Fitness Trainer Marketing Tips

Too many fitness instructors think that simply being good at what they do - motivating, educating, encouraging, instructing - will earn them a cult following of clients and spark a wildfire of referrals.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

You work in a field where thousands of fitness professionals are struggling just to get by. You need to do more than be a good trainer; you also need to be a smart marketer.

Surprisingly, a vast amount of trainers and fitness professionals are totally lost as far as marketing is concerned. Instead, they stumble their way through trying to gain business as if blindfolded before a piñata trying to hit whatever they can - wildly tossing out fliers, wasting money on unfocused ads, and grasping for referrals, in hope that a potential client will find them. Any client at all.

Take off the blindfold. Put down the bat. Get away from chaotic marketing.

By following the keys included here, you can renew your marketing strategy and begin gathering the customers - and the income - you deserve.

Some fitness trainers dodge this step, plunging headfirst into a marketing plan before they've even tested the waters. These are the same trainers that go through their careers stumbling, squandering money with disorganized business methods, while clients are elusive, and draining their finances.

Do not take for granted the power of research. No matter who you are or what you have to offer, powerful marketing requires powerful knowledge. And to make true headway in the fitness industry, you'll need to do two things:

1. Know your target.
Lots of professionals have broad mis-ideas about their clients. Without buckling down and studying your customers' needs, habits, and budgets, any marketing you do will be ignorant guesswork. (Cue the piñata.)

• Assess marketing strategies.
  Are your clients more likely to respond to fliers, direct mail, online advertisements, or something completely different? Will they toss an expensive postcard in the trash - yet eagerly answer to a free Craigslist ad? Research the trends.


• Learn the methods of Google keywords.
  Investigate how much traffic specific keywords generate, find out the top phrases clients search for, and say hello to your new best friend: SEO.
  
  Once you have the inside scoop about who you're trying to reach, you can sculpt your marketing strategies to fit the target. But understanding your clients is only half the battle - which brings us to the second keystone:
  

2. Know your competition.
You've heard that old saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? Maybe you've heard something a million times, but that doesn't mean you should follow that advice. Examining your competition is your ticket to productive marketing.

• Emulate success.
  Who's dominating the fitness field, and what separates them from the hoards of struggling lightweights? Identify the industry leaders and determine what they're doing right - then shamelessly pluck their best strategies for yourself.


• Find out which turf is taken.
  Do most of the personal trainers in your area specialize in weight loss? Then trying to play the same game will be a tough battle - one that will be very difficult to win. Stay clear of the most agressive niches, and at once you'll pull away from much of the competition.

Some are even getting paid multiple times for every hour they work - a secret you can find out in my book the Secret Weapon

But as for the majority? They're still struggling to pay the bills - and scouring Google for ways to save their tanking careers.

How, then, did the successful scurry their way to the top? They started by mastering the principles of effective marketing.

• Narrow your target.
  Instead of casting a wide marketing net, find an untapped niche. Do you want to scout out pregnant women, overworked CEOs, aspiring bodybuilders, or stay-at-home moms? Do you want to help people lose weight, gain muscle, or train for an upcoming triathlon? Determine your passion and pitch your services accordingly.
  
  It may seem backwards to prune away potential clientele when you want to expand your Personal Trainer Business, but the more you hone your focus, the more you can specialize your marketing. In turn, a greater portion of your prospects will walk away as clients.
  


• Step out of your comfort zone.
  Fear is the single biggest roadblock to success. Do you avoid holding health seminars, nutrition lectures, and fitness workshops because you're afraid of public speaking? Does shyness stop you from assertively asking your clients for referrals?
  
  The only way to conquer your insecurities is by looking them straight in the eye - so tackle the marketing strategies you fear most. Put yourself in the very situations that send a ripple of terror down your spine. In doing so, you'll not only gain more confidence, but you'll also gain more clients.
  
  


• Stand apart from the crowd.
  Remember that you're competing amongst thousands of other trainers - many who are as qualified, experienced, and passionate as you are. What can you offer that no one else can? What services, knowledge, experience, and abilities do you - and you alone - bring to the world of fitness?
  
  Distinguish yourself. Offer longer training sessions. Hold free once-a-month consultations. Share your nutritional knowledge. Even if your competitors are boasting lower rates, you can deliver greater quality and value during the time you share with clients.

You're promoting an attainable dream.

People need to be sure they're going to be included, welcomed, and empowered at your fitness club. The following tips are essential to guide your marketing success if you own or manage a gym.

• Keep your promises.
  Gyms and clubs that boast unrealistic claims and ridiculous offers may start off in the fast lane, but they'll end up tripping up and finishing last when members realize they've been tricked. To bring in and retain clients, you can't get away with being all talk; you have to earn their trust. Telling people one thing and doing something else entirely won't make you any friends. Don't offer anything you don't plan on delivering.


• Show what makes you stand out from the rest.
  Chances are, you're not the only health club in town. Prospects need to know why they should come to your health center, instead of choosing that other club that offers belly dancing every Tuesday and is right next to Starbucks (where they can buy their post-workout Frappuccino). What's unique about your staff, your equipment, your cost, your classes, and your facility? What do you offer that clients simply can't pass up?


• Use your personality.
  People don't like businesses that don't treat them with genuine care. However you decide to market, bring personality into your gym. Reveal the wizard behind the curtain. Give a heart to the Tin Man. Highlight real people in your ads, and watch the generic feel of corporate anonymity that turns people off dissolve.


• Focus on retaining current members.
  If your client base is diminishing, don't spend all your time and money launch new marketing campaigns to recruit new potential clients: first you have to know why your present members are leaving.
  All things considered - time, marketing expenses, plus lost revenue - it'll cost you 5 times less to keep a current client happy and training with you than having to go out and get a new one. Your current members are your gateway to treasured referrals; they are worth much more than the monthly club fee they pay. If your health club becomes a revolving door, you've just kissed your most effective marketing method goodbye.

Here is an excellent resource for marketing your Health Club or Fitness Center.

Even if you've done your research, honed your focus, and distinguished yourself from the pack, poor strategizing can be the Achilles' heel of your career. Figure out which tactics are the most cost-efficient and which will be a waste of time.

• Focus your marketing efforts on creating more internal referrals.
  The most effective and valuable marketing approach starts with those you already see on a regular basis: your clients. If they've flourished under your guidance, clients gladly become your walking billboards with the right incentives.
  
  Offer rewards for referrals. Offer your clients a discount on a package of training for every new customer they bring in. Provide gift cards for them to give to friends. And whenever your clients land you a successful referral, don't keep your gratitude a secret: treat those clients like royalty and encourage them to keep referring.
  


• Join the online marketing world.
  The potential for internet marketing is infinite - and if your business isn't online yet, you can bet you're losing potential clients to the ones that are.
  
  Advertise on Craigslist once a week. Build an e-mail list of prospects and customers - and send them special updates, educational articles, and exclusive offers every month. If you're in need of a website, instead of handing over your bank account to a super pricey design firm, find a talented university student or barter services with a local web designer who will build your website in exchange for free personal training.
  


• Choose your media wisely.
  If you wind up shelling out money for prospective leads - which you don't want to do unless you've really done your best at trying free options - then watch your step. It sounds like a good idea to buy ad space in papers and magazines with high circulation, but it would be throwing money away for your ads to be seen by a whole lot of people who don't care one bit about fitness.
  
  Your results will be better when you run ads with papers and magazines who have a more focused readership, even if they have less readers overall. Visit local health food stores to see which magazines they carry. Health journals and local fitness publications are more likely to reach your target group.

It just can't get any better than this - right?

Actually, it can.

Don't take this for granted: if you market effectively, you are for sure going to increase your customer base and gain more business. Yet if you don't go any further than that, your income will be linear. You'll be working way too many hours just to keep the money coming in.

Even if you have the money to take exotic holidays and travel like you've dreamed of, you won't be able to do so - because every day of work that you miss is time you don't get paid for.

Even if you buy that fire-engine-red Ferrari you've always dreamed of, you won't have the time to drive it - because you spend every waking moment busting your tail at work.

This is why successful marketing will get you far, but isn't enough to give you the enviable lifestyle some fitness professionals have secured. The difference between those who live comfortably and those who have a straight up stellar lifestlye is plain: the first group works hard, while the second group works smart.

What, then, is the way to the top?

In my free 7-day Personal Trainer Business Course, I'll show you exactly how to leverage your income so that your paychecks double in both quantity and frequency - even when you're not working. (Yes, your bank account can be filling up while you're sitting on a beach in Tahiti.)

If you're satisfied with slaving away for a great income, marketing alone will do the trick. But if you'd rather take it one step further and gain the time to pursue your hobbies, have fun, and genuinely enjoy life, my free boot camp will show you how.

Get ready for extraordinary success.

Advice For Personal Trainers is an online resource dedicated to the success of fitness professionals and personal trainers. Topics ranging from health, fitness and nutrition to fitness marketing, courses, salaries and job opportunities.

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