All About Product Education: 5 Questions with an Industry Expert
Meet Keri Kemper. Keri has been a beauty guru for over 15 years helping brands guide product marketing and education around the globe. As the head of Kultivate Beauty, she works with founders to help build strategy, process and platforms to increase engagement, loyalty and recognition for up and coming beauty brands.
1. Tell us a little bit about you and your background in Product Education?
I started my career in cosmetic sales behind the counter, like most in the beauty industry. I was never good at the hard sale, but found I had a knack for using education to connect my clients and gain their confidence while teaching them what was best for their needs. As I began to grow in my career it became clear that driving sales and marketing through education was not only my passion but the easiest way to build loyalty from my clients.
2. Why is Product Education so important for brands to invest in?
Product education is really just product marketing. You have to market your products to your own employees, get them to believe and be impassioned before they can market them to your clients. The biggest mistake a company can make is not getting the buy-in of its employees. Investing in your people and their perspectives will pay you back tenfold in profits down the line.
3. What are the top 3 things you recommend every brand have in their Product Education arsenal?
It seems simple but you should ALWAYS have a full line of product profile sheets: one on each sku. These can be used to bring contractors up to speed, new employees, publications, PR agencies etc. The second thing that is so important especially in our new landscape is usage videos. Client error is the number one reason for a return and if you have clear, fun, instructional content that will eliminate most client error right off the bat. Lastly I would recommend having an internal comparison library. What is on the market in your channels? What makes your product different or complimentary. It is imperative that you and your team know what’s our there and can speak as an expert to the market.
4. For smaller brands and start-ups who don’t have a Product Education role, what are the ways they can bootstrap a good Product Education strategy?
I always recommend speaking with a consultant. IF you are launching into new retailers, channels, markets, etc the needs for education and product marketing can vary dramatically. Talking with someone who has experience navigating those variances and can help build a strategy will save you time, money and valuable resources in the long run.
5. What is your biggest piece of advice for founders when it comes to Product Education/marketing?
Invest in your product marketing and education. It really is the pillar for any brand. Having your clients understand your product and the value it brings to their life is what separates brands with life long loyalty and flash in the pan trend brands.
To connect with Keri and Kultivate Beauty visit: https://www.kultivatebeauty.com