A Prescription for Social Media Success from 5 Health Influencers
Whether it’s mental health, physical health or healthy nutrition, leaders in well-being are spreading the wealth – and health – on social media.
Check out what these five health influencers are doing right to captivate and cultivate a healthy dose of followers.
Oprah Winfrey
Social media style: Open and honest
When one of the richest women in the world struggles with exercise and nutrition, strives for spiritual enlightenment, and is willing to share her journey and insights with fans, people will probably listen. But Oprah keeps them hanging on by giving her followers a backstage pass to her favourite things, like the workouts she’s doing (with touchup-free snapshots of her and her SoulCycle classmates shared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram), the fruits and vegetables she harvests from her garden, and the spiritual and thought leaders she encounters through her TV network and magazine. She seems to genuinely care about the well-being of others, in addition to her own. And that somehow overrides her penchant for glamorous living.
Total followers: 35,370,875 - Twitter: 23,300,000 followers - Facebook: 9,582,269 likes - Instagram: 2,488,606 followers
Marketing take-away: Everyone struggles with something. Sharing those struggles makes you more vulnerable, but also more relatable.
Dr. Oz
Social media style: A healthy dose of fun
“A Healthy Dose of Fun” is The Dr. Oz Show’s slogan, and host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who got his start as a medical expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show, does a great job of engaging viewers and followers, along with his celebrity guests, through his humorous and lighthearted approach to demystifying the human body, exploring fascinating, fun and icky facts, and sharing tips for optimal health and living your “best life from the inside out.” Oz regularly presents his social media followers with targeted health questions (like “What healthy swap are you making today?”) and features his favourite answers on upcoming shows.
Total followers: 7,502,506 - Twitter: 3,300,000 followers - Facebook: 4,188,915 likes - Instagram: 13,591 followers
Marketing take-away: Dress serious subjects in humorous clothes
Dr. Drew
Social media style: The accessible expert
As a physician, addiction specialist and psychiatry professor who hosts numerous TV and radio shows (Celebrity Rehab, Teen Mom and Loveline), Dr. Drew Pinsky thrives on patient interaction, and he takes that same approach to his followers on social media, engaging them with plenty of retweets and replies on medical information, health initiatives, and upcoming topics for Dr. Drew On Call and The Dr. Drew Podcast.
Total followers: 3,254,195 - Twitter: 3,080,000 followers - Facebook: 169,354 likes - Instagram: 4,841 followers
Marketing take-away: Provide insight, info, and empathy in your area of expertise
Jillian Michaels
Social media style: Taking proven approach
Capitalizing on the popularity of her 15-seasons-and-still-going-strong TV show, The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels channels that same galvanizing energy into her tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram images. Promoting her motivational #MaximizeYourLife tour, signature workouts at Curves and GoodLife Fitness chains, and extensive line of fitness DVDs, Michaels rallies her social media troops with daily calls to action. She also throws in some personal fodder with snapshots of family life with her partner and their two children, as well as her fervent support for animal rights, which makes her more relatable – not just a hard body with robotic adherence to a healthy regime.
Total followers: 3,010,031
Marketing take-away: Build on what has already worked for you
Deepak Chopra
Social media style: Practical zen
The best-selling author of more than 50 books and creator of international education programs and luxury retreat and yoga centres pairs his expertise as a Western doctor with his deeply rooted connection to Eastern wisdom to share insight and practical advice on mind-body medicine. Chopra engages his social media audience by soliciting their pressing problems via #askdeepak and answers their questions on his very active blog. By gaining their trust and building familiarity, he’s ensuring they’re more likely to purchase his books, programs, videos, retreats, conferences, apps and others services and products.
Total followers: 2,834,120
Marketing take-away: Build trust and you’re more likely to make the sale
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