You have a nutrition certificate, a website, a brand, a logo. But that’s not all you need to succeed in the wellness industry

Written by: Josh Alston

The health and wellness industry is now worth $400 billion globally, predominantly built on the success of thousands of startups and small businesses.

While this is a booming industry, it is also extremely competitive with many new startups popping up every day trying to gain a foothold in the industry.

Once you have your product, setting up your business is the next step in the journey. There are obvious measures to take—like establishing a brand name, logo and web presence. But what are the other elements you need to know to make your business stand out from the rest?

Get certified

The biggest hurdle is ensuring your product or service is certified by the relevant body. This gives your business immediate credibility. There are independent bodies that provide certification courses, as well as TAFE and tertiary education facilities where you can study as part of certificates, diplomas and degrees.

Find your niche

Being a generalist in this industry can mean your business becomes too vague and can get lost in the sea of competition. By drilling down and finding your area of expertise, you can be specific in your targeted marketing and often consumers will seek you out themselves, as they will search for the exact product or service that they need.

Create value in your marketing

The old saying “Build it and they will come” is commonly used, but not entirely true. To really promote your brand, you need to put yourself out there. Effective ways of doing this include providing value services like workshops and classes; engaging social media content (that encourages two-way conversation); blogs and other industry-related articles. Also consider implementing email lists and videos showing just how good your product or service is.

Engender trust

You know your product or service is effective, but this needs to be conveyed to your potential customers. Endorsements from your consumers is one way to provide this. Another is to seek out popular bloggers and social media identities in your industry. Track them down and give them a free sample. Social media influencers are a big part of new world marketing and the best part is the only out-of-pocket expense is usually the sample. Nothing beats word-of-mouth.

The rockstar approach

Sometimes, when your product is truly different, it’s a great idea to embrace your uniqueness. My Magic Mud is a successful Australian start-up that has created a niche market with its black toothpaste. This product fuses bentonite clay with coconut shell charcoal to create a toothpaste with no GMOs, no fluoride, but is still certified by the Natural Cosmetics Standard.

Founder Jessica Arman said there was “just something cool about going against the norm” and she had embraced this in the marketing of this product with old school-style packaging, and viral social media posts.

“We’ve broken the rules on all fronts, and I think that’s part of the appeal,” she said. “My husband says we run our business like a rock band.”

Healthy options at a modern world pace

The secret ingredient to any successful business is identifying a gap in the market and filling it. Bake Mixes did precisely that by creating organic, vegan-friendly baking mixes that allow consumers to eat healthy and prepare quickly. These packet products use whole foods and superfoods and give busy Australians a way to whip up healthy snacks on the go.

The brand also won the Annual Food Magazine Industry Award’s Organics Category, with the judges saying the product marketed itself in their comments.

“This is a story that is believable, easily understood, and therefore easy to spread through word of mouth and social media,” they wrote.

A better delivery

Around 75 per cent of the human body’s systems require magnesium, but up to 90 per cent of this element is lost when ingested orally. This is why Amazing Oils became Australia’s leading provider of Magnesium Oil, which eliminates the massive wastage with oils, flakes and wipes. The family-driven business created their success off the back of serious illness, working tirelessly to research and create a product that has real results.

By working out a better way of delivering an existing product, with a rub-in product rather than a liquid to be swallowed, the Sunshine Coast family has enjoyed enormous success.

 

About the writer: Josh Alston

Josh Alston is a journalist, editor and copywriter who has worked for several daily, community and regional newspapers across the Queensland seaboard for 12 years. In this time he has covered news, sport and community issues and has been published in major daily newspapers and nationally online for breaking news. Josh presently works as a freelance reporter writing for clients including the Victorian Government, AGL Energy and a host of others.