8th & Walton Retail Supplier Podcast

8th & Walton Retail Supplier Podcast


E-Commere & the Retail Revolution Valuable Advice from Social Media Sensations Sam + Nic

December 05, 2016

Sam and Nic Chapman (sisters, makeup artists, and YouTube sensations) join Focus on Suppliers this week to discuss how social media is transforming the beauty industry. Sam + Nic provide fun and instructional videos through YouTube to compare products and to help makeup users learn how to pull off new techniques. The pair have more than 2 million followers with over 250 million views.
How to Use Social Media to Promote New Products
Incorporating rich content is essential for success today. To meet customers’ growing demand for more information, you must establish a strong online presence — even for “in-store only” items. Instructional videos are especially useful when demonstrating a new product.
As Nic Chapman says, “It’s showing people instantly how something works.”
Rich content includes long and short descriptions, attributes, and high quality images, but nothing is more immediately digested by consumers than a how-to video.
Have a Purpose: Solve a Problem
On their journey, Nic Chapman says, “We were approached by a company, Real Techniques, that wanted to build brushes that everyone could afford.”
When you create a new product, it’s important to have a clear objective in mind. For this particular example, there was no shortage of makeup brushes available in the market. What Real Techniques identified was a need for high quality brushes that were readily accessible at a low price.
Likewise, when you turn to social media to promote your new product, you must solve problems for potential customers. Real Techniques utilizes Sam + Nic’s expertise as makeup artists to demonstrate the effectiveness of their brushes, but the focus of the videos provide value by showing how to pull off certain looks.
Advice for Suppliers
For CPG companies who use social media to promote their products, Sam Chapman advises, “It can make or break you. You have to be careful about what you say, but you also have to find your authentic voice — and be truthful about what you say.”
Ultimately, says Sam Chapman, “Social media has changed the landscape of beauty. You are unable to launch a product now that’s not very good. Everything is reviewed and tried against something similar. So if your product isn’t very good, then you will fail. It has to be great stuff.”
Focus on Suppliers broadcasts every Saturday on NBC-KNWA at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. You can also watch all episodes and extended interviews on Vimeo.