From WOW to ROI - the healthcare influencer marketing series.
published in Pharma Relations issue 10/2022
"For most, health only becomes relevant when it is no longer taken for granted" Julius Ise, online coach and fitness influencer with over 200,000 followers on Instagram, also uses his reach to create more awareness for health issues.
For clients of Schmittgall HEALTH, the former advertising photographer has already worked on several campaigns in the healthcare sector, such as product tests or disease awareness campaigns. In this interview, he shares his experiences with influencer marketing from the perspective of a content creator and talks about prejudices against influencers, personal reactions to his content and how valuable influencers can be in the marketing mix.
How did you find your success on social media?
I'm actually a career changer and never planned it. I started my career as a commercial photographer and had several blogs: a travel blog, a product testing blog and of course a photography blog. Then fitness became more and more important in my life. My fitness blog was then slowly joined by my private Instagram. Today, I've found my niche there and focus entirely on fitness-related content.
How do you describe your role on social media and do you call yourself an influencer?
I see myself as an athlete and coach who shares his training online. This has enabled me to build up a good following over the years, even though I don't see myself as an influencer. Unfortunately, the term "influencer" has gained a negative reputation, although not entirely unjustly. Because there are many who have no purpose and just bluntly hold products in the camera. For me personally, it's about entering into exciting collaborations and presenting products that offer real added value. To do that, you need a niche in which you've earned a certain raison d'être as an expert. After all, influencer marketing is about trusting a personal recommendation.
You started out blogging, but today you're also very successful on Instagram. Which channels are best for influencing?
All channels have their advantages and disadvantages and must be chosen depending on the objective. The connection to the community is strongest on Instagram, because through direct messages or reactions to stories, you are much closer to the target group. However, the big problem with Instagram is that the content disappears very quickly or is difficult to find again. For more added value, it is suitable, for example, to provide knowledge in an in-depth blog post. This content is also much more sustainable and can be found or retrieved better via Google.
Personally, I also find YouTube super exciting. Even if I haven't yet found the right key to make it big. The channel can be found via the search function for specific topics, but at the same time you create a much higher level of loyalty through moving images and comment functions than on blogs.
What motivated you to advertise health? Even for "unpleasant" topics such as testosterone deficiency?
With the campaign for Bosch and the asthma meter, it was no question for me as an asthmatic to try out the product. Since I have a lot of fun with technology and data, it was an incentive to monitor my values digitally in the app and to be able to talk about them with my doctor. In addition, I think it's important to support topics that are generally not talked about enough. The disease awareness campaign for testosterone deficiency was therefore not at all uncomfortable for me. I know the topic of testosterone as a stereotype from my bodybuilding days and consciously wanted to break this taboo. In general, men's health is a difficult topic. I myself could do better there and go to the doctor earlier. Therefore, it is important to me to create awareness for such topics and to help others.
What was the response to the campaign? And was there a difference to campaigns without a direct health reference?
In a way, my target group is also aging with me and is now 25+. I've received a lot of positive feedback, especially from the over-30s who are acutely affected by the topic. With health topics, the reactions are generally much more personal, because it's also about personal topics. On the one hand, I have heard many private stories from people who are affected themselves, but I have also been asked about my experiences or for advice. Therefore, it is of course even more important that an influencer has the right fit for a campaign in order to be able to communicate authentically. A comprehensive briefing is also helpful in order to be able to give the right answers to questions or to refer to the right place.
Last question: Influencer marketing - nice-to-have or serious marketing tool?
I think it has become a serious tool to create reach or for product sales. For eCommerce, it's great because buyers are sent directly to the store via influencer channels. In general, it is now almost essential to have an online presence in order to stand out positively and position yourself against the competition if you want to survive in the future. That doesn't mean you should only rely on TikTok trends, but trying out influencer marketing every now and then as part of your overall strategy is definitely beneficial. You can simply see where the target groups are active today, and that's exactly where you should address people, offer them added value, and create trust.
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