Much has been said about a brand’s visual identity and the ability to draw customers in—whether online or on store shelves.

Today’s product developers and marketers work hard to identify unique formulas and packaging that are visual candy and “Instagram” feed worthy through unique textures, colors and design to capture consumers’ interests.

However, the conduit to qualified communities of consumers are the social media influencers who create content daily to feed their followers and keep that authentic connection alive. Most beauty brands including Indies understand that utilizing influencers as part of their communication strategy is a must.

Most influencers I speak to are flooded with products mailed to them daily—(take a look at the photo above, and the Instagram post below) so the competition starts out with the mailer itself.

So, what gets influencers’ attention and how do you keep them engaged with your brand so they become advocates rather than casual creators?

Capturing Influencers with Packaging: Q&A with Lara Eurdolian, aka ‘PrettyConnected’ 

I had a chance to chat with industry influencer Lara Eurdolian aka @prettyconnected who is omnipresent at all industry events and is also a small business entrepreneur, having created the coveted chain straps born out of her own need of having a fashionable way of carrying around her camera during press events.

I was curious to hear the thoughts of this “in the know” Millennial, to see what we can learn — and implement from her insights.

Daniela Ciocan: What is the most memorable mailer you received most recently (within the past six months) for a beauty product?

What made it unique and grabbed your attention?

Lara Eurdolian: I like when brands do good. A lot have donated to charities in my name: Caudalie gave a small tree and then planted trees in recipients’ names which I thought was lovely. While I’m not into dessert gifting, Olay did cookies with people’s faces on them which I thought was hilarious. Color Street sent Roxanne Assoulin bracelets with their nail stickers which I was obsessed with. I love the Victoria Beckham Beauty packaging—it’s got a sustainable approach and luxurious feel albeit being a bit heavy for carrying around.

DC: As a content creator what do you most appreciate in a beauty package? What would you want to see more of?

LE: Eco-friendly packaging. Presents are great but landfill is not. I hate getting promotional materials and expensive packaging that just gets trashed after. I like when brands customize and know my hair color, skin tone or my favorite products. When I get mailers for blondes, pale skin or products I’d never try it’s a waste. And I don’t mind if they want to introduce me to something new, but the best brands send me something they know I use and love with a note saying “we saw you’re a fan of our…” which is always a nice touch.

DC: On the clean trend and packaging that tends to look the same?

LE: Brands should focus more on highlighting ingredients so it’s clear what you are buying, yet standing out like Youth to the People. Cut the chintzy packaging, extras like inserts or padding and cheesy fonts. 

Sending the Right Message

For companies wanting to create winning products, influencers can be a great resource. Include them early in the development process so they can help you create a winning product that resonates with consumers and creates a stronger connection, so they become your VIP ambassadors rather than transactional creators.

Identify the influencers whose followers fit the profile of your ideal consumers and familiarize yourself with that influencer’s content before reaching out so that you hit them with the right message that will be well received.

Allocate your influencer outreach budget so that the VIP advocates get the extravagant resource intensive activations.

And yes, suppliers can and should integrate influencers into their early creative process so they can develop solutions that will capture more business and allow you to offer influencer crowdsourcing as a value-added service that will distinguish you from your competitors. So, who’s in?

Drop me a note—I would love to hear on social about how you engage influencers on the development process—suppliers and manufacturers alike. 

About the Author

Daniela Ciocan is Founder, Unfiltered Experience. 

Email Daniela / Follow Daniela on Instagram. 

 

 

 

 

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Am I laughing at the amount of product brands send me or crying for the environment? Beauty Packaging magazine asked to interview me on what successful mailers look like, innovative packaging and waste in the beauty industry. Moral of the story, send me gifts not trash! . In the interest of transparency, behold, this is what my office looks like every month after I unbox all the unsolicited products brands send me + gift bags from events I choose to attend. This is also why I need to rent a separate space to work out of. This is the reality of being in the beauty space from blogging to working with magazines, judging major beauty awards, and doing beauty segments. It’s not all pretty vanities and insta-worthy shots. It is though the reason I started a beauty charity, Share Your Beauty to give influencers/editors/brands a place to donate unused products to Women’s shelters and why we’ve hit over 150,000 product donations in less than 5 years. . Today on prettyconnected.com I expand my thoughts on what makes a good mailer, who’s doing it right, what stands out and what is trash. Every editor loves a good gift, but with the recent obsession with brands spending the budget on landfill to overly package their products has caused an upset In the industry. Especially with the state of our environment. . For all the PR agencies looking to help educate their clients send them the link. Happy to answer any questions below or over DM. . Shout out to @danielamciocan for interviewing me. I’ll be in LA April 24-25th for her @unfilteredexperience show, hope to see you there! #giftsnottrash

A post shared by Lara Eurdolian (@prettyconnected) on Mar 2, 2020 at 5:07pm PST