Valued at over $5 trillion, the global wellness industry has become one of the fastest-growing markets in the past few years and forecasted to reach $8.5 trillion in 2027, it has no plans of stopping. The question is, why are so many people spending their money on health and wellness products, and how can your brand cut through the noise?
One reason, according to Mental Health UK, is that the UK is at risk of becoming a “burnt-out nation”, with a “worrying” number of people taking time off work due to poor mental health.
This has led to an influx of wellness trends that have helped contribute to the growth of the industry. Clinics offering longevity treatments, wearable devices such as Apple Watches, wellness tourism and e-commerce sites like Amazon selling nutritional supplements have made access to wellness easier than ever before. And that means there’s stiff competition within the industry to win share of voice to gain customer buy-in and trust.
As a specialist wellness PR agency, we share our top tips to ensure your wellness brand stands out this winter.
Focus on a personalised, educational approach
As the wellness market becomes more and more saturated, with an overwhelming amount of wellness brands to choose from, education and a personalised touch is key to winning your customer over. Put yourself in their shoes – if you’re on the lookout for a specific supplement, wellness treatment or wearable device, you want to know exactly how the product will benefit you and why. Coupled with the hesitation in investing wellness products in case they don’t actually work, it’s important to educate consumers on the safety, expertise and innovation behind your product.
A tactical way to get customer buy in is through dedicated, review-led features. Engaging with key top tier health, wellness, beauty and lifestyle journalists within the UK media landscape offering them a chance to trial your product, in a way that’s personalised to their individual needs and specific health goals, will give you the best chance of securing positive write ups. It’s essential to curate messaging-rich documents that include science-baked product information for journalists to have to hand, ensuring this is translated within coverage secured.
Putting brand’s founders and in-house experts forward to comment on relevant health and wellness topics such as ‘how to keep your immune system strong this winter’ or the ‘five longevity treatments to try for optimal wellness all-year round’ is another authentic way to build credibility.
Consider seasonal hooks to entice your target audience
Known as the season for a ‘new year, new me’ health kick, January poses fresh opportunities for your wellness brand as it’s often a time when people shift their focus onto their health and wellbeing. It’s important to adapt your content and messaging to align with seasonal hooks to resonate with your target audience all-year round.
The new year, and the run up to it, can be the perfect opportunity to push your brand into the limelight, to make sure your key target audience picks your company above your competitors running campaigns at the same time.
This is where a robust PR strategy is more important than ever as to get into consumer lifestyle magazine’s Christmas gift guides/January health features, you need to ensure you are pitching product suggestions in at least 2-3 months ahead of time. Gift guides for health and fitness fanatics are becoming more and more prevalent, so it’s important to put suggestions in front of journalists as early as possible to ensure your brand makes the cut.
Focus on key national publications too, such as The Daily Telegraph’s gift guides, as well as health and wellness titles including Women’s Health and Men’s Health as respected titles your target audience are likely to be reading.
With less brands opting for traditional print advertising, digital media titles are also increasingly relying on affiliate content as a revenue source. Most online gift guides are now affiliate-led, and to encourage e-commerce writers to write about your products more frequently, Skimlinks integration is important.
Many brands will look to activate creative campaigns at the beginning of the new year, such as events or even larger brand stunts.
Hosting an interactive consumer event and inviting top tier journalists and influencers will entice them to feature your wellness brand authentically and will also help to create lasting relationships to help you to stand out from the crowd.
Incorporate AI and tech into your brand strategy
Across many different demographics, consumers are turning to apps and wearable devices to help beat burnout. Tech is continuing to play an increasingly important role in driving the global wellness industry forward, with the most popular devices focused on either sleep or stress. AI is also helping consumers make customised product choices tailored to their exact needs.
For example, Unilever beauty brands are delivering interactive digital experiences such as Dove’s AI-powered scalp+hair therapist, developed with dermatologists to help you learn how to care for your unique hair type, backed by science and expertise.
Hop on timely trends
Linking your brand to trending health and wellness topics will ensure you are part of the most current conversation and will help you gain more followers and customers, cementing your company’s position as a knowledgeable leader in its field.
For example, TikTok trends such as the ‘dopamine menu’, which is all about curating lists of wholesome activities that focus on self-care, are growing in popularity. Whether it’s dancing in your bedroom, trying a new healthy recipe or swapping your nighttime doom scroll for a cup of tea and a book, it’s the perfect wellness trend to jump on and tailor to fit what your brand offers.
Many people who are trying to curate a dopamine menu will turn to at-home wellness treatments such as red-light therapy, meditation sessions, yoga, and supplements. More than ever, consumers feel compelled to keep their minds and bodies in pristine condition to help cope with daily challenges and unforeseen circumstances – such as global pandemics, for instance!
Why not provide journalists with the opportunity to enjoy a one-night stay at a premium hotel, working with a sleep expert and your team to create the ultimate ‘dopamine menu’ for them to enjoy during the winter period, integrating your wellness brand into the offering in a clever way? Not only will this encourage people to talk about your brand, but it will also put your products in the hands of journalists who will be keen to test out your brand for any upcoming review features they may be working on.
Other popular trends to jump on and create timely feature concepts around include coping with seasonal fatigue, the stress of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and winter burnout.
Journalists will often utilise key themes such as these to help consumers through the Christmas period, meaning they will always be on the lookout for expert commentary and helpful products they can recommend to their readers.
Give your social media channels a makeover
Social media can be an extremely powerful tool, as it helps to provide brands with a direct link to their audience. Companies should connect with their clients this winter by producing engaging content centred around the holiday season.
Engaging with consumers by asking them questions and providing interactive video-based content is a great way to encourage them to comment on your posts. This will help to create a dialogue between the brand and its consumers, building a relationship and loyal fanbase.
If you would like to find out more about how our specialist PR, digital and social media teams could help deliver results for your wellness brand, get in touch with our Wellness PR team.