Why It’s Time For Beauty Brands To Pay Much Closer Attention To The Quality Of Their Product Reviews

Think consumers are disinterested in another person’s opinion? Not on your life. Most of the time, people want to know what others liked or disliked about a product before whipping out their credit cards, which makes trustworthy, thoughtful reviews from a diverse community the most valuable commodity and an integral step toward achieving brand loyalty. 

Beautytap’s digital community of multi-cultural beauty professionals share authentic, deep dive product reviews that are in a league of their own.

Consumers Trust Firsthand Experience More Than Advertising

In a world of product placement, advertorials, and sponsored social content, today’s consumers are hyper-conscious about “the pitch,” which makes it more important than ever for brands to develop a bond with them in a non-traditional way. Advertising won’t make that happen, so establishing trust often relies on the words and recommendations of experts with trusted credentials and no permanent ties to the company. According to a 2019 study on brands and trust, 62 percent of the surveyed group specifically noted that they “[couldn’t] afford [to make] a bad purchase,” and 77 percent said that good reviews were a “deciding factor in their brand buying decision.” 

Quality Reviews Are Weighted the Same as Personal Recommendations  

Before making a purchase, the vast majority of consumers turn to reviews for guidance. According to a 2020 BrightLocal survey, nearly 80 percent of consumers “trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family.” And since shopping online has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, retailers with an eye for growth and longevity need to tap into the review marketplace in ways that align with their goals and objectives. That means getting products into the hands of professionals, not just influencers. When a reviewer’s experience aligns with both a brand’s values and a consumer’s desire, magic happens. 

Thoughtful, genuine reviews are said to be a deciding factor for consumers considering product purchases.

Macro-Influencer Versus Micro-Community

Scroll through a makeup or skincare subreddit, and you’ll quickly learn how people feel about unvetted or celebrity reviewers. Many consumers distrust the opinions and feel as though the posting parties weren’t entirely honest. This is a classic example of the disconnect that happens when a brand focuses more on macro-influencers than working with those who would actually be looking for that specific product in the first place. Partnering with a single influencer may gain a brand temporary traction but tapping recognized industry professionals offer better results. 

Beautytap’s experts span the entire beauty gamut with specialized skills and expertise in social media micro-communities. Not only do reviewers have their own following, but they also have better one-on-one engagement. Community members often trust them precisely because they know their input is highly valued and appreciated, given they learn about the products from the brands themselves.

Industry Professionals Aren’t Just Sent Free Products

As much as people joke and say, “Will work for product,” the truth is there’s a lot more at stake than just getting a jar of night cream or a new supplement. Any product that a reviewer is willing to put through its paces and then share their honest observations about impacts their overall reputation. Beauty professionals don’t accept every offer that comes their way, nor do they want to, because reviewing is not an effortless undertaking; it requires passion and commitment. 

Crafting an organized review with genuine touchpoints that will resonate for others is akin to writing a cover letter for a résumé. It’s not a free-for-all, anything-goes task. Many reviewers, including me, spend hours gathering their thoughts, looking up ingredients, analyzing textures, imagining the real-life human being the product will appeal to, and creating compelling images and content for their own social pages.  And you will only find dedicated product reviewers at Beautytap.

Beautytap’s community of beauty experts undergo brand-lead masterclasses to equip them with solid product knowledge along with enriching editorials that help them write game-changing product reviews.

Reputable Reviewers Have a Long-Term Vision 

There will always be people who are willing to exchange their thoughts for a product, but the Beauty Experts in the Beautytap community are evaluated heavily and then held accountable for writing timely, substantive reviews (at least 750 characters) or they can be removed from the program. 

According to Cliff Beach, VP of Digital & Operations for Beautytap, “Our community of Beauty Experts are vetted to check for significant beauty industry experience before joining our network; they are given vast product knowledge education and are also coached on how to best write deep-dive, honest reviews. We also thoroughly check all of our content on Beautytap.com to strive for 100% quality assurance that each review is authentic and well-written. The focus is always quality over quantity, providing more meaning and value to the reader to be able to make better informed product decisions.” 

Not every reviewer makes a career of sharing their insights and observations with others, but most industry professionals – especially beauty professionals – recognize that educating their clients includes a certain amount of personal experimentation. Brand awareness doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and since our integrity is on the line, we’re vigilant about staying attuned to new releases and trends as well as the concerns of the people who rely on us for guidance. Reviewing products gives us a portfolio of experience that is often forgotten when recapping our responsibilities in a given role. 

Thoughtful written opinions by diverse, multicultural reviewers, however, are evidence of our engagement and commitment to the beauty industry as a whole. What more could a beauty brand ask for?