Sephora recently partnered with Clinique spokeswoman Hannah Bronfman for a takeover of its Snapchat, showcasing how retailers, brands and celebrities are teaming up for social media cross-promotion to drive sales.

The well-known fitness and beauty personality shared various photos of her day with various Clinique products via Sephora’s Snapchat account for fans of both the retailer and Ms. Bronfman to view, in an attempt to boost purchases. Collaborations between multiple brands and popular faces have becoming increasingly popular across numerous social platforms, leveraging each relative established fan-base.

“This partnership will help drive sales for both brands because trust is one of the biggest factors in purchasing decisions,” said Marissa Ferraraccio, digital marketing specialist at Zoomph. “93 percent of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social and 90 percent of buyers trust peer recommendations more than anything else when making that decision.

“Therefore, using an influencer with an audience that trusts in her and what she has to say is the perfect example of influencer marketing done right,” she said. “Both brands can and should expect an increase in sales and customer loyalty.”

Weekend working
The Clinique ambassador took her daily routine to Snapchat over the weekend, introducing fans to her use of the brand’s products, as well as Sephora’s, in an attempt to drive sales to the retailer. As a retailer of Clinique products, Sephora is keen to partner with a brand to increase purchases of its products through the retailer’s various commerce channels in-store and out.

Ms. Bronfman, known for creating the mobile application Beautify, shared images of her post-workout breakfast, morning-beauty routine and behind the scenes of a photo shoot. She showed viewers her collection of her favorite Clinique products as well as a Sephora lip-gloss she often uses.

Naming these products, as well as showing their images, can boost sales for the line. Ms. Bronfman is acting as an expert or friend recommending good products, and consumers are more inclined to purchase, as well as generally increasing awareness for the items.

The takeover also helps Sephora add more followings to their Snapchat account, which increases its leverage via social media to connect with fans. The more individuals following various Sephora accounts, the more chances the retailer has to engage consumers and promote merchandise.

With a big name such as Ms. Bronfman, along with preliminary promotion for the Snapchat event means that many users will take to the app to get involved.

Another important factor is that Snapchat requires users to follow other users to see content. This means that many will add Sephora to their feed, and once the takeover has ended, will still be sent the retailer’s content.

Social media tactics
Kohl’s leveraged a similar tactic and drove sales of its collaborative collection with Disney via social platforms, leveraged a multitude of tactics to attract fans of the Descendants made-for-TV film, including a social media sweepstakes, question-and-answer segments and trivia games (see more).

Also, Discovery Channel’s annual television event Shark Week dove deep into mobile commerce to drive merchandise sales through Twitter’s buy button, leveraging daily deals and social media buzz (see more).

“Sephora is known for their unparalleled selection of beauty products designed to amplify beauty routines for all styles,” Ms. Ferraraccio said. “However, with competitors lurking around every corner, think: Ulta and other department stores, it is important for Sephora to give themselves a clear competitive advantage.

“What better way than with a trusted brand like Clinique,” she said. “For Sephora, partnering with a brand they not only support in their own stores, but, which has a trusted following, will help them grown their brand awareness and reach a larger audience.

“Using Snapchat is a smart, innovative way to reach their audience and bring this new audience into their ecosphere.”

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Commerce Daily