Do you know the question that my mother used to hate the most?
“What’s for dinner?”
Barely would she have completed preparing a delicious snack (after a sumptuous lunch, mind you) and she is forced once again to think about what new to make for dinner. Spoilt little brats!
For a content marketer in the health and wellness segment, the challenge is pretty similar. He is constantly expected to produce new and engaging content to feed the hungry audience… the hungry audience that is becoming increasingly health conscious and is voraciously devouring every piece of information possible. So, the stuff that he brings to the table cannot be repeated! Oh golly, no!! Re-packaged, yes! Repeated? No!
When faced with such an inspiration crisis, my mother would consult an age old recipe book that has been handed down to her by her mother (my grammy has remarkable foresight!) and voila! She would whip up super awesome food again! Treat this post as that recipe book – your tailor made recipe book for health blog ideas.
Motivating content
What is the most common answer to the question “When are you going to join a fitness program?” “Later.” And for those people whose “later” is already here, it’s a challenge to continue. Now, let us not speculate as to why this is so. Between laziness and lack of time, it could be a plethora of things. What you can do however is to motivate these people to adopt a fitness regimen.
Posting success stories
Give the world live examples of people who have already done it. Those busy men and women who are no different from the millions of other busy men and women and yet found the time to make fitness a priority. Let them know repeatedly that it is doable and not unattainable.
Image galleries
Yes, I know you have high definition images. But nobody wants to look at a glamorous model having a beauty treatment or a fit trainer working out. Put up images (good quality ones) of people whom your customers can relate to. It could be of your existing customers who enjoyed your programs or it could even be of regular people working out at your establishment.
Quick tips
The word ‘Quick’ will immediately have your audience interested. Yes! They want things fast. They want things yesterday. They want to do things quickly. Putting up health tips that can be easily incorporated in a daily routine (like drinking green tea or eating an early dinner) tell them that changing for a healthier lifestyle can be begun simple and easy.
Informative content
With the increasing attention given to one’s wellness, a lot of fads and rumors have sprouted up to being “easy” or “get well quick” methods. This, combined with a lot of bad habits already in place, has left the audience hunting for reliable content.
Guest columns
See if you can get an article written by someone who is an authority on the subject. A well-known dietician or a fitness expert who can provide scientific information and valid suggestions for wellness. Some great ideas are – wellness and fitness for women during and post pregnancy by a gynecologist; healthy eating habits and diet advice for children; articles focusing on juvenile obesity etc.
Myth busters
So what is the newest fad in the health and wellness industry today? Why its “the miracle” diet pill of course. For those of you who do not know, it is a pill made with Garcinia cambogia ‘extracts’ and is the perfect ticket to lose weight even without making changes in dietary habits. Clearly, it is making waves in the fitness world with some celebrities endorsing it and quite a few doctors advising against it. As expected, it has the weight loss enthusiasts running around like headless chicken, unsure of what to trust. Now would be a great idea to publish a well-researched article on the pros and cons of the pill and take a stand in the whole issue. If you do plan to denounce it, then you can offer a whole new fitness program (including a diet plan) that can get you in shape in a lot healthier way. Bonus points if you can identify such fads as and when they come up and bust them. Not only will your audience unconsciously adopt you as their reliable source, they will perceive you as an organization that knows what it’s doing. So the next time they want a fitness consultation, where do you think they will go?!
Ask – me Columns
Anonymity is a powerful thing. It liberates people from the burden of recognition and allows them to ask even the most personal of questions. Anything from sexual health to pimple problems can be discussed freely on your newsletter columns (well, it can be done in person as well, but some shy customers who are fiercely private about their problems much prefer the relative anonymity afforded by the print). Encouraging your readers to participate and contribute to your “Ask – Me” page promotes customer engagement and also adds value for him.
Themed content
New programs coming up? That is indeed wonderful news!! Why that just gave you a whole list of content ideas, right there – content themed around your new promotion.
Related posts
Let’s say that you are introducing a Swedish massage therapy that is designed to tackle stress. Instead of writing on only how your massage therapy helps, you can also write about everyday practices on handling stress at workplace and at home. Including at CTA at the end of the post, to promote your offer would get a lot of clicks.
Video content
No, I have not forgotten about it. Videos still do have more engagement rates than regular posts. High quality videos across various channels, videos on your website that talks about the various advantages of your Swedish massage are a definite must have additions.
Fun facts
Did you know that people like knowing little obscure things? That 40% of the people are more willing to blindly trust fun facts than do proper research? That one of the primary ways to grab attention is by telling them an unknown fact that is interesting yet very relevant?!
So What are you waiting for?! Go forth, create great content and keep your readers hooked!
