Marketing with Agility Doesn’t Mean Marketing Impulsively

No doubt you are reading in other blogs and articles that agility and nimbleness are two of the most important skills businesses must display in their marketing practices right now. For those marketing healthy brands, the key is to remain adaptable when the most fundamental truth remains constant: healthcare professionals are the most trusted source of guidance for consumers.

You should feel good

This overwhelming trust in health professionals was true before the pandemic —and now that trust is growing even greater as consumers focus on healthy living given the current environment. As a marketing professional you should take comfort in this fact. Health professionals provide a clear path for engaging health-conscious consumers in 2020 and beyond that is as vital, agile, and as nimble as you need to be right now.

Here’s what we know

We recently confirmed that the majority of health professionals are still counseling patients, whether in person or by telehealth, and they want material from healthy brands—physical and digital —to educate themselves and their patients and clients. 

More specifically, we asked members of our proprietary PulseConnect network about how their practice has been affected by COVID-19.  Some important results include:

• 76% are working from their offices at least a few days a week—and they continue to counsel patients, both in person and remotely

• 87% want information and educational materials from healthy brands for themselves and to share with their patients and clients

• They are being asked more frequently about immune health, diabetes treatment or prevention, and weight loss—but, the single topic they are being asked most frequently about is eating a healthy, balanced diet

That’s where you come in.

Market through the most trusted sources of consumer information

If you are reworking your marketing plan to stay agile and nimble, do not throw the baby out with the bathwater—keep the components that are sure to work!  Whether 2020 is the year that your company is launching a new healthy brand or highlighting the health benefits of your foods, credibility with consumers is crucial.

To repeat what we have written in earlier blogs, in order to build consumer credibility and loyalty—and deliver real value to those who purchase your product—marketing teams need to tap into health professionals. By providing material that educates health professionals and encourages them to engage with your product, you earn branded recommendations to patients and clients. 

A toolbox for you

PulseConnect members are health & wellness professionals comprising tens of thousands of dietitians, nurses, physicians, pediatric professionals, nurse practitioners, wellness coaches, diabetes educators, women’s health professionals, personal trainers and more.  All opted in to receive branded information, product samples, and coupons from healthy brands to share in counseling interactions with their patients and clients. 

As you plan for the second half of 2020, remember that health professionals remain the most trusted source of nutrition guidance for consumers. This constant can be used to your advantage as consumers continue to seek support and recommendations from their own health professionals—and put that advice to work at the grocery store or online.