Why Your Health & Wellness Marketing Isn’t Working and How Messaging Strategy Fixes It

If you wanted your marketing content to underperform, say that. I mean, if you don't say it, your actions likely are if you're not operating your wellness business with a brand strategy that includes a strong messaging strategy component.

For over 20 years, I've seen many businesses flip, rebrand, overcorrect, and still not know the basics, but it's not their fault. No one's running television ad campaigns that emphasize the importance of a messaging strategy, so everyone is in the know.

Instead, many of us are left believing that successfully promoting a business is all about pushing and promoting. As if promoting a business successfully can be done without intentionality around whom you're speaking to, the message you're conveying, and how you sound to them.

But those who know know that marketing a message that isn't structured thoughtfully and strategically only amplifies noise, and that if you are dead set on doing yourself a disservice, this is the yellow brick road.

The Foundation Health & Wellness Businesses End Up Skipping

Here's the thing. Marketing sits on top of branding. Branding sits on top of strategy. And brand strategy has two core expressions:

• Visual identity design — how your brand looks

• Verbal identity design — how your brand sounds 

That second one? That’s messaging. And most health and wellness business owners fumble their messaging because they've never been introduced to what a messaging strategy is and why it is so important. However, messaging is how people convert from prospects to new leads.

Plainly. Structured, Market Research-Informed Wellness Brand Messaging Isn't Optional

Honestly, trying to market a wellness business without a messaging strategy is like planting random seeds in dry dirt, never to be watered, and hoping for a maple tree. You might get something. Probably a random weed. But definitely not what you wanted.

Simply put, a messaging strategy is imperative to growth and scale. It is literally the very foundation of a brand strategy, business strategy, content strategy, and marketing strategy. ALL 4!

Like, for real (for real), not having one is crazy talk when you really think about it. Also, not having a messaging strategy is likely a huge reason why you're showing up on social media and online yet still not seeing the new business you'd like. A health & wellness brand looking for real growth over time has:

• Messaging pillars anchoring their content.

• A consistent brand voice that matches their emotional truth.

• Content that clearly articulates what they do and why it matters.

This is just scratching the surface of the benefits of a messaging strategy.

Messaging Strategy = Verbal Identity Design

Let’s make it plain for those new to this topic. Verbal identity design includes:

• Your brand voice (cadence, tone, lexicon)

• Your narrative (origin, promise, proof, perspective)

• Your messaging ecosystem (core message, pillars, themes)

• Your archetype alignment (the vibe behind the voice)

• Your emotional resonance (how it lands, not just what it says)

This is all to impart your health and wellness brand with psychological precision for high-converting content.

How to Know If Your Wellness Brand Messaging Is Working

You’ll know your messaging strategy is working when:

• People repeat the messaging phrases of your wellness brand back to you

• You stop having to over-explain your value

• The wellness clients you attract feel like home, not a hustle

• Your work starts to spread through alignment, not algorithms

• You finally sound like yourself—and it moves people

Now you may be asking, "Well, what do I do if my messaging strategy isn't working?"

Here’s a grounded breakdown of what to look at before changing your messaging:

1. Messaging Maturity Stage

Ask: How long has this message been living in the world—fully implemented and tested?

• < 4 weeks → You’re still in the early exposure phase. If you haven’t pushed it consistently across platforms and formats (email, social, conversations, content), you’re not getting a clean read yet.

• 4–8 weeks → Now we’re getting into the validation zone. This is where your message either starts to stick—or it doesn’t.

• 8–12 weeks → If you’ve shown up consistently across channels and you’re still not seeing traction, this is the pivot point.

✅ Real parameter: Don’t measure based on calendar time alone. Measure based on how many consistent, aligned outputs you’ve produced with this message.

2. Traction Data

Ask: What kind of feedback am I actually seeing?

Look for:

• People repeating back your brand language

• Saves, shares, replies, or high time-on-page (on blog/email)

• Aligned client inquiries (vs. confused or mismatch leads)

If you’re showing up and:

• People are confused by what you do

• You’re attracting the wrong clients

• You feel like you’re overexplaining

• Content isn’t converting or creating curiosity…

That’s a sign not to panic, but to try new messaging.

✅ Real parameter: If you’re not getting any feedback, no DMs, no replays of your phrasing, no shift in audience, your messaging needs to shift.

3. Internal Resonance Check

Ask: Does this actually sound like me—or like what I thought I had to say?

This is often the most overlooked piece. You can have technically “strong” messaging and still be off if:

• You’re overexplaining to compensate for a lack of confidence

• You’re mimicking another wellness brand's tone

• You feel bored, robotic, or disconnected when you talk about your work

If you don’t feel proud saying it out loud or writing it down, that’s a sign your messaging is misaligned.

✅ Real parameter: If you’re not moved by it, don’t expect your audience to be.

4. Consistency of Expression

Ask: Have I fully applied this message across my ecosystem—or am I only testing pieces of it?

Most people think their messaging isn’t working when they’ve only rolled out 20% of it. You can’t test a message that only lives in your IG bio. You’ve got to bring it into:

• Your About page

• Your pitch/intros

• Your service descriptions

• Your stories and content themes

• Your offers and launch copy

✅ Real parameter: If your messaging only lives in one place, you’re not testing it—you’re teasing it. Roll it out fully before you judge it.

Bottom Line: How Much Time Should You Give It?

Give your messaging:

• 6–8 weeks of full application

• At least 10 consistent expressions (blog posts, emails, reels, long captions, workshops, etc.)

• Real-time audience feedback—not just internal vibes

After that? Refine. Adjust. Iterate. Or you can create another messaging strategy using the Messaging Oracle™ Messaging Strategy Engine™.

Final Word: Clear Messaging Is Not a Luxury. It’s Leverage

You’re not here to play small. And yet, if your message is scattered, your impact will be too. If you want to stop floundering, stop faking it, and finally feel at home in how you show up. Your messaging is the place to start. Not when you redo your brand photos. Now. Because marketing with solid brand messaging creates momentum.

📚 Want to Go Deeper?

To better understand branding and why messaging is a form of verbal branding, it’s worth referencing The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries.

In the book, Ries explains that brands are not built by saying more, but by owning a clear, focused idea in the mind of the audience. Many of the laws center on consistency, differentiation, and restraint. All principles that apply directly to messaging strategies.

When your messaging lacks focus or tries to be all things to all people, it violates the branding laws Ries outlines. Strong messaging, like strong branding, works because it is disciplined, repeatable, and anchored to a specific position. This is why messaging strategy isn’t separate from branding. It is how branding shows up in language.