The Three Words Every Beauty Brand Owner Should Ask Before Spending a Cent

Too many beauty and hair brands burn through budget not because their ideas are bad—but because their objectives are blurry. Is this about getting seen?Getting stocked? Or getting talked about? Only one of those should be the goal at a time.

At every decision point (whether it’s a collaboration, budget allocation, trade event, or brand campaign) ask yourself this simple question:

Is this for awareness, acquisition, or advocacy?

Let’s break that down:

1. Brand Awareness

This is about visibility. You’re looking to introduce your brand to new audiences or cement your presence in the market. Think: high-traffic sponsorships, broad-reach PR, or media partnerships.

Ask yourself: Will this opportunity put us in front of people who’ve never heard of us before?

Use it when: You’re new to market, rebranding, or expanding into new regions.

2. Stockist Acquisition

This is about growth. You want more retailers, more doors, more distribution. These tactics should be laser-focused on attracting the right stockists or business accounts.

Ask yourself: Will this lead to direct conversations with qualified prospective stockists?

Use it when: You’re looking to scale, launch into new territories, or fuel wholesale growth.

3. Advocacy

This is about loyalty. Deepening the relationship with your existing customers or stockists so they champion your brand for you. Think: education events, community-building dinners, or exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences.

Ask yourself: Will this make our current community feel more seen, supported, or invested?

Use it when: You’re strengthening loyalty, launching new products to your network, or nurturing long-term brand fans.

When these three filters (awareness, acquisition, advocacy) aren’t considered, brands risk making expensive decisions that don’t ladder up to any real result. Worse still, they may measure success in the wrong way.

For example:

• Don’t expect new stockists to come from an awareness-focused influencer collab.

• Don’t pour education budget into an activation with no opportunity to deepen advocacy.

• Don’t evaluate a brand awareness event purely by sales numbers.

  
  

Each road has a different destination. Use these three words as your stop sign—pause and clarify your objective before you say yes.

Because with clear objectives comes better decision-making, sharper messaging, and more meaningful results.

Want to make sure every dollar of your marketing spend is delivering impact?Book a 1:1 Brand Strategy Session and we’ll audit your existing strategy together.