One study by Basis Research found that 77% of participants don’t trust “big name brands” to look out for their wellbeing. Almost 80% of shoppers doubt sustainability claims made by beauty brands. And with all the advancements in the dietary supplement industry, why is there still growing distrust among consumers?
For many consumers, the “wellness” industry is a vague term. The lack of a single definition certainly contributes to the confusion, and not understanding how consumers view the concept of “wellness” has led to the failure of many wellness brands.
However, amidst this skepticism lies an opportunity for wellness brands to redefine their narrative and regain consumer trust. By understanding consumer perception and addressing the underlying concerns surrounding wellness products and claims, wellness brands can carve out a unique position in the market and strategically position themselves online.
On social media platforms where consumer engagement and brand perception are amplified, wellness brands can leverage strategic messaging to bolster authenticity, credibility, and brand positioning.
Focus on these two core messaging strategies first:
- What is your brand doing well?
- How will you build credibility among consumers?
Keep reading to learn our tips for how to increase authenticity, credibility, and brand positioning within the crowded wellness space!
What Is Your Brand Doing Well?
Because the concept of “wellness” is such a broad category, brands must find a way to differentiate themselves, both within the larger wellness industry and also within sub-industries they’re in, like fitness, mental health, supplements, or personal/beauty care.
It starts with having a strategic, clearly defined digital presence. After all, many consumers these days are using not just Google, but also social media to research companies before they make a purchasing decision. That’s why sharing social media content that engages, entertains, and educates consumers is crucial, and it should also help answer this question:
What is it exactly that your brand does well compared to other competitors in the same space?
Here are some examples:
- Peloton, a well-known brand we’ll explore more of in the second section, is known for its interactive live and on-demand classes. Led by professional instructors who create immersive experiences, Peloton offers a workout that’s far different from traditional fitness centers.
- Headspace is a mobile app focused on supporting its users’ mental health through services such as guided meditations, sleepcasts, and focus exercises. The company focuses on evidence-based meditation and mindfulness tools.
- Ritual is a women’s multivitamin subscription service. The brand focuses on being transparent, with its Made Traceable® approach, illustrating how the company handles transparency about what goes into its products.
- The Ordinary is a skincare brand with the tagline “clinical formulations with integrity.” Its science-backed products feature shorter ingredient lists and focus on simplicity and efficacy.
What your brand does well and how it’s different from other competitors in the wellness space will be a key part of your digital identity, but that’s just half the story. The second part to consider is how to build brand credibility and trust among your consumers.
How Will You Build Credibility Among Consumers?
For all brands on social media, building credibility and trust is important. This is amplified in the healthcare and wellness space where products and services have a direct impact on consumer health. The key to success lies in differentiating your wellness brands from ones simply profiting off the “wellness” label because it’s trendy. Here are some ways to develop content for your social media presence to build credibility and trust among your consumers:
User-Generated Content and Consumer Engagement
Encourage your existing customers to share their experiences using your product or services. It’s one thing for a brand’s social media page to share the benefits of using their product, but when another social media user does it, it feels more authentic and credible because it’s coming from someone who’s not being paid to do so (we’ll leave influencer marketing aside for a future conversation!).
You don’t necessarily need to actively solicit content from your customers. Consider looking through review sites and other social media platforms to see what your customers are saying about your wellness brand. This is where social listening tools can come in handy since they quickly collect public discussions in one convenient place. Another option is to partner with a healthcare digital marketing agency that can perform a social media landscape analysis and help you understand how your brand is perceived — and show you opportunities for growth.
Educational Content and Increasing Transparency
We started off this article by sharing some studies, with one mentioning that consumers are wary of the concept of “wellness” because it’s so vaguely defined. The lack of educational content is what’s driving consumer confusion, so marketers can leverage the brand’s digital presence to share social media content that resonates with their target audience. How exactly does your product or service work? Are there any side effects? What are some of the active ingredients? Has it been approved by regulatory organizations within the country? If your product is a supplement, what vitamins and minerals does it include and what exactly does it help with?
Examples of social media posts include educational infographics and stats, quote graphics featuring commonly asked questions from customers, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks that show how the product is being made.
The questions your social media posts seek to answer may vary depending on what your wellness product or service is, but you get the idea — be transparent and educate your customer. It’s no surprise that among the examples we listed in the previous section, transparency was considered a key part of the brand identity.
Video Content and Being Authentic
Video is one of the most popular social media formats, so take advantage of this! Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even LinkedIn are consistently updating and upgrading their video capabilities because they know their users enjoy interacting with video content. How does video content help position your business as a more authentic and trustworthy wellness brand?
Similar to the “behind-the-scenes” social media post idea above, videos (especially ones featuring people) are a much more authentic type of social media post as users get to interact with the brand in a new way. Consider an interview with a wellness company’s CEO where they share their vision for their product and how they hope it’ll support customers’ health. Compared to a heavily branded, overly promotional social media post about a product going on sale, you can begin to see how being social on social media can go a long way towards increasing authenticity and brand credibility. In short, leave most of the overly promotional content to paid advertisements like Meta ads and SEM (search engine marketing).
Peloton: How One Wellness Brand Built Its Community
One wellness brand that has built its entire empire on video content is Peloton, with customers taking part in online classes from home. The live classes contributed to the company’s success, with passionate Peloton users actively telling their friends about the brand (this is where the user-generated content and word-of-mouth come in). The company has built a community of like-minded individuals who are happy to become brand ambassadors. Peloton’s Instagram page is filled with video content taken from previous classes, resulting in a feed that both drives toward business objectives like sign-ups and increases authenticity and credibility.
Build Strong Wellness Brand Positioning
Here’s a bonus tip for all of you wellness marketers out there: Besides focusing on what makes your brand better than the rest and educating customers through social media content, don’t forget to maintain visual consistency across all of your digital channels. And yes, we mean all of them. This includes everything online from your website and social media channels to the emails you’re sending out to subscribers. Polished, consistent, and cohesive branding can significantly elevate your brand’s digital presence.
Of course, different health and wellness brands will have different industry regulations to keep in mind, so not every tip we covered above may be right for you. Speak with one of our digital marketing strategists to learn how your brand can reach your ideal audience effectively on social media.