We talk a lot at Fit Body Boot Camp about the incredible value of having an email list and working it for maximum results. But we don’t talk as much as we probably should about how to start a fitness boot camp email list from the ground up. After all, most personal trainers aren’t all that experienced in marketing and as new boot camp owners, they need some guidance in getting those names before they can start building their business.
Luckily, building an email list isn’t as hard as you may think and no, you shouldn’t fall for some fly-by-night company offering to sell you a list. Those lists will be full of people who have been spammed to death, people who aren’t even a little bit interested in getting fit and people who changed their email addresses six years ago. It’s not that hard to get your own list going and I’m going to give you some very simple steps that will show you how to start a fitness boot camp email list and what to do with it to start making money and growing your boot camp business.
Step 1: Create and offer a free report, nutrition plan, mini-workout or other gift and advertise it on your website, your Facebook page, on Twitter and Google+ and everywhere else that you’re visible. Make it something relevant, something that provides real value, but keep it short and simple. Then let people know that you just need their email address and you’ll get it right to them. Now you have a list of people who are obviously interested in getting fit and healthy, so that means they’re more likely to be interested in your fitness boot camp, as well.
Step 2: Send them your free gift, but also deliver other great content to them on a weekly basis. This could be pre/post workout recipes, best ab exercises, an article on boosting metabolism or whatever you like. I would also strongly suggest you sign up for FitPro Newlsetter, which looks like a great fitness magazine, already contains great new content every month and you can also add your own content to it. It’s a great plug and play solution for high-value content. (more…)
In these days of reality TV shows, Videos and YouTube, everybody on the planet wants a share of the spotlight. For most people, it’s all about validation and attention. But that’s not the only reason to upload yourself. For the fitness professional, becoming known as a subject matter expert via social media can be boot camp marketing gold.
Think about some of the nationally or internationally-known fitness professionals out there. They all became known as experts in their niches and that is when they started making real money. Jason Feruggia is the strength and conditioning expert and his info products and programs sell. His articles are in Men’s Fitness and other respected publications. Mike Chang established himself as an abs expert on YouTube and now his Six Pack Abs programs have made him a wealthy man. Bedros’s huge reputation on YouTube as a boot camp marketing expert is what led Spike TV to call him up and ask him to act as an expert on their Gym Rescue series.
It used to be that getting on TV was the way to establish yourself as an expert. Look at Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz and every single person on HGTV. But now, people are establishing themselves as authorities on social media and then ending up on TV. But even if you don’t want to be a celebrity, you do want to take advantage of the huge boost it can give you in your boot camp marketing efforts.
We’ve always talked about the huge potential of marketing on Facebook, but this is one giant level above that.
Here’s what happens. (more…)
If you haven’t yet availed yourself of the boot camp marketing possibilities working with Groupon, then you need to get on the ball. Thousands of businesses (including fitness businesses) are already making a fortune marketing on Groupon, but some of the biggest moneymaking boot camp marketing campaigns we’ve done at Fit Body Boot Camp have been on Groupon as well.
When I say that these campaigns have been hugely successful I mean that we’ve been able to convert at least 30% of our Groupon buyers into ongoing clients who either paid in full or signed up for automatic debit.
There are 4 keys to success with a Groupon campaign:
- The deal.
- Your on-boarding procedure.
- The experience you give the client.
- Your conversion process.
Making the deal
First of all, the deal has to make sense for you and for the client. You don’t want to give away too much, because it undercuts the financial benefit of doing the Groupon deal. Also, people are more likely to take your offer seriously if it isn’t ridiculously low.
But your deal does have to make great sense to the buyer. People go to sites like Groupon because they want a great deal. That doesn’t mean they’re cheap or that they’re automatically going to split as soon as the deal is over. They just enjoy getting a great deal.
When we were setting up our 23-region Groupon deal, we set a few rules right off the bat.
We wanted a very low cost 15-day deal and a higher-priced (but better value) 30-day deal.
We did this because we knew that about 80% of Groupon buyers would take the 30-day deal which would give us the chance to do two very important things:
First, we could give the buyers a much better experience, get them better results and also build a better relationship with them……all of which would make closing much easier later on.
Second, we could offer to absorb the cost of their 30-day deal into an ongoing program, which would effectively give them their first month free. Remember, these people love a great deal.
By stacking the deals this way, it’s much easier to command and get the higher price than if we just ran the higher-priced deal. (more…)
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. But how many of you can look over the last couple of months and admit that you’ve spent more time wooing possible, potential new clients than you have wooing the ones that have signed up for your latest body transformation challenge? How many of you spend all your time after a session trying to sell personal training to the people that came in for a free session and almost no time at all interacting with the ones who are on their second week of a challenge? In other words, you set down the bird in your hand so you could reach for the two in the bushes.
I’m not coming down on you for it; it’s understandable that you’re so focused on bringing more people through the door that you lose sight of the ones that are already there. It’s a natural mistake to hope that the results of your transformation challenge or four-week special will somehow automatically result in those people signing up for six months or a year of training. But if you see yourself and your interactions in this scenario, then I’m betting your retention rate from those challenges and limited-time offers is much lower than it could or should be.
When you stop “romancing” your clients, the trainer around the corner starts looking really good. Even if your training is getting the results, they’ll eventually go somewhere they feel valued. I promise you that if you don’t deliver a sense of community and actual relationship, most of the people your marketing brings in will be gone before you know it. This leaves you having to reinvent the wheel every few weeks or months because you’re constantly trying to replenish your membership.
So how do you sell personal training in such a way that the retention factor is practically automatic?
Here’s a blueprint for turning that transformation challenge or low-barrier offer customer into a long-term client:
Make sure the customer is acknowledged and welcomed every time they walk in the door. Nothing is quite as alienating as walking into a group setting and feeling invisible. A smile from the person working out next to them isn’t enough. A wave from the trainer from across the room isn’t enough. Make sure that you or the trainer welcomes each and every customer.
Whenever possible, also try to make sure that one of you speaks with the customer after the session as well. Ask them how they’re doing, how the class was is there anything you can go over with them one-on-one.
Give special gifts and treats to the customer. Welcome them on their first day with a goodie bag full of stuff like water bottles, recipe cards, hand towels, supplement samples, anything you like. Every week or so give them a small token of your appreciation and their progress, such as a gift card for a smoothie or a free fat loss report you’ve written. This is one of the least expensive tools there is. When they fill out your questionnaire, make to put their birthday on your office calendar so that you can give them a card signed by the staff and can acknowledge their special day.
Keep in touch. One of the fastest tracks to dropping out is when a customer misses a couple of workouts and no one bothers to check on them. All of that talk you spouted about community and family and working together flies out the window. If someone misses more than one session, make sure you or one of your trainers calls to see if they’re okay. And use that call to get them back in the door. They might have a reason completely unrelated to you for missing a couple of sessions, but if they miss any more, there’s a good chance they’ll either lose their momentum (and drop out).
If they’ve been going into work early and couldn’t make their early morning sessions, invite them to come to your 7PM workout. If their boyfriend/girlfriend just dumped them, encourage them to come to a session later that day to work it off or just hang out and have a few laughs. If they’re too sore to work out, explain that you can easily modify their moves or weights so that they can ease into it a bit more slowly.
When you deliver a sense of community and of belonging to your low-barrier offer guests, you make it so much easier to sell them one of your long-term training programs. Not only will they want to keep getting results, but they’ll want to remain a part of the community you’ve built for them.
Most personal trainers aren’t experienced marketers or salespeople. In fact, many personal trainers are intimidated by the very idea of asking people for money. This is a shame because it keeps them from actually making a living at what they love.
The truth is that the biggest factor to successful personal trainer marketing is very simple and straightforward. It’s not a complicated system or a series of hoops you need to jump through. Not only that, but if you’re serious about your work and passionate about truly helping your clients change their lives, then this one thing will actually come very easily to you. It’s about selling the right thing.
Too many personal trainer marketing efforts are focused on selling a commodity – a workout, a system, a particular trainer or a specific type of class. The last thing you want to do is focus on selling a commodity. Commodities are cheap and prices fluctuate wildly, dependent on the economy, the time of year and so on. Commodities are also easily compared to other commodities like them, and the lowest priced commodity often wins.
Instead, you need to focus on selling outcomes and end results.
Let’s look at the difference between the two. Let’s say you’re selling six weeks of personal training sessions for $XX. The value of that six weeks for that price is going to vary between potential clients, because all they’re looking at is the commodity and then comparing it to five other personal trainers’ deals plus maybe the cost of six weeks of do-it-yourself training at the gym. You’ve got a lot of competition and the final decision will probably come down to price.
On the other hand, if you’re selling end results and outcomes, you’re selling something of high value to EVERY potential client, even though the exact nature of the end result may be different to each one. For one person, the end result may be a reversal of a new Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. For another, it may be going to their 20th high school reunion feeling sexy and confidant. For others, it may be fitting into the wedding dress of their dreams, being strong and healthy enough to get back into rock climbing or having the confidence to wear a bikini for the very first time. (more…)
When you’re in the personal training business, you really have to sell yourself. The competition is fierce and it’s a fact that many people choose a trainer randomly. Maybe you’re the number one spot on Google, or it could be that they saw your sign in a tanning salon. Regardless of WHERE they saw you, the point is that you were visible. I firmly believe that you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one means of advertising; have many different balls in the air at any given time. Though there are a million different ways to get your name out there, here are my top 6 tips to selling personal training.
1. Use the referral system – When you sign up clients, require that they provide at least 5 referrals on your personal data sheet when they’re doing their paperwork. You can even take this a step further by offering an incentive to anybody that actually brings you another client. Offer a free training session and praise them generously in front of your other clients when they bring a guest.
2. Network with other businesses – Local tanning salons, hair salons, sporting goods stores, nail salons, daycares, clothing shops, nutrition shops and chiropractors are all great places to target when selling personal training because that’s where your clients frequent. Offer a few free sessions to the employees in exchange for letting you hang your fliers or leave your business cards. Many places will let you leave your cards for free, but if you offer a free session to the employees, you may just turn them into paying clients, too.
3. Build a killer website – We live in a world where people choose everything from their restaurants to their doctors on their mobile devices. If you don’t have a web presence, you’re missing out on a huge percentage of clients. Be sure to do some keyword research and optimize your content with those keywords so that you rank as high as possible. Use plenty of client testimonials, strong headlines and engaging content that really showcases what makes you the best. This is no time to be humble. Put yourself out there and sell yourself!
4. Offer Smaller, Specific Classes – Advertise classes of short duration such as a “2 weeks to flatter abs” class, a “21 day fat burning” class, or something else that’s popular in your area. Really put your best foot forward during these sessions by being friendly, passionate and enthusiastic. Show an interest in the personal success of each client and be available for questions before and after class. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself a bit; after all, selling personal training sessions is your marketing goal here. (more…)
If you own a gym or fitness studio and can never seem to get enough clients, your personal training marketing methods may be to blame. Marketing a business may seem like a lot of work or something that’s too expensive for your limited budget, but it’s well worth the trouble when it’s done right. It doesn’t cost nearly as much as you might think it does, but the truth is that it can be incredibly costly to try to get by without it. Personal training marketing can be done very effectively and inexpensively, if you use these four very important strategies.
1. Build an email list - If you’ve lasted this long without building up an email list of all your current and potential clients… then props to you because the “list is king”- and without one it’s hard to keep any kind of business afloat. An email list is hands-down the most cost effective way to market your fitness studio because it allows you to connect with your clients in a more personal way than is possible with social media.
Sure you still need to have your social media marketing in place, but collecting the emails of your past, current, and potential clients is the number one best way to build loyalty with current clients, reconnect with former ones and earn the trust and the business of potential ne clients, all at the same time and all with the same dollar. Any time you can accomplish more than one goal at a time, you multiply your potential earnings and free up time and money that can be used elsewhere.
To build your email contact list, start by creating some type of free offer, something of real, tangible value, in exchange for their contact information. Use your personal expertise and that of your colleagues to write up a quick fat loss report, some healthy recipes, or an easy-to-follow workout video in an effort to get people to opt into your mailing list. Always think about the needs of the people you’re targeting, and tailor your free offer to meet one of those needs.
2. Get them to know, like and trust you - Once you have people opting into your mailing list, you need to make the absolute most of those contacts. You have essentially been given a golden opportunity with each email address. In order to maximize the income potential of these contacts, you need to focus on getting them to know, like and trust you.
Now, here’s where it gets time consuming- in order for your personal training marketing campaign to work, you’ve got to mail out twice (if not three) times per week. And when you mail out to your list, it’s got to be something that will help meet their needs and get them to their goals. This is your opportunity to let them know that you can be a valuable and even invaluable part of their fitness dream.
One important thing to keep in mind when you’re creating your emails is that your subject line needs to be informative and compelling. It needs to tell them exactly what your email contains and it needs to be something that they can see is valuable and usable right away. Your goal is to get them to open that email. No matter how good your email is, it won’t help you get more business if it never gets opened. Try to use titles like “The Top 3 Best and Worst Drinks to Get at Starbucks” or “4 Incredible Tips to Burn 500 Extra Calories Per Day” and then deliver on the promises in your subject lines.
Another extremely important thing to remember about personal training marketing campaigns is that you can’t overdo the selling in your emails. If people know that every email is going to be a sales pitch, they’ll automatically delete them and may even unsubscribe. Now you’ve lost not just them but every referral you might have earned from them. Don’t punish subscribers by pushing your promotions at them. You have to earn that through your awesome content. Use the rule of 4:1 - for every 4 pieces of great content you mail out, you’ve earned 1 promotional mail out. Following this rule will not only build your likability - it will also build your credibility. (more…)
For today’s personal trainers and boot camp owners the Internet is king. It’s the thing that’s going to get you a constant surge of new clients whenever you need them and will give your business a platform to reach a bigger audience. Now, that’s not to knock offline personal trainer marketing methods because, in all honesty- you should be doing both, but if your business lacks a web presence then there is no way you can grow and take it to the next level.
Listen, most of your customers (if not ALL of them) are online just waiting for you to find them and inspire them to want to get healthy and fit. So do them, and yourself, a favor by making your business known online and in the community you live in.
A lot of these tools and tactics that we’re going to lay out for you, you may already have in place- which is awesome. But if you’re missing one or more of these tools in your business’ tool belt, then you might be missing out big time.
Here’s what you need for a powerful web presence:
Facebook
We’re starting with Facebook first because it is, without a doubt, the most powerful and most important social media site that your business needs to be set up for. Period.
Did you know that over 15 million businesses use Facebook for their marketing campaigns?
That just shows you how crucial it is to have one for your business. But you can’t just set one up and forget about it, you actually have to be using it to engage your potential and current clients.
Not only can you reach more people through Facebook, you can reach your target audience and the specific people who are most likely to become your clients. And that’s what makes the biggest difference. You can actually build an audience for your business, an audience that’s excited to hear what you have going on.
So, how do you do that? By posting content that your potential clients will find useful, helpful, or inspirational. Start by introducing yourself and your business. What are you all about? Write that in your “About Me” section. Then get to posting.
Share things on your Facebook like healthy recipes, tips for a good workout, and, of course, testimonials and case studies. Post pictures of clients working out and having a great time with it. Those who are interested in joining will get to see what it’s like working out at your boot camp or personal training studio.
You also don’t want to spam your audience with promotion after promotion after promotion. Pick and choose carefully when you’re going to launch a promotion and then go all out. Don’t run multiple promotions and sales at the same time either, it makes it harder to track what works and what isn’t.
Yelp
Yelp is becoming more and more important for small businesses because it’s the #1 business review site.
Yelp is necessary for two main reasons: reviews and local SEO. If you have an awesome personal training business that your clients rave about, have them rave about it online on your Yelp. It helps not only with your reputation as a business, it helps with “word-of-mouth” referrals and convincing those who are looking to join your gym
SEO stands for search engine optimization and it’s what makes your business searchable when someone is looking for personal training in your area. So if someone types in “personal training in Los Angeles” (or whatever city you live in) your goal is to have your businesses website or Yelp show up on the first page of Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.
Yelp is owned by Yahoo so it’s having an account not only helps with your Google searches, it helps with your Yahoo! and Bing searches as well.
Google Places
Similar to Yelp, Google Places is a big deal and definitely something that you need to set up for your business ASAP if you haven’t already.
Having your business listed on Google place not only helps people find your business online, it helps them to see your hours of business and gives directions to your facility. People can also leave reviews here and you’re able to connect with your clients like you would on any other social media site.
It also helps with SEO and since Google Places is owned by- you guessed- Google, you’ll have a much better chance at your business showing up when someone searches for it, especially on Google because it’s the #1 search engine used. (more…)
Ahh… marketing. Often called the “lifeblood” of any business- and it’s completely and totally true. Without marketing, clients don’t know you exist and how can you grow your personal training business if your potential clients don’t even know you’re out there?
But for a lot of us, the marketing gene just doesn’t come naturally. We’ve spent most of our time on learning the best techniques to help our clients lose weight and look great, which is exactly what we should be doing, but owning and operating your own business means that there are other skills you need to learn and master. Marketing is definitely one of them.
Marketing a fitness business doesn’t have to be complex or that expensive (there are tons of free and low cost marketing strategies for you to roll out here on this site). It does, however, have to work in order for you to see a return on your investment so learning the ins and outs- the do’s and don'ts of marketing is incredibly important for growing your business.
Taking the time to learn more about marketing is what will help you grow your fitness business into the six or seven figure business that it was meant to be. The business that you, as a hard working fitness entrepreneur, deserve.
So, if you’re in need of a little fitness marketing boost to get more clients in the door then listen up! These five tips will have your business booming in no time.
Specialize, Specialize, Specialize
Okay, so if I could only give you one single piece of advice for marketing it would be this: pick a target market and stick to it. That’s it. This one little thing will help you harness more earning power because you’re not generalizing- you’re specializing and those who specialize in a specific market are able to charge more without having their clients bat an eyelash.
Another reason why you’d want to specialize and pick a target market is because your marketing message will come across a whole lot clearer, allowing you to speak directly to those you are trying to serve. And that is what will get you more clients. Clients who are excited to give your boot camp or personal training a try because you were able to speak their language.
Sometimes deciding what niche to serve is tough because, as a personal trainer, you know you can help just about anybody lose weight, tone muscle, and improve their overall strength. So picking just one group to market to seems like you’re shutting everyone else out, but in order to earn the big bucks- you got to find the one market that you can help the most.
One way to figure out what market you might serve best is to take the time to really think about your style of training. What interests you the most when it comes to training people? Who would be your ideal client? When you’re able to narrow it down, think about the problems that your program would solve for this market and make that your message.
For instance, busy moms have a tough time getting their workout in so if you have a program that whips them into shape without making them spend hours upon hours working out then that’s your market and your message.
Get Online
Get your business online and do it now if you haven’t already done so. Having a web presence is so important for growing your business nowadays that if you’re not online and using all of the social media sites that are available to you, then you’re probably leaving thousands upon thousands of dollars on the table and who knows how many clients out in the cold.
If you don’t have a website yet, then that’s okay. You can still utilize Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Google+, and any other social site you can think of as a placeholder until your site it set. (more…)
