5 Influencer Marketing Best Practices All Health & Wellness Brands Need to Know

A recent McKinsey study revealed that 82% of US consumers now consider health and wellness a top priority in their everyday lives. But the health and wellness industry is also becoming increasingly saturated, making it overwhelming for consumers to choose the right products to meet their needs, and difficult for brands to differentiate themselves.

So, how can your wellness brand break through the noise? 

The secret ingredient to success is influencer marketing. Consumers today are better informed than ever before and often turn to other health-focused shoppers — especially their favorite health and wellness creators online — for product recommendations. 

In this 3-part series, we’re going to help you leverage these influencers to connect with your target customers and build brand trust. In Part 1, we’re diving into 5 tried-and-true strategies for health and wellness brands. Let’s get started.

1. Amplify the voices of industry professionals.

Particularly in saturated industries like health and wellness, it is hard for consumers to differentiate between legitimate products and fads. To stand out, brands should engage with not only health-focused influencers, but also established industry experts, such as holistic nutritionists or psychologists. These individuals are often consumers’ most trusted source when it comes to getting advice and recommendations, as they have legitimate credentials and years of experience to back up their expert status. 

In recent years, these professionals have also started creating content on social media around their area of expertise, making it easy for brands to find and partner with them. Work with them to educate consumers, provide transparency, and establish credibility in your specific industry. By extension, consumers will trust your brand’s message and products over your competitors’. 

Take a look at Chipotle’s partnership with Kylie Sakaida, who is a registered dietitian. While Chipotle is often thought of as an indulgent fast food restaurant, the credible dietician’s stamp of approval makes consumers understand that Chipotle’s Lifestyle Bowls are not only delicious, but also provide a well-balanced meal. 

2. Educate your influencers so they can educate their audience.

Particularly in the world of health and wellness, it's important to effectively communicate what your product is formulated with, how it can benefit the consumer’s wellbeing, and what problems it can help to solve.

When you’re working with health-focused influencers, it’s crucial to thoroughly educate them on your products so that they can pass on that information to their audiences. Your creators want to provide real value to their audience with the products they promote, and that’s impossible if they don’t have transparency into your products or brand ethos. 

Start by answering these questions and encourage your creators to use them as talking points when promoting your brand:

• What ingredients are in your product? 
• Where are your ingredients sourced from?
• What will this product do for the body, mind, or soul?
• What are the short-term/long-term benefits of this product?
• What problems does it solve? 

That way, creators can figure out a way to relay this information in a way that resonates best with their audience. 

3. Commit to influencer relationships for the long haul.

Whether someone is trying to level out their anxiety or achieve better gut health, most health and wellness products take time to take effect. Products typically need to be used consistently over the course of a few weeks to months to showcase true results. That’s why long-term influencer partnerships are key in the health and wellness world. 

If you’re already working with influencers, cherry-pick a handful of your top-performing creators to become long-term brand ambassadors. Through long-term partnerships, ambassadors can establish a reliable narrative around your brand time and time again. Not to mention, they can effectively showcase real results over time. This repetition builds trust, enhances brand recall, and overall strengthens the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

4. Make your products come to life by highlighting how they benefit a daily routine. 

Let’s be honest — a bottle of supplements isn’t the most “like-worthy” thing on the internet. But lucky for you, influencers have a knack for making even the most mundane-looking products come to life through active storytelling.

To really attract and connect with your target customer market, you want them to imagine themselves using your products everyday. By working with influencers, you can do just that. 

Have your creators produce short-form video content such as “a day in the life” vlogs. Unlike studio-produced content, your creators can authentically showcase how they incorporate your products into their daily routine — providing social proof in a seamless and credible way. 

Take a look at how GoGo SqueeZ worked with lifestyle creator Audrey Trullinger to showcase how their electrolyte-packed snacks improve her daily routine, including her runs. 

5. Get creative with your content.

Health and wellness products, such as pill bottles and supplement jars, might not be alluring or even recognizable to your target audiences. So, find influencers who go above and beyond in their content creation. Encourage them to amp up their creativity to create dynamic content for your brand. With a stronger variety of creative content, you’ll be able to repurpose and distribute more across your website, email campaigns, paid ads and more. 

Check out Part 2 of this series, where we take a look at 3 health and wellness brands with incredible influencer marketing strategies. 

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