We are continually inundated with ads and messaging for products of all kinds. As a health product retailer, it will be difficult to rise above the competition and get your health retail products in the hands of consumers that could benefit from them the most.
When it comes to how to best promote a health product, there are many options to choose from. But, it will be just as important to select the option that affords you the highest number of meaningful touchpoints with your ideal target audience.
Before spending a dollar on paid ads, it’s really critical that you know your audience like the back of your hand. What keeps them up at night? What options have failed them? How are you the right brand to solve their problem? How can you make the customer the hero of their own story?
One answer to these questions is the valuable marketing tool called the “one-liner” developed by Donald Miller.
Basically, it goes like this…
- Start by stating the problem or pain point that most of your customers face.
- Talk about your solution to the problem you just stated.
- Finally, ramp up the success. Clearly explain how your customer will feel after you solve their problem.
Here’s an example.
Say you’re a CBD company that has developed a nano CBD offer.
Most CBD users struggle to get the relief they need because their bodies can’t absorb enough of the molecule. Because your digestive system naturally emulsifies oil, traditional edibles and tinctures only allow you to absorb a fraction of the CBD. Our nano CBD is better absorbed by the body so get better results faster — and the relief lasts longer than regular CBD.
So this isn’t the tightest example in the world, but you get the picture. It’s basically the old copywriting formula PAS: problem, agitate, solution, just packed up as a mini-elevator pitch!
Importance of Promoting Health Products in Retail
One of the key differentiating factors when it comes to health products is how well they are promoted to customers. When determining the most suitable health product marketing approach, you’ll want to consider who your ideal customers are, what platforms they use, and what benefits your offering can provide to them specifically.
With these items in mind, you can then create highly compelling messaging campaigns that will not just resonate with the right customers but will also entice them to buy your product. Therefore, the next question to ask is…
How Do You Promote Your Health Product Business?
It will take a multi-pronged approach to ensure that you reach the right audiences and that you can maximize your marketing spend. This is a step that should not be rushed and should be thoroughly researched and planned out before implementing to reduce the chance of sinking money into a retail marketing mix that won’t work to attract new customers.
Here are the ten important steps to follow to engineer a winning retail marketing strategic approach that will get results.
Creating a Detailed Plan.
By spending time researching and getting clear on your ideal client and what online platforms they frequent, you’ll be better positioned to devise a plan to get your message in front of them, when they are ready to buy. It’s important, however, to remain open-minded because as your customers’ preferences shift and new trends emerge, you will likely need to revisit and pivot your retail marketing plan.
Make Small Exploratory Investments.
Marketing strategies are never guaranteed to work. Though there may be consistent platforms and/or campaigns that outperform others, retail marketing is a large game of “guess and check”. That’s why it’s essential to test new messaging with small investment amounts to see how well they resonate and can convert traffic into paying customers. This is also where creating key performance indicators will be important so you can assess what success looks like and when additional ad spend may be warranted.
Know Your Ideal Customer.
It is impossible to engineer a highly effective retail marketing plan without being first clear on who you are trying to attract. Not only does the ideal customer dictate what messaging will resonate with them, but it is also important to know because it will determine which platforms may be best to start marketing on. For example, for older demographics, implementing an email marketing strategy may be best to start than investing heavily in social media marketing. However, without knowing who your ideal customer is, it will be difficult to effectively create a health product marketing strategy that will convert.
Relationships Matter.
Though the ultimate, long-term goal of health and wellness marketing is to drive sales. One of the primary goals is really to establish a relationship with your customers. You want your brand to stand out by your user experience. Also with the level of personalization or attention, you provide to your customers. Thinking through the various touchpoints in the customer journey is a great way to find out where you can build in authentic, relationship-building components to keep your customers happy before, during, and after their purchase.
Own Your Online Presence.
In today’s day and age, if you’re not online, then you don’t exist. Retailers must have a website and a social media presence to be credible in the eyes of consumers. It’s equally important to make sure these platforms are well maintained. They have current information, are easy to navigate, and have consistent healthcare branding and messaging.
SEO Blog and Visibility.
Many times customers find health products through recommendations or from informational blogs on health-related content. By creating a blog, and leveraging keywords that your customers may be searching. You’ll be able to position your health product at the top of search engine queries. Having a blog is also a great way to establish your industry credibility. As you share information and value with current and potential customers.
Offer Flexible Payment Options.
If your health product is over $100, create flexible payment options. It can be essential to helping customers overcome their price objections. These can include monthly payment plans or alternative ways to pay such as through PayPal or Apple Pay. The more convenient and seamless you can make the payment process the less likely a customer will abandon the purchase.
Know the “Stores Near Me.”
Offering customers the option to interact with your products in person is important, especially for health products. Making it clear which stores are close to a customer can help to increase the likelihood of the sale. In the post-pandemic shopping environment, allowing customers to order online and pick up in stores is becoming an incredible way. It will increase retail foot traffic while satisfying the consumer’s need to have the product in hand, the same day.
Offer Workshops.
Education is a significant component in marketing any health product. Sharing ways that your health product can enhance the customer’s life. Or help them better manage various health conditions can be a great way to position your product. Alternatively, organizing and offering educational seminars around health-related topics can effectively build community among your customers. And also establish your health brand as THE brand to trust.
Invest Video Marketing — Now.
Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes view of how your product is made, sharing your company’s story. Or showcasing how customers are using your products in their everyday life. Video can be a powerful retail marketing tool! The goal would be to create well-produced, highly compelling, and short videos that can be leveraged across all platforms to be able to build brand awareness and drive web traffic.
Choosing the right retail marketing mix to pursue to promote your health product takes time and research. And, the key to successfully selecting marketing approaches that will guarantee results, is rooted in understanding your ideal customer.
Knowing who they are, what they want, and where they visit online can create a highly targeted and strategic retail marketing plan. It will be important to analyze your results and implement the necessary pivots to optimize your health product marketing campaigns to continue to perform.
Need a strategic retail marketing plan? There are a couple of ways I can help. I am currently offering a limited number of short consultation sessions. As well as a VIP half-day session with me and my team for a deeper dive. If you’d like to set that up, or if you have any questions, just send me a quick email.