Reasons why your brand should engage with student dietitians

Why Should Food, Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Brands Engage with Student Dietitians?

Dietetics is an increasingly popular field of study. Over 9,000 dietitians are registered in the UK – an increase of 50% over the last decade ¹. There are now 19 universities offering dietetic degree programmes approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited with the British Dietetic Association (BDA) ².

More than 1,000 dietetic students (often referred to as RD2bs) are registered with the BDA alone ³. In this blog, we’ll explore reasons why your brand should engage with student dietitians.

Eager to learn

It almost goes without saying that students are eager to learn. Dietetics is a competitive industry and student dietitians are always on the lookout for continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to supplement their degree learning and strengthen their CVs when they apply for their first jobs.

Brands can tap into their eagerness to learn by offering relevant, interesting and engaging CPD opportunities as a way to engage with this group. Whether you’re looking to organise a webinar, podcast or roundtable event, HRS Communications can help.

Social media savvy

Lots of dietetic students are active on social media – the ‘rd2b’ and ‘rd2be’ tags on Instagram alone have over 454,000 posts.

Students joining degree programmes straight from school are digital natives, with a preference for communicating by social media.

Engaging with this group on social media will encourage them to share and promote your brand’s social media content, amplifying brand awareness.

The Future Profession

Student dietitians represent the future of the profession. By engaging them early on in their professional journey, you are more likely to instil brand loyalty. This will help your brand to maintain a strong and meaningful relationship as the student dietitian enters the working world and progresses through their career.

You Might Learn Something From Them!

Students have a unique skill set due to their rigorous academic and clinical training. Creating a two-way communication channel opens up the potential for them to bring a fresh, valuable perspective to your brand.

You never know, they might introduce you to new social media trends like Insta reels or TikTok videos, or educate you on key concerns among their peers. This helps you to tailor your messaging and strategy accordingly, future-proofing your brand and giving you the edge over your competitors.

Here at HRS, we’re keen to engage student dietitians and include their important perspectives. Wherever possible, we’ll invite dietetics students to give us their input on market research, content strategy, and content creation.

Over the years, we’ve offered a number of student internships and are delighted to be taking on our first remote university dietetic placement student from UCL next year!

References

1. British Dietetic Association (20221) [online] Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/ [Accessed on 13/07/2021]
2. British Dietetic Association (2021). Where to study dietetics. [online] Available at:  https://www.bda.uk.com/about-dietetics/how-become-a-dietitian/where-to-study-dietetics.html [Accessed on 13/07/2021]
3. British Dietetic Association (2021) Student membership [online] Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/membership/membership-categories/students.html [Accessed 13/07/2021]