The 30-second article
• Use social media platforms like
Facebook and Instagram to post news
about special offers and client
transformations
• Offer incentives to clients who refer
their friends, and partner up with local
businesses to offer mutually beneficial
deals for each other’s customers
• Give a great impression with a
professional-looking website and
make sure your location, contact
details, operating hours, services and
pricing are clear and easy to find
• Consider SEO strategies, to help your
site come up higher in search engine
results, and include fresh content and
images and an ‘online appointments’
feature so clients can book straight
from the website.
could run a competition where clients share
their three favourite workout tunes and tag
your business, and the best submissions
win a month’s free membership.
Create positive perceptions with
a professional online presence
If a prospective client has heard about your
services through word of mouth, it is highly
likely they will want to jump online to check
out your business for themselves. Therefore,
a polished, professional and usable website,
showcasing your services with consistent
branding across digital channels, is crucial.
A professional, comprehensive website is
important because it can either enhance, or
completely undo the great things the visitor
has heard about you. Make sure your website
domain name is directly relevant to your
business, and consider aligning it to your
email address and social media handles, to
help create a consistent, impressive online
presence.
To make it easier for customers to find
your website, consider trying search engine
optimisation (SEO) strategies by including
keywords on your website. Keywords are
descriptors that people would type into
Google to try to find a business or service
like yours. For instance, ‘personal trainer
South Yarra’ or ‘Gym in Alexandria’. The more
specific you can be, the better, as your website
is likely to show higher in search results of
those terms. Consider also adding a map to
The majority of respondents ranked reviews from people
within their social media circles in their top three influences
for spending decisions.
your website, so people can find you by location when they want
to get fit close to home or work (which is almost always the case –
proximity and convenience are paramount).
If you already have a website but it hasn’t been recently updated,
now may be a great time to give it a refresh and ensure it looks up-
to-date, complete with all your latest news and details. A bad website
can be worse than having no website. When reviewing your site, you
should also ensure it is optimised for mobile devices, as it is likely
clients will be looking at your website from their mobile devices.
Basic features your website should include are contact details,
location information, operating hours, a list of services and packages
you offer, and perhaps pricing and photos of clients in action. Make
sure this information is easy to locate on the website, under clear
headings. The more information and clarity you can include on
your website, the better, so prospective clients can feel confident
about exactly what you offer, and informed enough to book an
initial appointment with you. Online website builders, like GoDaddy
Website Builder, have an online appointment scheduling feature
which can make client bookings easier for both you and them.
Use your website to showcase the best of your services and
include client testimonials, inspiring client transformation pictures
and latest offers, as well as links to your social media accounts.
This type of content on your website can prompt people to take the
critical step of contacting you.
Team up with local businesses, in the flesh and online
Your client base is your most valuable asset, especially when
you’re servicing a local area as a face-to-face personal trainer.
Demonstrating that you are community-focused is a great way to
foster your community with existing and new clients. Partnering with
complementary local businesses is a great way to get more involved
in the community around you, and organically foster work of mouth
to maximise local clientele.
For instance, you could team up with a local cafe that can offer
your clients 10% off their next post-workout brunch. In exchange,
you could offer cafe customers a free workout when they sign up to
ten sessions. Partnering up with other local businesses could also
include joint advertising efforts and tags in each other’s social media
posts, to help boost visibility in one another’s networks. Not only can
this result in a boosted reputation, and increased brand resonance,
but you may even build strong connections with like-minded small
business owners in the community.
Marketing for your fitness business doesn’t have to be a grind.
Implementing some simple strategies may help your PT business be
top-of-mind when clients are discussing fitness options with their
friends, families and local networks.
Tracy Hall is the marketing director of GoDaddy Australia and New Zealand.
GoDaddy is the world’s largest technology provider dedicated to small
businesses. For tech solutions to help make your life as a business owner easier,
visit godaddy.com.au.
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