3.81M Youtube Subscribers and Counting: @growingannana's Digital Approach to Fitness "Influencing"

Social media influencers have become huge in our present-day digital landscape, earning big bucks from creating captivating content that resonates with the people of the internet. With a consistent digital presence and a strong marketing strategy to support it, delivering a value proposition that does not falter is possible. And Anna Engelschall or better known by her YouTube name @growingannanas, knows this.

"My “aha-moment” came when I realised that

I didn’t just want to look good on the outside…

I wanted to be STRONG. CONFIDENT. HEALTHY. ENERGISED and HAPPY.

And now I want to help you do the same!"

- @growingannanas

HOW IT STARTED

Anna started uploading workout videos in 2019 but her views only started blowing up during the pandemic - when many of us got stuck in our homes and declared to take better care of our physical and mental selves. She used this as an opportunity and started adding "at home" and "home fitness" to her video titles. At that time, YouTubers with similar content followed suit with this technique. What sets Anna apart, however, is her holistic approach to self-improvement. She packaged easy-to-follow workout routines, healthy recipes, and motivational tips into a whole package whilst adding a layer of fun and lightness to it. She also aligns the way she presents, shoots, and edits her videos with an overall aesthetic that is highly synonymous with and accurately representative of this value proposition.

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By doing this, Anna was able to capture viewers' attention and build a following consisting of people mostly in their early 20s to mid-30s who wish to begin a transformative journey to holistic well-being, positivity, and self-improvement - which based on how she presents her content (as seen in the youthful color scheme, design, references used, etc.), is her target audience. Apart from using hashtags to encourage engagement, she also created a private Facebook page for her followers, instilling a sense of community among them.

HOW IT'S GOING

As of writing, @growingannanas has a total of 3.82 million subscribers on YouTube. Consequently, her online digital presence has branched out into multiple channels while also successfully integrating both owned and earned media types.

She is there where her target audience is, such as on Instagram and TikTok, strengthening her online presence with over a million followers on each platform.

As her network grew over time, she managed to establish additional revenue streams. Initially, her income as an online personality mainly depended on streaming views and subscriptions. But due to her robust digital marketing efforts, this has proliferated into multiple value-generating channels, which led her to incorporate some other revenue models.

Her owned media is comprised of an e-commerce website bearing the same name and a subscription-based health and fitness app called Grow with Anna.

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As people started to do her workout videos, make her recipes, and heed her tips, positive testimonies attesting to promising results started popping up earning her good publicity. Yet, there are some who are also quick to criticize. But even when opposing content has been published against her, she doesn’t even have to defend herself. She earned a positional advantage that speaks for her defense.

HOW DID SHE DO IT? A CLOSER LOOK

The nature of fitness videos is that they bear the likelihood of repeat views. A workout is something that needs to be repeatedly done over time to get actual results, making it easy to keep the numbers rolling once audience attention has been captured.

But to funnel them into an actual conversion in the form of subscriptions, views, and follows is the actual challenge.

Optimizing the algorithm and the power of *aesthetics*

We’ve learned how bananas social media algorithms actually are. It knows our preferences because it intentionally tracks our swipe-and-click movements online. A content creator must REALLY know their target audience to make the most of this feature and tailor their content into something that can reach the people they intend to get the attention of.

Visuals and aesthetics are important when it comes to digital content, for we consume information with our eyes the majority of the time. Anna’s videos are what can be considered by her target audience as visually and aesthetically pleasing, hooking their interest and attention.

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Let’s do a collab!

Anna collaborates with a variety of media personalities for her workout, food, and inspirational content. In return, she is able to expand her reach into untapped segments.

She’s everywhere! Need I say more?

Today, there are a number of available platforms, and it is likely that there is one that we use more frequently than others. Hence, it is important for content to be available across multiple platforms.

More importantly, Anna’s multi-channel content was able to generate a state of flow that facilitates her followers’ journey to self-improvement.

How do I stay physically healthy? Follow my workout videos.

How do I start eating healthy? Watch my recipes.

How do I manage everything else and stay afloat? Here are some of my helpful tips, or listen to my podcast.

Want more? Here’s my website and app to continue what you started. These tie her marketing strategy altogether!

WHAT SHE CAN DO BETTER

Something that Anna might want to consider is a trial version of her app. Personally speaking, I prefer to first get a feel of what the app is like and what it offers before I commit.

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Unsurprisingly, similar sentiments have been expressed as I was going through the app’s reviews. While a video of her talking at the registration page was a nice touch, it did not feel right for many that as soon as they downloaded a seemingly free fitness app and created an account, they were asked for their preferred plan immediately after.

Make it freemium, perhaps?

A lot of profitable platforms have successfully used a freemium revenue model. Hence, this really might be worth thinking about. It could potentially augment her growth rather than slow it down.

With that being said, I think that Anna's overall approach to digital marketing is absolutely effective, but not without its own flaws. Altogether, she’s able to maintain a sustainable cycle of providing differentiated value that allows her audience to grow (figuratively and meaningfully) and generating value in return for her to grow (financially) as she fulfills her proposition to help people lead a holistically healthy lifestyle.

References

Engelschall, A. (2023). About. Grow with Anna. https://www.growwithanna-shop.com/pages/about.

Youtube. (2023). Growingannanas home page [Screenshot]. https://www.youtube.com/@growingannanas

Youtube. (2023). Trainwithdaveonline shorts [Screenshot]. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/C16BTDnaZKg