No “face for the brand”, no problem. ♡

In the relationship-focused world of social media, the concept of faceless marketing might seem like a modern-day oxymoron. After all, social media is all about connection, personality, and, well, faces, right? 

And yet, the rise of faceless marketing on social media is challenging everything we thought we knew about digital identity.

In the past, we’ve seen studies show that 91.7% of ads featuring a face attract more attention. So how, exactly, did this trend enter the spotlight? Let’s dive in. ↓

How Did Faceless Brands Start?

Simply put, innovation and changing user interests are driving the evolution of faceless brands.

In today’s digital age, marketers are constantly seeking new ways to connect with their target audience and make a lasting impact. After all, on social media, what worked yesterday won’t work today, and what worked today likely won’t work tomorrow.

That said, becoming stagnant and rejecting new theories is a one-way ticket to irrelevancy on social media. While it seems like a radical concept, you may be surprised to learn that faceless marketing doesn’t actually mean “no faces”. Allow me to explain. ↓

Faceless Doesn’t Mean “Faceless”

This is a common misconception – you can still show faces and people in a “faceless” marketing campaign. In fact, we encourage it! A faceless brand simply means that the strategy isn’t centered around one person who is frequently shown in marketing content.

You might have the wrong idea.

What Faceless Marketing Is: Relies on marketing the brand itself or the lifestyle that accompanies it. Can feature customers, team members, influencers, or multiple creators.

What Faceless Marketing Is Not: Showing zero faces.

Think of it like the Wizard of Oz, but without the big reveal. And now that we’re on the same page, let’s get to it. What are the pros and cons of building a faceless online brand? ↓

5 Pros For Faceless Marketing On Social Media

#1. Focus On The Brand Itself

It’s all too easy to get attached to a singular face rather than the brand itself. And while this attachment might be okay for a personal brand or service-based solopreneur, as a small business, this is not the goal.

When the spotlight isn’t on the people behind the brand, it shines even brighter on the content itself. By centering the conversation around your product, service, or the value you provide, you can attract followers who are genuinely interested in what you offer, not just the personalities behind the posts.

Find Inspiration: Ghia is killing it in the faceless game. Their content features hands-only product shots, mocktail recipes, product launches, and more. And while less than 10% of their content includes a face, their engagement rate is through the roof. Why? Because now, we can collectively focus on their stunning brand, mission, and recipes.

#2. Consistency Is King

Faceless brands have a unique opportunity maintain a consistent voice and brand image. Think of it as the Starbucks of social media—always the same, no matter where you experience it. 

Imagine that you nominate an employee to become the face of your company. What happens when they leave? Suddenly, your company is starting at square one to re-establish a new face for the company, causing a major disruption in your strategy and results.

Find Inspiration: Duolingo’s “faceless” personality is the giant green owl that we all know and love. The benefit? ANYONE can wear the mascot costume and within seconds, represent the brand in a way that is recognizable. Hellooooo, consistency!

#3. Scalable Content Creation + Results

Faceless brands are very scalable because they don’t rely on one single person to create content. Rather, they allow you to collaborate with multiple creators sharing similar content styles.

Now consider that 40% of shoppers are more likely to purchase a product from an ad featuring user-generated content. Brands that leverage faceless creators will not only scale more quickly due to ease of content creation, results may also increase substantially as well.

Find Inspiration: In case you’re new around here, we’re obsessed with Summer Friday. And their emphasis on UGC and influencer collaborations earn them a spot in our “Top 10”. Not only is UGC great for their engagement rates, it also means that their content creation strategy is scalable.

#4. Reputation Management

When your brand isn’t tied to a specific individual, you’re less vulnerable to risks of a personal brand. Remember when Kanye West’s tweets caused a PR nightmare for Adidas? Yikes, unfortunately, we remember that too.

Partnering with a faceless creator, or several creators, eliminates the risk of a personal-brand-gone-wrong.

Find Inspiration: This one is an inspiration of what NOT to do. If you do choose to align your brand with a celebrity of well known person, be selective and consider worst case scenario!

#5. Not Everyone Loves The Spotlight

If I had a dollar for every time a client said that they’re too nervous to film content, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be writing this article right now.

Going “faceless” and outsourcing content creation to multiple creators is a great way to step out of the limelight and point the focus back to your product and message.

Find Inspiration: Ben and Jerry’s is known for innovative flavors, a strong tie to it’s community, and speaking up for social injustices. These same qualities are found on their social media as well. After giving their feed a scroll, you’ll see many team member features, from ice cream makers to social mission activists and beyond.

As the Founder, you don’t have to be in the limelight. Your team and community will be happy to represent!

3 Cons Of Faceless Marketing On Social Media:

#1. Challenges in Building Trust

Trust is the currency of commerce, especially online. A brand without a face could seem distant or impersonal, making it harder to build that essential trust with the audience. This is especially tricky in sectors like beauty or health, where personal testimony and trust are key.

How to avoid this: Focus on building credibility through sharing case studies, filming client testimonials, or sharing UGC content. 

#2. Harder to Personalize

You may find that with faceless marketing on social media, it’s a struggle to create the same level of personal connection. People love stories and personalities, and a brand without a face might miss out on this powerful engagement tool.

How to avoid this: Show the human side of your brand! Center your social media strategy around relatability, storytelling, and relationship building – all of which are possible without nominating a face for the company.

Think of Wendy’s Twitter account—it’s popular not just because of the sassy tweets, but because followers feel like they’re interacting with a real person. And yet, no faces to be seen.

#3. Potential For Less Authenticity

Consumers are craving genuine, transparent interactions – 86% to be exact. They want to see the behind-the-scenes, the bloopers, and the real-life stories that make your brand unique. A faceless brand can miss out on these opportunities.

How to avoid this: Consider brands like Patagonia which thrive on showing the people and stories behind their products. This authenticity fosters trust and loyalty, which are crucial for long-term success. Without a face, you can still weave authenticity into your messaging, although it might be more difficult.

Ready To Go Incognito?

At a marketer, content creator, or business owner, building a successful faceless account is the true testament to whether or not you can build a brand. It’s the ultimate test. And I feel so confident that you can ace it!

Remember: your face is only one component of a brand, and a relatively small one, at that. You still have your visual identity, stories, experiences, values, and expertise to do the heavy lifting. Those components alone are enough to build a strong and credible brand.

Pair this strategy with the efforts of an UGC content creation team and your brand is set for success.