In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, AI, and nonstop content demands, beauty marketing strategist Charmaine Schembri has built her career challenging marketing trends that preach online visibility as a necessity for growth.
As founder of Elevate Marketing + Communications, the Australian-born Schembri has worked with more than 500 service-based businesses worldwide, including prominent beauty brands and professionals. In that role, she finds herself urging clients to shift their focus from chasing online reach to building authority where it matters most: within their local communities.
Schembri didn’t initially set out to specialize in beauty. With a background spanning automotive, consumer goods, and real estate, she was hesitant to be pigeonholed early in her career.
As beauty businesses repeatedly gravitated toward her, a pattern became clear: “A lot of the people doing marketing in this space didn’t come from a marketing background,” Schembri says. “They just learned their marketing as they went on.”
As the next generation entered the industry alongside the rise of digital platforms, Schembri saw a growing imbalance. Energy was being poured into social media without a broader strategy — a gap where salon owners were over-investing in the wrong places.
“I see all these girls and guys saying, ‘I’m not booked out,’ but all they’re focusing on is Instagram and TikTok,” Schembri says.
“My core strategy with them is local area marketing. Social media and digital marketing is secondary, but it all works and meshes together.”
That insight is the foundation of Elevate’s approach. Rather than tearing brands down and rebuilding them from scratch, Schembri emphasizes refinement and amplification. “I want to know what you have done, what haven’t you done, what’s working, what’s not working,” she says. “We don’t want to start from ground zero. We want to help amplify their brand.”
Authenticity is central to the process, and Schembri is candid about how often brands overcomplicate their own identities. “A lot of them are solo operators, so why try to build the Versace or Louis Vuitton of brands when you just need to be yourself?” she says. “People are coming to you for you.”
In her view, branding isn’t about inventing something new; it’s about using what’s already there, and clarity starts with knowing who you are, who you serve, and how you want to show up.
Community partnerships and local cross-promotions, Schembri believes, have been undervalued in the rush to go digital. “They are valuable platforms because they support the strategy, but brands could shift a lot of that time into their local area and they will 100% see growth,” she says.
“All of your clients aren’t in your algorithm, right? They’re right outside your doorstep.”
Looking ahead, Schembri already sees a shift underway. “Everything to date has been so polished, but everyone’s starting to understand that this takes an overload of time and doesn’t produce the best results,” she explains.
“2026 is the year people are becoming more authentic. We’re seeing more grainy content, more relatable content, which is producing better results. It doesn’t need to be polished and perfect all the time.”
Charmaine Schembri is teaching “Community Conversation: Charging What You’re Worth — Without Losing Sleep (or Clients)” and “Marketing Your Worth: How Hair & Beauty Pros Build Demand, Authority & Full Books” at the Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show New York (formerly International Beauty Show–NY), taking place March 8–10. Registration is here; use promo code EDSALON20 for 20% off education classes.