Consumers are spending even more on wellness, rising by 5-10% each year, with the category now valued at $1.5 trillion globally and deemed as essential as groceries and household cleaning purchases. However, as demand increases so does competition within the market, so brands need to be strategic about how they target customers.
Today’s beauty consumers are smarter than ever, increasingly using research to source the most credible and effective products before committing to purchasing. Therefore, they rely on and value expert opinions and seek out science-backed, credible solutions. In fact, more than 50% of consumers now say they want products backed by research and clinical studies.
Brands like Dr. Hauschka, Dr. Dennis Gross, Murad and SkinCeuticals, which were all formulated by dermatologists and chemists, have risen in popularity in recent years. Likewise, the cosmeceuticals industry – cosmetic products with bioactive ingredients that claim medical benefits – continues to gather momentum as it reached $49.5 globally and is expected to reach $79.3 billion by 2027.
For wellness brands, being equipped to rapidly adapt strategies to match consumers’ needs is crucial to gaining market share, especially given the scale of growth. To achieve cut-through, brands need to be seen as disruptors and innovators, and showcase their credibility and expertise.
Below we’ve outlined a few Wellness PR tactics we recommend for wellness businesses looking to engage with consumer audiences:
Utilise your in-house experts
It is vital to appoint a credible expert or brand spokesperson to utilise for PR purposes – not just to promote your product or service but to utilise for expert commentary, thought leadership, and reactive commentary to news and industry This provides even more media coverage opportunities by placing your spokesperson as an expert in news articles, positioning your brand as an authority in this space.
Many brands will often use their founder, Marketing Officer, or Sales Officer as a spokesperson, however, there is a great opportunity to leverage someone ‘behind the scenes’ who is involved in the scientific element of brands – such as product developers and researchers – and put them in front of audiences to discuss their expertise.
Decode your research
Brands are gaining credibility in the wellness industry through their science-backed ingredients and research, however, it’s still vital to communicate science-based information in an easy-to-understand format so as not to isolate consumers. While you still want to educate audiences, you must ensure language used in media materials is relatable and digestible.Consider feature ideas such as ‘Ingredient Spotlight’ and ‘Myth Busting’ pieces to break down scientific language and explain to audiences exactly what your products’ claims mean and how they benefit & impact them on a daily basis.
Consider your ambassadors
Many beauty lovers seek expert advice in an easily digestible way, such as platforms like Instagram and TikTok, however, as their own knowledge grows they consume media with a more discerning eye. Where brands traditionally partnered with beauty influencers to build brand awareness and promote their products, consider shifting to working with experts as ambassadors – such as wellbeing coaches, nutritionists, and personal trainers, who have a strong social media presence. More than half of consumers now use social media as a source for beauty advice, and the majority say they always confirm credentials, so work closely with your ambassadors to share factual, engaging key messaging to grab your audience’s attention.
Recommendations through reviews
Consumers are doing their research before committing to purchasing products and services, so it’s vital it’s been tested and reviewed across credible publications that resonate with your target audience. Build up relationships with key media, brief them on your offering and give them plenty of time to fully test a product, and stay in touch with them throughout the testing process to ensure any questions or potential issues are resolved ahead of a review going live. Timing is everything as you want product reviews to go live at time of launch to help influence sales, so consider sharing samples under embargo for review or holding an exclusive preview event for media to sample products ahead of consumers.
If you would like to find out how a PR campaign can help communicate your brand’s expertise, get in touch with our award-winning Health & Wellness PR team today.
