Fitness, Business, Fitness Business, & Achieving Life Goals

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.

#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.

How are you establishing your presence? 

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #1

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #2

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #3

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #4

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #5

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers: #6

P.S. Also, follow my Business of Personal Training page on Facebook.

I try to stay up on new social media applications (apps) and how they can be used for business. A newer type of application that’s gaining ground is location-based services (LBS) such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, and Facebook’s Places.

In essence, these are apps that allow you to check in at various locations to let your friends know where you are and what your doing there. When you check in at a location you not only let people know where you are, you can also see who else checked in there and find out if any of your friends are there. Some of these apps are game-like in that you can win badges, awards, and, in the case of Foursquare, even become Mayor of that location. 

When I first heard of these apps I had the same reaction that I had when I initially heard and explored Twitter, how could this possibly be used to help a business? Well, I think I have a reasonable angle on that now. When members/clients check into your facility on a regular basis, your brand gets broadcast nice and loud. over and over again. (So far, so good.) People actually compete to become Mayor and may come in or check in more frequently. (Also good.) The more people check in, the more their friends will think that your place is THE place to be. (a very good thing) You can add further value for your member/client by creating some random rewards for coming and checking in. Foursquare gave some examples:

Mayor Specials: unlocked only by the Mayor of your venue. Who’s the Mayor? It’s the user who has checked in the most in the last 60 days. Example: “Free fries for the mayor!”

Check-in Specials: unlocked when a user checks in to your venue a certain number of times. Example: “Free drink on your 10th checkin”

Frequency-based Specials: are unlocked every X check-ins. Example: “Foursquare users get 20% off any entree every 5th check-in!”

Wildcard Specials: always unlocked, but your staff has to verify some extra conditions before awarding the Special. Example: Show us your foursquare Swarm badge and get a free protein shake!

Are you starting to understand how these can be really useful to promoting your business?

Still not ready to join in? Consider this: I was recently on a panel at Social Media FTW conference and fellow panelist Heather DeSimone, owner of The Beadin’ Path in Freeport, ME, had a great comment about why you should, as a business owner, at least sign up for the service. The places/venues that get listed to check into is not a complete list. If a client goes to check in and your facility is not listed, they can enter it as a new venue. However, they could spell it wrong, give the wrong address, or phone number. So you should join, check to see if your facility listed. If not, get it listed correctly. Then it becomes good advertising for you.

If I can answer any questions about LBS, please ask in the comments below or email me at mark @ marknutting .com

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.

Along with this blog, you can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The New Marketing Books:

This book really helped me figure out social media and it’s place in business. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Another great book on connecting with your market: Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force

This book is a little overkill, but certainly covers everything you need to know about Twitter and how to use it to drive your business. Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time

Rounding out my top four best books on using social media for marketing your business, this one’s an absolute must have. Just finished it and loved it. Covers everything from Facebook to vlogs. The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly

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)