Engaging Health-Conscious Consumers—Especially Now
We are all looking for any silver lining that may accompany the current pandemic that has resulted in so much hardship and grief. Dietitian Cara Rosenbloom recently made the argument in The Washington Post that one positive outcome from the pandemic may be that consumers are changing the way they think about food. Beyond simply viewing food as a supply issue, and calculating trips to the grocery store, consumers are preparing more meals at home, cooking with their kids, and skipping fad diets. They are in search of simple, healthy, balanced diets.
This can be good news for Americans’ health in the long run—if they keep up these habits after the urgency of the pandemic has passed. Health and wellness are and should be lifelong habits. Likewise, healthy food brands can and should be part of the solution in helping Americans continue these healthy habits.
But not all healthy food brands have embraced this opportunity yet.
Take, for example, the fact that even today, consumers are having trouble finding the nutritious foods they seek online. According to Label Insight, consumers face an information gap when looking online for foods to match their specific dietary needs. Label Insight reports 84% of brands fail to claim one or more of the three most searched for healthy attributes for which those brands qualify, and 51% fail to claim the single most-searched qualities.
Regardless of whether consumers are shopping in store or online, the challenge for healthy food brands is to ensure that health-conscious consumers are armed with credible, trusted, and detailed information about their food.
So, how can healthy food brands meet this challenge?
The Opportunity
By cooking at home more frequently, learning about their options, and evaluating their foods, consumers are clearly building healthy habits. If you want them to find, use, and be loyal to your brand, you should give them more compelling information.
There are so many ways you can engage with and encourage your consumers, starting with being a credible and trustworthy source of guidance. That should be a fundamental part of your marketing strategy, both now and post-pandemic. Meeting consumers’ needs and getting them to choose your brand both in store and on the digital shelf, requires a commitment to educate, guide, and inform.
If your company wants to get your CPGs from the physical or virtual shelf into consumers’ cupboards, you should assess your approach:
Are you encouraging consumers to continue the healthy habits they have taken up during the pandemic?
Are you providing them with education that helps them meet their health & wellness goals —and then positioning your brand as part of that solution?
Are you giving consumers detailed information about your product’s features, health benefits, and attributes?
Are you getting the message to consumers through trusted sources, such as their health professionals?
Are you building loyalty for post-pandemic times?
They are looking for more—not less—information and encouragement when it comes to selecting healthy food brands. Showing consumers how your brand meets their individual health standards and habits can add value to their efforts, better position your healthy brand in the marketplace, and drive sales.
If your healthy brand has not already made that commitment, we cannot think of a better time than right now.