Digital Marketing We Love: Glossier’s Social Media

Welcome to Marketing Supply Co.’s first installment of a new series on the blog, “Digital Marketing We Love”. This series gives the MSC team the opportunity to gush about our favorite brands who do marketing, like, really well. So, how did “Marketing We Love” come about? Glad you asked. The team at MSC is full of passionate digital marketing experts, but, believe it or not, we have other interests too. Thus, the idea to combine our passions for marketing and other stuff was born.

Glossier

If you haven’t heard of the skincare and makeup brand Glossier, you probably aren’t on social media either. To catch you up to speed, Glossier, which launched in 2014, is a cult-status beauty brand made for—no other way to put it—cool girls. The brand’s focus on “skincare first” is one of many things that differentiates the brand from others.

I couldn’t have put it better, Chelsea. So, as Marketing Supply Co.’s resident Glossier junkie (understatement), I abused my power as content manager to write this article on Glossier’s incredible social media presence (again, understatement).

***Note: Glossier is the brainchild of Emily Weiss and her wildly successful blog, Into The Gloss, established in 2010. So, it should come as no surprise that excellent content is the cornerstone of Glossier’s social media.

Glossier on Instagram (@glossier)

I could go on for days about every element of Glossier’s no-marketing approach to marketing, but to keep this post under a novel-length, I’m going to keep my focus on their social media presence, starting with Instagram. Glossier’s Instagram has achieved that beautiful balance between original content and user-generated content (UGC) that some brands can only dream about. I accredit the excellent UGC to customers truly understanding Glossier’s vision. I know that’s a big assumption to make, but Glossier has managed to set the standard for the content you can expect to find on their Instagram and their followers happily follow suit when creating their own content.

Can you spot the UGC? Image courtesy of @glossier on Instagram.

Having UGC that is on brand isn’t hard when all of your packaging and products are aesthetically pleasing and satisfyingly coordinating. Yes, this is absolutely an advantage for Glossier’s social media, but another major part of their excellent UGC curation is due to the fact that their target audience is essentially the Instagram generation—although their range of products is great for anyone. When you start with a user base that already knows how to find the best lighting, you’re already bound for success. Don’t worry, Glossier also gives credit to its users, so it’s a win-win for everyone’s follower count.

Beyond UGC, Glossier’s original content is also top-notch. If you work with social media at all, you are probably familiar with the idea that it is in a brand’s best interest to use social media to showcase their personality. After scrolling through their Instagram feed, you get the sense that the Glossier team is clever, knows beauty when they see it and is undeniably cool. You can get a good sense of this from their Instagram Stories where they showcase everything from daily office and showroom happenings to user-takeover makeup routines. In short, Glossier’s Instagram is the magic mix of relatable and aspirational.

Glossier on Twitter (@glossier) & Facebook

Instagram is definitely where Glossier has found its social media element, but there is definitely something to be said about their Twitter feed and Facebook newsfeed. Between cross-promoting their Instagram and YouTube posts, Glossier does an excellent job of engaging with their users on Twitter and Facebook. From re-posting to replying, Glossier shows that they actually care about their users on every platform they exist on.

Millennial Pink. Image courtesy of @glossier on Twitter.

Their Twitter and Facebook are heavy on the visuals, which, of course, perform better across the board. Also, the Into The Gloss blog is still alive and well which provides excellent posts on skincare and makeup. The blog element of Glossier distinguishes the brand as a thought leader. In addition to all that jazz, there is also a PR element to their Twitter and Facebook. Followers are updated on all of the press surrounding Glossier and its founder, Emily Weiss (Queen). One thing to note is that Glossier likely knows that it is crucial to have a presence on both of these channels, but they also know that these channels, Facebook, in particular, are not where their true audience can be found.

Glossier on YouTube

While Glossier uploads videos to their YouTube channel less than frequently, their two original content playlists, “How-To’s” and “#GetReadyWithMe”, give some really cool insights into how their products can be used. Their channel isn’t the main reason I wanted to mention Glossier’s Youtube strategy though, it’s influencer marketing and just how that plays into their social media strategy. Glossier’s influencer marketing strategy is present on all of its social channels, but I have found that the best of their influencer marketing can be found on YouTube. Whether or not Glossier sends products and press kits to YouTube influencers is irrelevant. All that matters is that people are talking about Glossier in their haul videos, review videos, morning routine videos and the like. And they are talking about it a lot.  All you have to do to know this is to start typing Glossier into your search bar.

Wrap-Up

If you take one thing away from this post, it should be that Glossier’s brand is just as strong as its product line, and letting their users join in on the fun is the key to their social media success. And while Glossier has a presence on nearly every relevant social media channel, we just wanted to touch on a few of the heavy hitters.

Do you know of a brand with some awe-inspiring digital marketing? Comment down below for the chance to be featured on “Marketing We Love”. If, after reading this post, you feel like your business could use a social media revamp, contact Marketing Supply Co. so our team of experts can hook you up!