When Covid hit Elixir Health turned to Future Focus
Future Focus Lab series led to a new digital strategy
Neil and Debbie were at a crossroads. Stuck in a cycle on the verge of corporate career burnout and with numerous restricting health issues, they needed to break the link with positive change.
I was sat watching the football one day” explains Neil Gregory, one half of the husband-and-wife duo. “…and there it was. A ‘for sale’ alert popped up on my phone for an 18-year-old health food shop in Wadebridge.
From then on, change was accelerated, and their dreams of a better, healthier life evolved.
Primarily a bricks and mortar business, the Elixir Health mission is to ‘give everyone the tools they need to heal, nourish & inspire their mind, body & soul’ through natural remedies, health foods, vitamins, supplements and more. They also partner with specialist advisers offering clients support in areas such as nutrition, Bowen therapy, homeopathy, massage and reflexology.
The shop is our anchor. We also run ‘Inspired Health’ events and were going to hold wellbeing retreats which we had fully mapped out for 2020.” says Debbie.
When Covid forced shop closure Elixir moved online
Then Covid hit. In March 2020, Elixir Health had to close the doors and furlough over half the team. They started to operate a click and collect system, as well as a delivery service. Faced with this new reality, Neil and Debbie decided to grow the online side of their business.
Neil said:
When we bought the business it also came with an online shop and social channels, which were around 10 years old but nothing much had been done with it. The health market is one of the biggest growing markets worldwide. The arrival of Covid gave us the time to work on the eCommerce side of our business.
Future Focus Lab series helps Elixir maximise sales online
With little knowledge or experience in running an online business, Debbie and Neil contacted the Future Focus programme.
Debbie said:
We attended the four Future Focus Labs on ‘Maximising sales online for Q4’ and it was a pivotal point for us. We came away with actions and to-do lists as long as our arms and our living room is now decorated with flip chart sheets full of ideas!
58% increase in sales following social media support
Since the labs, Debbie and Neil have reported an uplift in conversions from their social media posts, an increased following from existing and new customers and sales on a national platform. Debbie explains:
Because of the things we learnt from the Future Focus Labs, we are now seeing sales conversions up 58% from our social media channels, and that’s not from advertising – just from listening to our audience and engaging with them in a more effective way.
Neil continues:
We’ve also massively improved our understanding of online marketing; the Future Focus labs have helped us understand how Google works and how to use tools like Google shopping, Google analytics and Facebook Pixel.
1:1 support from their Business Development Manager
Neil and Debbie have been working alongside their Business Development Manager, Holly Barber who has worked with them to put the ideas from the Future Focus labs into place. They explain:
Holly is an idea-hive! She draws out exactly what we are trying to do. After the Labs, Holly pulled together a plan for us and holds us accountable to that plan. She held our hands through it but gave us confidence to push through with our ideas. We wouldn’t have been able to create this plan three months ago – without Holly we wouldn’t have the confidence to do any of it. She is like a part of our team.
What does 2021 and beyond look like for Elixir Health?
When lockdown 2.0 hit we weren’t phased like we were the first time. Because of Future Focus we had the confidence to know what we needed to work on and to set our plans in motion for 2021.” says Neil
Plans like the reinvigoration of their ‘inspired health’ events which now take place virtually on the businesses new YouTube channel.
Next year is going to be all about putting what we have learnt into action and getting Elixir Health in front of a national and worldwide audience. Longer-term we’d love a health café and a series of shops: Future Focus has given us the belief and self-confidence that we can actually achieve these things.
If you would like to find out about Future Focus, tell us a little about your business through our short interactive form and one of our team will be in touch.