#SSWellnessWatch: How The Body Shop uses social media for brand storytelling

With markets reeling under the consequences of COVID-19, we take a look at how The Body Shop continued digital storytelling to keep in touch and reassure consumers.

For brands dealing with beauty and wellness products, the pandemic has proved to be a twisted opportunity to promote their self-care offerings. Twisted because operational difficulties were plenty. With varying phases and degrees of unlock, things have started to get easier on that front. Now the hurdle is to get people to trust them enough to make the purchase. We take a look at the way The Body Shop leveraged its social media presence and storytelling capabilities to make the process as seamless as possible.

They talk about their products, pampering impact on usage and the luxurious experience. They also talk about feminism, plastic waste and the importance of recycling. It's a cocktail which, topped with alluring visuals, facilitates them in connecting with consumers. Discounts, of course, help.

"Our content strategy is a healthy mix of our brand campaigns, activist causes that are close to our hearts, our product and ingredient stories, reactive content as well as more tactical messaging," says Antara Kundu, Marketing Head, The Body Shop, Asia South.

She adds, "Instagram and Facebook are the two platforms that lend themselves best to the beauty category as well as the kind of brand we are driving, diverse conversations across large audiences."

Campaigns and Strategies

The brand's daily approach to social media is to keep the content simple, fresh, relatable and locally relevant to Indian audiences. They talk about product launches, usage, benefits, offers with a focus on topical subjects that might be of interest to their consumes and are aligned with the brand ethos of The Body Shop.

She tells us about #TimeToCare, a brand campaign launched by them to engage followers in conversations about self-care, at-home rituals, as well as well-being, including a focus on mental health and happiness.

Also Read: Role of content in selling beauty brands & products

When the lockdown was starting to lift, The Body Shop had shifted its focus to reassuring customers about safety protocols, underlying their commitment to reach them where they are in these difficult times, may it be via home delivery, online ordering or curbside pickup. This was done under the #SafeSpace campaign.

An important part of The Body Shop's social media strategy is to focus on how the brand was founded by an inspiring woman for women.

"Every Wednesday, using our #FeministAndFearless property, we share news, views, profiles and updates about India’s growing feminist movement that spark vital conversations that we truly believe are needed, now more than ever," Kundu tells us.

Brand Advocacy

The team at The Body Shop has certain mandates they follow while engaging with influencers. The brand believes in activism, women's rights, caring for the planet and the thought that everyone is beautiful. They focus on associating with brand advocates who bring similar values to the table and not just a certain number of followers.

High engagement and quality of content are high in the list of brand priorities, so is a focus on selecting influencers from different parts of the country.

Brand ambassador Shraddha Kapoor is an essential part of their social media strategy. She puts up pictures on her profile, boosting campaigns, sharing new launches, promoting product ranges and more, introducing and exposing her 53.5 Million followers to the brand and its storytelling.

Recently, the brand had run the Plastics for Change campaign to highlight the importance of recycled packaging created from plastic waste. Earlier, with Dream Big Christmas, they had raised funds for girls' education. Ride for Change campaign is to promote an all women's bike ride to raise awareness about plastic pollution.

To sum up the social media strategy of The Body Shop, Kundu tells us: "Creating an engaging and productive brand social media handle is a marathon, not a sprint. Engaging and relevant content always creates interest and demand – but consistency is key."

Along with tracking ROI with clicks to stores and conversions, the brand also heavily prioritises engagement to gauge the strength of their social media community, she concludes.