Inspirational social media wins for wellness brands

Selling wellness products or services on social media is more than just advertising. Here are some great learnings from some inspirational and successful wellness brands. 

Wellness businesses can do very well on social media, there’s no doubt about that.

How we stay fit, healthy, and happy is such an important part of our lives, and it’s often something we like to share, discuss and learn about through our social channels, whatever they might be.

However, as with any kind of marketing effort, it takes persistence and skill to truly succeed at advertising your wellness business effectively on social media. You want it to stand out above the many others, and engage with clients and potential clients in a way that’s not threatening or too sales-y, but still gets them interested in your service, whether you’re a personal trainer, dietitian, or acupuncture therapist. It’s no small task!

We’ve collected a few examples of wellness brands winning on social media, so you can learn and be inspired.

CrossFit
You may have heard the joke made by many CrossFit skeptics: The first rule of CrossFit is that you must ALWAYS talk about CrossFit. And it’s true that devotees of their “box” are outspoken about how wonderful this popular fitness regime is, but we’re not here to judge whether they are annoying or justified. We’re here to point out how their social media marketing has been incredibly effective. The proof, after all, is in the evangelistic pudding.

So, what have they done right to be the fitness program everyone’s talking about, whether it’s on social media or elsewhere?

First, they have built a sense of community that makes people feel as though they belong. That spills over from real life into virtual life and encourages members to share what they are doing. 

CrossFit puts out not just pictures of hot bodies and superhuman weightlifting feats on their social channels, but inspiring stories of transformation. They offer motivation to ordinary people, and again, they offer a community that anyone can be a part of while improving their health and fitness along the way. It’s a great message, and one that they have consistently presented and pushed—to great effect, and global success.

What can we learn from that? Decide on your message. Make it one that connects with people, that they will want to share with their circles. And run with it!

Tiny Buddha
This health and happiness powerhouse company began on social media, and it has grown there to amazing proportions. Founder Lori Deschene tweeted an inspirational tweet one day back in 2009, hoping to provide some meaning and wisdom on her little piece of the internet. The mission hasn’t changed, but her piece of the internet has greatly increased in size to now include an entire website with community forums as well as social media channels. They sell books, journals, phone cases and clothing aimed at improving mental wellness.

How did this happen? We’ll repeat what we said above about CrossFit: Lori had a message that appealed to people, enough that a community could be built around it. “Simple wisdom for complex lives” is the tagline on the Tiny Buddha twitter account, and people wanted that. The format of much of the wisdom is eye-catching and optimised for social media sharing: bite-sized quotes over colourful pictures. There’s something for everyone, wisdom like “sometimes the best therapist has fur and four legs” and “even if we disagree about everything we can still be kind to each other”.

Lori grew her following organically, and capitalised on community. She has an offering that inspires people. It’s a simple formula and one that works.

Blogilates
From humble beginnings on YouTube, Blogilates has grown to become a social media mammoth, with subscriber and follower numbers reaching more than ten million across their platforms. Along with pilates videos, Cassey Ho offers workout plans, an activewear collection, recipes, challenges, printables, and more—it’s an entire empire, and one built off the back of social media.

What is her secret? Cassey told CNBC, “I think it’s important to put positive content that helps to bring value to my fans’ lives… You have to have a purpose - make sure you are giving something of value to somebody other than yourself.”

Making sure your content speaks to your audience is crucial. It shouldn’t be a vanity project, outlining how fit and healthy and wonderful you are. It needs to be something they can connect with.

Cassey has provided content that is valued by people all over the world—even pop star Taylor Swift watches her videos. She also branched out when she saw the opportunity, creating new products like her activewear and challenges to appeal to those seeking something a little different but still on-brand.


Deepak Chopra
When it comes to holistic health, Deepak Chopra is more or less a household name. He is a social leader of the alternative medicine movement and a legendary figure. He is a licensed physician, having studied in India and completed residencies in the United States, and has released books and videos which have seen him featured on Oprah and more.

While Chopra’s views are considered controversial by many, including the scientific establishment, there is no doubting that he has a huge following and has been extremely successful in marketing himself and his products on social media.

Chopra has spoken about how social media can be harmful, but also how it can connect people and deepen relationships—and it would seem that he has taken advantage of this capability to grow his empire. As mentioned in our introductory paragraph, wellness is a topic that’s close to peoples’ hearts, and many are open to sharing and learning about the topic in the social spaces where they feel comfortable.


Fitbit
This brand of activity-tracking watches is almost synonymous with wearable fitness technology. The company has a huge chunk of the market, and they have used social media to help them get there. People see others using and enjoying their fitbits in real life and online, and they want to get on board.

To harness the power of social media, Fitbit focused on the experience. In an article for Social Media Today, the Director of Community Allison Leahy spoke of their commitment to customer care, and how they listen to and validate customer feedback over their social media channels. This means that their communities are serving two purposes: not only promoting their product, but gathering useful information they can use to improve it.

Perhaps the key here is that Fitbit focuses on the user experience, rather than just the watch. Potential buyers aren’t having flashy product photos filling their feed, but seeing how a Fitbit could enhance their lives—and also how the company is responsive and listening to their customers.

The common thread
​All of these successful wellness brands have used social media to grow, with fantastic results. There are a couple of themes that have popped up throughout the post, and they are concepts that you should take into account. To sum up briefly:

• Firstly, community is key. People like to feel a part of something, and these brands—CrossFit above all—have taken advantage of that human desire and created a close-knit community that clients/customers/followers can belong to both offline and online. You should come across as real, accessible, and working to provide solutions to problems your prospects have.
• Secondly, be very aware of what exactly you are presenting and marketing through your social media channels. Just promoting your product  is not the best way to use these platforms. You want to sell a lifestyle, a community (broken record here), or an aspiration. 

Any social media strategy, of course, will be uniquely adapted to your own product or service and your ideal customers.

However, the ideas above are a solid base from which to start—and they have been tried and tested by some very successful wellness brands!

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