Breaking the Marketing Mold: Julie Green Of Heights Wellness Retreat On 5 Innovative & Non-Traditional Marketing Strategies That Can Engage Audiences Like Never Before
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Influencer Partnerships Beyond Social Media. Collaborating with influencers in creative ways, such as co-creating products or running exclusive events, can boost engagement. For example, partnering with local micro-influencers or athletes can help brands reach highly engaged, niche communities who may trust those influencers. As you strengthen relationships, these influencers can generate word-of-mouth referrals, helping spread the word organically.
Traditional marketing methods are no longer sufficient in today’s dynamic and fast-evolving market. To truly engage and captivate audiences, businesses need to think outside the box and adopt innovative and non-traditional marketing strategies. What are these strategies, and how can they transform audience engagement? I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Green.
Julie Green is the Vice President of Marketing for Heights Wellness Retreat, formerly known as Massage Heights. Green joined Massage Heights in 2023 as their Director of Marketing and holds over 15 years of extensive experience in the franchise marketing industry. Her previous roles include several key brand positions for both franchisors and agencies, including Mosquito Joe.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! To start, could you share when and how you got started in marketing?
My earliest memory of feeling like a marketer was during my junior year of high school. It happened when I was writing copy for the yearbook and the English teacher who oversaw the staff complimented my writing skills. That moment sparked my desire to work with words as a career. After college, I joined a company that operated more than 70 fast-casual restaurants, unknowingly stepping into the world of franchising.
When my husband’s naval career took us to Virginia Beach, I started working for a little-known outdoor mosquito control brand with a small team of five. By the time I left eight years later, Mosquito Joe had expanded to over 200 territories across 25 states, and I gained invaluable experience in building a strong franchise brand.
What has been the biggest shift in the marketing industry, and can you give us an example of how it impacted you?
I began my marketing career in the mid-2000s, which feels like ages ago in this fast-paced industry. One of the most significant changes has been the shift from traditional marketing methods to a data-driven, digital-first approach. This transformation has enabled marketers to target audiences more accurately and assess the effectiveness of campaigns in real-time. The growth of social media, search engine marketing, and influencer marketing has completely changed how brands connect with consumers.
At Massage Heights, we leveraged this shift by using our extensive membership data to better understand customer preferences for wellness services. This allowed us to tailor our marketing strategies, especially for broader demographics such as Gen Z, who prioritize both body and skin wellness. We also partnered with female NIL athletes to reach a new customer base, using digital platforms to share authentic stories about individual wellness journeys.
This evolution from broad traditional campaigns to personalized digital strategies has not only strengthened our brand presence, but also allowed us to create more meaningful connections with our target audience. This ultimately drives higher engagement and customer loyalty to the brand.
Can you explain why it’s essential for businesses to break away from traditional marketing and embrace new strategies?
Businesses must move beyond traditional marketing because consumer behavior and expectations are constantly changing. Today’s customers are seeking personalized, real-time experiences and engagement on familiar platforms, such as social media and digital channels. Traditional methods, such as print ads and billboards, no longer resonate with modern customers, who value convenience, interaction, and authenticity.
By embracing new marketing strategies, businesses can leverage data to identify what works, target their audiences more efficiently, and adjust campaigns in real-time. Digital marketing allows companies to segment their audiences and deliver customized messages, which is more challenging with broad traditional methods.
Additionally, innovative strategies provide opportunities to create deeper connections with consumers. Engaging content, influencer partnerships, and immersive experiences are effective ways for businesses to stand out and remain relevant in a competitive market. Nowadays, consumer attention spans are short and their choices are endless so it’s critical to adapt and innovate in marketing for long-term growth and customer loyalty.
Could you share and briefly explain the first major change you made to break the trend of traditional marketing that was not so common?
A major change we recently made to move away from traditional marketing was evolving our brand from Massage Heights to Heights Wellness Retreat. We recognized that the wellness industry was evolving rapidly. Consumers — particularly younger demographics — are placing more value on holistic wellness experiences that extend beyond massages and skincare. They seek comprehensive solutions that address physical, mental, and emotional recovery.
To meet these new demands, we needed to evolve not only our services but our entire brand. The evolution to Heights Wellness Retreat reflects our commitment to accessible, guided self-care that aligns with current wellness trends. We kept our core offerings, but also enhanced the overall customer experience to appeal to our existing base while attracting a younger audience.
This evolution wasn’t just about staying competitive; it was about anticipating where the wellness industry was heading and positioning ourselves as leaders in the space. By making this shift, we’ve connected with a broader customer base and demonstrated our alignment with the evolving needs of consumers.
What specific results did you see after implementing this change?
Although we’ve just announced the brand evolution to Heights Wellness Retreat, excitement is already building around what’s to come. With the addition of touchless therapy options and more flexible membership plans, we anticipate significant growth in reaching a broad audience. These changes are designed to engage our current members while attracting new customers, especially those looking for a comprehensive wellness experience.
By offering services that cater to the body, mind, and spirit, we’re positioning Heights Wellness Retreat to be the premier destination for holistic wellness. Our new offerings respond to the growing demand for flexibility and innovation in the wellness space, making it easier for a wider range of customers to incorporate self-care into their lives.
While it’s still early, the feedback we’ve received so far suggests that these changes will resonate strongly with both existing members and younger demographics. We expect this evolution to significantly elevate the brand’s identity and overall customer engagement.
How do you ensure that these new marketing strategies resonate with your target audience?
I focus on a combination of data-driven insights and ongoing engagement with our members. By analyzing this information, we gain valuable insights into their preferences, behaviors, and the latest wellness trends. This enables us to develop tailored marketing strategies that directly address our audience’s needs. We also actively involve our franchisees because they have the closest connection to our members. Another key component is testing campaigns through pilot programs, allowing us to ensure that our strategies resonate before rolling them out systemwide.
Can you share an example of something you tried that didn’t deliver expected results or ended up ended up becoming a financial burden, and what you learned from that experience?
One initiative that failed to deliver the expected results was running a national sweepstakes. We found that these contests consistently generated low engagement and only a handful of entries, ultimately failing to justify the financial investment. From this experience, we learned that our brand thrives with hyper-localized contests that resonate within specific communities. By focusing on local contests and partnering with strong community-based organizations, we produced incredible results. Engagement levels have soared, and franchisees benefit from strengthening valuable connections in their areas, which reinforces our brand presence in a meaningful way for our audience.
Great. Now, let’s dive into the heart of our interview. Could you list “5 Innovative & Non-Traditional Marketing Strategies That Can Engage Audiences Like Never Before”?
- Interactive Content
Engaging with your audience through interactive elements like quizzes, polls, or giveaways offers value and entertainment. For instance, our “Reps + Recovery” program partners with a local gym for a collaborative giveaway, encouraging entrants to engage with both brands’ social media accounts. This mutually beneficial partnership gives each business a new, complementary audience. The exposure helps those that may be struggling with engagement to identify community members already interested in their services, allowing them to tailor future content accordingly.
2. Influencer Partnerships Beyond Social Media
Collaborating with influencers in creative ways, such as co-creating products or running exclusive events, can boost engagement. For example, partnering with local micro-influencers or athletes can help brands reach highly engaged, niche communities who may trust those influencers. As you strengthen relationships, these influencers can generate word-of-mouth referrals, helping spread the word organically.
3. Experiential Marketing
Offering memorable experiences can help your brand connect with consumers on a deeper level. Pop-up shops, interactive installations, or branded events (both in-person and virtual) allow customers to immerse themselves in your brand in a tangible way. This strategy gives a real-world connection that sticks with them. Our Retreats usually offer chair massages if they’re slow on a weekday to give customers a small taste of our services.
4. User-Generated Content (UGC) Campaigns
Encouraging your audience to create content around your brand can build a sense of community and loyalty. UGC helps create authentic stories and gives your customers a chance to be part of your brand’s journey. For our brand, organic UGC has been a huge driver in growing our online presence. When people post pictures of our Retreats, we always make sure to comment and share the content. We try to think of our social media accounts as belonging to an actual human, and this digital philosophy forces us to ask questions such as “who are our ‘friends’ in this community?” Approaching social media in this way can help make your accounts feel more genuine and authentic.
5. Personalized, AI-Driven Marketing
Using AI and machine learning to deliver personalized marketing messages is a strong way to increase engagement. Whether it’s through tailored email marketing based on past behavior or chatbots that provide real-time and customized assistance, AI helps brands meet customers’ needs in a much more individualized way. It can also power predictive analytics, helping you anticipate your customers’ next move.
What challenges might companies face when transitioning away from traditional marketing strategies, and how can they overcome them?
When you’re transitioning to something new and testing a new strategy, I think the biggest challenges arise from not having clear goals and KPIs, and ability to track them. If you aren’t monitoring properly, you won’t know what’s effectively driving services or sales. Without clear data, businesses can end up spending money on strategies that aren’t producing results.
Additionally, educating internal teams and leadership on the importance of data-driven decision-making is essential. By ensuring everyone is aligned on the need for tracking and optimization, companies can avoid the pitfalls of flying blind. Instead, they can create marketing strategies that are flexible and focused on what truly resonates with their audience.
How do you measure the success and ROI of these new marketing strategies?
This comes from embracing tools available in digital marketing, such as analytics platforms, A/B testing, and performance metrics, which allows you to see what’s driving engagement and conversations in real time. It’s extremely important to make sure you’ve set up the proper customer journey for this so you can see the data. For example, if a customer clicks on an ad that directs them to your website, do you have the correct tracking links set up? If you’re running social media ads, do you have the proper pixels placed? Another key solution is starting small with pilot campaigns before committing to larger-scale efforts. This way, you can test new strategies, track results, and adjust as needed.
Looking forward, how do you see the role of innovative marketing evolving in the next 5–10 years?
I see innovative marketing evolving to be even more personalized, data-driven, and dynamic. Consumers are increasingly expecting brands to understand their needs and deliver tailored experiences across all channels. To meet these expectations, marketing strategies will continue to integrate a range of technologies, with AI playing a major role.
AI will help brands predict consumer behavior, create more targeted campaigns, and optimize messaging in real-time. It’s already transforming customer service through chatbots and personalizing content using recommendation engines, and this will only grow. However, AI won’t replace human creativity; it will enhance it. This will allow marketers to focus on crafting compelling narratives while AI handles data analysis and automation.
Additionally, immersive technologies like AR and VR will provide brands with new ways to engage consumers through interactive experiences. These innovations will offer more opportunities for direct engagement, especially as the lines between digital and physical worlds blur.
The key will be a blend of technological advancements and maintaining authentic connections with customers. While technology drives efficiencies, the most successful brands will be those that leverage innovation without losing the human touch in their marketing efforts.
What advice would you give to business leaders who are hesitant to move away from traditional marketing methods?
I encourage business leaders to not view the shift from traditional to digital marketing as a risk, but as an opportunity. Consumer behavior has changed dramatically, with the average person spending most of their time online. This means that traditional methods like print or TV ads may no longer reach your target audience effectively. By relying on traditional marketing, businesses miss out on the chance to engage with customers where they are most active, which are on digital platforms.
One of the most compelling reasons to embrace newer marketing strategies is the ability to track results in real time. Unlike traditional marketing where it’s difficult to measure what’s working, digital strategies offer powerful analytics that show you exactly what’s driving engagement and conversations. This data allows businesses to make smarter decisions and allocate resources more effectively.
The transition doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Start by experimenting with small-scale digital campaigns, learning from the results and scaling up from there. This way, the process feels more manageable, and it becomes easier to see the value of digital marketing.
It’s also important to recognize that embracing change doesn’t mean abandoning everything that worked in the past. Traditional marketing has its place, but it’s about finding the right balance and integrating new strategies that can complement what you’ve already accomplished.
Can you share any upcoming initiatives or plans you have for further innovating your marketing strategies?
The evolution to Heights Wellness Retreat is merely the beginning of a larger journey into wellness, which means we’re expanding how we market and adapting strategies for our customer outreach. In addition to our core massage and skincare services, we are introducing new, cutting-edge touchless therapies such as salt therapy, cryotherapy, red light therapy, meditation, and lymphatic drainage. These holistic options create a unique opportunity and need for education, and we plan to leverage innovative strategies to meet that need.
One of our key initiatives is to use immersive, educational content to inform and inspire our audience. This includes video tutorials, wellness workshops, and interactive social media campaigns that showcase the benefits of these new services in a way that is engaging and easy to understand. We’ll also be partnering with wellness influencers and experts who can help communicate the value of these therapies to their own audiences, which will result in expanding our reach.
Additionally, we’re exploring the use of AI-driven personalization to enhance the customer experience. By using AI to analyze customer preferences and behaviors, we can offer more tailored recommendations such as suggesting a specific service or highlighting a promotional offer that fits their wellness journey. This will help us create stronger, more meaningful connections with our customers and ensure they feel supported throughout their wellness experience.
Lastly, we’re committed to continuing our focus on community engagement. As we expand into new markets, we will be launching local partnerships, wellness events, and pop-up experiences to bring Heights Wellness Retreat directly to customers. These initiatives will give people an opportunity to experience our brand firsthand while also building strong ties within the community.
How can our readers follow your work and learn more about your approaches to modern marketing?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-green-massageheights/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/massage-heights
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur and Thought Leader with over 25 years of business experience. He has founded, operated, and exited multiple companies and now builds into a handful of high impact CEOs. Chad has launched multiple online communities, including a recent leadership development platform, and also serves as a strategic advisor for Authority Magazine’s thought-leader incubator program.
To learn more and connect with Chad visit: chadsilverstein.io
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