In this article, we share the complete journey of how we transformed a natural beauty brand and nearly doubled its revenue in just 12 months.
This isn’t your typical success story filled with overnight wins. This is about rolling up your sleeves, making tough decisions, and systematically rebuilding a beauty brand from the ground up while keeping loyal customers happy.
If you’re a brand owner struggling with growth bottlenecks, pricing challenges, or customer acquisition, OR with trying to gain a foothold in a really competitive product category, this article outlines a roadmap about how to market your beauty business.
The Picture 12 Months Ago…
Let me paint the picture of what we walked into. Indagare Beauty was a 6-year-old natural beauty brand with incredible products – and I mean incredible.
The products are amazing, the customer loyalty was through the roof – well above industry average – but the business had some serious challenges that were holding it back from its true potential.
First challenge: The brand hadn’t invested in new customer acquisition for 18 months before we took over. Eighteen months! That meant we had zero testing data, zero insights into what worked for paid advertising, and essentially had to start from scratch with customer acquisition strategies.
Second challenge: In six years of operation, there had never been a comprehensive price review. Never. Some products were selling at break-even or even at a loss. You can have the most loyal customers in the world, but if you’re not making money on each sale, you don’t have a sustainable business.
But here’s what gave me confidence in this brand – that customer retention rate. When customers love your products so much that they keep coming back despite no marketing efforts, despite potentially better-priced competitors, you know you’ve got something special. The foundation was solid; we just needed to build the right structure around it.
The Strategic Foundation
Before we touched anything tactical – before we redesigned a single webpage or launched a single ad – we had to get crystal clear on what this brand really stood for and who it served.
The original positioning was good, but it wasn’t sharp enough. It wasn’t differentiated enough in a crowded natural beauty market. So we repositioned Indagare Beauty as a high-performance, affordable luxury clean beauty brand for women who want to make a discerning choice for three specific reasons: health, effectiveness, and sustainability.
This wasn’t just marketing speak. This positioning had to drive every single decision we made – from product development to pricing to how we communicated with customers.
The “discerning choice” angle was crucial because our ideal customer isn’t someone who just wants clean beauty. She’s someone who’s done her research, who understands ingredients, who values transparency, and who’s willing to invest in products that align with her values but also deliver real results.
We also made a massive shift in how we communicated. Transparency and education became our North Star. Instead of just talking about how great our products were, we started explaining why they work, what’s in them, how they’re made, and why we make the choices we make as a brand.
This wasn’t just about marketing copy. This philosophy influenced our email campaigns, our social content, our product descriptions, even our customer service approach. Everything became about empowering our customers with knowledge so they could make informed decisions.
The Operational Overhaul
Once we had our strategic foundation, we had to tackle the operational reality. And let me be honest – it was overwhelming. We basically had to rebuild every single marketing channel simultaneously.
Let’s start with the website. The original site was functional, but the user experience wasn’t fabulous – particularly on mobile – and it didn’t reflect our new positioning or communicate our values effectively.
We completely redesigned it with a focus on education and transparency. Product pages became mini-masterclasses in ingredients and benefits. We added detailed FAQs, ingredient glossaries, and usage guides.
Then there was Klaviyo – our email marketing platform. The existing email flows were basic at best and, again, the user experience wasn’t great. The information was good, but it was super wordy and not visually appealing, which makes it really difficult to digest – especially when reading on mobile.
We rebuilt everything from the ground up: welcome sequences that educated new subscribers about clean beauty, abandoned cart sequences that addressed common concerns about natural products, and post-purchase sequences that helped customers get the most out of their products.
The content strategy was another massive undertaking. We shifted from sporadic posts about products to consistent, educational content that positioned us as thought leaders in the clean beauty space. We started talking about ingredient science, sustainability practices, and how to build an effective natural skincare routine.
We’ve also started talking more about the real skin and beauty issues that our customers tell us about, showcasing the incredible transformations they’ve had with the products. Show NOT tell, rather than just tell – helps potential customers to quickly grasp ‘what’s in it for me?’
But here’s where it gets really challenging – we had to do all of this while figuring out our advertising strategy from scratch. Remember, we had zero historical data to work with. We had to test everything: audiences, creative angles, platforms, messaging.
We started with Facebook and Instagram, but quickly realised we needed to diversify. We expanded to Google Ads, tested some Pinterest and TikTok, and also the PPC PR platform Linkby. Each platform required different creative approaches and messaging strategies.
The testing phase was brutal, especially as it was largely happening during the most expensive time of year to advertise Q4. We probably had more failed campaigns than successful ones in those first six months. But each failure taught us something about our audience and what resonated with them.
Product Innovation and Pricing Strategy
While we were rebuilding our marketing infrastructure, we also had to address the product and pricing challenges.
The pricing issue was particularly sensitive because we knew we had to increase prices on several products to make them profitable, but we didn’t want to risk losing the loyal customer base in the process.
We approached this systematically. First, we conducted a thorough cost analysis of every product to understand true margins. Then we researched competitor pricing to ensure we stayed competitive within our “affordable luxury” positioning.
Finally, we created a communication strategy to explain price increases to existing customers before they happened.
The key was transparency. We didn’t just raise prices and hope people wouldn’t notice. We sent detailed emails explaining our commitment to maintaining product quality, our investment in sustainable practices, and how the price adjustments allowed us to continue delivering the products they loved.
Surprisingly, we lost fewer customers than expected. The transparency approach actually strengthened relationships with many of our existing customers because they felt respected and informed.
On the product development side, we identified two key opportunities.
First, we needed an innovative cleanser that would serve as a great entry point for new customers. Cleansers are often the first product people try from a new brand, so we invested heavily in creating something that would wow first-time users.
Second, we introduced trial sizes across our range. This was crucial for customer acquisition because natural beauty products do require a leap of faith, particularly when sold online where customers obviously can’t try before they buy.
People need to experience the products to believe in them. Trial sizes lowered the barrier to entry and made it easier for new customers to test multiple products without a huge financial commitment.
Overcoming Customer Retention Challenges
The biggest challenge we faced wasn’t actually acquiring new customers – it was keeping our existing ones happy while making necessary changes to the business.
We knew we had to increase prices, update some of the packaging, and completely overhaul our marketing approach. Plus, our warehouse moved from the north of Australia to the south, so order delivery timeframes inevitably changed.
Any one of these changes could potentially alienate loyal customers who loved the brand exactly as it was. Even if through the sheer fact of making something once-familiar, into something less familiar. Like when supermarkets completely rearrange all their aisles and you can’t find stuff anymore.
Our strategy was proactive communication, asking our loyal customer base for their input first, and then gradual implementation. Instead of making all changes at once, we rolled them out over several months, explaining each change and the reasoning behind it. And to be honest, this is still an evolution in progress – we’re far from done yet.
We also doubled down on customer service. We created detailed FAQ documents addressing concerns about changes. We offered personal consultations for customers who were unsure about new products. We even created exclusive previews and discounts for long-term customers when we launched new products.
Most importantly, we never compromised on product quality. Customers trusted us with their skin, and we weren’t going to break that trust for short-term financial gains.
The result?
We retained about 85% of our existing customer base, which in the beauty industry, especially during a period of significant change, is exceptional.
The Testing and Iteration Process
Let me talk about what the day-to-day reality of this transformation looked like, because I think this is where a lot of brand owners get stuck or give up.
And I get why they do that, because inherent with testing is the knowledge that a lot of what you try won’t work, which can sting a bit like failure.
Testing wasn’t glamorous. It was launching an ad campaign on Monday, checking performance on Wednesday, killing it if it wasn’t working, and starting over on Friday. It was creating multiple different email subject lines and offers for the same campaigns and seeing which one got opened or converted more.
We tested everything: ad creative, audience targeting, email timing, product bundle combinations, pricing strategies, website layouts, offers and more. Some weeks we were running five different tests simultaneously across different channels.
The key was having clear success metrics for each test and being ruthless about killing things that didn’t work. We couldn’t afford to let emotions or personal preferences drive decisions. Everything had to be data-driven.
For example, we tested two completely different offer strategies – value-add bundles versus free shipping promotions. The value-add approach, where we bundled complementary products or included free gifts with purchase, performed 40% better than free shipping offers, even though free shipping seemed like the obvious choice for ecommerce.
We also had to test messaging across different platforms. What worked on Instagram didn’t necessarily work on Facebook. What resonated with our email audience might fall flat on Pinterest.
But here’s what really surprised us about messaging: getting specific with problem-based messaging massively out-performed generic anti-ageing benefits or even award-winning copy.
Instead of talking about “reducing fine lines” – which every beauty brand says – we started addressing specific concerns like “under-eye dark circles” or “that patch of hyperpigmentation on your cheek that makeup won’t cover.” This targeted approach cut through the noise in a crowded anti-ageing market where everyone makes the same broad claims.
The breakthrough came around month six when we finally found our winning combination: educational content that educated about ingredient benefits targeting very specific problems, user-generated content from real customers, and clear before-and-after demonstrations. But it took hundreds of failed tests to get there.
Platform Diversification Strategy
One of the biggest lessons from this journey was the importance of not putting all your eggs in one basket. We learned this the hard way when iOS 14.5 updates decimated our Facebook ad performance overnight.
Our original plan was to focus heavily on Facebook and Instagram – they are the obvious choice for building brand awareness. But we had to pivot quickly when we realised how hard it is to get cut-through at an affordable price in such a competitive product category.
PPC PR using Linkby became our most reliable channel for new customer acquisition, followed by Meta ads for capturing high-intent customers who were already searching for clean beauty solutions. The learning curve was steep, but the quality of customers we acquired through these two channels was exceptional.
Google surprised us. We initially assumed it would be the strongest driver of sales, as it is for most of our eCommerce clients, but with constant changes on the Google platform over the last year thanks to all the new generative AI algorithm updates, it turns out that organic search traffic is out-performing paid on this platform – probably down to our regular, consistent publishing of high quality content. Who am I to argue here though – free traffic is great!
TikTok and Pinterest are currently on the back-burner. Our audience does skew a bit older, so I wasn’t overly surprised that TikTok didn’t explode out of the gate, and Pinterest is still pretty niche as a traffic generator, but we’ll come back to them both down the track.
In what was no surprise to me, or to you if you’re a regular listener here, is that Klaviyo has been the biggest success in terms of increasing conversions and lifetime value. Most exciting to me is that revenue attributed to our automated flows is up more than 95% year on year!
The lesson here is that you have to be where your customers are, even if it’s uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Each platform required us to adapt our messaging and creative approach, but that diversification ultimately made our business more resilient.
Results and Key Metrics
So what were the actual results of all this work?
We nearly doubled revenue in 12 months. But that top-line number doesn’t tell the whole story.
Customer acquisition is up by over 165%. We’ve shipped orders to 21 countries around the world, up from 4 countries previous to that. We’ve set a new record of highest number of orders in one day, up by 33%.
More importantly, we improved gross margins through strategic pricing adjustments and product mix optimisation. We increased our customer lifetime value through better email marketing and retention strategies. Our cost of customer acquisition decreased significantly once we found our winning creative and targeting combinations.
But here’s the metric I’m most proud of: we’ve built a much more sustainable business. Instead of relying on a small group of loyal customers making repeat purchases, we now have a steady stream of new customers discovering the brand every month, balanced with strong retention rates.
The brand went from being dependent on a single marketing channel to having diversified revenue streams across multiple platforms. It went from having no new customer acquisition strategy to having systematic, scalable growth systems.
Lessons for Other Brand Owners
If you’re a brand owner facing similar challenges, here are the key lessons from our journey:
First, strategy before tactics. We could have jumped straight into running ads and redesigning websites, but without clear positioning and messaging, we would have wasted months and thousands of dollars on ineffective campaigns.
Second, embrace testing but be systematic about it. Test one variable at a time, set clear success criteria, and be prepared to kill campaigns that aren’t working. Emotional attachment to creative ideas will kill your budget.
Third, transparency builds trust. When we had to make difficult changes like price increases, honesty and clear communication actually strengthened customer relationships rather than damaging them.
Fourth, diversification is crucial. Platform policies change, algorithms shift, and costs fluctuate. Having multiple customer acquisition channels protects your business from external disruptions.
Fifth, don’t neglect existing customers while chasing new ones. Your current customers are your most valuable asset. Keep them happy, and they’ll become advocates who help you acquire new customers more cost-effectively.
Finally, product quality and customer service are non-negotiable. All the marketing in the world can’t fix a mediocre product or poor customer experience.
Want Our Help (For Free?)
Speaking of identifying growth bottlenecks, I want to offer something valuable to help you diagnose what might be holding your brand back.
We’ve created a free Ecommerce Diagnostic tool that can help you identify your specific growth bottlenecks and calculate your revenue potential. It’s based on the same framework we used to transform Indagare Beauty.
The diagnostic looks at five key areas: your product-market fit, your customer acquisition strategy, your conversion optimization, your retention systems, and your operational efficiency. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and you’ll get a personalized report with specific recommendations for your business.
This tool has helped hundreds of brand owners identify exactly where they should focus their efforts to drive growth. Whether you’re struggling with customer acquisition, retention, or profitability, it will give you a clear roadmap for improvement.
The Moral Of The Story…
Transforming Indagare Beauty was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I’ve ever undertaken. It required simultaneously rebuilding every aspect of the business while maintaining the trust and loyalty of existing customers.
The key was treating it as a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s one that will be ongoing for a while yet. Sustainable growth takes time, systematic testing, and constant iteration. There were weeks when nothing seemed to work, and weeks when everything clicked into place.
But the results speak for themselves: nearly doubled revenue, improved margins, happier customers, and a much more resilient business model. A solid foundation on which to scale big!
If you’re facing similar challenges with your brand – whether it’s customer acquisition, pricing, positioning, or operational efficiency – remember that every problem is solvable with the right strategy and consistent execution.
