Summer Fridays: Boosting Customer Voices with AI Social Listening

Summer Fridays’ Challenge

Founded by beauty influencers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland, Summer Fridays is a skincare brand that emerged from the desire for simple, clean and effective products that cater to the modern, busy lifestyle. In the highly competitive beauty market, Summer Fridays faces the challenge of creating authentic and engaging content that resonates with its audience. As the brand maintains a consistent voice, it must balance the need for relatable and genuine UGC with polished, professional campaign imagery. Using Dash Hudson's AI-Powered Social Listening tool, Summer Fridays effectively stays ahead of the curve by keeping a close eye on community feedback, trends and competitor strategies, enabling the brand to make data-driven decisions and strengthen its connection with its community.

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Empowering Customers With User-Generated Content

As a brand founded by influencers, Summer Fridays understands the importance of UGC and peer-to-peer sharing. Dash Hudson's data proved that the brand's Instagram UGC earns higher Engagement Rates than campaign photos, solidifying its belief in its community's content. In fact, UGC shared by the community has Engagement Rates 6,500% higher than the brand’s average, and from February to April 2023 its UGC earned 1,400% higher Total Reach than the brand’s in-feed content. By shifting its marketing strategy to emphasize authentic content from real followers, the brand expanded its overall reach and fostered a more genuine connection with its customers. This approach empowers skincare enthusiasts to educate others and share their success stories, further strengthening its authenticity and bond with its audience.

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Creating an Engaging Space for Skincare Enthusiasts

By leveraging Dash Hudson's insights, Summer Fridays identified the popularity of educational infographics among its audience. In response, the brand increased educational content production to promote community discussions and encourage valuable feedback. The brand's posts serve as a forum where customers can interact with one another, resulting in an Instagram Engagement Rate more than 100% higher than the Beauty industry benchmarks. Summer Fridays not only responds to comments but also seizes every direct message as an opportunity to engage in personalized conversations with users about their skincare goals and needs. The team prioritizes listening to its customers and ensuring they feel heard, ultimately cultivating a highly engaged community. As the brand innovates with hybrid products and expands into new categories, customer loyalty helps it stand out from competitors.

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Building a Content Strategy Through Social Listening

Summer Fridays combines creativity and data-driven insights to craft visually appealing photoshoots that resonate with its audience. Dash Hudson's Visual Trends gives context to what users are searching for, and in the world of hybrid beauty products, that includes lip balm, UGC and vibrant swatches laid out on arms. The brand uses sentiment analysis to gather valuable community feedback on product preferences and future demands, strengthening its core product lineup with customer input taken into account. Summer Fridays ensures that every product decision made is based on the needs and desires of its community, demonstrating the power of Social Listening in shaping the brand's future.

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I found keywords particularly helpful. As I search for lip balm across our industry, it is beneficial to see words like “liquid,” “plumping” or “new” that give insight into the textures or shades that people are searching for on social.

Caleb Simpson,
Assistant Manager, Social & Community at Summer Fridays

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