With greater access to information, more healthy food alternatives, and a growing need to cut down on healthcare costs, clean eating is likely the spark that could change the entire healthcare industry.
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“You are what you eat” has become an American mantra with consumers embracing a
growing distrust with food manufacturers. As fad diets have taken off, health brands are in prime position to use direct response marketing to profit.
As Americans look for ways to slim down, the healthcare industry will need to shape up.
Consumers aren’t just counting calories. They’re not blindly going to the gym either.
Consumers are taking an active role in their health and investing in their health
education.
Take me for example, I’ve tracked every single calorie I’ve taken in for nearly
a decade thanks to my favorite health app – MyFitnessPal.
Paired with the evolution of fitness and the popularization of weight training, a new
phase of clean eating has inspired the concept of “fueling” your body.
From learning how to count carbs, to knowing how to calculate net carbs, to
decipher between the best lean protein sources, consumers are embracing healthy
living.
So, what does this mean for the healthcare industry?
New ways to build brand loyalty.
Food Allergies Reshape Health
With 1 out of 10 people reporting a food allergy that influences their food purchasing
decisions, consumers are going out of the mainstream to meet their dietary needs.
Whether it is shopping organic, farm-fresh, or choosing grass-fed and non-GMO
options, how you position your brand is critical. Especially if you want a chance to tap
into the growing organic-buying market.
To do this, you’ll need to find ways to redesign not just your product labels but more importantly your marketing messages to incorporate direct response tactics that put your product’s health benefits front and center.
Alternative Lifestyles Build Communities
Dieting is moving away from being fad-based to becoming part of a consumer’s identity.
With the popularity of gluten-free, paleo, and vegan lifestyles, health brands have been
able to leverage the healthy-eating shift to build unshakable customer loyalty. By
catering to the specific needs of these fringe (but fast-growing) customer segments,
wellness providers are beginning to offer new products and services that seamlessly fit
into even niche lifestyles.
Direct Marketing for Healthy Living
The clean eating movement is well underway. But, exactly how it could reshape healthcare is yet to be determined. One thing holds true: healthy living choices will redefine how we live and only those brands that can seamlessly fit into these new lifestyles will get market share.
What’s more, it’s how you position your brand’s message to be seen. And leveraging digital marketing using direct response tactics is the avenue to pursue. With the average person spending at least 6 hours online each day, it’s the fastest and most lucrative way to carve out your market advantage.
When you dive deeper into what platforms are poised for the most growth. It becomes clear, that if you’re not investing in social media advertising, you’re missing out on the largest opportunities to engage in 1:1 interactions with consumers.
Though many health brands have had success using Twitter, transitioning to social media platforms, like Instagram that attract younger and generally more health-conscious consumers is the first step to enhance your digital marketing strategies.
On the surface, clean eating may seem like an innocuous trend.
One that the healthcare community has largely ignored. But, with greater access to information, more healthy food alternatives, and a growing need to cut down on healthcare costs, clean eating is likely the spark that could change the entire healthcare industry.
Ultimately, what you do is your choice. Ignore the trend and suffer the business consequences later. Or, position your brand to fit into the healthy living lifestyle of the empowered consumer and be handsomely rewarded now. You pick.