10 minute read
10 Minutes with Tamara Reid
By Louise May
Tamara Reid’s journey into the beauty industry began by chance at 18, driven by a lack of organisation and a desire for a career that allowed her to travel. Once immersed in the world of beauty, she quickly realised she had found her calling.
Tamara believes in exploring various niches and segments within the industry to find the perfect fit. Her diverse experiences in spas, clinics, salons, education, sales, and community roles have given her a comprehensive understanding of the beauty landscape. Today, Tamara’s passion lies in brand development and operations.
Editor of Beauty Biz Louise May spends 10 minutes chatting with Tamara about the beauty industry and the current economic climate, the creation of Skinlympics and all things ‘brand building’…
In your opinion, how is the beauty industry navigating the current economic downturn, and what challenges have you observed?
It’s a really tough world to navigate out there, and I believe that what people refer to as non-essential services, the beauty industry has it the hardest of them all! That being said, we’ve been here before; this landscape isn’t something that’s new to us. Our people are the kindest and most caring, yes, but also the most resilient and tenacious people I’ve come to know.
They put their heads down, give their all to their clients and brands to their stockists, and create a plan B. If our industry starts looking at its past performance and tries to future-proof its future performance, then we will have no trouble fighting to treat clients for yet another day!
What strategies have you found effective in maintaining brand visibility and revenue growth during challenging economic times?
1. Get loud. The worst thing you can do during tough times is go quiet. You’re never going to annoy anyone, trust me. If you go quiet, that’s when your audience will panic. When businesses are consistent in the way they show up (email, socials, events, communications), they show that they’re serious about their clients. Consistency is great for visibility and reminds your clients to visit your space or stockists to continue to place orders.
2. Don’t sympathy discount. We often hear from our clients about their situations during tough times, but that doesn’t give you the green light to discount. Your client is in your space, having a treatment with you because they can afford it. They’ve budgeted the time and investment to spend with your business, so it’s only common practice to charge your normal prices.
3. Go above and beyond. By giving your clients an above and beyond experience every single time they interact with your business, you remind them why they chose you, and they will continue to. The moment we hit a rough economic path, and their experience is subpar is the moment they will question whether your business is worth parting with their money for.
Map out your entire client journey from the very first touchpoint with you, all the way through to how and when they will return next and ensure that you’re going above and beyond. It’s the one percent efforts that will separate you from the rest and ensure you retain visibility and revenue.
What are the key elements to building a strong and recognisable brand?
First, get clear on who you are as a brand. What do you sound like, look like, smell like, and feel like? Once you’re crystal clear on this, do that all the time, no matter what. Your brand must have a personality for your audience to be able to like, know, and trust it - that’s when they spend. When you know the moving elements of your brand’s personality, you’re more easily able to attract your ideal audience and relate to them.
Secondly, get clear on who your ideal audience is - who you want through your doors. Then speak to them. Use the same language they do. Use images that are going to appeal to them. Partner with brands they buy from or shop at. Bring in experiences they want, not experiences that you want. It’s all about them.
Thirdly, saturate them. Where are they hanging out? What do they drink, eat, wear, buy, or do? Be visible at their Pilates studio, the wellness store they buy their sourdough bread from, or donate a voucher to the school fete their kids go to. Whatever you can do to get your brand where your ideal audience is, do it!
What advice would you give to new industry entrepreneurs on creating a brand that resonates with their target audience?
Your uniqueness is your strength. If you want a brand that’s lime green and fluoro pink, and you know your ideal client would love that, then do that. Another blush pink and gold brand isn’t going to stand out in the sea of brands that already exist (no hate to pink and gold brands!).
Right now, there is almost a cookie-cutter version of what a beauty brand should look like, and I reject that. There are so many people who want to feel seen and valued within our industry; however, they don’t feel comfortable fitting into the current mould, and brands are getting overlooked because nothing about them is unique.
If you’re starting a business today, go all out, be different and harness your brand’s authenticity.
How important is it to forge and nurture relationships in the beauty industry?
10 out of 10 on the importance scale. They say, ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’ and this is absolutely the way our industry rolls. More often than not, I’ve heard about someone multiple times before I ever get to meet them; that’s the power of networking! When networking, never go into a place wanting to take from the people there.
You can absolutely have goals in mind for why you’re attending an event, but it’s more advantageous to enter the space with a ‘what can I learn or share’ mindset, rather than a ‘who can I meet that’s going to help me get from A to B’ perspective. When we open up our mindset to learning from others, it creates better connections and forms lifelong relationships.
Can you share some insights on developing and executing successful marketing strategies?
Create campaigns. If you’re launching something, bringing something/ someone into the business, rebranding, building, or whatever you might be doing, build a campaign around it.
Campaigns are like mini stories that bring the audience along for the journey. A new brand, for example, might include the behind-the-scenes build of the business, from the site inspection to the fit-out, right through to the first client. A new product launch, for example, might show the product in development, testing phase, packaging options, invites being sent out, and PR mailers being put together.
Campaigning allows you to share stories with your audience and takes them along for the journey from start to finish, which makes them feel personally attached to the mission and invested in what you’re showcasing.
In a highly competitive market, how can beauty brands differentiate themselves and stand out to consumers?
Have a clear strategy around exactly what you want to go to market with (this should be your unique selling point - i.e., what’s different and great about you!), and how you plan to execute along the way. Stick with your strategy and stay consistent. Clear, consistent communication will always make a bigger impact than a brand whose mission is unclear.
If you’re all-in on education, ensure the message of what you’re educating on is front and centre. If your brand is organic and you source ingredients specifically aligned with clean farming, make that the hero messaging. Often, we get lost in the how, that we miss the why - and the why is what people relate to and buy into. Your why is what makes you stand out!
Could you discuss the importance of aligning a brand’s values with its business practices and customer interactions?
Everything a brand does should be done with its values at the forefront. This includes how a business operates, the decisions it makes, the way it recruits, and the way it interacts with its customers and audience. Without guiding values, a brand lacks purpose. A purposeless brand is one that customers cannot know, like, or trust.
Before a business considers the time and energy it takes to invest in branding itself, the values are a critical element that should be ironed out 90% of the way. While there is always room for brand values to be refreshed and updated as the direction of the business changes over the course of its life, the values should always remain the number one driver of all core strategies and initiatives.
What are some common mistakes beauty salons/clinics make when trying to establish themselves, and how can they be avoided?
Often, businesses within our industry look outside themselves for answers and inspiration - often to their detriment. Looking at others can cause feelings of unworthiness and instil self-doubt. When imposter syndrome enters the chat, we start to question ourselves and our direction, charge less, conform to what’s ‘normal’ and become inauthentic to ourselves and our businesses.
Instead, focus on you and your audience. Speak to them. Research and follow people and brands who positively give you inspiration and feed your creativity in the best way possible. You and your business will naturally flourish, as you’re coming from a place of growth and positive energy.
Another common mistake I see often is what I call the ‘Dory effect’, where we try to be everything to everyone and get distracted by shiny objects in the room. This dilutes the core messaging of our offers and confuses your audience. Harness what you’re great at and do it on repeat. Become an expert in an area and create a plan to accelerate in that space.
What are some key lessons you’ve learned about brand building that you think are crucial for success in the beauty industry?
To create a great brand, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. You can create a brilliant brand on a budget - I’ve done it twice now! Branding isn’t about who has paid the best agency the most money. Branding is about understanding who you’re speaking to, speaking to them, and being consistent in that language. Brand building takes time and is often hard to measure when it comes to return on your spend. Instead, measure your brand through outcomes like reach, awareness, and impact, all of which will eventually (if you are consistent!) lead to sales, new clients, or higher revenue.
Can you tell us about The Skinlympics? What is it and who is it for? what inspired you to create it? and is it an annual event?
The Skinlympics was created from a desire to shine a light on the people in the treatment room, doing the work - the therapists. Often, great therapists leave our industry because they don’t feel valued or thanked, and there’s little reward for them doing such physical work. It’s a yearly event to recognise and reward professional skin therapists for their outstanding efforts to achieve great skin results for their clients, by taking them on a journey of skin.
Do you have anything exciting on the agenda for the next 12 months?
I’m excited and ready to explore new opportunities this year and take my 16 years of hair and beauty industry-focused career experience across education, sales, brand marketing, and partnerships into businesses where I can lead people and brands with passion and purpose.
