Top trends for content: 32 health industry experts weigh in

“Content is king”

Right?

If you’re online you know how important content is. Regular blog posts, podcasts, vlogs, interviews, and social media posts are critical for demonstrating your expertise and building that famous KLT (know, like, trust) factor. And these are what drives people to your website and builds your business.

They say that “content is king.” I would add that “regular, good quality, niche-specific content is king.”

But what’s the best way to do it? What is trending in the health & wellness industry these days?

As with everything these days, things are a-changin. And fast! What was popular last year can easily be replaced with the newest, latest and greatest.

So, what’s an online health & wellness business to expect in the next year or so?

I asked 32 experts in the health and wellness industry the same question:

What are the top trends for content in the health and wellness industry for 2017-18?

I got some ah-mazing insight for you!

I loosely grouped answers into four categories:

• Health content format & type
• Health content topics & style
• Health content process & creation
• Health content strategy

Here’s what these awesome experts told me…

Top trends in health content – Format & Type

Jennifer Trask helps coaches and healers become great entrepreneurs! Through her private coaching practice and online programs, Jennifer helps her clients break out of lack and create abundant mindsets so that they can grow into the leaders they need to be to run their successful company’s. Combined with strategic business direction, Jennifer’s clients experience massive shifts and growth in their businesses.

Now, more than ever there is a need for more personalized connection and engagement. With the increased noise and competition, those who develop real relationships first, will win.

I think more live video, Q&A’s and using messenger bots as a tool to start the conversation will help coaches get ahead in their content and distinguish themselves as a leader who cares.

Lastly, delivering content in person is still a home run. Nothing creates rapport faster than face to face connection.

In my opinion, you go where your people are and you provide them with the content they specifically want. For this reason, I always recommend entrepreneurs focus on perfecting 1-2 social media platforms (whichever two their audience is on most), rather than trying to be everywhere. Whether it’s LIVE videos (which seems to be a huge trend), or blog posts, that’s different for each audience – listen to YOURS.

For instance, my audience doesn’t have time to watch long videos, so I keep them under 10 minutes (ideally around 5 minutes) and provide additional written content and an image so they have the best of both worlds.

As to the ideal frequency, consistency is key in order for your audience to know what to expect of you – this is completely up to the entrepreneur. However, communicating with your audience at least once per week keeps you fresh in their mind and greatly helps build up that know-like-trust factor. And when your audience knows, likes and trusts you, they’ll be excited to invest in you too.

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In my opinion, the top trends for content in the health & wellness industry for 2017/2018 are plant-based comfort foods and going vegan. As a holistic nutritionist who specializes in vegan and vegetarian diets, I see this demand quite often in my niche. People are tired of feeling empty and unsatisfied after having yet another ‘boring’ salad or raw veggies. They want to indulge in foods that are healthy, but at the same time allow them to feel luxurious or even sinful.

Adding more plant-based foods to the diet allows them greater opportunity to achieve this satisfaction, plus the health benefits associated with it, and more and more people are becoming aware of this. People want to be wowed by their food and I find they dig in to the content that shows them exactly how to do that, while still maintaining a healthy diet.

Vanessa Baron is a Holistic Nutritionist & Lifestyle Coach for women who desire to feel drop dead gorgeous in their bodies (whether that’s a size 10 or 2). She shows her clients how to nourish the mind, body, and spirit so they can enjoy life’s luxuries without feeling guilty, ashamed or embarrassed, and with little to no restrictions.

Lisa Fraley, JD, CHHC, AADP, is an Attorney, Legal Coach®, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Author of “Easy Legal Steps…That are Also Good for Your Soul.” As a Holistic Lawyer®, she uniquely blends coaching, legal expertise, and spirituality, and has helped thousands of heart-centered entrepreneurs to protect themselves, their businesses and their brands through DIY legal templates, online legal courses and one-on-one services. From being featured on hundreds of podcasts and webinars to international stages, Lisa’s mission to help small business owners understand that the law can be accessible, empowering, loving, and even spiritual. Find free legal tips at lisafraley.com.

Facebook Lives, Instagram stories, and podcasts seem to be all the rage. People like learning in a variety of ways so short videos and portable audios are great for reaching your audience on the run!

Podcasting has been growing at an astounding rate, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  

The most recent stats show that 20% of Americans listen to podcasts on a regular basis and 40% of Americans have listened to a podcast at some point.

How can you use the power and reach of podcasting as a wellness professional?  

The easiest way to get started is to be a guest on podcasts in your niche.  Most podcasters are always on the lookout for people to interview that can share helpful information with their audience, so don’t be afraid to reach out.

Once your interview has gone live, you’ll want to share about the interview everywhere you are on social media (and with your email subscribers). This will show your audience that you’re seen as a trusted expert in your field.

Podcasting may not have been something that’s been on your radar before, but it might be something to consider.

Kathleen LeGrys is a Certified Health Coach, Fitness Nutrition Specialist and founder of Health Coach Solutions. She has helped thousands of health and fitness professionals around the world transform their business, get out of overwhelm and generate more revenue.

Her customizable programs are used by health coaches, fitness trainers, naturopathic doctors, and other wellness professionals to empower them to change lives on a global scale.

Karen Pattock is an International Business Coach and Educator specializing in Online Client Attraction using Webinars and Facebook Marketing.

The hottest trend right now is without a doubt Facebook Livestream. Sharing content in this way gives you the opportunity to quickly and easily build an audience and relationship with those that are your ideal clients for FREE. Because Facebook is putting such a high priority on the category of video it is a guaranteed fact that your Facebook Livestream trainings will be pushed out into the newsfeed more often then any other type of post.

Top Three Trends for Content in Health & Wellness as We Move Towards 2018

For every expert, you’ll get a different opinion on what’s trending – as with most topics, it depends on your perspective. One thing we all agree on – your content will resonate when you focus on topics important to YOUR ideal client. That said, here are three trends that just about everyone will pay attention to in the coming year:

Video – it ain’t going away. If you aren’t comfortable with video posts, Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, or the like, then start practicing with your significant other, your friends, or the millennial next door. Conventional wisdom used to say images and video got engagement. Now it’s video all the way – and LIVE is where video really rules the news feed. The best part? Polished and perfect is not what your audience wants – they want to connect with you! Try some live posts, engage with everyone who comments, and watch what happens!

Speaking of imperfect. Perfection is SO ‘00s! In everything from body image to the produce at farmer’s markets to the concept of “practicing” (mindfulness, yoga, creative pursuits, healthy eating habits…the list goes on), we are allowing ourselves and others to see the beauty and strength in our individual, imperfect natures. The weirdest looking tomato likely is the tastiest, right? So our content should celebrate the things that make us different while encouraging us to practice the pursuits that make us healthier, stronger, more generous human beings.

Practice can be tough – but tech can help. Something else that isn’t going away anytime soon – our reliance on tech. While there are well-documented downsides to being all-connected-all-the-time, one of the biggest trends in health and wellness is the development of apps and devices that help us manage our time, monitor our sleep, nutrition, and exercise habits, teach us to meditate, and even force us to unplug. So, consider what issues are most important to your audience, and share info about the device or app that helps them solve those problems!

Robin Carberry helps health, wellness, nutrition, and fitness entrepreneurs solve their digital marketing problems. While you focus your energies on helping your clients lead healthier lives and on growing your business, I will help you manage the rest. I’ll handle all of your digital marketing needs – branding, website design and maintenance, Facebook ads, sales funnels and landing page design, copywriting – and anything else that will allow you to run your business and live your life to your fullest potential!

Specializing in website design and WordPress website development, Sam Duncan has played a key role in bringing her clients visions to life through effective and attractive website creation. With a knack for simplifying even the most complex of online systems for tech newbies, she empowers her students by offering tutoring and online video courses that extend her 10 years of knowledge and experience, allowing her students more DIY options for their website and online business tools.

As a website expert, I have seen a lot of trends come and go for wellness professionals over the last 10 years, especially around how they deliver content to their audience. Up until recently, free Facebook groups, free YouTube channel videos, and free content shared via blogging has been a popular way to build a following — and for good reason, it works! With Google search, the possibilities of people finding your content is endless. However, there is no way to move into expert status that gets you paid unless you start charging for some of that amazing content you are putting out there.

My belief is that the way these professionals deliver content will continue to be popularized by hosting a membership platform on their website to turn this free content into exclusive, member-only paid content. This method has been steadily growing as the ideal way to share a portion of their videos, audio clips, and written content with their audience in a way that they can monetize their efforts and build a community around. It also becomes much easier to sell higher end products and services to these paying members as they are already invested and see you as an expert they can turn to for more amazing content/support.

For those intimidated by the thought of all the technical involvement to create and manage a membership, there is good news! Hosting a membership has become easier and easier for business owners to do with software like WordPress and tools that make hosting a membership more simple than ever before. This trend is growing so fast that I have personally taken steps to create a DIY video course to teach health and wellness professionals how to create an online membership community, because I truly believe in (and have seen!) the power and profit potential that this content delivery method allows. Definitely continue to deliver free content to reach a larger audience, however figure out what content you can package and monetize within a paid membership! This will put you on the fast track towards growing a community, getting paid for your amazing content, and boosting your expert status.

The health and wellness industry is evolving constantly, especially in regard to content and how it is used. Top trends seen in 2017 include utilizing health blogs on multiple platforms to gain more exposure. This could be integrating a Youtube channel, podcast, Facebook Live video into your blog on your website. Blogging is still a powerful tool to help boost SEO rankings and get more visitors to your website and now having a strong and consistent presence on social media sites can also add to your traffic. I find it does not matter how many platforms you are on or if you are just on one as long as you are consistent with your content and engagement. That ultimately will make the difference.

Top health topics for 2017 include ketogenic and low carb diets, minimalist living, and seeking health coaches to supplement health care.

Ellie Heintze is a doctor and acupuncturist turned business success consultant at Simplify Your Practice. She helps wellness providers and coaches master the business side of medicine and turn their practices into sustainable and scalable businesses. She is also the host of the weekly podcast on iTunes, The Daily Cup, where she interviews other business experts to help the audience drive profit into their businesses, master the art of productivity, while working to create the life and business of their dreams.

Amanda Jane Daley is a Business Mentor for Health Coaches & Wellness Entrepreneurs. Known for her online marketing mastery (with 18 years of experience), Amanda has earned recognition by the world’s top advertising awards  — and in just a few years, has built a high six-figure coaching business. As owner of the thriving Health Coaching practice ‘Fuel Urban Wellness’, Amanda now combines her health, wealth + business expertise to mentor other entrepreneurs and coaches achieve the same goals. Driven by a dream of shifting the way the world values health, Amanda has become the go-to expert for healthy entrepreneurs who desire a heart-fuelled business and a freedom-based lifestyle.

Some of the key things that I’ve been witnessing in terms of content trends for the health and wellness industry is a huge shift towards LIVE video. Especially Facebook Lives, Instagram Stories, Instagram Lives.

Video is working because it’s sharing what’s real. We can’t hide. That might bring up some personal development stuff for some of us too, because we can’t hide behind a screen! : )  Maybe before we got away with being behind a computer, writing some messaging, and putting up a pretty picture. But nowadays people are wanting real connection, not just a perfectly curated feed.

Which is why things like Instagram Stories are so popular —  where it’s not polished. Where it’s more off the cuff. Where you’re not meant to be perfect. Where it’s more natural. Where you goof up in the middle. Those things are working.

Not only from an emotional connection aspect, either.

It’s also because live video is what Facebook and Instagram are serving up to their audiences first, and prioritising in their news feeds.

So Instagram Stories are at the top of the feed when you log in, FB Lives get greater visibility (and can then be repurposed into sponsored posts!), and Instagram Lives are placed up front and centre.

The reality is, we need to be nimble, and we need to be willing to keep up with the changing technology. Which is shifting so quickly!  What works one day won’t work the next, or the next, or the next. But right now – and I’m sure this will continue into 2018 – it’s all about live video.

Some ideas for content on these platforms: On FB Live or Instagram Live you could do a recipe demo, or a kitchen tour!  And Instagram stories are great for ‘real life’ — so you could share what workout class you’re going to… or what you’re reading, writing and eating!

Where I’m seeing the trends right now in the health and wellness industry is short post, short FB Live videos, short blogs but 100% pure and amazing content. If you want your followers to follow you, if you want your list to grow, if you want more leads, you need to give people AMAZING content, your BEST content, at least every day Monday-Friday but make it short and sweet. The attention spans of people is getting shorter and shorter, so you need to find away to engage people in as little as 3sec and many people in the industry just do NOT know how to simplify their content. They ramble without a clear point and the information gets lost in the ramble. Learn how to engage your audience with their pain points RIGHT AWAY then answer that one question quickly, but the best way you can, in a 2min or less, or in a few blog paragraphs.

Dr. Andrea knows first hand how difficult it can be to stand out in a crowd of your competitors. Early in her career as a naturopathic doctor she realized what it takes to get ahead and get noticed. In her first year, she generated almost six-figures in revenue and has continued to climb every year since.

Keeping her pitbull-like focus, Dr. Andrea quickly developed a reputation with not only her patients but people in her field. She is now successfully running 3 practices, from Haldimand County to Burlington, and has written and released her first published book, MAXIMized Health: A New, Intelligent System for Optimal Digestion and Hormones.

Dr. Andrea has been interviewed by people like Sean Croxton, Danny Lennon, Mike Mutzel, has been a feature in multiple online summits, has been on many local television shows and has had editorials written about her in multiple publications. In 2014, Dr. Andrea won the coveted Top 40 Under 40 award as well as the Female Entrepreneur Award.

Mike O’Brien was making websites for clients and kept getting the same questions over and over. In addition, he realized that he had to teach so much about the fundamentals of WHY he was doing things, and why certain things like an email list and good photography were so important, that he realized he was half teacher, half designer/developer.

He started making little videos to give to clients when they had the same familiar questions that explained in detail what they were unsure of. It was amazing to hear the responses he got– they were totally inspiring. His clients felt that he was taking a very helpful extra step in explaining the value of web marketing. He was glad! He felt that it was my duty to educate these people ESPECIALLY if they were going to be paying him. He didn’t want to be a sleazy, shady web designer. He realized how helpful these would be to everyone, so he started putting them into a format that can be enjoyed by anyone he is not already working with.

Now he is creating articles and videos and instructions for common questions and issues business owners have with marketing their brands.

One word– proof. With the recent realization of how fabricated news can be, even coming from major news sources, the need of proof has never been greater. Having sources and studies to back up claims, and thoughtfully explaining the complicated findings, is sure to be more common due to our growing palette for deceit.

People are trusting less, which means that you’ve got to convince more. The specificity of numbers will also grow. Using specific numbers, rather than round numbers (24.6% vs 25%), will probably be seen more since it convinces people better.

I think clients/customers are going to start demanding content that’s easy for them to digest and follow through with. LIVE cooking classes in FB groups where we’re all cooking together (having sent out a recipe list prior to the live) in a group will probably be popular. Handouts that are easy to digest and give quick-wins as well. People are getting tired of complicated and “DIY” plans.

Jessie Asher is a registered and licensed Dietitian in Missouri that focuses on cardiac clients in her practice. She also teaches college nutrition classes in conjunction with completing a Masters program in Nutrition and Exercise Science.

Shannon Pierangeli is an event planner dedicated to helping fitness and wellness entrepreneurs grow their sales, impact and exposure through custom-built live events. She has aBSc Human Kinetics and BEducation degrees and has been certified with CanFitPro since 2005.

We are going to see more videos and live events being used to deliver content. Consumers are craving interaction and personal connection, so short, bite-sized bits of information delivered through multiple media platforms are going to attract attention and build a following. The industry needs to foster those digital relationships and create opportunities for communities to grow. Live events that create that sense of community and address topics like empowerment, self-acceptance, and wade through the myths and truths of popular health-related documentaries are going to be key in educating and encouraging a healthier population.

Top trends in health content – Topics & Style

Definitely the zero waste movement. Not only big publications are jumping on board, but also bloggers are tailoring their content accordingly to this new trend in their own content.

Fab is the founder of the Health Bloggers Community by day, PT by night. Her main expertise lies in influencer marketing, blogging and the health industry on the whole. She is also a keen Kettlebell Swinger.

Kylie Malcolm is affectionately known as The Fairy Godmother To Health & Wellness Entrepreneurs. Officially she is a Certified Health Coach and Children’s Nutrition Expert. When Kylie isn’t creating Wellpreneurial Magazine content, she’s busy helping wellness businesses with their tech woes by taking the stress and frustration away from designing websites and online content.

I can see that detox and cleansing as a focus is slowly fading opening up space for a more down to earth approach to how wellness is managed.

This means simple challenges and short online coaching programs with a more simplified and easily implemented approach will most likely step up as a focus for content in 2017/2018. 

The trending niche’s I see in the health coaching business are detox, hormones, gut health, autoimmune, thyroid health, and mindset. Weight loss and sugar will always be a strong trending niche. I see a big shift from just focussing on food to focussing on the mindset shifts we need to make to change our eating habits. I am teaching my clients to market themselves as the one stop shopping. This means they can help you to work on lifestyle changes and this encompasses food, daily habits, sleep habits, mindset, spiritual practices. As health coaches, we are not doctors, therapists or nutritionist, instead, as coaches, we guide our clients and help them see what we have forgotten.

As a health coach for 7 years turned business coach, I see a rise in autoimmune and deep health issues. I encourage coaches to partner with doctors or specialists but to have programs for their online or offline business, such as programs like a whole food detox or gut health program that take people back to the basics.

You will always have a thriving business if you give people what they need and desire. My suggestion is to ask people what they want, and social media is a great place to do this.

Rachel Feldman is a wellness momma and business niche coach. Rachel helps her clients to build epic health and welness businesses online and offline using a strategic sales funnel so they can get paying clients and change the world.

Helen Pinnock is the founder of the HOLISTIC BUSINESS COURSE and the Wellbeing Clinic. Holistic business course is for anyone who works in holistic therapy whether you are a therapist, yoga or mindfulness teacher.

As we move into September we can get a grasp of the health trends that are occurring I have noticed that some therapies that only a few years ago would have seemed very alternative are coming to the forefront such as reiki and crystals. Mindfulness, meditation and movement therapies are continuing to grow as a way of dealing with anxiety and every day life.

My 2017/18 prediction for the health and wellness industry? That the body positivity movement will evolve to focus more on body neutrality. Especially as businesses continue to co opt the movement to add to their bottom line.

It pays to have a campaign with language that encourages admiration of all body types. The trouble is that it is being done for pure capitalistic gain. Diet and lifestyle plans will continue to market their message as one rooted in self-love.

On social media platforms we will see more activists advocating for body neutrality. Meaning you can love and accept your body no matter your size or race but you don’t have to. Simply coming to a point where one no longer hates their body is the goal.

Meaghan Gallant is a holistic health coach, nutrition student and freelance writer working to end diet culture and body shame. With her writing finesse, she’s clearing up misinformation plaguing the health industry one article at a time with practical guidance and an inclusive approach.

Briena Sash is a professional photographer, award-winning artist, and the creator of Wellness Stock Shop – “the world’s most soulful source for wellness imagery”. She seeks to promote natural, holistic living by making her beautiful, soothing imagery accessible to wellness business owners and bloggers around the world. You’ll probably find her frequenting one of Portland, Oregon’s many fine coffee roasters or wandering in the woods. You can visit her site and download a free sample of wellness themed photos at wellnessstockshop.com.

As we’ve already been seeing, will most likely continue a heavy focus on age acceptance and normalization within the health and wellness topic trends. With companies stepping up to eliminate terms such as “anti-aging” in their products, we’ll see a bigger rise in companies and individuals honoring aging in women and catering to the trend via terminology and product creation. I think there will also be a heavy focus on women empowerment with the political climate, with topics focused on strengthening mind, body and spirit. 

I think, this is the period when honesty and being natural is the most important for the audience – or for people in general. Down with the perfect view, the overphotoshopped everything so live videos and photos showing real-life situations are the most popular.

About the topics? However, it is very important to have a niche, the holistic approach is blooming so fitness trainers don’t only post about workouts anymore but healthy food, mental care, fun activities and all – and the same goes with other fields, like nutritionist, health and life coaches.

Noemi Mate is a Pilates instructor and holistic nutritionist, now coaching aspiring fitness trainers and wellpreneurs on starting their new career.

Dr. Kristin Hartjes is a holistic doctor and business mentor for health coaches. Through practical business strategy and deep inner work, she empowers her clients to create the impact, income and lifestyles they’re dreaming of.

Top trends for content in health and wellness right now are authenticity and simplicity. People want to connect with a real person that they can relate to. It is essential that this comes through your content. People are overwhelmed with information and are more interested in how you have integrated the information into your life and the changes it has made for you.

I recommend 1-2 platforms. People spend most of their time on Facebook so I think that is the best platform to master. It is also great for building community through Facebook groups. Video is really powerful and allows people to build a stronger like/know/trust factor with you so I highly recommend adding regular Facebook live videos into your content. I would also repost these videos to youtube to widen your reach.

I think the health and wellness field will start to see more straight-shooting type content. There’s so much conflicting information that’s it’s overwhelming for the typical person. More professionals will cut through the BS to make it easier for people to get and stay healthy.

There will also be more emphasis on positive body image and not having to be an ideal body shape. We’ll see examples of healthy people of all sizes.

I think video will be the medium of choice, with shorter, easily digestible content. Podcasts will grow this coming year as people like to choose when to consume their content.

Lydia Di Francesco helps busy professional women get strong and fit through short, effective workouts so they can keep doing the fun things they love! She is the Founder of Fit & Healthy 365 and Creator of the 15 Minute Workout Club, her signature online fitness program. As a Certified Personal Trainer, Lydia educates clients and the public that healthy living doesn’t need to be complicated. She promotes simple, fun exercise and creating a healthy mindset with a long-term approach to wellness.

Lydia makes regular appearances as a Fitness Expert on CTV Ottawa Morning Live and Rogers Daytime Ottawa. She is also an international best selling author, a Huffington Post Contributor and has been published in the national health and fitness magazine OptiMyz.

Jenni + Mimi are the founders of TheNaughtyNutritionists where they teach women easy tips and strategies to lose weight and reach their health goals without restrictions, giving up on chocolate, wine and all the fine foods in life. You can learn their secrets and download the 10 Naughty Secrets to NEVER Diet Again here.

Bye-bye juice cleanses, detoxes and clean eating

2017 witnessed the fall of the ‘clean eating’ movement. What may have started as a way to encourage more whole foods including fruits and veggies ended up leaving women with a list of restrictions and a negative association with food. Even fruits, veggies and whole grains were off-limits for some, and if you weren’t spending all the money in the world on your diet, and your cupboards weren’t filled with mass amounts of tinctures and super powders, you were doing something wrong. We see the fad diet industry, the one that promises a magic solution, fast weight loss or a way to clear toxins from your body by juice cleansing (which your body can do perfectly well on its own) decline even further in 2018 as people look for realistic ways to reach their health goals. And, we’re pretty sure keto is going to lose its mojo with the public too. It’s simply not sustainable.

I suspect “body positivity” (also known as body liberation, body neutrality, or fat liberation) will continue to gain momentum in the health and wellness sphere. Culturally, I think we’re beginning to recognize that weight loss is not a recipe for improved body image — that cultivating positive body image is complex, particularly when we consider the transgender community, marginalized communities, and those with disabilities who are largely alienated from . The people in my world are beginning to perceive and define health much more broadly than what they put into their bodies or how much they exercise. I expect — and hope — to see a greater interest in relationship with food (and therefore intuitive eating, mindful eating), self-care rather than self-control, and personal development. 

Sarah Berneche is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor who helps individuals shift their disordered eating patterns and make peace with food.

Top trends in health content – Process & Creation

Gemma King is The Wellness Editor and VA – the Virtual Assistant with copy editing superpowers. She helps women wellness entrepreneurs save time, minimise stress and elevate their business with her specialist content management and web-based business support.

I might be biased here but the biggest trend from where I’m sitting is outsourcing content management and content creation for business. The savviest wellness entrepreneurs understand that the business of creating and publishing content is a full-time job in itself. What happens when you add a full-time job on top of the already more-than-full-time job of running a business? Burnout and collapse!

I am seeing a lot more women who are hiring talented virtual team members to either write strong, relevant, targeted copy, or to take an entrepreneur’s original content from Shitty First Draft through to editing, optimising, formatting, scheduling and publishing, saving a heap of time and fiddling for busy business owners. As the online space gets more competitive and content services get easier to access, the trend is to work smarter, not harder, with content.

Done-for-you content is the smartest tool to use in 2017-2018 to help grow your business and quickly create programs for your online community. Most nutrition experts are taking their work online. They have figured out, it’s a lot easier to help several clients at once, in a group setting, then to strive for the one on one client. Even clinical nutritionist, are creating programs designed for groups.

Using done-for-you content is the easiest way to create meaningful, successful programs. It allows you the freedom to customize and tailor your program to your target client but saves you the headache and hours spent on creating content. Many nutrition experts struggle to find their words, when tasked with creating handouts and protocols and using done-for-you content has saved their business.

As the creator of The Smart Start Nutritionist Program, a done-for-you content program for new and struggling nutrition experts, I have heard from several experts that have used the program with great success. Having grown their business and increased sales, all while having more time to dedicate to marketing their signature programs. The top trends for 2017-2018 is increasing your companies online presence, creating group programs, and using done-for-you content to grow your business.

Andrea Psaros, Program creator of The Smart Start Nutritionist. A done-for you content program for new and struggling nutrition experts.

Top trends in health content – Strategy

Lisa Simone Richards is a visibility strategist for health, fitness, and wellness entrepreneurs who want to go from unknown and underpaid to standing out and selling out. She’s here to show you how to get seen, get clients, and get paid and how to get off the hamster wheel of chasing clients and instead magnetically attract them to you.

Here’s a content trend that I see going the WRONG way in 2017 and 2018: the internet and social media have provided us excellent tools to be create and host our own content. Blogging, YouTube videos, live videos, podcasts, Instagram – we can now share our unique point of view with the world on a broad scale. It’s important to have a presence on the platform(s) of your choice. However, I’m seeing health & wellness entrepreneurs being hell-bent on growing their own audiences from scratch which is a very slow and steady race.

The fastest way to get known is to leverage the audience of OTHERS and then turn them into your own audience. Get featured on already-popular blogs, podcasts, YouTube shows, etc. where your ideal client is already hanging out. Then share a lead magnet to convert them onto your own email list. Way faster to grow in leaps and bounds (while establishing credibility) than growing one-by-one!

Global wellness industry is growing. The wellness industry is now a $3.7 trillion industry according to the Global Wellness Institute. And isn’t that exciting? But let’s be real for a moment: That level of growth intensifies the level of competition as well.

Years 2017 and 2018 will be all about creating a seamless omnichannel experience by taking an in depth look into the buyer’s journey. More than ever before, to be successful, wellness companies and entrepreneurs should invest into understanding their client persona profiles, core competency, competitive landscape, core values, brand operators, and brand story. Their focus should be on the quality of interaction on key distribution channels. Quality interaction needs to be customized to each buyer to ensure his or her experience with the brand is relevant, valuable and seamless across all devices and channels.

This level of personalization will require a close understanding of buyer psychographics, consumer demographic data, market needs, and key distribution channel features. These insights will tell you want needs to change so that your marketing efforts are maximized. But check this out: A newly emerging trend in the health and wellness industry is wellness design and architecture. Designing for wellness requires analysis of physical, mental, environmental and social cues. And some companies are leading the way! This trend has me super excited as one of our specialties is working with clients in the wellness design niche.

What experiences do you want to bring to life?  

Introspec Marketing provides value-driven marketing services to the companies in the wellness industry. Some of our services include web design, marketing automation, marketing analysis and content marketing. We use the art of introspection in marketing. Our style is built on interactive, educational, valuable, and pull based dialog that focuses on creating thought leadership and omnichannel experience through each stage of your customer journey. We chose to focus on the wellness industry because we wanted to use our marketing expertise to work with people who share our passion for creating a healthier and more fulfilling life–and understand the importance of having all marketing emanate from that.

Amy Lippmann is a Marketing Strategist for health and wellness coaches. Amy attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and after 5 years as a health coach, she merged her marketing roots with her passion for wellness by launching her company, Marketing for Health Coaches, where she’s helped thousands of health coaches and nutritionists successfully get clients, launch online programs, create high-converting websites, and grow their lists.

There are 3 big trends I see when it comes to content:

1. Re-purposing content. This can mean publishing a blog post, then creating a video or FB Live on the same topic. Taken a step further, you could do a FB Live, then publish that video to your blog post and YouTube, plus strip the audio and use as a podcast. You can take that same content and use it as this basis for a local talk or webinar.

2. Video As you’ve probably heard, video has become very popular. It not only gets you more engagement on Facebook, but allows you to connect more quickly with your audience.

3. Creating content for potential clients who are “problem unaware” If someone knows they want to lose weight, they’re aware of that pain point. But they *might* think the problem they need to solve is one thing (like eating less)… and you know that their real problem is something else (emotional eating, sugar cravings, food sensitivities, etc.) By creating content that makes your audience more aware of the REAL problem, the closer they get to being ready to buy from you.

Clients are being bombarded with conflicting information between social media feeds and overflowing inboxes. To keep clients focused, practitioners are moving towards delivering a unified experience for their clients: one place where clients can access all their shared documents and recommendations. This is helping practitioners keep their clients engaged and accountable in less time than ever before.

Nathalie Garcia is a Holistic Nutritionist and Co-founder of Practice Better, an online client management platform built specifically for Health & Wellness practitioners.

Brogan is a content-lovin’, sci-fi obsessed, Jane Austen fangirl and proud of it. Throw in a bit of mindset, cheerleading and mindreading too and you can see why she’s been described as a “content strategist mixed with a splash of psychologist.” Find out more + get your content party started at broganmicallef.com

We’ve become trained to expect things to be a certain way with business, marketing and content (both as creators and consumers). And if you’re just doing what’s *expected* and you’re the same as everyone else, you just blend into the crowd.

There’s no *one* content marketing strategy that works anymore. And there’s no one template to follow.

Content marketing is changing and I think that change is for the best. No more “shoulds”. More quirks and personality. Doing things YOUR way is what makes your content unique.

Q.What are the top trends for content in the health and wellness industry for 2017-18?

A. Seems low carb is trending these days and that there is a lot of articles, videos etc. coming out about paleo vs. ketogenic diets.

There are a lot of videos out there to change the paradigm of cholesterol and saturated fat NOT being villains when it comes to heart disease – instead that inflammation due to excess sugar, insulin and industrialized vegetable fats are the cause.

On the other hand proponents of the movie ‘What the Health’ are gaining a ton of traction with their message that being vegan is the only way to go (health and environment wise).

The vegans seem to be on a mission to convince the public that they need to eliminate animal fats and increase their complex carbs to heal diabetes.

Q. Ideal frequency?

A. I am not sure that there is an ideal frequency. I think as entrepreneurs, we need to create a rhythm around generating content and then be consistent to gain the customers trust (but I have to be transparent that personally, I find this very challenging – with my focus being on serving my current clients and customers in my programs – sometimes I can go weeks at a time without sending out a newsletter to my list : )

Q. Live videos vs recorded?

A. Facebook seems to be prioritizing Livestreams over recorded videos, however, the video you create and share is better than the one that lay in wait for the courage to ‘go live’! Ideally, we do both!

Q. Long-form vs short form?

A. Depends on a persons style. I think technical & educational articles/trainings/videos/posts etc. should be short and to the point so that they are easily consumable. People want to share ‘news they can use’. But at the end of the day, I think any inspired content is better than no content.

The vulnerable and mindset stuff can be long, because it is more compelling and inspirational. I am happy to watch a 40 min inspirational lifestream or podcast while I am cooking dinner! You get to learn new things, get something accomplished, be inspired… and heck it makes cooking and cleaning a lot less lonely!

Q. Multimedia vs one medium?

A. The more mediums the better since each consumer has a different learning style.

Q. Controversial vs safe?

A. Both. But only controversial topics we care about. I don’t think it would be authentic to write about a controversial topic just to get attention for one’s business. The fact that
something is controversial means that it matters and only those who care enough to take the time to research have any business taking a stand either way.

Q. More images vs fewer?

A. I think more images and more white space help people to feel less overwhelmed by long articles.

Q. Strategizing/planning vs topical/trending?

A. Theoretically, I believe that planning is where it is at. However, in practice inspiration is what guides me. I do make marketing plan, but I don’t always follow them. I think you need to have ‘juice’ for what you are putting out there for it to have impact!

Q. Focusing on 1-2 platforms vs being everywhere?

A. Focus on 1-2 platforms. I have a ton of different social media platforms, but the only ones I give attention to are Facebook and my e-mail list. My Facebook posts automatically get sent to Twitter, but I am not an active participant there.

Q. Specific topics or food/lifestyle trends?

A. I think we need to share more about the metaphysical causes of disease and incorporate more on how blocked emotions, unfulfilled dreams and limiting belief systems stand in the way of our clients achieving their health goals – diet and lifestyle are not the only factors involved in the cause of dis-ease. We have to expand our definition of holistic beyond natural nutrition.

Q. What do you think?

A. I think we holistic nutritionists need to work harder at taking complex information and more digestible for our fans and followers – do that it is easy for them to assimilate. And I think we need to get more serious about the success of our business so that the people who need our work can find us – and so that we can serve them better!

Sherry Rothwell helps woman let go of the weight, without giving up the rich, cream, sweet comfort foods they love. Sherry is also a teacher at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She helps holistic nutritionists and health coaches create profitable passion based programs and packages for their clients that are designed to get results.

Conclusion

Thanks SO much to all of the awesome health & wellness industry experts who shared their thoughts on the top trends for health content.

And thank YOU for reading all the way to the bottom.  I hope this gives you some inspiration and motivation to publish regular, high quality, niche-specific health content.

If you found this post useful, then it’d be great if you could share it. ?

Signing off and toasting: To more regular, high quality health content on the internet!

Over to you

What do YOU think?

What are the top trends for content in the health and wellness industry for 2017-18?

I’d love to know (in the comments below)!