Wellness marketers use content marketing to make an impact
According to the “12th Annual Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2022” report, 58% of marketers say their content marketing strategy is “moderately” or “slightly different” now versus pre-pandemic, while 29% say their organizations were “extremely” or “very successful” in the last 12 months. The report, conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs and ON24, provides a real-time snapshot of the past two-plus years—where marketers had to quickly adapt their content marketing strategies or finally develop them.
The wellness category is no different. The global wellness industry, including spiritual self-care, has grown to $4 trillion. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness market has expanded by 6.4% from $3.7 trillion since it last measured the numbers in 2017 to $4.2 trillion. This growth has been twice as fast as the growth of the global economy. Amid the world standing, the U.S. has the largest market size in the health and wellness industry at $1.2 trillion. The two leading sectors, healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss, along with personal care and beauty, are valued at $946 billion and $955 billion globally.
When Rod Sims looks out over today’s wellness landscape, he sees a multi-dimensional, deep and expansive marketplace that comes down to what’s truly in each person’s own personal bucket. The founder and Total Wellness Architect of Billboardz Wellness 360 has spent the past 20 years watching the industry grow from one of focus on physical fitness and health to a more comprehensive approach— touching every aspect of the enthusiast’s livelihood and existence.
“Years ago, fitness was looked at as something marginal or even as a luxury,” says Sims, who also is author of “Bounce: Be Outstanding Understand Nothing Comes Easy.” “But today, the necessity for comprehensive wellness is magnified, so it’s also a necessity to get that message out. It’s as important to educate consumers of our content on mental, emotional, and spiritual strength and power as it is for us to gain physical strength, have financial health, or intellectual and occupational wellness.”
“Today, the necessity for comprehensive wellness is magnified, so it’s also a necessity to get that message out.”
— Rod Sims, Total Wellness Architect, Billboardz Wellness 360
In a time when the pandemic heightened awareness of our mortality, Sims believes that pursuit of home/life/wellness balance must be met with content that highlights the impact those things have on our everyday lives. In essence, your messaging must arm today’s wellness consumer with the tools and strategies they need to cope.
More than anything else, having a sustainable content strategy is vital, which means having a strong (and passionate) understanding of what your community wants and needs. “The type of content messaging that works still speaks to all of the senses and any emotions pertaining to our struggle, suffering and pain points,” Sims says. “To be able to find a way, depending upon the platform, to deliver valuable beneficial and helpful information in a quick or succinct fashion that quickly gets the reader’s attention, but also tells them what to do next.”
If you are looking for a translation, Sims says that now is the time to throw content up against the wall to see what sticks. The success of your execution rests in your ability to find out what your community wants to know and give it to them.
Your blueprint includes successfully planning and scheduling a content strategy that hits on all levels. Define your messaging. Schedule your content campaign strategy. Outline your campaign goals and business goals so they line up with one another. Pinpoint which mediums will help deliver your message.
For example, Sims is a fan of Q&As. The interviews with thought leaders and experts—which can be done via audio, video or digitally—help provide a wealth of content that people want to know across a number of platforms. “It is about tapping into the kind of emotional response or engagement that can elicit a response from your consumer. These types of efforts build loyalty, improve the customer experience and very often lead to them becoming a repeat customer,” Sims says.
In it for the long haul
In a category where sustainability is everything, Jim Joseph says your content strategy must be set up for the long haul. For wellness enthusiasts, getting the latest information on anything and everything related to taking care of their mental and physical prowess is critical.
“People don’t want short-term promotional gains; it’s about building long-term relationships with your audience,” says Joseph, chief customer solutions officer for IPG Health, and adjunct instructor at New York University’s School of Professional Studies, where he teaches a graduate class in integrated marketing. “The wellness category is broadening. Virtually every category is talking about some sort of wellness benefit as people seek to strike balance in their lives and take care of themselves and their families in a number of different ways.”
“Content that adds value to people’s lives and helps to guide them on their wellness journey will build connections that drive brand loyalty.”
— Jim Joseph, Chief Customer Solutions Officer, IPG Health
In his book, “The Conscious Marketer: Inspiring a Deeper and More Conscious Brand Experience,” Joseph takes a deep dive into the parameters of what constitutes successful marketing and how they are shifting. His point: While it is one thing to be conscious, it is something else entirely to do something impactful with that consciousness.
In today’s wellness market, content is about engagement. “Content is what ultimately builds the connection between a brand and its audience,” Joseph says. “Content that adds value to people’s lives and helps to guide them on their wellness journey will build connections that drive brand loyalty. Wellness marketers should be looking to build an emotional connection with their audiences and get past simply serving up products/sales messages and talk about how their brands can add value to their lives.”
Like Sims, Joseph believes your content should reflect your community’s vibe. “The strategy I always like to follow is to let your audience be your guide. Find out what’s important to them and give it to them on their terms in ways that will engage them personally.”
In the end, a wellness content strategy that approaches your audience striving for a higher purpose, understanding the stakeholders, and is conscious of leadership and culture is a winning hand in today’s wellness-centric landscape.