Analyzing Jeffree Star Cosmetics’s social media platforms
It seems that when I talk to some of my female friends or I open up YouTube, I continuously see the name Jeffree Star pop up. Whether it’s drama, makeup or awesome car & tattoo reviews, this dude has it all. I personally don’t wear makeup or really care for it but after looking at his company’s (Jeffree Star Cosmetics or JSC) social media platforms and realizing he’s worth over $200 million dollars, I couldn’t help but look into it.
Instagram: Jeffree Star Cosmetics
A couple of things instantly stand out about the company’s page. In terms of actual statistics, the page only follows 1 person, Jeffree Star and has 7 million followers. In terms of a business standpoint, Jeffree has been able to drive traffic to his companies page from his own Instagram (14.5 million followers) and his YouTube (17.1 million subscribers). They post at an average of 1–3 posts a day all of which vary from re-posting fan looks, products, swatches, Jeffree, trends, etc. The companies feed also tags the products directly and link them straight to the website where customers can directly buy the product.
Diversity & Creativity
I would argue what they’re doing right here is really showing how creative and diverse the brand is. From my understanding, Jeffree loves bold colours, experimenting with different looks and isn’t afraid to step outside the box. I’ve always heard how lacklustre the beauty industry is when it comes to creativity and diversity, and I would argue that Jeffree Star Cosmetics is the exact opposite of that. The companies feed shows ex. # of shades, colours, products, different people wearing them, etc. which collectively shows the versatility of the brand’s image and their product offering.
The brand doesn’t have a Twitter account, however, are active on Facebook. Perhaps it’s Facebook’s layout, but looking at the home page and feed it seems that it’s used more for promoting Jeffree’s YouTube videos and linking products directly to his website. There is a contrast to Instagram where you see the JSC brand identity through its versatility in products, models and re-posts. The benefit of Facebook I would argue is its ability to heavily cater to a mid to older demographic (ex. Canada ages 24–54) which makes up 60% of Facebook’s users. This gives JSC the ability to connect to an older demographic of ex. parents, grandparents, etc. who don’t have Instagram or care to watch his YouTube videos. The final benefit of using Facebook is being able to directly see the prices of the company’s products and reviews. Compared to Instagram, reviews are not integrated into the platform and don’t give potential buyers that extra push to fully be able to see how other customers liked the products.
What sets the company apart from other brands?
In terms of separation, I decided to look at a variety of popular makeup brands such as Nars, Estee Lauder, Chanel and many more. What I immediately noticed is the difference in “looks” and the visual style each brand presents itself.
Estee Lauder provides a clean and minimalist look which predominantly focuses just on showcasing its product lineup. The looks they would re-post are more natural makeup looks and seem like they cater more to an older demographic. I wouldn’t say they have a lack of diversity, however, going through their feed I noticed that compared to JSC they don’t seem to showcase ex. men wearing makeup and a variety of POCS.
Looking at NARS cosmetics, their feed seems to include a wider net of cultural and racial backgrounds similar to JSC. The makeup looks they post are more natural/everyday looks which are totally fair. JSC is known for showing the extremities of makeup creativity and how to get creative with the companies products, however, not every other brand needs to align with this style. The benefit of JSC is that they 1.) cater to all genders, beliefs, etc. and 2.) don’t have to uphold a certain level of luxury like example Chanel does which can impair the variety of creative content posted.
Areas in which Jeffree Star Cosmetics can improve?
I would predominantly say JSC can improve with its Facebook strategy. Compared to Instagram, there’s a lacklustre amount of creative and diverse posts that could possibly deter potential customers if they haven’t come across the brand’s Instagram page. I would also say the level of consistency they post is no where near Instagrams. There’s a potential market to tap into or a pre-existing one that would benefit from reminders of the brand’s creativity and ingenuity.
The brand’s Instagram approach is quite superb especially with the level of consistent posts it puts up. It gives fans the ability to be showcased, it represents the diversity of the brand and it showcases the products quite effectively. I would only make a suggestion to add more Instagram videos or even some Reels of people playing with the makeup, swatches, etc. if they don’t want to watch Jeffree’s videos.
Final Thoughts?
Collectively, I would say Jeffree Star Cosmetics is a brand that knows what’s up. Jeffree Star’s popularity and creativity has given his brand the push and appeal to have one of the most popular makeup brands created by a YouTuber. The team behind his social media illustrates how you can pump out content continuously and still be true to your brand’s image and reputation. The most important thing is to keep the hype and conversation going while driving the appropriate traffic and converting that traffic into sales. Compared to a lot of other bigger brands, Jeffree Star Cosmetics shows how not just white women should be at the forefront of the brand’s image and identity, but allow selection for people of all genders, races, sexual orientation, etc. Finally, they have made it easy to get a look at how creatively the products can be used which ultimately gives the consumer a level of confidence in knowing that they’ll make the right purchase.