Five Wellness Copy Mistakes to Avoid—And What To Do Instead.

It's no secret that the wellness space is alive and thriving—just like the wheatgrass growing at your favorite ‘juicery’. In fact, the wellness economy is valued at 1.8 trillion dollars in the U.S. alone.

That means you have a ready-made market for your products and services.

Avoiding these five common copy mistakes will aid in your efforts to convert more wellness browsers into buyers.

Ick # 1: Overusing Jargon and Buzzwords

Please don't shoot the messenger; I come in peace.

As a wellness provider, you have a lot of information to convey about your industry, expertise, and solutions. A common mistake is to write your marketing copy assuming that your reader knows “wellness” buzzwords or jargon, like “container”, ''hold space”, ''holistic, ''your best self”, ''wound”, ''vibration”, and “alignment”. Words like these are familiar to you and your peers, but it's important to consider that they may alienate the everyday gal or guy who needs your help if they don’t know what they mean or if they give them the "ick".

For instance, instead of 'holistic, 'you could use 'complete' or 'broad.'  

SOLUTION: Review your copy. Do you use many of those words?

Consider whether another choice would be clearer, simpler, and more accessible to your wider audience. A free app like Word Hippo may assist you with finding a suitable replacement word.

Ick # 2: Making Unrealistic Claims

Ooof... this problem alone is a doozy and is the very thing that has given the wellness industry a bad rap.

The reality is that making unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims not only has reputation-damaging legal implications for you but can also create a tidal wave of consumer skepticism and paralyzing buyer mistrust, which could lead to a loss in sales and brand reputation.

SOLUTION:  Build trust with your audience by providing evidence-based information and being honest about the benefits and limitations of your products and services. Imagine how much more trust YOU'd have in a wellness professional if they were upfront about the limitations of their products and services alongside the MANY benefits. Create a list of and use only reputable sites for research, and give a list of those sites to anyone who writes for you.

INSIDER TIP: Use your FAQ sections to address limitations and buyer objections.

Ick # 3: Not Addressing a Specific Target Audience

It's Marketing 101. Yet identifying and addressing the needs of a single target audience to the possible exclusion of "somebody" may leave you second-guessing your decision. However, without a well-planned buyer persona(s), you'll have a weak message that fails to connect with anybody.

SOLUTION: Create and or refine your buyer persona(s)*; take the time to research and understand your ideal customer to find out which problems they need help with. Then, investigate their buying patterns and the thought processes that led them to make a purchase.

*If you have products or services that are specific to an audience segment you may need to develop more than one buyer persona for your business.

To gather intel, consider emailing a questionnaire to your list or joining groups and online forums where the target audience hangs out to listen in on the conversations, this can yield a gold mine of information, use that information to inform your copy.

In addition, you can find out more information about creating a buyer persona, aka Ideal Customer Avatar (I.C.A), here!

Doing the work will give you insight into their unique problems and how your solution can help. By doing so, you're showing your audience that you truly understand and care about their needs.

For example, if your wellness brand targets busy professionals, your buyer persona might be a 35-year-old working woman who values convenience and stress relief.

Ick # 4: Lack of Emotional Connection

It's safe to say that health and wellness consumers trust you with the deepest parts of themselves—their wellness. Without emotional connection, your reader may feel you have nothing in common or don’t understand their struggles when nothing can be farther from the truth.

Instead, humanize your brand through emotional connection and foster the loyalty and trust you need so they feel safe working with you.

SOLUTION:  Add emotional connection builders throughout your marketing copy through things like:

• Storytelling: It's an age-old art for a reason. When we read or hear a story, we paint a picture in our mind, activating parts of our brain that go beyond words, reinforcing the message and making it more memorable.

• Social Proof: Reviews and testimonials to help build trust. When we see people just like us getting the results we want, it is a powerful motivator. Be choosy when selecting your reviews to reinforce the right message.

• Relevant Images—A picture paints a thousand words, as they say. Use images that help reinforce the feelings you want your reader to have. Choose a happy, smiling face or images of success when in doubt.

Ick # 5: Poor Structure and Clarity

Unclear and overstructured copy can confuse your reader and reduce the effectiveness of your message. A confused reader is much less likely to buy from you.

SOLUTION:  Edit your copy with the following tips in mind:

1.   Write your copy at a Grade 8 reading level— use a free online app like the Hemingway Editor to ensure your readability is on point.

2.   Write for skim readers. Use headings, subheadings, crossheads, and bullet points to grab your reader's attention. The reader should be able to glean your content's main points without reading all the nitty gritty details.

INSIDER TIP:  Before you press “Publish” on your next marketing copy, have a text-to-voice reader read it back to you. I use a Microsoft Word “Read Aloud” feature for this.

It's surprising how going this extra step can help you identify dry, dull, or run-on sentences and highlight errors, such as spelling and missing words, that you may not have seen upon initial editing.

And there you have it, 5 common "Icks" that could keep you from the sale. Now it is time to review your copy for:

• Jargon and Buzzwords

• Unrealistic claims

• Lack of Emotional connection builders

• Too vague a target audience

• Poor Copy structure and Clarity

Apply the suggestions here for "ick"-free copy that connects with, builds trust with, and effectively engages your audience.  

A quick reminder from your copywriter Ally: Great copy can impact your ability to sell, but it will only reach its full selling potential when combined with a sound marketing plan built on a firm foundation of customer and market research.

Do you have time to review your copy in depth?

Do you need help applying the suggested solutions?

A Professional Copy Audit may be for you!

Click the button below to learn how it works.