Social Media Marketing and Sales Performance of Beauty Entrepreneurs in Lagos

This study investigates the relationship between social media marketing practices and sales performance among beauty entrepreneurs in Lagos State, South West Nigeria, examining how small beauty businesses use platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to acquire customers and drive revenue. The beauty and personal care sector is one of Nigeria's fastest-growing consumer industries, and social media has become the primary marketing channel for small beauty entrepreneurs who lack the budget for traditional advertising. The study employs a descriptive correlational design, administering a structured questionnaire to 180 beauty entrepreneurs operating hair salons, skincare lines, cosmetic retail, and makeup artistry businesses in Lagos Island, Ikeja, and Lekki. Social media marketing activity, covering posting frequency, content type, paid promotion use, and audience engagement management, was measured alongside monthly sales figures for a three-month reference period. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Findings indicate that posting consistency, the professional quality of visual content, and active follower engagement are the strongest predictors of sales performance, while posting frequency alone shows only a weak positive relationship. Entrepreneurs who invest in professional product photography and video content show 45 percent higher average monthly sales than those using unedited phone camera content. Paid Instagram promotion produces a positive but modest incremental sales lift. Recommendations include low-cost social media marketing skills development workshops for Lagos beauty entrepreneurs through industry associations and market women's groups. Keywords: social media marketing, beauty entrepreneurs, Lagos, sales performance, digital marketing.