Health and wellness are all the rage lately. And it’s no surprise—it was a trend that was already on the rise but found itself accelerating at breakneck speed given the COVID-19 crisis. Now is a great time to launch a business that’s centered around nutrition and fitness, like the following:
- Being a certified personal trainer
- Meal planning service
- Starting a health and wellness website, Instagram account, or YouTube channel
- Selling health products
- Opening a restaurant that’s centered around a nutritious menu
There is no shortage of ideas for start-ups centered around health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition. If you already have a business idea in mind but don’t know how to promote it in a saturated market, here are some tricks of the trade you need to know.
Safety first
But first, make sure that you’re taking the necessary safety precautions to ensure that your business will not harm your future customers or clients. For one, entering the health and wellness industry is precarious; you could easily promote ideas that may sound right from the onset but actually have no scientific basis and could then be harmful to consumers. Some questions you need to answer through your research include:
- If you’re a layman, get a professional or an expert on your team. It’s one thing to be an enthusiast, love health, wellness, and fitness—it’s another to have been able to study it officially or get a license for it. Understandably, not everyone can go to school for their passions, but we never want to gamble on our consumers’ health. If you’re a layman or unlicensed in any related field, you can still be the brains behind the operation—but it will benefit your business greatly if you could get a licensed nutritionist or a doctor on your team.
- Get the required licenses. If you’re starting small, this may not be a necessary step just yet, but you will definitely need approval from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) if you’re creating new products.
Once you have all these precautions in place, it will add to your credibility and legitimacy. There’s a reason why so many “health gurus” are considered practitioners of pseudoscience; they don’t necessarily have the scientific research and data to back up their claims, and taking the necessary precautions will help you protect your business’ credibility.
Key elements of marketing a health and wellness business
Now that you have the safety precautions out of the way, here are some pointers you need to do to promote your business in the digital sphere:
Determine your target audience.
Doing thorough market research and competitive analysis is a crucial part of starting any business. Starting a health and wellness business is no different. Here are some questions you need to answer:
- Who is the business for? What are their ages, ailments, struggles, values, and spending habits? Will they spend for this specific service or product in this economy?
- Is there a gap in the market for your specific product or service?
- Who are my competitors in the industry? How is their business doing?
Solidify your niche and brand.
Once you know who your target is, you can now set up the arrow, your specific niche and brand. What makes your offerings set apart from what is already existing? What can you provide that no other brand can’t? Make sure this is expressed in your brand identity.
Set up a centralized website.
Your consumers must have a one-stop-shop where they can know everything about your business with one click. Ensure all your social media platforms and emails will point back to the website so that your customers know exactly where to look when they need something.
Maximize search engine optimization.
Search engine optimization or SEO is crucial to increasing visibility for your brand in the digital sphere. Consider hiring a team of specialists who can help you establish your brand as one of the best and most reputable in the industry.
Create engaging content.
Social media is king. It’s a tool that your business cannot afford to neglect, especially if your target market leans towards the millennials or generation Z. They’re already bombarded by a lot of campaign materials on their socials, so make sure to create content that engages them and adds value to their feeds.
Bottom Line
If we’re targeting people’s health, we must build our credibility by coming up with products and services that were thoroughly researched, especially when the world constantly has to battle misinformation and disinformation. Let’s help the world get healthy again, not just through good intentions but also through products and services that are actually good for them.
