consumers preferences, motivations and feelings towards issues. Through listening, brands can then craft strategies with consumers being its focal point, enabling brands to create campaigns, advertisements or programs that its audiences can connect with. To further support this, 68% of consumers leave a company as they believe the brand does not care about them while  82% of them expect an immediate responses from customer service personnel, indicating the potency of listening.

4. Developing a campaign that resonates with your brand identity and values

Should a campaign emanate the values and identity of your brand, this further solidifies your brand identity. Ultimately strengthening your brand equity on a whole. Increased consistencies in brand image will be prevalent on all platforms, allowing for stronger brand recognition and differentiation.

How else can influencer marketing be maximised?

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