The Lip Bar

Imagine quitting your lucrative job as a Wall Street financial analyst to create lipsticks in your kitchen. The results of that decision will blow your mind!

The Idea:

The idea for The Lip Bar came to her after she realized that the makeup industry was dominated by a few major players (mostly men), all of which offered a narrow range of shades and limited options for women of color.
Melissa decided to create a line of lipsticks that catered to all skin tones and had a variety of unique colors and finishes.

How it started:

It started as a side gig, creating different formulations in her Brooklyn kitchen and researching different formulations from cosmetic chemists. Melissa hit some lows—running out of money and living with strangers to cover rent. When she decided to quit her job, it wasn’t because The Lip Bar was making so much money, but it was just a risk that she decided to take because she knew that she had the option.

How it’s going: The Lip Bar gained national attention in 2015 when Melissa appeared on Shark Tank. Although she didn’t receive funding from the Sharks, the exposure helped her to grow her business significantly. TLB is in about 750 Target stores and about 500 Walmart stores. As of 2023, The Lip Bar is worth an estimated $15 million

Marketing strategies:

Here are three obvious online marketing strategies utilized by Melissa Butler at The Lip Bar:

Social Media Marketing: The Lip Bar has a strong social media presence on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They use these platforms to showcase their products, interact with customers, and promote special offers and events. They also use social media influencers and brand ambassadors to help spread the word about their products.

Content Marketing: The Lip Bar has a blog on their website where they share tips, tutorials, and other content related to makeup and beauty. This helps to attract and engage potential customers, and also positions The Lip Bar as an authority in the beauty industry.

Email Marketing: The Lip Bar uses email marketing to stay in touch with their customers and promote new products, sales, and other events. They also offer a discount code to new subscribers, which helps to encourage sign-ups and boost sales. The Lip Bar’s email campaigns are personalized and targeted, which helps to increase their effectiveness.