Wellbeing is an inside job. It requires a balanced, holistic assessment of the current state of being. For the average person, this looks like a capacity to maintain optimal energy and functioning. For brands, this means maintaining authenticity and alignment in how you show up both internally and externally, and how that reflects in your values and purpose.
“Ultimate wellbeing has nothing to do with what’s outside us,” says psychologist and bestselling author Daniel Goleman. “Wellbeing is a state of being content with things as they are.” He cites a major component of wellbeing as equanimity, a state of mind where happiness doesn’t depend on external circumstances.
As Adweek notes, wellness cultures are growing in importance to brands: “For consumers, the rise of wellness culture means embracing a personal sense of integrated wellbeing while for brands wellness culture is a disruptive force, causing many companies to reorient their values to reflect those of consumers.”
Marketing to the Wellness Culture
Focusing on wellbeing within your company creates a positive culture for employees while also improving your brand reputation. If employees lack balance in their lives, then they won’t deliver their best work or customer experiences. Conversely, healthy employees can be some of your biggest brand advocates.
Employee attitudes will no doubt have an impact on your reputation. Customers sense that in their interactions with your brand. Additionally in a time when authenticity and shared values are a priority for consumers, you will appear more trustworthy and thus engender higher levels of brand loyalty.
Wellbeing flourishes when authentic connection is established and maintained. Uncertainty often leads to anxiety and disconnection and the pandemic has only increased that level of uncertainty. Conveying compassion, hope and optimism, meanwhile, can help quell that anxiety and establish stronger customer relationships.
Not every consumer is alike in their concept of wellbeing your brand will need to recognize this. It’s vital that you stay connected to your customers, employees and partners in order to make sure your practice of wellbeing is authentic and in alignment with how your brand.
Wellbeing for All
Wellbeing marketing is the marketing of products and services in order to enhance customer wellbeing while preserving the wellbeing of all other stakeholders. In essence, it serves the many stakeholders of the brand and balances their demands.
Wellbeing marketing encourages businesses to consider the ethical ramifications of their choices. Today’s customers look for signs of good corporate citizenship and expect companies to conduct themselves responsibly. Marketers need to find the balance of maximizing the welfare of their customers with the wellbeing of its stockholders, distributors, suppliers, employees, as well as the local community.
In order to truly practice wellbeing marketing, the firm’s financial performance is balanced with the overall effects resulting from its practices.The economic goals of the company are tied to social good.
Social good refers to the reduction of ill-being and the increase in wellbeing. These two concepts drive brands to create new products and services that increase wellbeing which results in more sustainable, equitable and productive societies.
Brand Wellness
Consumers are hyper-focused on wellness these days and are spending more than ever before. Wellness is now a $1.5 trillion market globally and growing an estimated 10% each year. Consumers spend money on what they care about most and they’re searching for brands that invest in wellbeing.
Here are some of the ways companies can promote wellbeing:
- Digital strategy: in every digital touch point—email, e-commerce, social media, internal Slack channels, influencer marketing—wellbeing is highlighted and demonstrated.
- Business alignment: align wellbeing practices with business practices (data privacy, partnerships, investments)
- Wellbeing experiences: create personal and exciting customer experiences that speak to social good
- Solution provider: ensure your products and services are seen as one of the solutions of today
- Lasting change: look at the consumer as a whole and be a solution that brings change for their entire lives, not just one part of it
Wellbeing, wellness, and social good are all a part of the consumer’s lexicon that aren’t going anywhere. Brands and companies have the opportunity to be a part of transforming society’s wellbeing. Creating alignment with every stakeholder and your business practices is the only way to be seen as a trustworthy ally of the wellbeing ecosystem. Focus on what you have to offer and be a possibility maker.
Image by Syaibatul Hamdi from Pixabay