Banking on beauty: use of online platforms.
When we talk of beauty and makeup in Tanzania, beauty enthusiasts will quickly point out brands such as Lavvy makeup, Kylie’s line of cosmetics and Fenty beauty as some of the leading brands.
Many women today have resorted to beauty and makeup as a career choice and not a hobby anymore. The significance of the beauty industry has grown in leaps and bounds to the extent of gaining national recognition and respect as a form of employment.
Such recognition has been seen in this year’s Malkia Wa Nguvu awards that seek to recognise women impacting society through what they do. Makeup artists have been identified among the groups of women to be exemplified.
But in order to be successful in this business, there are certain things that one needs to consider: advertising is key to any business, when it comes to the beauty industry, it is even more important due to the appeal associated with visual imagery.
This brings us to the issue of online/digital advertising. Nowadays most businesswomen use digital technology like Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp to post their products and the handiness has been a gateway to augmenting their businesses through different channels.
Women who promote products through social media believe that customers can be readily available online. When it comes to the beauty industry, a lot of potential lies online, where women entrepreneurs in the business can connect to millions of potential customers.
A Dar es Salaam-based businesswoman, Farida Nyinge, is the director of Dis-Health beauty parlor that deals with beauty, cosmetics and personal care products. According to the entrepreneur, digital technology has greatly helped propel her business to greater success.
She says online technology is the most convenient way where cheap and reliable adverts can be passed on to hundreds and thousands of customers.
“I advertise my products on Instagram. Customers keep themselves abreast with the easiest way of accessing the services we offer such as massage, waxing, facial pedicure and manicure, steam bath, thanks to the availability of digital technology. When advertising, I use still pictures and videos to lure customers,” she says.
Before the advent of social media, most businesses depended on radio and television to reach out to a wider client-base. The convenience that came with online advertising has helped business owners reach out to many clients almost instantaneously.
The beauty industry has greatly benefited from online advertising where clients get to know where to access the best beauty services. “I now ensure that only quality products are uploaded online so as to maintain the image of the business,” says Farida.
With the availability of many beauty parlors in the country, it is considered wise for a beauty parlour owner or a woman who deals in makeup to use digital advertising in order to stay more in touch with customers.
Upendo Msuya, owner of Desire Bridal and Beauty Parlor that sales wedding dresses, crowns, and children shoes, alongside nuptial accessories, has managed to attract a large number of customers through advertising online.
Other services that the parlor deals with include manicure and pedicure, makeup, hair colour, hair style, and providing general advice to women on how to maintain their skin, waxing, facial pedicure and manicure.
“I had a private Instagram account which I decided to turn into a business account. I have over a thousand followers and have greatly learnt to advertise every product through social media,” she says.
Through advertising her beauty services online, Msuya has attracted a number of customers, including some celebrities. She says that most of her beauty products are of high quality and sold at reasonable prices.
“I have professional photographers who take quality photos for our online pages and website. When it comes to online advertising, one needs to maintain quality and standard visual presentation of products,” she says, adding that beauty appeals more to the eye, so good imagery is very important.
The growth of the beauty industry has provided a great platform for many women to become their own bosses by owning their own businesses. Over time, the industry itself has evolved as a direct result of changing consumer demands.
A majority of clients who are regulars at beauty parlors can get the latest updates on products and services offered without necessarily visiting the parlors. Msuya says that this is a major convenience, especially to celebrities who do not have to be in the public eye to be informed on what’s trending in the world of beauty. “Celebrities prefer their privacy, through digital advertising, they can select which latest beauty trend they prefer and make an appotinemtn,” she notes.
The beauty industry, especially being a makeup artist, has provided employment to hundreds of women in Tanzania’s major cities. These women are able to feed their families and take their children to school through the business. However, the field is becoming more and more crowded, hence there’s a demand for more creativity in order to maintain exisiting customers and attracting new ones.
Institute of Finance Management (IFM) student, Batuli Muhamed, 22, has tapped into the online advertising world to harness her business to clients.
“My clients can easily access my services by visiting my online pages,” she says, adding, “I have an Instagram and Facebook account, but I prefer Facebook to other social media because it can be easily accessed by many customers. Each social media account targets a specific clientele base. So it depends on what kinds of people one needs to engage in their business.”
Batuli, who is a model, says she started out in the business when she was in Form Six at Benjamin Mkapa Secondary School. Today she has experienced a satisfying level of success which she attributes to her decision to advertise herself on social media.
She explains that before the advent of social media things were awry because it was hard to get in touch with many potential clients, unlike today.
As a model, Batuli is in a beauty industry that has for years been under close scrutiny from the general public. The misconception that pre-existed seems to be fading off. And now the merits seem to outdo the demerits.
As a model, Batuli has experienced the downside of online advertising. Whenever owners of beauty parlors post images of models online, not all comments are positive. This is something that Batuli has experienced firsthand. “Some comments on social media are filled with innuendos,” she laments.
The young beauty queen advises aspiring models to bank on digital technology, noting that it is the only gateway to being successful in today’s digital world.
Grace Malikita, a young makeup artist who created her own brand ‘Cherie Mals’, has been highly successful in the beauty world through online advertising. Through her Instagram page, she has reached clients whom she attracts by posting regularly content related to makeup and beauty.
Grace owns her own makeup studio in Dar es Salaam, and has trained other women who are keen on beauty and makeup to setup their own shops as well.
According to beautyindustry.com, social media promotion and digital marketing is the domain of influencers, just as celebrity endorsements on TV ads used to guarantee a spike in sales, the right influence takes one to the next level online.
The platform that this approach works best with is undoubtedly Instagram because of its emphasis on visual content, sounds straightforward, with the best influencers coming at a price.
“Rather than simply throwing money at the wall and seeing who you can attract, the best approach is to draw up a shortlist of people that reflect your brand’s core values. It’s so important to find the right fit, because you want the influencer to help enhance your brand and get across what it means rather than simply causing your followers to spike for a couple of days,” the site notes.
