Marketing has changed due to social media. But, this is not simply a change in venue, it’s a change in how you market. It’s about engaging potential/current clients.
It’s amazing to me that so many people still don’t get it. You’ll see it in Facebook and LinkedIn groups and on Twitter. People will hit you with ads on their first interaction. In truth, interaction isn’t accurate. They would have to listen to what you say and respond in kind for it to be an interaction. These people post their carp irregardless of what conversation is actually taking place. My response is delete, block, remove, etc. any trace of that person.
There’s a big lesson here. Long before you attempt to promote your services or product, you have to create a relationship with your potential market. That relationship should be one where you become a well-liked, trusted resource to your potential client/customer. They have to feel that when they have a need or a problem, you would be the person they would choose to help them out.
Talk to them, teach them, learn from them, and above all else listen to them.
Social media sites have have expanded the internet’s reach and given us access to large numbers of people from all over the world where we can connect, discuss issues, and actually make friends (real friends, not simply “friends” or followers). And, if we want to have some great discussions, there are groups that can be formed on sites like Facebook, Ning, and Google.
My personal preference for professional discussions is LinkedIn. LinkedIn, by nature, is a more professionally oriented site. It doesn’t have the flash of videos and pictures that other social media site have and, while it now does allow status updates, it remains more clean cut and business-like. Since I (and hopefully you) have already made professional connections on LinkedIn, it also makes it easier to invite them to join your group.
LinkedIn has many groups that already exist for the health/fitness professional and you should join some that interest you, see what you like, and what could be improved upon. I joined some that seemed to be focused on the topics I was hoping to discuss, but they all seemed to lose that focus as time went on. Too many members used the audience to market themselves and/or their products to the point that any real discussions were difficult to find.
This is why I recommend starting your own group. You are then in control of what the focus of the group is, who joins, and what content is allowed. You can set up the rules for your group. (but you also need to enforce them.)
Let me walk you through how to set up a group. Click here to get started: LinkedIn. You will be asked to:
Upload a logo. If you have one, great! If not, at least throw the group name on a solid color picture file and use that. It at least shows that you made some effort. (That’s all I did.)
Add the group name: Make sure the name reflects what the group is about or who you’re trying to attract.
Choose the group type: probably networking or professional, but you make the call.
Summary: Add a brief summary about what the group is about and why someone would want to join it
Description: Here’s where you can get into detail about the group’s goal/purpose
Website: Unless you have a website relating directly to the group’s needs, I wouldn’t add one
Access: This is a big one for me. The choices are Auto-Join (anyone can join at any time) and Request to Join (you are the gatekeeper and need to approve requests). I recommend selecting Request to Join. I want to know who everyone is that wants to join my group. I don’t decline access often, but I like seeing where they are from and what their background is. It’s not that time consummingeither. I have group on LinkedIn for Fitness Entrepreneurs which has over 1200 members and I added them one by one. – Either way, once you get your group set up, go to the Manage tab and down to templates. Take a moment and set up an auto-response welcome message that also includes the group rules. It will save a lot of headaches.
As for the section in gray, what you allow done in promotion of your group, unless you want a very small select group, I would check all. Allow any and all promotion of your group.
Finally, do you want an Open Group or Members Only Group? Well, here’s my thought on that. Open Groups allow anyone to see the content. Members Only means that content can be seen by….. you guessed it, members only. Now while I like sharing information and seeing the content might get some people to join the group, most people don’t participate in the conversations, they just read them. If they just read them and don’t join, I have no idea if they are there at all. They are ghosts to me. I’d rather have them join the group and know who’s out there. So, my group is a Members Only.
I hope this wasn’t too long and dry for you. I don’t usually give step-by-step posts.
I’ve had some real business ideas come out of my group and I think you will find groups to be well worth your time and effort. Give it a try. I’d love your feedback and to hear about your group (existing or planned). Please tell us about it in comments below.
#7 Successful Personal Trainers Know How to Market Themselves
According to Wikipedia, marketing “is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and creates value for their customers and for themselves.” My own definition is more like “seeking out, connecting with, sharing who we are and how we can help your target audience.”
First, of course, you must know your target audience. Who is your niche market? Where do they hang out? Are they meeting at conferences, senior groups, clubs, churches, schools, community or other organizations? Or are they connecting with others using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Youtube, etc.?
Note: I’m not going to ignore the use of Direct Mail or more “traditional” marketing techniques. Well, actually, I am going to ignore them in this article (for some, they do still work). But they don’t directly connect you with your audience and successful Personal Trainers know that the best way to build rapport and trust is through interaction.
So now, you’ve done your homework and found your market, what do you do from here? You need to find a way to join in their conversations. Connect with the group leaders and see if you can… join the group, volunteer with the group, or present to the group a topic that would be helpful to them. Like selling, your first priority is to be of service to them. You must create value, trust, confidence in you as a resource before you ask for anything in return.
Social media works the same way. Find which ones are used by your target audience. Create a presence by offering helpful information to others. They will then share your information with their friends. Their friends share with their friends, etc, and before you know it, you have a large audience of potential clients.
Obviously there are a lot more specifics, but the essence of marketing in this day and age is connection and conversation. Successful Personal Trainers know how to market themselves by actively getting involved with their target market, whether it’s face to face or using social media.
#1 Successful Personal Trainers Know the Up-to-Date Exercise Science. Now, this is #1, not because it’s the most important, but because it’s often what Personal Trainers think is the only thing they need to be successful. So, I just want to get it out of the way and move on.
Yes, if you’re a Personal Trainer, you need to know your science. In fact, if you are going to position yourself as an expert in exercise, you had better make sure you can bring it. Your clients will never reach the results they could if you can’t create safe, effective programs to get them there.
Whether you have a degree or a certification or both, your education should never end. Research changes the answers more frequently than many of us care to admit. i.e. Fact: the way to lose body fat is to do cardio… Not any more. Fact: HIIT is far more effective in fat loss.
Successful Trainers know the science. They are perpetual students, go to conferences, clinics, take classes, read journals. Never assume that exercise science is static and that you know enough.
More and more I’m asked by club owners how they can boost the revenue of their Personal Training department. As with anything you look to change, you must first look at what you have. Who are your Personal Trainers? Do they have the traits and skills that it takes to move forward?
Trainers, if you’re not rockin’ the world with what you’re doing, not having the career you want, follow this series to see where you’re missing out and how you can take your business to the next level.
Before I even start the list there are a couple of beliefs we need to address. In his book Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, Kerry Patterson states that there are two essential beliefs in order for change to occur. 1) You must believe that it is possible, and 2) You must believe that it is worth it.
That’s where it starts. Personal Trainers, do you want to change your business? Do you believe, and I have to stress that you actually must believe, that your business CAN build? Do you believe that it is WORTH the work that you would have to put in to change it? (some people are perfectly happy doing mediocre work with mediocre results)
If you ARE one of those Trainers that believe, follow me as I lay out what it takes to become the success that you want to be.
While the economic state of the country seems to be on the rise, people are still looking for inexpensive ways to get their company’s name out to their market. Running an ad, a standard business card kind of block that tells what your company offers, has always been an expensive proposition. And…THEY DON”T WORK. Not as far as your Return On Investment (ROI) goes.
The new marketing plan goes where the people are, web 2.0, the interactive, user driven content medium. It’s where you can inform, help, and interact with your market. Creating a permission based relationship with current and possible future customers/clients that can cost little to nothing except the time you invest in it is the where smart businesses are now going. Some companies have even created new positions in their company for a social media relationship builders. (Take a look at mashable.com job postings).
You and your business need to get out there and create a web presence. Connect with your audience. The books listed below (as well as many online friends) helped me to understand just how to use the marketing tools that are now available to us.
The new marketing and branding medium is the web. Remember, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. The internet offers the opportunities to get your name out there faster and farther than any other means. Become a provider of content, a resource to others, offer a positive message, be entertaining, or be controversial. Whatever is consistent with the brand you want people to associate with you.
Do you need the world to know you? Well, maybe not, but if you have or will have a product to market, the more people you connect with the better. Not only are you able to let them know what you’re offering, but they can easily let others know about you and what you’re doing. Here’s a blatant example: A friend of mine, Gina Lombardi, is coming out with a new book available Jan. 5th, Deadline Fitness: Tone Up and Slim Down When Every Minute Counts. Gina’s specialty is getting celebrities in shape in a very short amount of time(hence the book). I found out her release date via a Facebook announcement (She should’ve called me. I’ll tease her later.) In one fell swoop she let all of her connections know about the release and here I am telling you. According to LinkedIn my 277 connections links me to 3,105,000+ professionals. What a web we weave. Currently I’m also building connections through my website/blog, Twitter, a mini-blog (follow me on Twitter), Keith Ferrazzi’s Greenlight Community, and various other blogs and forums.
What if you’re just doing the local thing, trying to build business in your neighborhood? The rules still apply. Get your own website or blog (blogger.com or blogspot.comin example) Also, within many of the larger networking entities, there are the opportunities to narrow your focus and join local groups. (In Facebook, I’m part of a Portland, ME group.) Some local papers give you the chance to blog on their site. (I blog on Portland, ME-based MaineBusiness.com). Find those local online communities and get involved.
The web can become your greatest marketing tool if you get your name, your brand, recognized by the public and then, of course, get them to act. (for another post)
. Gina’s specialty is getting celebrities in shape in a very short amount of time(hence the book). I found out her release date via a 
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