We regularly hear from business owners in the Beaute community seeking advice, stories and experiences from others who have launched their own product lines. We’ve seen countless brands launch into the already-saturated professional beauty industry, so when it comes to a successful launch, we know what works and what doesn’t. It’s been one year since #BeautePartner Dermalist launched their now-cult range of skincare, so to celebrate, we decide to take a look back at the strategies that ricocheted the brand to success in such a short period of time.
Tease Your Launch
Dermalist engaged in quite the mysterious and intriguing social media campaign before officially dropping their product line to the public. This captured a lot of attention from the professional industry to consumer media alike. If you prep your audience in advance using teaser campaigns and subtle hints about what’s to come, not only are you likely to generate media hype but your audience will be ready and receptive to the information you are about to give, instead of catching them off guard when they aren’t ready, aren’t interested, or don’t have the time.
Select Reputable Key Opinion Leaders
Another key strategy for successful brands is the use of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLS) which act as ambassadors for the products. Prior to launching, Dermalist carefully selected a number of beauty industry leaders and expert dermal, beauty & skin therapists to trial the products and work with upon the launching – a testament to the quality of the products. This meant that the brand already had a roster of renowned and trustworthy ambassadors at the ready when products became available to the public. We see a number of brands go to market without any KOLs to provide testimonials, and it often isn’t as impactful and can take time to become trusted by the industry.
Know Your Brand
It may seem obvious to some, but we’ve also seen many new brands who have seemingly gone to market without sitting down and asking themselves ‘Who am I as a brand? What sets me apart from others? What is my mission and what do I stand for? What makes me special?’ As we all know, it’s a saturated market, so it’s absolutely imperative that you take the time to consider what your ‘thing’ is – and this goes for any business, not just those wanting to launch a new brand. For Dermalist, its multifunctional products that contain not one, but many powerful active ingredients at therapeutic levels to deliver visible results within 28 days. They are potent, expertly balanced and aim to eliminate the downtime and likelihood of an initial breakout or reactions frequently associated with active skincare products. The brand also has a strong ethos when it comes to inflammation, omitting from its formulations 52 common skincare ingredients known or believed to cause inflammation. A further cocktail of anti-inflammatory ingredients has been incorporated to improve skin integrity and immunity. On top of this, products are all vegan and ethical, and no values are ever compromised for the sake of profitability.
When you stand for something as a brand, you become known for it, and your followers will be as passionate as you are about your philosophies.
Start Small
Launching a brand or business is a learning curve, and you will come to understand what works for your audience over time. But don’t start out by trying to be everything to everyone. Begin with your key list of must-haves, with a view to expanding later depending on success or client need. Similarly to the above, specialise in something specific first while building your brand, so your message doesn’t get lost in all of the noise and confusion of a huge range. Dermalist has managed to cram their huge list of active ingredients into a simple 3-product line: cleanser, exfoliant, and serum, plus the newly launched cleansing wand.
Launching a new brand, business or product line can be an incredibly challenging time, but your journey will be made much simpler if you remember your why. What makes your brand special? How do you differentiate yourself? What kind of industry practitioners and expert do you want to work with? Trust in these questions as a starting point and we promise you will be well on your way to success! If you want to learn more about what makes Dermalist such a cult brand, head to www.dermalist.com
