Following successful partnerships with sports teams FC Bayern Women (an official partner of K2VITAL) and VitaCholine’s partnership with the New York Jets, Balchem is now turning its attention to the power of social media.
Its beauty-from-within ingredient OptiMSM, a highly purified methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) used to support hair, skin and nails, has been the guineapig for the company’s new social media strategy in which Balchem has partnered with two finished product brands and eight influencers.
Bettina Bendig, director of marketing for growth and consumer strategy at Balchem, said the partnerships represent a strategic move which enables more direct communication with consumers.
“Having wonderful ingredients […] is one thing, but if consumers do not know about the benefits associated, and that quality really matters in the dietary supplement industry, then we have a problem,” Bendig told NutraIngredients.
“So, management took the bold decision two years ago to really invest in consumer awareness to let consumers know what health benefits are out there, how dietary supplements can support, and how our supplements can help.”
Shifting from B2B roots to B2C storytelling
For Balchem, the goal is simple: to establish authority with credible voices on social media.
By partnering with two celebrity dermatologists who have a combined reach of 3 million followers (Dr. Amy Shah and Dr. Charles Puza), Bendig said the company has secured partnerships which offer both scientific credibility and a large reach. Six beauty influencers, including Dr. Michelle Henry, Dr. Jen Caudle and Dr. Jenny Le, were also selected for their ability to offer relatability.
When it came to choosing the appropriate influencers, Bendig says Balchem undertook a long legal and vetting process to ensure the right message was portrayed.
“We all know everything is about socials today, but there are tons of influencers, especially on TikTok, ” she said. “You have a lot of influencers educating consumers and sometimes it’s crazy—they are talking about science, and they are interpreting everything in a critical way. So, we took really a long and careful approach to select them. They are all best in class, they are all macro influencers and they are all rooted in credible and trusted content.”
These partnerships have resulted in a tangible pay-off, according to Jessica Arnaly, senior marketing manager and business development manager at Balchem, with both brands who have partnered with OptiMSM reporting a spike in sales following online campaigns.
Balchem has also hosted consumer-facing events in order to spotlight its ingredient further.
“We have been playing with other ways to reach consumers, such as hosting beauty events,” she said. “This is a journey we want to keep going with for the brand, because it really shows the public what the brand is.”
Tapping into the GLP-1 trend
Alongside its social media efforts, Balchem is also focusing on innovating for the GLP-1 category, including re-positioning ingredients for companion products.
After exploring GLP-1 user characteristics, Balchem identified two groups: one comprised of chronically obese individuals and one which is predominantly focused on health and wellness. Growth is particularly strong in the latter group, Bendig noted.
“In this group we see very, very strong growth,” she said. “This group is the one which the industry is concentrating on. GLP-1 companion products and dietary supplements are very important [in this group] because if you eat less, you might have nutrient gaps which need to be filled.”
Balchem believes its flagship ingredients, including VitaCholine, OptiMSM and K2VITAL, could all be utilized in such products, given their ability to support muscle and joint health, bone density, and hair, skin and nails—all of which are common concerns for GLP-1 users.
And as the company builds up to the launch of two new ingredients—StabiliPro, an excipient portfolio for probiotic-based products and Optifolin+, a choline-enriched folate—Balchem is positioning itself to bring both science and storytelling to the forefront of its next growth phase.
