Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Mission
• Vision
• Values
• Goals & objectives
• Understanding our audience
• Our key selling point
• Implementing the ideas
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 
• Information, tools & resources needed to create the plan
• Tools & resources needed to implement & improve the marketing strategy
• Conclusion

Introduction

“A skincare routine, like any other form of self-care, can be soothing and calming,” “On a deeper level, it makes you feel like you’re honoring yourself aesthetically, by taking time out for yourself.

Skincare is the range of products and practises which one utilises to support their skin and enhances and relieves various skincare conditions. Good skin care is essential at any age and healthy habits as it helps to strengthen your skin for the aging road ahead. 

The popularity of skincare has grown tremendously over the years thanks to the growing trends of the desire by consumers to be healthy in all aspects of their being.

A good skin care routine is only as good as the products you use, so this is why we recommend using our ORGANIC, ECO-FRIENDLY, NON-TOXIC and DERMATOLOGICALLY TESTED, BIODEGRADABLE products. Did we mention that our products are proudly South African?

In order for our business to thrive and grow, we have created a watertight and full proof marketing strategy plan!

We (Ayanda, Shannan, Tamsyn) will be responsible for the creation and implementation of the plan.

Mission

To develop skincare products that are of the best quality while being Eco-friendly as well.

Vision

For our skincare products to be recognized for our best qualities around worldwide.

Values

Trust, Honesty, Responsibility, Satisfaction and Kindness to the environment.

Goals & objectives

It was very important for us to make sure our goals were S.M.A.R.T. Meaning they needed to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

They are also divided into short and long term goals.

Short term goals (1-3 months long) include:

• Grow our Instagram page to 200 followers as we are just starting out. 
• Be able to deliver all needs and wants of the customers by monitoring our social media.
• Have our customers happy and satisfied with our GG products. 
• Grow our YouTube page to 200 subscribers.

Long term goals (6-12 months long) include:

• Extend the GG product line.
• Have loyal customers.
• Grow our Instagram page to 1000 followers.
• Grow our YouTube page to 1000 followers.
• Have 250 people on our Email marketing.
• Retain our current customers.

Objectives

• Brand awareness.
• Sales promotion to attract customers seeking for great quality skincare products such as ours.
• Maintain the standard of our products.

Milestone

Step 1: Establish all goals.

Step 2: Create an online presence & increase it through our chosen social media platforms.

Step 3: Specify exactly what we want to improve in our brand through customer feedback.

Step 4: Work on expanding our brand image with our set out KPIs.

Understanding our Audience:

We will be focusing on women between the ages of 16-50 with acne prone skin to anti-aging. 

Since our business is only starting, we aim to only increase in size and possibly be recognized globally across our chosen social media platforms. Ever since COVID-19 wrecked the whole world, most people spend their time in the comfort of their homes.

Skin products such as products to clear acne, remove scars, clear dark marks and toners. To help slow down skin problems and to remove permanent damage done from either previously non-reliable products or even before the use of our naturally and locally produced skincare products.

You can find our products on our website at www.GGProducts.co.za and you can also visit our social media accounts (Instagram, TikTok and YouTube) which are GGProducts.

We have a walk-in store in Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront and another in Durban at the Durban Mall.

We offer free shipping  for purchases over R500. You may have seen our products across social media platforms and saw that they are Proudly South African, Eco-friendly, non-toxic and dermatologically tested.

Our products are:

• UV clear sunscreen SPF 60+
• Gentle cleanser and face wash
• Toners
• Face cream (medicated) 
• Spot treatments and oil treatments
• Organic products with anti-aging properties

Key selling point:

Our key selling point is that we are a Proudly South African business whose products are locally produced and resourced. Not only that, we also pride ourselves with the fat that our products are eco-friendly, biodegradable, non-toxic and dermatologically tested.

Implementation of Ideas:

We will implement our ideas by utilizing social media marketing and content marketing , with emphasis on social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube review, Instagram influencers.

TikTok:

Videos such as short videos whilst still keeping up with the latest trends it’s a perfect platform to market to the younger target audience by giving reviews allowing for them to ask questions and interact with the brand as well as potentially see their favorite social media star utilizing our natural skincare products.

YouTube Marketing:

I can personally say that before I purchase a skincare product I always go onto YouTube to find YouTube reviews on the product. Positive YouTube reviews can be a huge boost to any brand however it can also be a massive downfall for the brand if they do not market it properly.

Instagram Influencer:

Like mentioned above about our target audience looking up to certain people on social media influencer marketing can be highly advantageous.

Email Marketing:

we can run email campaigns to allow and help potential and existing consumers to be directed to purchasing from the website. Email campaigns such as 10% off next order if you sign up to the newsletter, sending emails to list of consumers that already signed up to the email list all of your products which is on sale and also sending promo codes will tend to spark the eye of the consumers.

Events:

events are a good way to show potential clients exactly how good our products are , by doing live presentations of how to use the products, giving guests of the event samples to take with them to try at home etc.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

KPIs which is short for key performance indicators are used by businesses which enable the team to make smart business decisions about the direction of all projects and campaigns.

The KPIs for Girl Gang would be:

• The amount of people who are interacting and engaging in our social media platforms. This we can see via Instagram analytics and Facebook business ( Instagram analytics).

•  Conversion rates from how many people see and engage in your post to actually proceeding to make a purchase.

• The amount of people that goes from our social media platforms to our websites.

•  Return on investments.

Information, tools & resources needed to create the plan

Information:

We as a team had to research what is the best way to market our skincare in a way that showcases our products in an authentic way. 

We also had to research our competition to see what they were marketing and how we could separate ourselves from the crowd. We also had to use Google My Business to analyze our current performance to see where the improvement is needed the most. 

Tools:

Marketing tools are tools that companies use to develop and promote their products and services. In this context, the word ‘tools‘ refers to techniques and strategies. For our strategy we used the following:

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a marketing strategy used to attract, engage, and retain an audience by creating and sharing relevant articles, videos, podcasts, and other media. This approach establishes expertise, promotes brand awareness, and keeps your business top of mind when it’s time to buy what you sell.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is a powerful way for businesses of all sizes to reach prospects and customers. Your customers are already interacting with brands through social media, and if you’re not speaking directly to your audience through social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, you’re missing out!

Great marketing on social media can bring remarkable success to our business, creating devoted brand advocates and even driving leads and sales.

YouTube Marketing

YouTube Marketing is the practice of promoting businesses and products on YouTube’s platform, by uploading valuable videos on a company’s YouTube channel or using YouTube ads.

Youtube marketing is important because any type of content in video form is already huge and it’s just getting bigger by the day so it only makes sense to jump on the bandwagon. 

Email marketing

Email marketing is the highly effective digital marketing strategy of sending emails to prospects and customers. Effective marketing emails convert prospects into customers, and turn one-time buyers into loyal, raving fans.

Influencer Marketing

At a fundamental level, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers–individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. Influencer marketing works because of the high amount of trust that social influencers have built up with their following, and recommendations from them serve as a form of social proof to your brand’s potential customers.

Resources:

Budget

We had to come up with a budget that describes what we will be spending our money on. A few of these included products, event materials and social media marketing.

Instagram

With an advertising audience of more than 1.16 billion people, Instagram offers dramatic reach for brands. And the potential reach of Instagram marketing has grown substantially this year—increasing by 76 million people in just the last quarter. Thus it is the perfect place to promote our business.

Tools & Resources need to improve our campaign:

Google My Business

Google My Business is a free tool that lets you manage how your business appears across Google Search and Maps. As well as letting potential customers know the physical location of your business, a Google My Business listing will increase your visibility online.

Search Engine Optimization:

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, as well as exposure to your brand, through non-paid (also known as “organic”) search engine results.

Instagram & YouTube Analytics:

With any social media app it is very important to monitor your success and failure of your content. We used Instagram Insights to help us engage our progress on Instagram.

We used YouTube Analytics to help us engage our progress on YouTube.

Conclusion:

Skincare is something that will always be part of who we are as humans, we are always looking for the latest and newest thing to keep us looking youthful, hydrated and vibrant. Skin types vary from person to person but they are all vibrant and beautiful. When creating a strategy plan for a skincare business one always needs to take into consideration the target audience.

Once you know your target audience, vision, mission and goals you can structure your strategy plan around that by identifying the key performance indicators, the tools and channels you will be utilizing to implement the plan.

About the Author:

Shannan Collop:

My name is Shannan Collop, I am a 22 year old aspiring digital marketer with a degree in Marketing and Business Management. I am an intern at the International Institute of Digital Marketing™ who is passionate about digital marketing and have always enjoyed creating content.

LinkedIn: Shannan Collop

Tamsyn Ackerman:

Hi there! My name is Tamsyn Ackerman. I am an intern at the IIDM who has a serious sneaker obsession. I am a very bubbly person who loves to read and write! I love spending time creating. Whether it be jewelry or content. Oh, and I am a Marvel comics stan!

Feel free to check out my Linkedin profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsyn-ackerman-a30ab5214/

Ayanda Nkosi:

Hey! My name is Ayanda Nkosi. I am 19 years old. I am currently pursuing my degree in Marketing Management. I am also an intern at the www.iidm.world. I am very creative and artistic, so if you want a painting or detailed drawing I am the girl for that 😉

Let us connect on Linkedin, here is my profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayanda-nkosi-5899a3218