The numbers are staggering; 2.8 million social media profiles, 1 billion Facebook posts per day, nearly 500 million Twitter users. We are inundated with media, in particular social media, constantly every day. Businesses are doing away with the status quo marketing and beginning to successfully integrate social media into their marketing campaigns, to great success. What about fitness? What about the independent personal trainer? Does social media play a role in our business? Yes!
As an owner of a fitness company that consists of just me, I am constantly trying new ways to promote and market myself and my services. Through social media I am able to save on traditional marketing costs and create a persona of myself for the public to view what I do and how I do it. Using the social media heavyweights; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, I am able to leverage myself by constantly updating my statuses and pictures of how my clients are doing and what "cool" things I am doing to them to get results. I am able to, free of charge; inundate thousands of people every day with my business and my services. I save costs by not having to pay to market and I also have a cool platform to promote myself at will.
So here are a few suggestions ...
Company Facebook Page
Most businesses now have Facebook pages, where prospects can learn about the business and "like" it to be updated on a regular basis. This is great exposure for you and/or you business in creating a presence. It usually takes seven interactions before someone makes a buying decision, by posting motivational quotes and pictures of your clients working out, you can interact with a mass of people.
Company Twitter Acount
Twitter is designed to be a mini-blog, where you can speak what is on your mind in 140 characters. This is the perfect set up for trainers, having the ability to send a motivational quote or quick fitness tips and have it "retweeted" for thousands to see. Free marketing and advertising at its best.
Develop a Personal Blog
Fitness is one of the hot topics in all of media and everyone has an opinion. If you write once to twice a week, you can interact with potential prospects and also show your knowledge to potential clients.
Josh 'JB' Bowen, BS, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D is the former Quality Control Director of Personal Training for Urban Active Fitness and is currently a personal trainer for Fitness Plus II in Lexington, KY and a consultant and National Fitness Director for Compel Fitness.
