Influencer Marketing & The Health Industry

Influencer marketing is the use of individuals with high social media following or impact by brands, as a marketing magnet. The aim is to sell products to people viewing the influencers content, as there is already a level of trust established, making the selling side of things easier.

The Good —

For people who are not very health conscious, this can be great to witness others using health products or supplementation to improve their health, as it expands horizons of what people are aware of within the health industry. For example if you see an influencer taking collagen, you may think ‘oh I wonder if this would be good for me?’.

The Bad —

Most of the time, you will not even realise you are being the willing victim of an advertising campaign. You will think that your decision to click the link they shared was your decision and your decision alone, without realising that every single aspect of the design of the content has been curated to make you want to buy. This means, the colours, the text, the tone of voice, and fact that most influencers will say “I literally cannot live without this one product” which makes you think it will improve your life too.

The Ugly —

This point is plain and simple - it’s not for you & you likely don’t need it.

When it comes to health products, and in my industry - skin care and supplements, these are VERY individual products, which should be recommended by a professional depending on your presenting concerns.

Purchasing supplementation and topical skin care on the basis that it ‘worked’ for an influencer, is a very dangerous way to prescribe products to yourself. When a product, especially a supplement, it not professionally recommended to you, you are risking it adversely affecting your health, even if it has been marketed as safe.

So what can you to do avoid falling into this trap?

1. Ask your nutritionist if it relates to a supplement or food product

2. Ask your dermal therapist or dermatologist if it is skin product related

3. Check if a products is TGA certified (In Australia)

4. Check if a video or piece of content says ‘ad’ or ‘sponsored’ to know if it is a paid marketing piece

5. Follow more people on social media who have been educated in the area they talk about (Eg. @manahealthstudio) *wink*