Influencer marketing is one of the most dynamic fields in beauty. Increasingly, brands are prioritizing long-term community building over one-off influencer campaigns, working with creators of all sizes rather than just mega-creators with millions of followers. And providing memorable experiences is, in some ways, as important as providing paid opportunities.
At Makeup by Mario, senior manager of influencer and communications Marisa Sargenti works to build the brand’s community, select creators that make sense for the brand and balance paid versus organic social media content.
During a live discussion with the new Glossy Campus creator network, Glossy editor-in-chief Jill Manoff spoke to Sargenti about Makeup by Mario’s community-building initiatives, including what it does to allow members of that community to feel close to its star founder, Mario Dedivanovic, and how it’s (slowly) growing its paid social initiatives. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
How would you describe the Makeup By Mario community? Who is a part of it?
“It’s such a strong community, and [it’s] inclusive of artists, beauty enthusiasts and content creators at all levels. And when it comes to a strong community, I think it comes down to two things: It’s really authenticity and listening. [Makeup by Mario] was built on real artistry, and we’ve grown by staying close to our community and really listening to what they want. For example, we just relaunched our OG Ethereal Eyes Palette back in March, and there was such demand for it. I think the stat was that about 70% of our Instagram comments were about bringing the Etheral Eyes Palette back, which is so incredible. We saw the demand, and Mario was able to give it back to the consumer, and now it’s back permanently. And it really establishes that trust [our community has in us].”
What would you say fuels this community? What brings people on board? Is it just that you’re listening to people and interacting with them?
“Yeah, I think it’s that, and it’s also Mario’s overall authenticity, and his story, [which is] so special. He started his makeup journey over 25 years ago at Sephora, and it’s such a special story because he essentially came up from nothing and created this world, and people feel so connected to his story. That in itself is part of the community-building process: sharing that [story] with the community and making sure the community feels so in touch with Mario at all points, whether it’s on social or in person.”
How are you balancing working with nano-, micro- and macro-influencers, and also paid and organic — the whole gamut?
“We’ve seen so much shift in this space over the last 5-10 years, with creators and creator partnerships with beauty brands. It used to be [much more concentrated] at a macro level, getting those big partnerships. And while that still is so great for awareness, these days, people resonate so [strongly] with those micro-creators, and they feel so attached to them, like they know them. We want to invest heavily in both; we don’t just want to go for that awareness play [with macro influencers]. We want to also involve our smaller creators and the creators in-between, who we call our established creators. We develop relationships with all of them, and we want them to feel seen and heard, and [to feel] that Makeup by Mario is supporting them through their entire influencer journey. And then, in terms of organic versus paid, I will say Makeup by Mario is definitely more organic-driven, but we are definitely diving a bit more into paid these days, which we’re super excited about. We know paid drives so much awareness and really strategically helps your campaigns — but when it comes to organic, there’s nothing like it, right?”
How do you encourage organic love for the brand?
“Stepping into a brand like Makeup by Mario, there’s so much love existing already, and we want to make sure that we’re giving back to them just as much as they’re giving to us, whether that’s asking if we can boost their content, seeing if they want to work with Mario, or inviting them to events and masterclasses — because it’s such a special experience getting to have that in-person moment with Mario.”
What about what you look for in paid partnerships? How does that differ? Who is a good fit to work with the brand?
“When we’re looking at creators, we are primarily looking at creators who are using the brand already. It’s really important for us to know that there’s a sense of connection to the brand. People can tell if you’re just using a random product, you know? Gen Z is so quick to clock it on all forms of social these days and understands if someone’s just using a product because they are paid to. We want to make sure that all the content is authentic, [that] it feels like a creator that has already been using Makeup by Mario. And that kind of goes back to my earlier point about rewarding the creator. The organic content they’re creating is wonderful, and we want to make sure they see that we’re seeing them. We use a tool across all social media that collects content, and if a creator does tag us, we will see it. So, it’s so helpful to also see how much they post over time and to give them that opportunity in the future to speak to the product. [Then] it comes out so naturally when you go to do a paid partnership, rather than giving them a specific script or brief.”
What are you looking at in terms of data points with posts? I’m hearing a lot about the value of shares, for example. What are you focusing on?
“It’s not just about the clicks, it’s not just about the data. When you’re looking at the brands that are succeeding, it’s because they’re so invested in their relationship-building with creators. It’s not just looking at the stats — there could be someone that you’re investing in early on with seedings or maybe one-off UGC campaigns who will grow into such a big creator one day, and those are the relationships that are not only going to pay off, but also that you build such a strong relationship with, and it’s so incredible to see their journey and be alongside them as [they grow]. So, while EMV and clicks and shares are so important to us as a brand, it’s definitely not the only thing that’s important. We really want to prioritize our relationships, how we show up in our community and what that looks like for us moving forward.”
