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Marketing service trends that matter

When the rising need for doulas, midwives and educators spiked during the pandemic due to the limitations placed in hospital delivery rooms, global skincare company Weleda sought out innovative ways to get its line of baby care products noticed. By positioning the brand in front of childcare educators, Weleda knew it could exponentially increase the awareness, trial and purchase of its products.

The edict was clear cut: Secure personalized product recommendations from professionals in the field and you increase the likelihood of purchase.

To help transform its vision into reality, Weleda turned to the point-of-influence marketing company Aha! Marketing. For the past 10-plus years, the firm has helped everyone from startups to Fortune 100 companies pitch and measure the results of their brands—connecting with millions of consumers along the way. During the pandemic, Aha! founder & CEO Laurel Rundle says her team’s research uncovered that while the majority of these caregiver businesses were affected, 100% of them had alternative ways to deliver products and offers to expecting mothers.

“At a time when it’s so hard for brands to connect with consumers, meaningful engagements go a long way,” Rundle says. “It was a beautiful program and hugely successful for the Weleda brand.”

Aha! Marketing is one of a number of industry marketers working tirelessly to influence healthcare providers, fitness professionals and educators in a time when health and wellness has become more than just a term. “Today, health and wellness has made its way to the forefront on how we live our lives,” Rundle says. “Products and services that support our health and wellbeing have seen exponential growth in the past year.”

“At a time when it’s so hard for brands to connect with consumers, meaningful engagements go a long way.” — Laurel Rundle, Founder & CEO, Aha! Marketing

It goes without saying that these are interesting times to be a marketer, due in part to an ongoing global crisis that continues to force many health and wellness brands to rethink or pivot their marketing plans. Over the past year, there has been increased activity in categories like supplements, pet, skincare and baby care. And as the world moves into the next phase of pandemic-inspired strategies, consumer trends like home fitness, immunity protection and healthy home cooking will be trending upward.

Attracting attention in a crowded marketplace and gaining traction means raising the level of a brand’s trust and authenticity, something Rundle believes must come with purpose. “Brands will be expected to support missions and causes that resonate with their consumer base. Many will find success in dabbling in fantasies and escapism since we’ve been cooped up in our homes for so long.”

Getting these messages out to the masses involves using everything in a marketer’s toolkit, including unique delivery methods and increased digital integration. “I would expect this to continue along with more emphasis on connectedness and community, which means brands have to deliver trust through their marketing efforts,” Rundle says.

As a point-of-influence marketing and sampling company, Aha! Marketing works to deliver its clients’ messages through every medium in its purvey. Take print, which is a big part of what the firm uses, including direct mail for B2B communications and direct-to-consumer materials for influencers to deliver to consumers, along with free samples. “They are just delivering it in different ways, and we’ve learned they still have methods to get it into the hands of their clients (and a brands’ consumers) safely and effectively,” Rundle says.

Sign of the times

While it seems that health and wellness brands can only reminisce about the good old days of face-to-face interactions, the new age of pivoting has led many down the path of more effective platforms like hybrid virtual events. For example, the Forcura Connect Summit was an eight-hour, immersive virtual conference attended extensively by health care executives seeking solutions for improving continuity of care, particularly for an aging population.

The Summit was hosted by Forcura, a leader in document management and HIPAA-compliant communication for home health and hospice organizations, in conjunction with the team of Rhythm Communications. Amy Parrish, Rhythm’s CEO and Managing Partner, says the event is in step with its health and wellness clients’ willingness to step outside their typical marketing boxes. “Your customers are ready to have fun, but protecting them will make them feel valued.”

As part of its efforts to add value to its clients’ marketing campaigns, Rhythm Communications has leaned on programs that are heavy in public relations, print advertising, email marketing and virtual events. In addition, content marketing strategies like blogging have been an effective tool.

One of its clients, CareTrack, uses a blog as an extension of an aggressive email campaign. CareTrack, which provides a telecare practice extension for out-of-office care monitoring and coordination to support physician practices in continuously managing their Medicare patients in between appointments, is growing exponentially with clients intrigued with a story weaved with fictional characters, “Bob & Mary.” The duo help illustrate the impact they can make in helping Medicare patients better manage their health during the pandemic.

“In a market historically laden with in-person events, this has been a big shift in marketing plans,” Parrish says.

That print has become a formidable presence in its marketing initiatives is a welcome sight for the Rhythm Communications’ team. “Print is now a primary form of communication when historically much of the business was focused on in-person events,” Parrish says. “For every print vehicle that we invest in, there is an online extension of the content.”

“Print is now a primary form of communication when historically much of the business was focused on in-person events. For every print vehicle that we invest in, there is an online extension of the content.” — Amy Parrish, CEO & Managing Partner, Rhythm Communications

As proof, Parrish points to the creation of a weekly program hosted by Sharpen, one of its long-time clients. Sharpen addresses the tough topic of mental health for students in support of counselors and educators. Invitations are sent via postcard and are driven to a landing page for registrations. The educational panels are held online. The attendance driver marketing efforts were through ads and articles in health care, counselor and education trade publications.

Moving headlong into 2021, Parrish expects to see much of the same marketing tactics being employed. “Strategically, we are seeing a shift of consumer loyalty to those brands that are giving back to struggling communities—gifts for the exhausted health care community; food bank support; programs for joblessness; support for health clinics that support those without health insurance, and more.”

Regardless of the initiative, the plan will not only include marketing the consumer about health and wellness approaches, but also tell their stories in ways that connections are felt without the personal interactions.