The last year has been one of big adaptation for everyone but the fitness industry has perhaps seen some of the most significant changes. It seems that some of these changes are here to stay and that includes the prevalence of online training from home.
Over the last year, a lot of people have been confined to their houses with limited opportunity for exercise, so there are a lot of people all over the world who are looking to get back into shape. Your audience is out there and finding them all boils down to effectively marketing yourself and giving them the best personal training experience possible. Here are our tips for personal trainers looking to boost their online offering.
The internet is an enormous place and because of that, it is tempting to try and cater to everyone. While being a jack-of-all-trades seems like it could generate a huge audience, research has shown that being an expert in a specific field makes you seem more trustworthy and legit. It also makes it easier for you to figure out where your audience is likely to hang out and what kind of messaging they’re most likely to respond to positively.
Identify your niche by thinking about what area of fitness you know the most about or what you’re most interested in. Once you’ve decided what kind of personal trainer you want to be, your ideal clients will be able to find you and it will ensure that every day is fun and interesting for you!
You may already know of friends or former colleagues who have built an online following through their personal training efforts. It’s a good idea to reach out to them and see how you can work together.
If you don’t already know of anyone, there are several online groups of personal trainers who are just getting started. Introduce yourself and make valuable connections. If you build up some trust with a few other trainers, someone may start referring clients to you when they’re unavailable themselves. Likewise, you might even find someone who you’d be comfortable referring your clients to, when you need some time off!
It is also important to maintain the “soft skills” that are so important to personal training which training your client’s online. We go into some detail in our blog article on what clients are looking for in a personal trainer.
Letting potential clients trial your training sessions for a short period before they commit to a paid option is a fantastic way to build trust. Reluctant or uncertain clients will really appreciate the opportunity to test your services before parting with any of their hard-earned cash.
Think about the incentives that always inspire you to sign up to a service. The chances are, they’ll work on your clients too!
As your client base grows, it gets harder to keep track of who everyone is and where they are in their fitness journey. Luckily, there is a choice of software available that make running an online personal training business easier.
Build personalised training programs, keep track of your clients’ progress and stay organised. This will not only do wonders for your peace of mind but will also make you look a lot more professional.
A lot of your online personal training business will be conducted through your website. Therefore, it’s hugely important that it’s easy to use and includes all relevant information.
It’s a good idea to have plenty of CTAs (call-to-actions) within your website copy and that it shows you to be an authority in your field. This is another reason why it’s good to find your niche because it will make it easier to write your website copy. You can do this by dedicating a page on your site to who you are and your story as a personal trainer. Humans love other human stories, so by telling yours you’ll no doubt catch the attention of those who relate to you.
Check out our partner SX Marketing for website and branding help, our learners get exclusive discounts with them.
Of course, you’re going to need to deliver your online personal training sessions through videos. In order for your clients to get the most of your videos, there are a few things that you should consider.
Just as they do in person, your clients need to be able to see your movements clearly. Film in good lighting with a simple background that won’t distract from what you’re doing. It’s also a good idea to include the movements from multiple angles and of course, film more than one rep. You could also consider including some common errors of certain movements, so that clients don’t feel quite so alone if they can’t get a particular move right.
This may seem obvious but it’s important that you directly communicate with your clients every so often. If you have a fairly small client base and have the time to, you could suggest some live check-in sessions with each of your clients. This enables you to deliver a more personal and effective service as well as it being an excellent opportunity for you to get feedback on how you’re doing.
If your client base is too big to allow this, perhaps you could hold live sessions via social media every month or so. This gives your clients the chance to ask you questions and voice any concerns that they might have. Building some kind of personal relationship with your clients ensures that they stick with you and gives you ideas on how to grow your business, so it’s important to maintain some kind of contact with your audience.
So, are you ready to effectively grow and maintain a highly successful online personal training business? We know you’ve got this. Go and find your clients and give them the best training experience ever!
Premium Training Academy Ltd
T/A Create PT
Company No: 10872917
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