5 Reasons Social Media Disrupts Traditional Weight Loss Methods

ST. LOUIS - Nov. 19, 2014 - PRLog -- Not long ago people in the pursuit of weight-loss and a healthy lifestyle had to rely on friends, family members and doctors for guidance. Times have changed and because global obesity is at an all-time high, health care professionals are seeking new tactics to combat this problem. According to a recent Imperial College London study published for the World Innovation Summit for Health titled “Social Networking Strategies That Aim To Reduce Obesity Have Achieved Significant Although Modest Results,” social media is one method with a proven track record for success.

One company that’s been seeing significant results using social media to engage their community online is the weight-loss program, Rapid Reset. Since adding an online community from social technology company, Pushup Social, to its website in August 2014, Rapid Reset has experienced a huge spike in client engagement and positive feedback. This is turn has led to an increase in revenue. More than 30 percent of existing clients have already signed up for a profile with an average of 30 new clients being added to the community each week. Equally impressive is how much the clients share of their individual successes and challenges, while creating a robust online support system for each other.

“Pushup Social has been the perfect solution for being able to continuously share, communicate and engage with my clients far beyond the time we spend in person,” said Rapid Reset Managing Director Jay Harrison. “And better yet, clients are building their own relationships and support group, which even further enables their mission of living healthy. The best part is that it’s all happening right on our website and not somewhere else, like Facebook, where we can no longer effectively engage with our customers.”

Five reasons why online social communities prove to be beneficial when combined with traditional nutrition and fitness regimes, include:

1.     Peer Motivation – When clients engage with others facing the same challenges they tend to be more open and honest about their actions –creating a nurturing environment that encourages accountability and motivation.

2.     Anonymity – Private online communities provide a safe zone away from the noise, judgment and clutter of major social networks like Facebook and foster a courage that many people don’t have when communicating in-person.

3.     Endorsements – Testimonials about new recipes and fitness routines are the most effective way to develop programs that not only work but also are enjoyable.

  4.     Professional Feedback – Team professionals can monitor conversations to ensure that peer advice is accurate as well as give their own feedback and address questions.

    5.     Integration – When members of a private community can outwardly share progress with their Facebook and Twitter networks, it broadens the reach of the program and promotes further self-accountability.

What has proven to be effective about Pushup Social specifically, is that it allows organizations to easily add their own online community to an existing website in a matter of minutes. The platform is familiar to users who utilize any other social network, making it possible to start implementing right away, without having to go through tutorials or learn a new system. Pushup Social also comes with a backend management platform from which a website owner can manage their community, as well as gather statistics and analytics on their members.

For more information about Pushup Social or its subscription model visit www.pushup.com or email info@pushup.com.