8 Social Statistics on Beauty to Shape Your Brand Strategy for 2018.

The challenge for digital strategists is no longer finding enough data, it’s figuring out how to sift through the mountains of available metrics to find details (like social statistics) that will help them to connect the brand with new and existing audiences.

Last month, Facebook relaunched their research portal, Facebook IQ, a “discovery engine” that enables “agencies and marketers to filter, find and share relevant insights and data. For instance, with Insights to Go, beauty brands could quickly learn that there was a 32 percent year-over-year rise in mentions of natural beauty terms on Facebook. And bloggers could discover that millennial beauty buyers are 30 percent more likely to read beauty blogs and online reviews.

We used Facebook IQ to uncover beauty industry statistics that digital strategists can use to amplify their beauty social strategy :

1. Beauty buyers aged 35 to 64 are 50% more likely than millennials to use Instagram for research and comparing prices.

Understanding how beauty buyers of different ages use social is crucial: with the above stat in their back pocket, digital strtaegists can ensure Instagram ads aimed at the 35-64 demographic focus on product details that make research and price comparison a snap.

2. Millennial beauty buyers are 20% more likely than beauty buyers aged 35 to 64 to watch online videos about beauty products.

If the previous statistic makes it clear that millennials are less likely than the age cohort above them to use Instagram for research and price comparison purposes, the next question for a digital strategist is what do millennials want from the online beauty community? The answer: videos about beauty products. A digital brand strategist who know that it is more likely to have millennial viewers than viewers aged 35 to 64 can tailor online videos to the appropriate audience.

3. 63% of beauty buyers have greater trust in brands they can find on Instagram, and 52 percent of beauty shoppers say they are more likely to be interested in a beauty product if they see ads for it on Facebook.

More than half of all beauty shoppers over the age of 18 trust brands and products they see on social media platforms more than brands and products they cannot engage with on social. But simply having a brand presence on Instagram and Facebook (and other social platforms) isn’t enough: you want to do it well. Cult-beauty brand sensation Glossier explains their Instagram strategy: “Everything we do is optimized to start a digital conversation,” Alexandra Weiss, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Glossier, said recently that Glossier designs their packaging for a digital experience. They made the top of their products appealing so that customers might be inspired to take a photo as they unbox their new goodies, in contrast to traditional packaging designed for the beauty counter shelf, which focuses on the side of the packaging.

4. 48% of beauty shoppers who research beauty content on Facebook say they trust the people who provide information because they have a personal connection.

Facebook and other social networks offer brands built-in credibility by way of pages their target audience already follows, but brands must use this trust responsibly. Make sure you’re partnering with trustworthy people and offering content and products that will add value for your audience.

5. Millennial beauty buyers are 40% more likely to use Instagram for inspiration than those aged 35 to 64.

Millennial beauty buyers are also big on Instagram inspiration. One of the most important lessons of social media is to feature your brand where your audience naturally spends time. How to inspire millennials shopping for beauty products on social platforms like Instagram? “Brands that can express their human side on social instead of sounding like a press release tend to pull higher engagement numbers,” explained the VP of strategy at Spredfast Spike Jones during the Smart Social NYC. Jones added that helping people to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves is what earns brands motivated, loyal fans.

6. 76% of beauty enthusiasts on Instagram are women...

...which means that almost an entire quarter of beauty enthusiasts on Instagram are men. Marketers with beauty products for men would do well to remember that they are an active force on Instagram.

7. 30% of people surveyed find beauty trends on Instagram's Explore tab.

A big part of Instagram is exploration, and with the right posts brands can draw in new audiences. Each user’s Explore tab is based on their previous views within the app, making it “the most honest place on the web,” writes Wired. Listening to your audience will help you determine what they like, which will help you create content that will not only appeal to them but increase the chances of your brand showing up in the Explore tab of potential customers.

8. 52% of beauty buyers say they'll buy a beauty product specifically for an upcoming special occasion.

The upshot: don’t be afraid to go big with your beauty campaigns, especially during the holiday season and the height of summer wedding season. Beauty buyers are waiting to be inspired by a product they didn’t know they needed for their upcoming event—be the answer they want.

9. 67% of beauty buyers who see an interesting post on Instagram will take further action (clicking, buying, or doing more research) and 64% of shoppers who research beauty content on Facebook say that they will take further action when they see interesting beauty content.

The focus here is to make sure your brand’s Instagram and Facebook posts feature genuinely interesting content. Designing products with social in mind means your posts will find a natural home on social platforms and will be more likely to foster brand engagement. Take the stylized shipping boxes of beauty brand Birch box—the Instagram-ready packaging creates instantly shareable moments.

Other ways to keep it fresh and interesting on Instagram? Ask your audience for direct feedback and make active use of UGC .