There has been a ton of conversation surrounding the recent Facebook algorithm change, most of which has an air of panic mode and a hint of “the sky is falling”! We get it. It’s big news. (If you haven’t heard about the latest algorithm change, check out this live video from Social Media Examiner). The main take-away from the Facebook algorithm change is that content that sparks conversation (i.e. comments) without asking for a comment (engagement baiting), along with paid advertising is crucial to success on both Facebook and Instagram. For Instagram, content will be shown to 10% of your audience to test engagement rate which will then determine if it’s shown to any more of your audience (the additional 90%). This means that engaging content will be more crucial that it’s ever been with a specific focus on content that will inspire conversation (i.e. something that motivates people to not only like the post but to comment on it and to not only comment on it but to leave a thoughtful, longer comment).
Taking into account the algorithm change, what can a wellness brand do to stand out on social media this year? Here are 5 wellness brand social media marketing tips that are incredibly important:
1.) Create A Campaign That Taps into Your Audience’s Emotions
Beyond a single post, having a larger campaign that taps into your audience’s emotions is so important. Given, content that inspires conversation (long-form comments) are critical, a campaign that reaches people where they are sensitive or emotional is crucial. For a wellness brand, this can actually be a lot easier than other industries since it is a topic that makes people think and take some sort of action towards a healthier lifestyle, that of their families or even the environment. There is a thought-provoking element already built into a wellness brand and so the possibilities for conversation are endless.
Start by crafting a video or image that will touch this emotional cord in which your campaign will be centered; for instance, we recently suggested to a running shoe brand that they should showcase a slideshow of clips and images where people pushed themselves to the limit (ex. a marathon winner crossing the finish line). This would be shown alongside a clip of someone getting up in the morning, putting on their brand’s shoes and doing their simple morning run. We would then ask the audience why they (in particular) ran? Running isn’t just to help someone be more healthy or simply get their heart rate up; there is an emotional element, as there is with most activities where we allocate our time. Start that conversation with your audience.
Use this campaign to drive your social media content, posts and advertising. The main take-away here is to not think of your content as simply post to post and to make sure your overall campaigns tap into something beyond your product or service. Allow audiences to arrive at their own conclusions, drive change or good will, inspire your audience to do something or push your audience to overcome an obstacle that might be keeping them from success.
2) Not a Run of the Mill Contest
Contests are a growth strategy on almost every blog post out there related to increasing your following. However, platforms, in particular Instagram, have becoming saturated with contests that they don’t quite have the same effectiveness that they had previously. Create a contest that’s a more thoughtful than simply giving away a product. Give something that’s both out of the ordinary and valuable.
For instance, if you have a smoothie bar, allow people to submit their own smoothie recipes, complete with their name and the winner would have theirs added to the menu, along with VIP status where they receive free smoothies for the year. You can obviously cater this to what you are able to implement for your brand in particular and budget.
The two elements are crucial; we’ve seen many contests fail when someone only does one or the other. The first element is the unique aspect (i.e. the ability to have your own named smoothie on the menu where you can take friends and family to see it) and the second has more tangible value. When someone creates a contest with only a “perceived value” aspect, many people won’t take the time to submit an entry. However, when you only create a contest with a product element, it is competing with so many other giveaways that it is hard to stand out from the noise. The fusion of the two allows you to catch people’s eye and get them to enter.
3.) Weekly Live Video
Here’s another one that you’ll continue to hear over and over again from not only us but any other social media marketing research you do. It is possible (probable even) that we will become inundated with live video and it will no longer be a content type that will deliver some of the best organic reach. However, in the mean time, “going live” is so incredibly important to stay in front of your audience. Algorithms and organic reach aside, it allows you to showcase a more authentic face of your brand which for a wellness brand is essential to winning the hearts of your audience.
Since honesty and trustworthiness is integral to the success of any wellness brand (more so than many other industries), live video allows you to communicate with your audience in an un-filtered and raw way — in real time.
Yes, it can be a bit nerve racking putting yourself out there, live for the world to see; it’s something many of our clients also feel a bit uncomfortable with at first. Keep in mind that these can be casual videos and not movie productions where you select someone from your team that you think would be best suited for the task. Try making it a consistent video such as a weekly Q&A or maybe an interview with someone in your industry. You could even consider partnering up with a non-competing brand in your space to increase the reach of your message (a win-win for both brands). There are so many possibilities!
4.) Influencer Partnerships
Influencers have the ability to provide credibility to the promotion of your wellness brand. Secondarily, imagery provided by influencer partnerships can help you grow a bank of unique lifestyle shots that will set your brand a part on social. For an example of a brand that really leverages influencer imagery for their social, check out our client Logic Products on Instagram. Also, take a look at a blog post we wrote on avoiding the stock photography trap on social media.
You can utilize both the testimonial of an influencer and the associated imagery in a targeted ad campaign that will further the reach of that promotion.
Given the importance of video, this would also be a great time to see if you could have an influencer create a video reviewing your product. Scentbird is a brand who utilizes influencer video testimonials as a major piece of their marketing strategy. Take a look at their video content on Facebook which is comprised solely of influencer partnerships. They then create Facebook advertising campaigns with the best performing influencer videos.
5.) Advertising
This could obviously be a blog post unto itself (and most likely will be so stay tuned) but it’s an important element to any social media marketing strategy this year. Organic reach has decreased over the years but with this latest algorithm change, it looks like it will decrease even further. This means that if you are going to spend time on social and creating content, you need to put a budget towards advertising to have that content reach an audience. Let’s be clear, advertising mediocre content will not reach many people, nor will it serve your brand. However, most compelling content will also struggle to reach a large organic audience and so will need to be promoted with paid advertising.
While Facebook advertising still dominates the advertising space, test promoting some top performing Instagram posts. While the targeting options offered via Instagram are almost non-existant, this is a platform that is continuing to try to leverage its business features and it makes sense to participate on their ad platform (even if it’s only a small portion of your overall ad budget).
Make sure you work with someone who has a deep knowledge of Facebook advertising as it is easy to spend a ton of money on their platform with little to no return if you are not optimizing and testing your ads. If you want to go the DIY route, utilize the Facebook Blueprint course as a starting point to determine ad types, targeting options and a foundation to get you started. If you would like someone to manage your advertising, talk to a potential agency or ads manager about your specific goals and make sure their experience matches your product or service. If you are in the wellness industry, find an agency or marketer who focuses on that industry.
Do you have a wellness brand and would like to chat about your social media marketing? Fill out our branding and marketing questionnaire for a free 30 minute strategy call: https://socialstylesmarketing.com/socialmediamarketingstrategycall/
Request to Join Our Wellness Brand Social Media Marketing Resource Facebook Group here.