How Health and Wellness Companies Can Reach Their Audience During the Holidays

In a normal year, the upcoming holiday season and New Year presents a natural opportunity for health and wellness companies to foster new connections with an engaged, motivated customer base. Your audience often enters the new year looking to shed some pounds, or maybe just shed some of the stress that has piled up over the holiday season.

Those tried-and-true strategies may not be as successful during the pandemic. Depending on your local market and the current state of public health, consumers may not be interested in purchasing gym memberships or participating in in-person classes and events. But your audience still has a need for health and wellness services, even if their specific needs, and the challenges they face, have been changed through circumstances beyond their control.

As the holidays approach, your business still needs the influx of customers and engagement it plans for every year. And your customers still need your services, even if the format is altered. Here’s how you can foster these connections and achieve success this holiday season.

 1. POSITION THE NEW YEAR AS A NEW OPPORTUNITY

Fitness gyms and other health-minded businesses benefit every year from the clean slate their customers seek with the arrival of the New Year. Your business shouldn’t stray from this messaging, even if the nature of its services and experiences is forced to change.

Remind your audience that the pandemic doesn’t mean they can’t pursue personal change and growth on their own. Within that context, position your business as a partner and solution in fulfilling those goals in spite of the extra hurdles you and your customers face.

You can also position the limitations of the pandemic as an opportunity to focus on personal growth and renewal. Whatever your services may be—fitness, mental health, or other wellness initiatives—encourage your audience to view this limited period as a time where they can dedicate even more resources to themselves, using the holiday season and the new year ahead as a stepping stool to achieving goals they’ve long sought, but never managed to reach.

 2. HIGHLIGHT VIRTUAL SERVICES – ESPECIALLY AMONG NEW AUDIENCES

From virtual therapy sessions to live-streamed fitness classes, many health and wellness businesses have already embraced opportunities to incorporate virtual services into their business model. If your business hasn’t done so, this shift is something you may want to prioritize. But even if your business has been offering virtual services for a while, it’s important to continue promoting these services through your marketing and advertising.

The holiday season is a particularly important time for new customer acquisition at many health and wellness businesses. Naturally, those customers may not be aware of the services you offer. Awareness-level advertising through cable TV, streaming video, social media, and digital audio can help you build this awareness and connect with audiences looking for health and wellness services that fit their current lifestyle and limitations.

 3. ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF COLDER TEMPS & HOLIDAY WOES

As temperatures drop across the country, more and more Americans are shifting away from outdoor activities and spending more time indoors. Between this increased isolation and the shorter days of sunshine, you can expect your current and prospective customers to be struggling more with anxiety, loneliness, and even depression.

Your business can help this audience cope by using virtual events as opportunities to socialize and engage with others. Contests, interactive games, discussions that feature breakout sessions, and increased virtual availability of your staff can all help address these common challenges, and provide valuable support at a much-needed time.

You can also consider the ways these virtual events and interactions may help recruit new clientele: By offering an opportunity for direct engagement and socialization, your business can demonstrate its value to an audience of interested prospects.

 4. DON’T ABANDON YOUR BRAND’S ENCOURAGING VOICE

Whether you’re a fitness business, a mental health organization, a health and wellness company or another institution within the health space, one thing is consistent among your audience: They’re looking for ways to improve themselves and their quality of life, and they’re seeking out messaging that aligns with, and encourages those goals.

In trying times, that voice of optimism and uplift is even more important. By leaning in to encouraging messaging and a positive outlook, you will motivate your audience to do the same—and that sunny outlook will ultimately win you more clients.

Want help crafting the perfect message to reach your audience? Let us know—we’re ready to help.