The rise in social media has brought with it a new opportunity: influencer marketing.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the concept “is like a hybrid of old and new marketing tools, taking the idea of the celebrity endorsement and placing it into a modern day content-driven marketing campaign. The main difference is that the results of the campaign are usually collaborations between brands and influencers.”
Influencer marketing can be powerful for brands big and small, as oftentimes, consumers are more open to learning about products from people they know, like and trust.
Which leads me to your fitness staff, who are great examples of individuals your members look up to. During a recent conversation with Tom Wingert, the vice president of marketing at City Fitness, he explained the brand’s personal trainers and instructors are viewed as powerful influencers — and therefore are utilized to push the gym’s content.
“Instead of partnering with an outside influencer, we instead go to our instructors who have 500 to 1,000 followers, and ask them to post about events on Instagram, as an example,” said Wingert. “We ask them to promote that event because the people who follow them are the members who love their classes. We do that kind of grassroots micro-influence work to build awareness of these events.”
So, the next time you have something to promote — whether it’s an event or specific product or service — instead of paying an outside influencer, consider utilizing your personal trainers and instructors with robust social media followings.
You may just experience better results, and save money in the long run.
Rachel Zabonick is editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
