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1. Seattle Wellness Forum (SWF)
Strategic Marketing Plan
By Elizabeth Kulin
www.KulinMarketing.com

2. Long Term Goal
To be a well known, trusted, health resource in Seattle

3. Wellness Forum Breakdown (Main brand)
 Industry – Wellness
 Category – Education
 Segment – whole food nutrition
 Brand identity – Trusted nutrition expert
 Brand positioning – Prevention specialists for all health
and wellness issues
 Brand personality –
expert, educated, knowledgeable, honest

4. SWF Strategy
 Use cost efficient marketing tactics and branded messages
to increase brand equity (awareness + image) and acquire
new leads.
 Promote the overall brand first and separate services
second (education classes & private coaching)
 Establish strong brand equity for your name through a
differentiated and valuable positioning. Promote this
positioning using brand elements and marketing tactics.

5. SWF Positioning Strategy
 (Main) A branch of the “The Wellness Forum”
 Prevention specialist for all health and wellness issues
 (SWF) Prevention partner in Seattle for what and/or
for who?
 Choose a vertical to target.
 Smaller audience to grow brand equity among – takes less effort and
budget
 Messages can be more targeted
 Less competition to compete against
It is better to be an expert in 1 area rather than all areas. It is more
manageable and more believable.

6. Vertical options
 Wellness living for a demographic (age)
 Statistic: There are ~7,000 in Seattle over 65
 Competition (wellness, not specifically over 65): The Seattle foundation, vergreen Hospital Medical
Center, Washington wellness associates, Seattle wellness programs
 Notes: Are people over 65 interested in changing their wellness systems?
 Nutrition forums (food facts)
 Statistic: There are 49 restaurants in Seattle, 65 in Portland, and 12 in Denver
 Competition: Nutritionworkseattle, vegetarians of washington, beyondbroccoli
 Notes: No statistics on size of group, and they might be difficult to reach
 Weight management (diet regiment and exercise)
 Statistic: Obesity rate in Seattle is 11,300
 Competition: Ramey Nutrition, vergreen Hospital Medical Center, jenny craig, Swedish medical, The
King County Overweight Prevention Initiative
 Notes: Large group, many interested in changing wellness, but big brand competition
 Corporate groups

7. Vertical options
 Diabetes
 Statistic: There are over 233,500 living with diabetes in Seattle, may triple by 2050 in Seattle, 645,600 have pre-
diabetes
 Competition: Swedish, Ramey Nutrition, Benaroya Diabetes Center, Pike Market Medical Clinic Diabetes
Education
 Notes: very large group, actual real stable demand, reach through physicians, competition but might not fulfill all
groups needs. You could be the resource for people in Seattle who had diabetes and need support, as well as
information, about how to prevent recurrence.
 HIV
 Statistic: There is an estimated 10,000 people living with HIV in Seattle
 Competition: Swedish medical, gay city, dunsheehouse, lifelongaidsalliance
 Note: large group, real demand to change wellness, but competition is strong and based on community.
Also, based on King County epidemiology 2010 report, many HIV patients might not be able to afford wellness
education forums
 Cancer
 Statistic: second cause of death in king county. There is approximately ~150,000 cancer case since 2005 in the
Seattle/Puget Sound area.
 Competition: cancerlifeline, seattle cancer center care alliance
 Notes: Big competition, but big opportunity to educate cancer survivers that nutrition, exercise, and weight
management. You could be a resource for survivors to come and learn about the newest great diets and tips.
Maybe there is a specific type of cancer that is big in Seattle (top cancers in Seattle are
lung, colorectal, breast, prostate, and pancreas).
 Heart disease
 Statistic: first cause of death in king county. ~8,000 per year (via the doh.wa.gov report)
 Competition: nwnaturalhealth, swedish, virginiamason, seattleintegrativemedicine
 Notes:

8. Positioning Conclusion
 Choosing a vertical
 Choose a group that you can be an expert of, is
large, has a demand, a future demand (such as diabetes)
and low direct competition.

9. Brand Element Rules
 One should be memorable, 1 should be
descriptive, and 1 should be likable.
 Implement your brand
(industry, category, identity, positioning, and
personality) into your brand elements.

10. Brand Audit for SWF
memorable descriptive likable Notes
Name Portrays
Seattle Wellness X X location, categor
Forum y, and identity
Logo
Conveys
connection to
X X X
main corporate
brand.
Slogan Conveys
Research and connection to
Science, NOT X X main corporate
stories and brand and brand
advertising personality.
Tagline
Find out the real Change tagline
truth about these to portray your
X
and other important branches
health issues at the positioning
Wellness Forum

11. SWF Objectives & strategies
 Grow brand awareness
 To increase brand awareness: Use cost efficient
marketing tactics that can enable you to reach a specific
group that will most like be interested in health, and
prevention, services.
 Establish a positive brand image
 To build brand image: write consistent messaging in all
touch points to the target vertical that portrays your brand
positioning, identity, and personality.
 Acquire new leads (students and trainees)
 To acquire customers: write strong call to actions that
spark interest and motivate response.

12. Marketing Tactics Recommendations for
SWF
 Email marketing
 Rational: Brand awareness
 Topics: coincide with campaign schedule
 Tip: Include pictures, white space, short subject lines, call to action
buttons (“sign up now”)
 2ndary brand associations
 Rational: brand image
 Example: top expert physicians well know to vertical target market
 Brand ambassadors
 Rational: equity and WOM
 Example: past students that have large influence/networks
 Affiliate marketing (offline)
 Rational: Brand equity and acquisition
 Example: physicians and insurance cos.
 Tip: Online Affiliate marketing (bottom of the page or sidebar
advertisement) enables you to include a call to action and click through to
sign up sheet

13. Marketing Tactics (continued)
 Social Media
 Blogging
 Rational: brand image
 Tip: coincide with campaign schedule
 Blog outreach
 Rational: brand equity and acquisition
 Tip: focus on blogs that are read by your vertical target market and read the “blog code of
ethics” before you start conducting blog outreach.
 Social networking
 Rational: brand equity and acquisition
 Where: Wherever your vertical target market already is
 Tip: post content that is interesting to your audience/followers. Include a call to action and
click through to your sign up sheet.
 Facebook Connect
 Rational: brand awareness
 Tip: implement Facebook connect with your online sign up forms so that you can grow
brand equity among your audiences audience (people are likely to follow in their peers
footsteps)
 Facebook Places, 4square, and Google places check in
 Rational: brand awareness
 Tips: You have to create a presence/account with these platforms in order for others to be
able to “check in” at your forum. Also, make sure to encourage your attendants to check in.

14. Messaging for SWF
Choose keywords related to your brand
category, identity, positioning, and personality, as well as
vertical target market throughout all of your marketing
tactics to create a consistent brand image among your
audience (as well as increase your SEO for these
keywords).
For example;
 Keywords
 Health, Wellness, prevention, education, vegetarian, diet, weigh
t, workout, expert, physicians, doctors, nutrition, food, healing
 Call to action
 The most affective call to actions are typically set in buttons
and say “sign up now”, “contact now”, “buy now”. Your call to
actions should all click through to your sign up sheet (webpage
where you collect at least a name and email address). Your
sign up sheet should be easy to read, easy and quick to
complete, and follow up with an automatic thank you email.

15. Campaign Calendar recommendations for
SWF
 Promote that the Wellness Forum is in Seattle
 What Seattle Wellness Forum is (your positioning)
 What you offer (your services)
 Promote your expertise and value propositions to
XYX (your target vertical)

16. Campaign
May Wellness Forum is in Seattle
June SWF focuses on XYZ (vertical Target Market)
July (famous doctor) supports the SWF
August SWF has helped over # already: testimonials
September SWF educational courses: what they are, who they are for, main VPs
October SWF 1-1 coaching services: what they are, who they are for, main VPs
November Stay healthy during the holidays with classes and coaching: tips for staying
healthy.
December Holiday sales promotion for a class on holiday health.

17. Activating Leads
New leads are great, but if the interest member does not show
up to your forum, you do not get paid. Therefore, you must
make it easy, convenient, and exciting for the member to take
that jump. Easy and convenient relate to time and location of
when and where the forum is held.
Here are some thoughts on to increase excitement:
 Contest Incentives (“At tonight's forum, 1:10 members will
receive a free…”)
 Email reminders (send day before and day of)
 Facebook event and status update reminders
 Teaser Incentives (“come to the forum to learn more about….”)
 Association/Affiliate incentive (“Special guest…will be at the
forum, don’t miss out!”)