Organization Name: Gerard Cosmetics
Industry: Health & Beauty
Name of Contact: Jennifer Gerard, President & CEO, Whitening Lightning and Gerard Cosmetics
Web References: Gerard Cosmetics, Jaclyn Hill
Description of How Social Media is Used for Business Performance:
Founded in 2014, Gerard Cosmetics is a luxurious, accessible and endlessly chic beauty brand created in an effort to provide a solution to the everyday beauty blunders of women. Tired of the time-consuming process that applying multiple make-up products entails, CEO Jennifer Gerard developed her first multi-tasking and beauty blogger “holy grail” product, the BB Plus Illumination Crème.
Rather than expanding to launch a complete line of related products, Jennifer focused on refining and perfecting a cohesive selection of custom products, opting for quality over quantity. “In a sea of endless makeup palettes and lipsticks, we strive to take your essentials and infuse them with glam and an innovative twist that has never been seen before in the beauty industry” says Jennifer.
As a growing company, the Gerard Cosmetics team consists of 40 beauty-obsessed and social media savvy women who empower each other and strive to offer innovative products. As a brand that does not rely on traditional advertising efforts, Gerard Cosmetics is extremely in tune with online beauty communities to both promote and understand how consumers view the brand’s products. Gerard Cosmetics boasts strong followings across multiple social media platforms which include over 7,000 followers on Twitter, over 329,000 on Facebook and over 235,000 on Instagram.
“Our brand is built on social media… we feel that it is imperative to listen to our users wants and needs. This is especially important in new product development, product improvement and customer service” says Gerard.
In early 2014, new product development came in the form of a collaboration. What began as a seemingly innocent dinner conversation with pal, beauty guru and Gerard Cosmetics customer Jaclyn Hill, ended in the creation of a line of four signature lip products, known as The Jaclyn Hill Collection.
With a passion for make-up, Jaclyn began her beauty career as a make-up artist at MAC Cosmetics. At the request of her clients, she began creating YouTube videos with step-by-step instructions on how to re-create her signature make-up looks at home. Today, Jaclyn has grown her brand into one of the biggest names in the beauty industry. With a following of over 172,000 on Twitter, over 137,000 fans on Facebook, over 961,000 followers on Instagram and over 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube, Jaclyn’s opinion and recommendations are well respected in the beauty community.
To date, she has created over 165 videos which generate an average of over 600,000 views each, with content ranging from make-up tutorials and products reviews to hauls and “monthly favourites”.
Jaclyn’s “April 2014 Favourites” video featured the much anticipated reveal of her first collaboration with Gerard Cosmetics, a rose coloured lip gloss for the brand’s “Color Your Smile” line named after the blogger herself. Jaclyn discreetly hinted about this upcoming partnership via social media in the days leading up to the announcement, garnering rumours and anticipation amongst dedicated followers.
According to Jennifer, Jaclyn was incredibly involved in the creation and development of this collection from colour selection to product testing. For Gerard Cosmetics, this collaboration was an extremely strong marketing tool, opening the door for future blogger collaborations, improved product offering, higher customer satisfaction and increased sales.
Jaclyn went on to create an additional lip gloss under the Color Your Smile line and two lipsticks for Gerard Cosmetics. The beauty vlogger expertly designed these products with her clients and own product preferences in mind. A winning success for the brand, Jaclyn and beauty lovers!
Lessons for Others:
Satisfied customers are the most passionate brand ambassadors and a highly untapped marketing tool for businesses. In addition to providing recommendations for customer service, these loyal brand advocates can provide valuable insights on product development and design which those working inside of the organization may often oversee.
In the case of Gerard Cosmetics, their collaboration with partner Jaclyn Hill proved to be a success. Not only did the company open the lines of communication to their customers but they actively listened in order to provide customers with what was asked of them.
For the importance of listening to your audience, check out this audio clip from The Smart Passive Income Blog beginning at the 7:15 minute mark:
Submitted By: Cristina Avila
To contact the author of this entry please email at: cristina.l.avila@hotmail.com
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