Eyes on vloggers: still dominating beauty online

22-Aug-2016 - Last updated on 23-Aug-2016 at 11:42 GMT

With Instagram moving into Snapchat’s traditional field of ‘stories’, the power of beauty influencers across social media is likely to strengthen as they maximise the ever-growing number of platforms with which to reach viewers.

A recent report into the power of video for brand engagement and sales has been released by market research firm L2, and considers the dominance of YouTube particularly within the beauty industry.

“With millennial beauty consumers turning to YouTube vloggers for advice more and more (and watching TV less and less), it is critical for brands to get in front of these viewers with varying degrees of engagement,” the firm explains in its excerpt.

While YouTube remains the dominant platform, other social media sites are coming to the fore when it comes to expanding the reach of beauty content. Indeed, L2 notes that video advertising across Facebook and Instagram is giving brands a key opportunity to grab back audience from vloggers.

Vlogger mentions

Mentions by vloggers within video content is proving the most sought-after way for brands to leverage the potential of beauty bloggers.

“Typically situated in the context of many other brands and products, these mentions seem the most organic to viewers but still require significant investment,” L2 notes, with the firm explaining brands can gain these mentions through sampling activation or working directly with influencers.

“Brands can also leverage more traditional YouTube advertising opportunities on vlogger channels, like TrueView in-stream ads on vlogger videos and search ads purchased against audiences searching for vlogger content,” the firm says.

L’Oréal Paris and L’Oréal-owned Urban Decay are the two brands coming out on top for being able to successfully leverage both methods of cutting in on vloggers’ influence - L’Oréal Paris captured 2.7% of total vlogger mentions and 3% of TrueView ads on vlogger channels in L2’s Index.

Mentions mean sales

A recent Women’s Wear Daily report notes the tangible sway on sales that mentions by beauty bloggers can have, looking specifically at Snapchat.

For instance, when blogger Arielle Charnas posted about a Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask on Snapchat, it spurred sales of 502 total jars, roughly $17,500 worth of product in a single day.

“Do the math: that’s equal to $123,000 in sales in a week, $527,000 in a month or almost $6.4 million in a year,” notes Rachel Strugatz, author of the piece.