Health & Wellness: how to digitally market your brand in a rapidly expanding industry

Health & Wellness is a multi-billion dollar industry that encompasses a variety of sub-sectors across the medical, fitness, aesthetic, and mindfulness disciplines. The industry has seen a rapid expansion in recent years, with the covid-19 pandemic being a prime contributing factor to this boom in uptake and interest. Perspective surrounding the Health & Wellness industry has shifted, with an increased use of technology in the industry, and a more person-centric approach becoming a pivotal part of what is valued by brands and customers across the industry.

With a saturated marketplace it can be difficult to know how to digitally market yourself, and stay ahead of the competition when it comes to navigating the rapidly changing industry values and trends. What impact are these shifts having on the industry? And how can this be leveraged to optimise your digital marketing strategy?

Increased use of technology in the health & wellness industry

During the pandemic, many companies had to quickly adapt their businesses to offer a fully functioning online service. This was no different from the Health & Wellness industry – with only a fraction of the changes outlined below:

• Gyms offering online fitness classes.
• Medical & dental (non-emergency) appointments became virtual.
• Physical stores for fitness clothing, nutritional supplements, and gym equipment closed, and online sales were boosted. Fitness equipment alone saw a 170% increase in sales during this time.

Even as the pandemic came to an end, and services began operating in person once again, many customers were keen on maintaining a hybrid approach – favouring those companies that were able to offer both online and offline services. This means that the shift to a more digital marketplace has remained at the forefront of the industry, and establishes the use of technology as a present and relevant aspect of Health & Wellness.

How can we use this shift to technology in our marketing strategy?

The key to using this shift towards technology in your digital marketing strategy, is to ensure that information about any customer facing technology you use – or any technology that might benefit potential customers – is easily accessed, digested, and advertised to customers. There are several ways in which this can be done

Content marketing: your website, and the content on it, is one of the first interactions your customers will have with your brand – so first impressions matter. It is vital that the core features of your brand, including any technology, are clearly outlined in a way that both informs customers of its capabilities, and entices them to want to purchase any services or products you offer. For this, you are going to need a strong content strategy, and a team of expert copywriters and designers to create a wide range of written, visual, and video content.

Organic search (SEO): once you have your high quality, expertly crafted content – you will want to make sure that this is seen by your potential customers. Using a range of clever tactics, you can optimise your content to rank highly on search engines; meaning that when customers search for certain keywords in their web browser, your content will be one of the first things that they see.

Paid Search (PPC): another way to ensure your content is seen by potential customers is using paid search. Like with SEO, your content will appear at the top of the search results when customers search for certain keywords – but this will appear as ‘sponsored’ or ‘ad’ content. Often this is charged by the search engines on a ‘Pay Per Click’ (PPC) basis – meaning that you get charged for each customer that clicks the link through to your website or content.

An increased customer desire for a personalised and individually tailored service

As well as accelerating the shift towards a digital marketplace, the pandemic was pivotal in giving the public a ‘wake-up-call’ in regards to developing a healthier mindset, and taking control of their physical and mental wellbeing. The increased digital presence of medical, nutritional, fitness, and commercial health services made it easier to access services with them all in one place, giving the general public a higher sense of control over their Health & Wellness.

With body-positivity at an all time high, and the ‘all bodies are different’ mindset, many customers are looking for an individualised and person-centric service when deciding which Health & Wellness brand to purchase from. In addition feeling more like a person and less like a transaction – consumers are also looking towards health & wellness brands that come across as more human-like, with the image of appearing more like a person and less like a business.

How can we use digital marketing to appear as a more person-centric brand?

You are likely to be proud of your product and service – and you should be – but while you might want to shout about how wonderful your offering is from the rooftops, this isn’t always going to entice your potential customers. Your marketing should always link back to the benefits your product or service will provide to your customers. This is particularly important in the Health & Wellness industry where this desire for customers to feel a human-like connection to a brand, and want a personalised service, is central. There are a variety of digital marketing techniques that can be used to help your brand appear more person-centric and human, in order to appeal to potential customers.

Content marketing (again): content such as case studies, and customer success stories, can be relatable to potential customers, and allows them to visualise themselves within the narrative of your brand. Displaying ordinary people who have benefitted from your product or service within your content gives potential customers the impression that the people who use your brand are ‘just-like-them’, increasing the likelihood they will make a purchase. As always, ensure all content is SEO optimised, and use it within paid search campaigns to maximise your return on investment.

Social media marketing: the popularity of social media has boosted a brands potential to put themselves in front of the customer. Through both organic and paid strategies, social media has given companies the capacity to build a more human-like brand – allowing customers to feel they are interacting on a person-to-person level, rather than person-to-business.

How will this help keep your brand ahead of the competition?

If you are a business within the Health & Wellness industry, it is likely that the increased use of technology, and a more person-centric approach, are also talking points for your competitors. This highlights the importance of adopting the above tactics to optimise your digital marketing strategy, and remain above the competition in a heavily satiated market. Implementing these approaches will help you:

• Produce high-quality, relatable content that entices potential customers to delve deeper into your brand.
• Rank above your competitors for industry keywords with SEO and PPC.
• Increase your brand awareness across social media, establishing yourself as a more person-centric, relatable brand than your competitors.

Digital marketing in the Health & Wellness industry

At the time of writing, the above themes are present and relevant within the Health & Wellness sector. This means that consumers looking to purchase products or services within the Health & Wellness industry are searching for brands that are showcasing these things. Having a digital marketing strategy that encompasses high quality content marketing, organic & paid search, and a strong social media presence is the key to remain present, relevant, and ahead of the competition in a rapidly expanding industry.