Building a Personal Training business and offering a great service is one thing, actually building a list of clients and getting your name out there is a whole different ball game. And it’s something that even experienced PTs across the country often struggle with.
So if you’re new to the fitness industry or just looking to get more clients on board, here are 5 of the best ways to market and grow your business.
1. Be Found Online
In today’s digital age, your best opportunity to be found is through online marketing, which includes a wide range of channels. The best place to start is with a website – a sole source of information where people can learn about you and your business. It’s also the first impression that they will have for your brand, so it’s important to ensure you’re well represented with lots of imagery, eye-catching colours and designs, and well-written content.
There are some easy-to-use website building programs out there that don’t cost or charge very little to create, such as WordPress, Wix and Weebly.
When developing your homepage content and subsequent pages (i.e. Services, Testimonials, Contact), you should have the concept of SEO in mind. Don’t know anything about it? Here is a helpful beginners’ guide from the experts over at Moz. The most critical thing to know about it is to include “keywords” across your website that you want your website to show for.
For example, if you want to show up when people search for “Personal Trainer Brighton” or “PT Bondi” on Google, you need to include those exact words in your content. If your services are more specific types of people, such as for stay-at-home mums or people with a disability, then you would include relevant terms that you think those demographics would search for.
The final point in regards to digital marketing is to claim your free Google My Business listing, which will ensure you get found in Google Maps and search listings when people look for businesses like yours in the area. It won’t cost you anything and makes it very accessible for people to contact you.
2. Get Social
Show off your brand and your clients across your social channels. You can choose which platforms suit your business the best, but we suggest the main ones including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. If you have a more professional client base, than perhaps LinkedIn would be the most relevant social media platform.
Whichever you use, make sure to have your key information on there, including a link to your website, email address, phone number and location.
One of the great benefits of social media is the opportunity to get great engagement with your profile and content, especially if you post regularly and people are genuinely interested in it. You should be looking to highlight your services by posting photos and videos of your sessions, getting testimonials from your clients and having them post and tag you from their own profiles.
You’ll be surprised how quickly your network can grow if you have a loyal and engaged community, which brings us to our next point…
3. Word-of-Mouth
Getting people to market your business for you will bring the most success. One happy, satisfied customer can lead to a dozen, which could then lead to a hundred. The first step is giving them a great experience, the second and most important point is having some type of referral system that rewards them for getting new clients on board.
Some examples of this could be that you give them a discount on your services; or a free session for every 2 or 3 new people that they refer; or free products such as a polo, water bottle, gym towels, etc.
In almost all cases, the new business that you will receive will outweigh the cost of the reward or compensation that you’re giving to the referrer.
4. Localised & Specific Targeting
If you operate in one area or target a particular demographic, try and identify opportunities that will reach those specific groups of people. For example, you could advertise in the local newspaper or be featured in a council newsletter, find and post on Forums or Facebook Groups relating your target audience, or get out and be seen in local areas such as shopping centres, schools and sports clubs.
The more specific you are in your targeting, the more success you’re likely to have. It’s better to own and be successful in one small market than to be lost amongst a much larger one.
5. Unique Sales Tactics
Here is your opportunity to get creative! Coming up with unique ideas to show off your business is only limited to your imagination. Let’s start with some of the more common strategies such as polos, water bottles and gym towels as mentioned above, as well as pens, key chains and magnets.
But there are some other ways to catch people’s eye that could also prove to be effective. How about a car wrap that shows your branding to everyone you drive past? Or if you train people in a park or open space, take a banner with you that shows your business details. And one of the classic ones is to have business cards – you never know when you’ll need to hand them out!
Utilising these few strategies will not only help you get clients for your PT business, but it should also help you retain and expand your network to ensure long-term success.
Looking for some more specific help in regards to this? Take a look at our short course for Online Marketing for Personal Trainers that is worth 5 CECs.