How Refy do community: an interview with Social Media and Community Manager, Georgina
Few brands have mastered the art of genuine connection quite like REFY. I've been high-key obsessed with their approach to community building for ages - they're the blueprint for turning casual customers into ride-or-die brand advocates.
I recently had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Georgina, REFY's Social Media & Community Manager, who's been crushing it behind the scenes of one of beauty's most talked-about community strategies. From that viral Mallorca villa trip (if you know, you know) to their innovative use of Instagram's Broadcast Channel feature before everyone and their mother jumped on the bandwagon – REFY is writing the playbook on community engagement that actually feels... well, like a real community.
Georgina shared some gems about how they've managed to create those coveted authentic connections both online and IRL, plus the strategy behind their freshly launched REFY World members club that's got everyone talking. So grab your favorite brow product (REFY, obviously) and enjoy this masterclass on building a brand community that genuinely vibes with your audience.
TLDR:
Community-first approach is core to REFY's success - they actively collect AND implement feedback, creating both digital and real-life connections that extend beyond just selling makeup.
Their viral Mallorca villa trip with 8 community members created authentic bonds (the participants are now friends with their own group chat) and helped identify their most loyal fans.
REFY jumped on Instagram's Broadcast Channel feature early, creating "REFY Group Chat" which evolved into a genuine community forum that provides instant feedback loops for product development.
Their social strategy is platform-specific: Instagram for visual storytelling, Pinterest for long-term inspiration, with authenticity, actioning feedback, and showing the humans behind the brand as their top community-building principles.
Introduce yourself and what you do within the REFY team.
Firstly I wanted to say I’m such a big fan of PLM and everything you do! I’m Georgina, REFY’s Social Media & Community Manager!
Before REFY I worked within Fashion for 6 years but have been working now in the beauty space for just over a year. I work on all things organic social strategy with my amazing team looking at the output across all of our social channels but also focusing on our core brand pillar of being community first! With the brand still being in its infancy it’s been amazing to work closely with other teams across the business allowing me to learn so much about other areas within REFY.
Can you tell me a little about how you do community at REFY? I'd love to hear more about that iconic community trip and your newly launched members club.
Our community means everything to us. We wouldn’t be where we are as a brand without the amazing people that have helped support the brand to where it is today. Everything we do is for them. We’re always asking for feedback but also actioning - it which I think is so important.
With community being so important to us, in June 2024 we wanted to celebrate our Summer launches somehow with our community and we landed on taking 8 of our community away to The REFY Villa in Mallorca, our co-founders favourite place to visit in Summer!
This all happened in line with the launch of our Broadcast channel the REFY Group Chat and it really helped us pinpoint our most loyal community. The trip was honestly amazing, if you haven’t seen the main video that went viral you can watch it here - the vibes were just immaculate. The girls that attended have now become best friends, have a group chat and continue to be part of everything we do (like our latest skin trials).
As well as ensuring we’re meeting our community in real life we recognised as a brand there was more we could also be doing for our online community. Our new members club REFY World is a space for our community to progress through levels unlocking rewards. This can be anything from early access to our events, exclusive offers or one of a kind products.
We’re only just getting started when it comes to community but it’s super exciting to say that there’s much more to come!
What do you think makes a great brand community? and why is community important to you at REFY?
I think a great brand community is all about authenticity and giving people a sense of belonging in whatever way is fitting to that brand. The best communities are the ones where you can tell feedback is being taken onboard & actioned.
At REFY it’s one of our brand values - to be community first. This influences all decisions big and small. It’s not just about engagement but about creating an inclusive space both in real life and online where people feel represented & inspired.
We want people to be taking something else away with them when it comes to REFY, not just the makeup, whether that’s a new friend, inspiration or a new found confidence.
Something that I think you guys do SO well that many others do not is broadcast channels, what inspired you to go all in on the channel and how has it impacted the brand/community?
As soon as this got announced we were all refreshing the REFY instagram all the time to check if it had been rolled out to us yet. When new features on any platform come about, I think the more reactive you are with it the more successful you generally can be. We started it ahead of a lot of brands which set us up well, as we were then instantly in our community’s DM’s ahead of anyone else.
When Broadcast first started the only way the community could get involved was via polls or a Q&A box. It’s been great for our product development team to get instant feedback on shades, new products and where our community wants us to show up next. We just wanted the space to be really informal and bring everyone in on our day to day whether that be from the teams perspective or our Co-Founders Jenna and Jess.
Instagram have since developed the channel further to allow replies to messages and it really began to turn into a group chat style forum which is exactly what we wanted. It has been invaluable having this channel to bring our community together both digitally and in real life. It has been the catalyst of new friendships is what both myself and the REFY team are so proud of.
As a brand it’s opened us up to an instant feedback loop that we didn’t always have before. We have always been big on focus groups and will 100% continue them but the ability to just quickly ask for an opinion in our broadcast channel has led to some far swifter decisions.
All of this has led to some pretty amazing coverage across Linkedin and the likes of Vogue Business that we’re super proud of. If you’ve not already, join our broadcast channel here!
Does your approach differ per platform? Should marketers approach community differently for each channel?
Yes! Our approach differs depending on the platform. Each social media channel serves a distinct purpose for our brand, and we recognise that our audiences vary across platforms and expect different things from us.
For example on Instagram, our strategy leans more toward visual storytelling, aesthetics, and curated content, we like to call it our shop window. We utilise a mix of carousels, Reels, and Stories to provide a balance between brand-building content and community engagement whilst utilising our broadcast channel to be in our followers DM’s.
For Pinterest, our approach shifts towards inspiration with the lead time of results being much longer. With it being such a search-driven platform where evergreen we focus on pinning highly shareable Pins that provide value over time - whether it’s lifestyle laydowns, makeup inspiration or educational content. Since users on Pinterest often come with high intent (looking for ideas, products, or solutions), we optimise our content & board as we go and have found it’s a great channel for discovery.
There really isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to community.
It’s about understanding what people expect from you on each platform and continuously adjusting your strategy based on feedback and insights. Engaging directly with your audience, asking them what they want to see, and being responsive all leads to successful community building!
Finally, what are your 3 top and most actionable tips for building community on social media?
Showing up authentically & consistently (people see through the bullsh*t)
Actioning feedback - what’s the point of feedback if you don’t take it onboard?
Be human! Show personality, connect with the people supporting you and show them the people behind the brand.
And that's the tea on community building, straight from the source!
Huge thanks to Georgina for pulling back the curtain and letting us peek at the REFY magic. What stands out most to me is how they've mastered that delicate balance between digital engagement and IRL connection – something so many brands talk about but few actually nail.
The key takeaway? Community isn't just a marketing buzzword to slap on your strategy deck. It's about creating spaces (whether that's a viral villa moment or a broadcast channel that actually feels like a group chat) where your people genuinely want to hang out. And more importantly, it's about listening to that community and actually implementing their feedback - revolutionary concept, I know!
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