Wellness Marketer, Q4 2021 by APTech Publications

MARKETING STRATEGIES TO ENERGIZE YOUR BRAND

WINTER 2021-2022 Updating your value proposition • Envisioning your brand’s future

CREATING COMMUNITY FOR YOUR COMPANY THROUGH CUSTOM CONTENT

channeling content & connections contact us to discuss what a content platform can do for you

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

WELLNESS MARKETER

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MANAGING EDITOR Julie Shaffer EDITORIAL AND CREATIVE Conduit, Inc. www.conduit-inc.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

R E VA M P

S TAT S & I N S I G H T S

THE SHIFT

Q&A WITH DR. JENNIFER STEWART

REFLECTIONS

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P U B L I S H E R ’ S N OT E

What If?

This point in time requires a high level of creativity. While the world has been confusing and lacks a bit of enthusiasm, elite marketers are being called to engage their imaginations and inspire hope. When things get ambiguous in business or setbacks occur, the answer is to always respond with imagination rather than retaliation.

T H AY E R L O N G PUBLISHER

Marketers are now the

conduit for creative

awareness and we can

help others see the world

the way we see it—

full of possibilities.”

P.S. Wellness Marketer was recently presented with another honor, winning a Platinum MarCom Award for the Summer 2021 issue, “Trend Spotting.”

Creativity is the ability to unleash the imagination and envision what has never existed before. It is the ability to solve problems by drawing upon the boundless resources within our collective minds. Wellness marketers are very fortunate at this moment. Clearly, health, fitness and general wellbeing are at the top of many people’s minds. The best marketers, however, are looking for deep and sustainable ways to build community. They realize you cannot simply rely on a good product and traditional practices to build an amazing brand— they know that they have to find a new level of thinking. Some people believe that creativity is a talent you are born with but we are convinced that it is a skill that can be learned and nurtured. In turn, imagination is the essence of a marketer’s being and creativity is more a state of awareness than an ability. If you have the desire to dream big then that is half the battle. This is a time for us to take our creative passion and run with it. Marketing is exhilarating right now because of the many ideas swirling around us. We can take our own ideas, throw them into the mix and create something new. Marketers are now the conduit for creative awareness and we can help others see the world the way we see it—full of possibilities. We can all be more creative. If we draw on our experiences, especially in the last 18 months, we can remove the limits of our imagination. We can consider possible solutions to every problem. We can silence our inner critics, and to be truly creative, we must be courageous and work hard. Most importantly, though, we must ask “what if?” The post-COVID world provides us the chance to let go of the way things have always been done and question assumptions. It is time to ask “what if?” Here’s to a wonderfully creative 2022! Warmest wishes,

Wellness Marketer INSPIRING HEALTHY ENGAGEMENT

Healthy engagement comes from connecting with thoughtful marketing minds. We gather the best health and wellness marketing insights and share them with you. Check us out online at wellnessmarketermag.com to stay up to date on the latest stories, data and trends. We look forward to inspiring you!

> VISIT WELLNESSMARKETERMAG.COM

F E AT U R E S T O R Y • R E V A M P

WELLNESS MARKETER

Marketing strategies to energize your brand Early in 2021, Genesys Health approached the Tantrum Agency about helping the health insurance consultancy refine its identity and develop its brand story. Tantrum founder and CEO David Tann and his team began the process by examining every aspect of the company, from its services, offerings and client success stories, to its culture, origin story and even the individual personalities of every person on staff.

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F E AT U R E S T O R Y • R E V A M P

Tantrum’s goal was to get beyond just the services Genesys provided and delve into the true aspects of the brand—the intangibles that made it unique and help boost its clients’ success. The discovery process not only enabled Tantrum to build a brand that was reflective of who Genesys was and its corner in the marketplace, but also gave the Tantrum team loads of content to begin developing a marketing plan. In developing the Genesys game plan, Tantrum identified a series of guideposts for the brand launch campaign. The goal was to implement content that could add value, inspire, humanize, educate, differentiate and celebrate. “These guideposts gave us opportunities to tell the brand story through each of our channels,” Tann says. “For example, with focus on differentiating ourselves, we could highlight and illustrate ‘The Genesys Way,’ which is our client’s compassionate approach to health benefits. Through the guidepost of ‘adding value,’ we could tailor content around the ‘how to’ and tips. This guidepost was especially important and genuine to Genesys, which believes in putting people first.” In a time when consumer trends are shifting toward health and wellness, the higher demand for related products and services has never been higher. In turn, it has also created an extremely competitive landscape, which means that it is critical to be able to stand out from the noise in the marketplace. In rolling out the Genesys brand and marketing strategy, the Tantrum team knew it needed quality, engaging media assets to pull itself up over the competition. It invested in capturing high-quality video and still photography up front to personify the brand’s personality and energy. The content it shot was varied, capturing organic, authentic moments. For one of the sessions, Tantrum even

brought in an entertainment photographer who works with A-list celebrities and musicians. “His style illuminated Genesys in a way that was unreal. This will continue to be a part of the strategy moving forward,” Tann says.

Everyone receives information differently, so it’s important to reach them in more than one way.” — KELLY MILLER LAUGHLIN, VP OF COMMUNICATIONS, COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES OF GEORGIA Because of Tantrum’s belief that a marketing strategy must employ a variety of tactics, it used myriad channels to redefine the brand and tell its story. Understanding how each channel works, as well as knowing how your audience consumes news and information, is imperative. “This is one of the reasons why our relationship with Genesys Health works so well,” Tann says. “Their tagline is, ‘data-driven, people focused.’ This was at the foundation of our marketing strategy approach. We understood who they were speaking to and what content their audience would benefit from receiving.” Tann says that because Genesys makes it their business to understand their client, he and his team made it their business to help them communicate effectively. “Storytelling is always at the heart of what we do. It is reflected in our tagline: ‘pure emotional branding.’ We believe storytelling is key to connection and driving people to action.”

Finger on the pulse

When Kelly Miller Laughlin looks out at today’s health and wellness market, she sees one that is ever changing, especially over the past few years. More people branching out into alternative methods. A more keen interest in vitamins and herbs. Eastern medicine. Better diets and exercise routines. More than at any time before, people understand that all of it is an integral part of overall wellbeing. As VP of Communications at Community Health Services of Georgia (CHSGa), Laughlin understands that helping stay in touch with that kind of messaging not only means knowing where the trends are going, but how to communicate them. During the pandemic, CHSGa, an integrated healthcare delivery system providing one source for life management strategies for its customers, was hit as hard as any healthcare provider dealing with the day in and day out implications related to the virus. With 9,000 employees, Laughlin was tasked with helping keep everyone abreast of what turned out to be an ever-evolving spate of information. In the midst of losing employees to the virus across a variety of departments CHSGa implemented a Vaccination Initiative, which Laughlin and her team worked to deliver. By using social media, internal messaging via the intranet and the company’s newsletter to spread the word, CHSGa achieved a 97% acceptance rate. “One of the most effective tools we used is creating individual stories of people who experienced COVID-19 and why they chose to get the vaccine,” Laughlin says. “Using people within the organization that other employees could

WELLNESS MARKETER

relate to was very helpful in moving our numbers forward. There was a level of trust hearing from people they knew. Yes, we will continue this type of messaging going forward.” By using every tool at its disposal, CHSGa continues to make sure it reaches out to everyone it can in any and every way possible. Heading into continued uncharted waters, Laughlin knows that by sticking to the marketing tools that have worked—and not being afraid to try others—is key.

Storytelling is always at the heart of what we do. It is reflected in our tagline: “pure emotional branding.” — DAVID TANN, FOUNDER & CEO, TANTRUM AGENCY “It is still a tough market out there,” Laughlin says. “Everyone receives information differently, so it’s important to reach them in more than one way. We want to educate Georgians that we are a system that can meet their healthcare needs when they need it, whether it is emergency care services, home health, rehabilitation, care management, skilled nursing care or hospice. We desire to be their trusted partner.” In the end, the key component for any health and wellness marketer is trust. Rising to the occasion is paramount in the effort to build community. That means being as authentic and as real as possible. Building relationships. And always doing the right thing for the right reasons.

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S TAT S & I N S I G H T S

Race to Reskill

Marketers are racing neck and neck to beat the competition. The skills of yesterday won’t cut it, and new skills are needed to stay ahead. Mercer’s “Global Talent Trends 2020–2021” report analyzed the current landscape and found the top three skills needed for future resilience:

53% 50% 46%

COLLABORATION SKILLS ADAPTABILITY/ GROWTH MINDSET SELF-MANAGEMENT/ PRIORITIZATION SKILLS

Company culture is critical and is directly associated with success. It is essential to have a clear vision and mission, but it is also vital to create a positive work culture where people want to work and thrive. We are not a team because we are forced to work together— we’re a team because we respect each other and care for each other.” — Penny Belluz, Director of Operations at TELECO, on camaraderie fueling company success

WELLNESS MARKETER

Tip the Scales

WHAT INFLUENCES SOCIAL MEDIA AD ENGAGEMENT

Getting your consumers’ attention on social media is no easy feat. Marketers have myriad tactics to tip the scales in their favor, but consumers have concerns about their data privacy and scams. In their fifth annual “U.S. Digital Trust Survey,” Insider Intelligence surveyed 1,730 U.S. social media users on the factors that most affect their trust in social platforms and how those factors impact their decision to engage with ads and sponsored content there. Here’s what social media users say were the factors that carried the most weight:

The platform protects my privacy and data The platform offers me a safe environment to participate and post The platform shows me deceptive content (disinformation, fake news, scams or clickbait) The platform shows me annoying ads The platform shows me relevant ads

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F E AT U R E S T O R Y • T H E S H I F T

WELLNESS MARKETER

The Shift IT IS TIME TO UPDATE YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION

s a panelist on a recent podcast by executive search and transition management firm Association Strategies, “Who Stole My Playbook: 2021 Perspectives from Association Leaders,” Joel Albizo hit at the heart of what truly defines the value proposition your brand should stand for today. The CEO of the American Planning Association said you don’t chase money; you chase value by solving problems nobody else has solved and doing it efficiently and effectively. The money follows that.

In an economic landscape still trying to decipher the ins and outs of working amid a pandemic, perhaps no market is more keen on fine tuning its value proposition than health and wellness. Facing a variety of short- and long-term implications resulting from what the pandemic did to our collective psyches, fulfilling the promises may be more complicated than anyone is willing to admit. Even so, continuing to reshape, retool and revisit your brand’s value proposition can help it move forward. Simply put, if your value proposition does not separate you from the pack, people will have no reason to work with you over somebody else.

JJackie Berg says you build that separation through trust. As co-founder and CMO of CBD Marketing Hub l Cannabis Marketing-Hub, she continues to be on the forefront of new product development, marketing and sales—all critical tenets in the foundation of value proposition management. “Trust is timeless and will always retain its value. We encourage and build it within our own organization, among our clients and within this industry.” As a market specialist and cannabis industry thought leader, Berg should know. Over the past 35-plus years, she has spearheaded campaigns for clients such as Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s Wal-Mart, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the

There are less crowded lanes and even a few new routes that remain relatively unexplored today. The brands that win tomorrow’s audience will begin to overtake competitors within the next two to five years.” — JACKIE BERG, CBD MARKETING HUB | CANNABIS MARKETING-HUB

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F E AT U R E S T O R Y • T H E S H I F T

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, among others. She also headed sales, operations and HR divisions of the Southland Corporation, the parent company of 7-Eleven Stores. One of the biggest things she has noticed in today’s marketplace has been the incredible rise of digital fatigue. Nearly one third of all consumers report digital burnout associated with handling digital devices, subscriptions, etc. That fatigue not only can impact your value proposition, but also spill over to consumption, signaling the need for digital advertisers to enhance user experience. “Consumers are increasingly demanding a more tailored user experience that an artfully crafted landing page delivers versus the ‘forced’ self-navigation that more generic campaigns employ,” Berg says. “Fewer consumers have the patience to wade through a brand’s generic home page to locate the CBD or cannabis gummies deal, let alone click through three additional links to get to lab reports. Turnkey experiences are a must, according to our internal campaign performance trends which consistently evidence the fact that brand campaigns with tailored landing pages outperform more generic efforts time after time.” A recent Ernst & Young report shows that 47% of respondents are seeking a time-out from smartphones and other internet-enabled devices. Translation: Consumers are more discerning about the content they consume and how much time they spend consuming it. Berg believes this shift will require health and wellness brands to create more engaging marketing tactics, as well as be far more strategic in regard to their choice of marketing and advertising platforms. To further define her assumption, CBD Marketing Hub compiled compelling

evidence revealing that localized, news-oriented native content and digital ad campaigns outperform other media placements. Why? The campaigns meet consumer musts: Relevance, timelessness and resourcefulness. “Too many brands are focused on the same consumer demo,” Berg says. “Coupled with look-alike messaging, the market now has too many advertisers chasing far too few consumer demographic groups. A product that’s marketed to everyone isn’t selling anyone these days. There are less crowded lanes and even a few new routes that remain relatively unexplored today. The brands that win tomorrow’s audience will begin to overtake competitors within the next two to five years.”

Valuing Your Audience

There was a time when Eli Mazer admittedly tried to get everyone and anyone into Auburn Fitness Solutions. Strategically located in the college town that is home to Auburn University, the fitness center has always prided itself on its approach to the health and wellness game. The value proposition, as Mazer, owner and operator, says, was always 100% about quality of life. Building your best functional, healthy body. Promoting overall wellness practices. Reducing preventable heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol or anything else that might prevent his clients from living their lives. Over time, and you can add the pandemic into the mix, Mazer realized that the health and wellness market is one of continual change—disruptions, if you will, that cause a brand to continually re-evaluate its positioning. “I have always understood that fitness is an emotional sale with a very short window of opportunity, so nothing has really changed for me in terms of my marketing strategy.

I have always understood that fitness is an emotional sale with a very short window of opportunity. If anything has changed, it’s that I am not trying to get everyone and their mother in here.”

— ELI MAZER, OWNER/OPERATOR, AUBURN FITNESS SOLUTIONS

WELLNESS MARKETER

If anything has changed, it’s that I am not trying to get everyone and their mother in here. I have so many leads now that I can actually pick and choose who I want to spend my time and energy on.” Operating within a more focused business strategy, Mazer has been able to refine Auburn Fitness’ internal values and value proposition. “My internal values are the same as core values. Accountability. Honesty. Excellence. Teamwork. Flexibility. I think the value that has helped us survive the pandemic is in that last one—flexibility. We had to adapt and be flexible to the state of the world, offering virtual training and even outdoor training. We had to say goodbye to the days of expecting that having a brick and mortar business was enough to keep people coming back.” Auburn Fitness found the vibe that works and ran with it. For example, prospective buyers seem to be much pickier and commitment averse than ever before, especially since the start of the pandemic. Gone are the days when it was able to get one- to twoyear commitments from new clients off the rip. Now it is lucky to secure a six-month commitment. “That’s just the

nature of the world right now. Boutique clubs versus big box gyms seem to have a competitive advantage in direct response marketing, especially in a small town.” In times of continued change and adaptability, the ability for health and wellness brands to keep differentiation intact is critical in an increasingly noisy marketspace. Constant innovation and improvement should remain the top items on every to-do list. Followed by building consumer awareness and conversions contingent upon your ability to get— and stay—ahead of the tsunami of competitive messaging that exists in today’s digital marketplace.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Dr. Jennifer Stewart

Chief Vision Officer, Performance 20/20

Visionary thought leader on building your wellness brand

With a deep interest in sports vision, Dr. Jennifer Stewart is the

Co-founder and Chief Vision Officer for Performance 20/20, which provides services for sports and performance vision training.

As an optometrist, speaker, writer, consultant and entrepreneur, she is well versed in all things eyecare. She is passionate about helping

optometrists and organizations through her company OD Perspectives. An active member in the optometric community for almost 20 years, Dr. Stewart is a partner at Norwalk Eye Care and is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the New England College of Optometry. Her writing has been featured in most optometric publications and is nationally recognized for her speaking. She is a recipient of the Theia Award for Innovation by Women in Optometry and serves on the Executive Board for the International Sports Vision Association.

What have been the most significant challenges to marketing your business in the current environment?

We have switched our in-person training to a virtual/remote training platform since COVID-19 began in 2020. While I used to host in-person seminars, demos and open houses, I now rely more on email and word of mouth. It can be a challenge to have a call to action—I believe it is easier to get someone to sign up in person versus online. However, this opens up my target athlete group significantly, as we can work with anyone, anywhere.

One positive that has come out of

COVID-19 is the focus on health, wellness

and prioritizing family and personal time.”

WELLNESS MARKETER

What are your thoughts on how wellness companies should be building their brand and their respective following?

One positive that has come out of COVID-19 is the focus on health, wellness and prioritizing family and personal time. Wellness companies focused on these aspects should do very well in building their brands. Also, anything that can save people time and make them more efficient so they can spend more time doing what is important is very valued.

Tell us a little about Performance 20/20 and how you are getting the message out to your community.

Performance 20/20 is a sports and performance vision training facility. Our training helps athletes improve eye/hand coordination, reaction time, anticipation, decision making, focus and concentration and overall athletic performance. We have been in business since 2015, and primarily relied on word-of-mouth referrals. With a focus on remote training currently, we have also been primarily working with athletes in our area who are familiar with our

training, but are now able to work with athletes anywhere in the world who have found us through our website and my work in the sports vision field.

Can you share any parallels to marketing your business and the sports vision training you are providing? How can the analogy of sharpening the visual system and cognitive skills within athletics apply to our wellness business strategies?

Sports vision training is about enhancing the skills we already have—not developing new, but making each one of us better. If we can take the product/ business we already have, and have a targeted marketing strategy with an end goal in place, we will be more successful in executing that plan. When we work with an athlete, we don’t just set out to be “better.” We start with a detailed evaluation, training plan with set goals, and a re-evaluation. Any marketing or business strategy should do the same—have measurable, deliverable goals, reassessment, and make changes along the way to meet that end goal.

As you promote Performance 20/20, what are you noticing about buying behavior these days?

I am finding people are less likely to commit to a long-term plan. There is a general sense of “who knows what the winter/spring/year/school year” will bring, so I find people are committing to shorter training packages than in prior years.

Any final advice for anyone making a push to build a wellness business?

Be patient and play the long game! When I opened Performance 20/20, I thought I had the best and most unique idea for a facility, and that once I opened my doors, athletes would flood in. It didn’t quite work this way—it took time, dedication, perseverance and elbow grease—but if you truly believe in your business and the care/product you are delivering, you will be successful. It just takes time.

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REFLECTIONS

New Year’s Resolution any people vow to improve their health in the early M months of a new year. Wellness marketers can capitalize by engaging prospects in a meaningful way. In order to drive engagement, marketing teams should strategically plan, execute and measure wellness campaigns. Here are some new resolutions to consider:

DEFINE AUDIENCES Having clear campaign audiences is imperative, as success relies on reaching the right targets, at the right time, in the right way. When defining campaign audiences, put the most focus on influencers and caretakers—as those are the most engaged audiences—by including content that is easily shareable and relatable. CHOOSE CAMPAIGN TYPES There are two types of wellness campaigns: • Awareness - Awareness campaigns focus on educating the audience and tend to contain a soft call to action (CTA), like a white-paper download. For this type, client engagement is measured through brand lift, landing page engagement and content efficiency. • Direct Response - Direct response campaigns aim to convince consumers to act and feature revenue-driving CTAs such as appointment scheduling. Direct response campaign engagement is measured with touch points, new leads and numbers of newly scheduled appointments. DETERMINE TIMING Client engagement depends on when wellness campaigns are deployed; certain service lines have campaign “sweet spots” due to seasonality. Campaigns aimed at seasonal service lines’ optimal audiences during peak times have the best chance at driving the most engagement.

DRIVE ENGAGEMENT

NURTURE POST-CAMPAIGN LAUNCH Once wellness campaigns are deployed, it’s essential to nurture target consumers. This involves creating multi-channel campaigns through emails, social media, outbound calls, direct mail (brochures or pamphlets) and more to connect campaign efforts with further engagement opportunities. Timing of nurturing is also imperative—spreading follow-up over a two-week period is a general best practice. NEW YEAR BONUS: ENGAGEMENT JOURNEY Consider building nurture workflows that lay out engagement journeys. Client engagement journeys outline ideal pathways, from the point a prospect initially sees a campaign to when they become a lifelong member of the wellness organization’s community. Nurturing is a key component of client engagement journeys because it helps keep them involved long term. Happy nurturing year! Source: American Marketing Association

WELLNESS MARKETER

T H E ST R E N GT H O F P R I N T Direct mail comple ments the other c hannels used b y impro ving overall multich annel campa ign per forman ce

REPORT SHOWS THE IMPACT OF DIRECT MAIL

es piec l i a ct m ed a Dire rsonaliz y tel pe are mple o c r lot o

s ail i re m t o c Dire antly m comes ific n it l sign e whe al ng iv i t s h c effe o reac dience t u et a g r a t

Are you using all of your marketing muscles? Direct mail is a tried and true way to reach your audience and beef up your campaign. According to PFL’s “The State of Multichannel Marketing” 2020 report, a quarter of marketers planned to increase their budget for direct mail during the pandemic, and they are seeing results. Those who are investing more in direct mail are more likely to report the following.

Direct ma il efforts are integrate d with mark eting technolog y used fo r multichan nel camp aigns

erage Their av aign nel camp n a h ic lt mu ood” cing a “g u d o r p is OI good” R or “very

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MAIL TRACKING

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INFORMED DELIVERY

With Informed Delivery integration, your mailing piece will be accompanied by a full color, clickable ad within the grayscale email preview sent by the USPS. You will also be able to track where Informed Delivery emails have been opened (geographically)!

CALL TRACKING

Get access to live updates and recordings of every call you’ve received as a result of your direct mail campaign.

ONLINE FOLLOW-UP

If a prospect leaves your website without taking action, your ads will show up throughout the Google Network directing them back to your website.

SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOW-UP

Keep your follow-up ads in front of your prospects even when they’re scrolling through their newsfeed on Facebook and Instagram.

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Wellness Marketer, Q4 2021

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