By Healthinomics • July 9, 2018 In the unstoppable rise of wellness businesses, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba said it best. 
“Today’s customers want to be healthy and happy, no matter who they are.”
And he is right.
In fact, a new survey affirms that people want products and experiences that make them happy and healthy.
We know this yearning for health, wellness, and happiness to be true, especially on social media.
More and more people are joining health and wellness fitness groups on Facebook than signing up for gym memberships.
When was the last time you witnessed a weight loss journey, liked a healthy recipe and shared a workout tip in your newsfeed?
We follow them every day.
But when it comes to transformation, the trend has shifted.
The health and wellness market seeks advice that requires small steps—not demand big changes—to achieve a holistic lifestyle.
This makes social media the perfect place for these bite-sized, practical and accessible tips and information; not to mention a great place for every health and wellness business.
It has created huge opportunities for savvy health and wellness marketers to create a large following and make a huge impact on social media. Health and wellness professionals are using social media profiles to their advantage to grow their clients, increase brand awareness and overall trust and transparency.
1. Wellness Businesses can create healthy communities on social media
If social media has taught us anything it’s this: our decisions and choices are deeply influenced by our social network.
Thankfully, the health and wellness conscious society love to surround themselves with like-minded people, following fitness groups and support wellness businesses that offer healthy choices.
Consider the success of Weight Watchers for example;
This study showed that Weight Watcher’s helped people lose twice as much weight as those following standard weight-loss advice.
The reason: having a support system among the community provides motivation and enhances self-control.
You could harness the power of social media to influence people and create your own healthy community. You could create your own support group by starting a discussion and encouraging group sharing.
These are the groups on social media that people love to join and go back to for information and inspiration.
In fact, we have started our own Facebook group called ‘Marketing for Health & Wellness Businesses‘, so feel free to join and join in on the conversation here also.
2. Create a Client-Centered Experience
How often do you hear of clients’ need for a more personalized healthcare experience?
In health and wellness, we’re all about holistic approaches.
Clients expect to find information about their health choices conveniently. So don’t underestimate your social media presence. Make sure you are open and transparent about what products and services you offer and what to expect.
As Michael Roy, Executive Director of the Clearview Women’s Center shares in an article from Forbes, everyone should be on social media.
“Many healthcare professionals think marketing isn’t something they should pay attention to, or even do at all. In my experience, delivering great service alone isn’t enough. Social media tools are increasingly providing opportunities to expand and help more people, and health care professionals who embrace the trend and make use of a bit of innovation will be in the win for a long time.”
3. Social Media Marketing is Targeted
Traditional advertising is costly and casting a wide net doesn’t guarantee a catch. With social media, you have a higher chance of matching your content to the right person who needs to see your ad, especially Facebook.
Targeting is one of the leading edges of maximizing social media advertising, from location and interests and down to more specific details. You can personalize your posts and target your desired audience in a social media platform that best fit your clients.
If your preferred target market are regularly exposed to the type of content they need, not only can you build trust but convert them into loyal clients.
In this study, 41% of people claimed that social media affects their choice of a specific practitioner, or health treatment facility. This means with the right approach, there’s return on investment on social media for your wellness business.
4. Share your Success
Most health and wellness practitioners, especially those who are starting out struggle in marketing their name.
When in fact there’s one thing that can help you boost your reputation and strengthen your credibility: social proof.
Autumn Calabrese of 21-Day Fix believes in the value of social media when it comes to social proof.
“For me, coming from being the trainer, I think that it’s huge in the fact that it is all about sharing your success or sharing people’s success,” Calabrese, who shares her own clients’ success on Instagram, told Business Insider.
Simply put, it’s a shortcut to all the long process of marketing every business has to go through. Any potential client will be convinced to book with you when you have proof that you’ve successfully solved related health problems in the past.
If you’ve had an unfortunate encounter with a client gone public, it’s not the end. Bad reviews are part of every business. But with a good amount of social proof, a few bad reviews can’t hurt your reputation.
So don’t shy away from asking for testimonials (both written and video) from clients you value and trust. They’ll be happy to lead your community of healthy and empowered followers.
5. Connect to the World
Expanding your professional network is now EASIER than with social media. But as a health and wellness professional, it’s not just about advancing your connections, it’s about helping you connect and understand people better. So engage, engage, engage!
There are simple ways to provoke engagement:
- Curate relevant and educational resources – SocialOmm
- Share engaging and informative content – Healthinomics
- Advocate health literacy and squash myths and lies – World Health Org
By being eager to help others on social media, people would want to connect with you. Social media is a strong force in connecting people as Deepak Chopra puts it.
“I am an optimist about social media and use it every day to reach out to the world. I see it as a global nervous system glittering with activity. If social media allows someone to share their journey, either with their friends or the whole world, that is enough,” Chopra, a well-respected figure in alternative medicine, said to Yoga Journal.
A word of caution: social media ethics
As with any health practitioner, ethics is a big issue in social media practice. Patient confidentiality is of top importance. Whenever you post any case, it’s best to seek permission from your clients first.
To be on the side of caution observe professional conduct on social media such as:
- Observing your language and demeanor
- Avoiding conflicts
- Avoid diagnosing any patients in newsfeeds
The Future of Social Media for Wellness Businesses
Early this year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook will undergo major changes in the coming years.
“We feel a responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being,” Zuckerberg shared in his Facebook post.
What this means for health and wellness businesses: meaningful social interactions will be prioritized. You can find out more about these changes here – How to Survive the New Facebook Algorithm Changes.
Twitter also followed suit with CEO Jack Dorsey sharing a series of tweets about how the platform is committed to foster a healthy public conversation.
This is to ensure that social media always goes back to its purpose: connect people with each other.
Stay apart of the social media conversation and join our Marketing for Health & Wellness Professionals Facebook group 🙂
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What Is Healthinomics?
Struggling with social media marketing for your health or wellness business? It can be frustrating trying to build your social media presence and convert your followers into clients.
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