Marketing Strategies for Strengthening Personal Branding of Makeup Artists on Instagram

Abstract

The rapid growth of makeup artist (MUA) services in Indonesia has intensified competition and encouraged service providers to develop a clear and credible personal brand. Instagram has become an important platform for communicating professional identity, displaying portfolios, engaging audiences, and converting online visibility into business opportunities. This study aims to analyze marketing strategies used to strengthen personal branding among MUAs, with emphasis on how digital communication, service quality, and customer interaction support competitiveness and long-term customer relationships. A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation of Instagram-based branding activities, and were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that effective MUA personal branding is supported by a coherent service identity, consistent visual presentation, high-quality portfolio content, responsive audience engagement, and collaboration with influencers or related brands. The 7Ps service marketing mix shows that product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence must be aligned to communicate professionalism and trust. Supporting factors include creative human resources, service consistency, professional networks, and word-of-mouth communication, whereas inhibiting factors include inconsistent internal communication and limited quality control in partnership-based work systems. The study concludes that integrated marketing communication through Instagram can strengthen visibility, credibility, and customer loyalty when implemented consistently and evaluated periodically.