6 Influencer Marketing Best Practices All Health & Wellness Brands Need to Know
From nutritional substances, mental health apps, and CBD oils, the entire health and wellness industry is full of buzzwords, fancy terminology, fads, trends, and intimidating products. But sometimes it can be overwhelming to absorb from a consumer’s perspective and hard to differentiate from a brand’s perspective.
But don’t worry, being healthy isn’t just a fad. There is a major opportunity for brands that offer organic or natural products as consumers become increasingly aware of what they are putting in or on their bodies. In a survey by Nielsen, 41% of Generation Z (those over 20), 32% of millennials, and 21 percent of baby boomers said they are willing to pay more for healthier products.
So, in a world where consumers are more health conscious and informed than ever before, how can you make sure your “green” brand is reaching your target audience and being positively represented across social media? Luckily for you, there are a plethora of health-conscious social media influencers with dedicated audiences who look to them for clean product recommendations.
In this 4-part series, we’re going to help you leverage these influencers to reach your target audience. In part one, we’ll dive into tried-and-true strategies for health and wellness brands that we’ve gathered after examining hundreds of successful collaborations on AspireIQ, with partners such as Kura Nutrition, Ancient Nutrition, and Orgain!
1. Educate your influencers so they can educate their audience
I’m sure if you’ve been to the grocery store recently, you or someone you’ve witnessed has been that person in the middle of the aisle comparing ingredient lists on a few products. Nowadays, the average consumer is more informed, thanks to social media and self-education. Because consumers are no strangers to doing their own research on products, it’s important when you are promoting that you’re effectively communicating what your product is formulated with, without, and how it is different from your competitors.
It’s worth it to thoroughly educate your network of influencers on your products so they can educate your target audience. What ingredients are in your product? Where are those ingredients sourced from? What will this product do for the body, mind, and soul? These differentiators provide influencers with various important talking points.
2. Use the voice of micro-influencers
The other half of the equation is that consumers want to be acknowledged by those actively using the product and experiencing its benefits first-hand, especially for products with long-term effects, like supplements or weight loss products. 89% of consumers say customer testimonials are the most effective content when it comes to influencing purchase behavior, which is why it is amazing to leverage the voices of micro-influencers (~100,000 followers or less). Their engagement is more intimate than macro-influencers and their follower base represents a community of like-minded individuals that are already dedicated to the content.
3. Commit to influencer relationships for the long haul
As we understand from the fitness industry, long-term partnerships are also key in the health & wellness world because people want to see and track the benefits over time. With health & wellness products, there comes an emotional attachment to the product itself, the influencer promoting it, and the brand behind it. To achieve the desired level of well-being, these products should be used over the course of a significant time period. Take full advantage of understanding influencers’ daily routines to really bond with them. When people see your products sponsored by the same influencers over time for different campaigns, they’ll appreciate the intimate relationship and shared values while seeing the progress from day one to month one and to year one.
4. Make your product come to life by highlighting how they benefit a daily routine
Let’s be honest, a bottle of supplements isn’t the most “like worthy” thing on the internet. But lucky for you, influencers have the talent for making even the most mundane-looking products come to life.
To really attract and connect with your target customer market, you want them to imagine themselves using the product every day. Unlike studio-produced content, influencers and the content they create provide an organic way to show how your products are used in someone’s daily routine. 74% of consumers search for and rely on advice or product recommendations on social media before they make a purchase decision. When you’re identifying influencers for your campaigns, find influencers that are bought-in to your brand and mission and are willing to incorporate your product into a routine, rather than a one-time post. These influencers are more genuine because they’ll be able to showcase the positives of using your product and they're committing to their health on the forefront. Most importantly, their audience will be able to tell.
5. Use strong performing social channels for brand storytelling
Like any influencer marketing strategy, it is important to tailor your content and message for each audience, on each channel.
For example,
- Instagram story unboxing videos that showcase the product, the beautiful packaging, and first impressions are impactful.
- YouTube is great for easily digestible content to demonstrate everyday use and long-term results of the product that the influencer created to mold to their health routine.
- Blogs are an incredible platform to leverage because they accentuate both written and visual content that explains how it’s best used every single day for optimal well-being
Above all else, make sure to ask for creative, catchy, and memorable content that is unique to each and every influencer. Nothing is more personal than one’s health, so this advice and guidance could be life-changing. We’re all on our own health & wellness journeys and it’s powerful to have multiple influential stories to relate to along the way!
6. Get creative with your content
We already know how diversity plays an important role in influencer marketing execution (see our blog post on why). By partnering with influencers of different health backgrounds, the routines, and goals, the creativity of the content you receive will increase and so will the benefits for your digital team. Work with influencers who are willing to push the boundaries of creativity. Health and wellness products, such as pill bottles and supplement jars, might not be alluring or even recognizable to their audiences. So you’ll want to have the influencers hype up their creativity to create dynamic content. With a stronger variety of creative content, you’ll be able to repurpose and distribute more across your website, email campaigns, paid ads and more!
