Smart wellness marketing begins with smart branding
Let’s get those social posts up. The digital banners running. The new content pushed out. Put another way, push hard on the wellness marketing tactics – because if we continue to push, people might pay attention.
But pushy doesn’t work today. It just adds more noise to our already overcrowded world. And in some cases, it provokes us to go on offense and shut down your access to our in-boxes and social channels.
What does work, however, is pulling people in. Because when you pull them in, it’s on their terms. Based on what they need, didn’t know they need or yearn for. They’re inviting you in as opposed to you pushing in the door. Which do you think is more likely to build customer loyalty and business results?
A $3.7 Trillion Opportunity
Health and wellness is huge. To the tune of $3.7 trillion dollars huge. Today’s proactive wellness culture spans multiple categories beyond traditional health, beauty and fitness – diet, the ebb and flow of energy, sleep and rest, activity and exercise, mindfulness and emotional outlook, mental health, social engagement, and work-life balance (Hartman Group, 2017). As a result, they should be on every marketer’s radar screen.
As people worldwide continue to embrace and take control of their own health and wellness, these trends will continue to expand. Brands that ultimately win will be those whose efforts go below the surface, through wellness marketing that helps the greatest number of people to live balanced lives in body, mind and spirit.
So how to deliver smarter wellness marketing? It begins with smart branding. We often place too much value in the power of sound bites, images and marketing activities, but rarely enough on brand strategy. Yet brand is arguably your organization’s most important asset. One that should be the catalyst for generating growth and creating economic value. Which means you need to get your branding right. All of the words, images, ideas, associations and experiences that come together to build perception, reputation, trust and loyalty.
Here are six tips to create a stronger brand that can connect with today’s health and wellness consumer – by telling and demonstrating a brand story through the lens of wellness:
1. Lead With Empathy
This most fundamental idea would typically be referred to as purpose. The brands core reason for being – its “why” which guides its “what” and “how.” But empathy better captures the sentiment of what we mean. Because empathy – the capacity to understand or feel what your prospective customer is experiencing from within their frame of reference – is the most important starting point to being able to cultivate a relationship. Regardless of the category in which you compete, there are numerous alternatives. Each product or service likely offering similar features and functional benefits. How to stand out and compel attention – be the brand on the side of your customer. Lead with empathy.
2. Deliver Destination Benefits
Empathy lends itself to a deeper understanding of your ideal target customer. Which gives you the ability to better recognize and understand their desired emotional destination, i.e. emotional payoffs. Wherever their there is, be the brand that helps them get there. Be the one that they turn to to help them realize their hopes and dreams. Their triumphs. Importantly, realize above all else that people “hire you” because of what’s in it for them, not how great you think you are.
3. Tout Your Differentiation
People don’t simply pick up on your brand’s distinction. You need to help them see it and experience it. Otherwise, you’re just contributing to the noise that they drown out everyday, while at the same time, wasting your finite resources. Once you’ve honed in on your differentiation, use every moment you can – culture, design, language, media, experience – as an opportunity to uniquely move your customers to their desired health and wellness destination.
4. Isolate Your Audience
Who are the people most likely to benefit from your unique way of doing business? Which segments best align with your “why.” What are their values and priorities? The things they aspire to have. The changes they seek to attain. The problems or inefficiencies they seek to overcome. What gets them excited, motivated, driven.
5. Execute With Precision
You’re only as strong as what you put out into the world. Your words, images, ideas and experiences. And they require precision. The same kind of precision that’s underneath the hood of a BMW that enables it deliver on the promise of the “ultimate driving machine.” The precision of your execution, of your day in and day out activities, requires the same. Because you’re either creating “the ultimate loyal customer” or you’re on the road to getting lost in a sea of sameness. Unfortunately, there are no in-betweens.
6. Be Honest
The wellness ecosystem is built to empower consumers. As a result, if a brand misleads or disappoints a consumer on his or her wellness journey, the offending brand probably won’t see that consumer again. And these misdeeds will be communicated with light speed across our social channels. Ethics is the DNA of a brand and a measure of its wellness. Increasingly, consumers are choosing brands that align with their values, so it’s crucial that brands are transparent about the origins and qualities of their products. When it comes to wellness, consumers expect their brands to be healthy, too.
Since 1999, Trajectory has specialized in working with organizations across the health and wellness continuum. If we can share our expertise and assist your business-building efforts in any way, reach out.