Four questions to ask yourself when creating fitness content.
Content is the lifeblood of most fitness businesses today in our virtual world. The way a customer connects with your social media accounts can be as important as how people connect with your trainers in your club or studio. But here is where it gets hard – what sort of content should you produce? How much content should you give away versus how much should you only offer to paying customers? Should you be humorous, emotional, goal driven or really build value around your business? Should I speak to customers or prospects on my pages?
The questions go on and on, but the answers are actually quite simple if you know what the ultimate goal of content is: connection. Connecting with people means speaking their language, getting them to relate so much that they not only engage, but become promoters for you as well.
Here are four questions every fitness professional should ask themselves when creating fitness content:
Do I know who my ideal client is?
Any time I create marketing material or content specific to my client, I need to have an extremely clear picture of who I am speaking to. Am I speaking to young professionals looking to try something new and edgy? Am I speaking to moms who need to stay functional to keep up with their kids? Am I speaking to men over 40 who need to get rid of the belly without hurting themselves doing “what they did in college?” Your messaging can easily be determined once you know your client and can identify the usual pain points and aspirations.
Am I speaking directly to my ideal client?
Especially when considering virtual offers, the mistake we see most business owners making is not evolving their messaging at all, or trying to cast way too broad of a net for marketing. Even the video testimonial of weight loss is not enough anymore. Every gym can “help you lose weight” and that is what most messaging is saying. What does your ideal client want to gain from training?
You need to be pretending your ideal client is standing in front of you. Your messaging needs to speak to your ideal client’s reason why they train, not only the physical results or feeling better. Can a middle age mom play at the park with her kids instead of having to watch them from a bench because of back pain? That is your message.
Does my content speak to my ideal client’s “why?”
As humans, we have a tendency to slip into habits of comfortability. It is hard for us to keep our eyes on a goal or achieve great things if we do not constantly remind ourselves what we are striving for and why we are striving to begin with. A huge component of impactful content is making sure to touch on why this piece of content helps them accomplish long term goals when presenting. For example, if I am giving a quick tip recipe for family snacks, I can tie into the end of the presentation that by doing this I am setting a good example for my family by living a healthy lifestyle and allowing us to have more quality time together and live a more fulfilling lifestyle. It may sound mundane, but these simple reminders keep your customers eyes on the prize in the long run.
Am I giving more?
Ask anyone who has been long term successful in business and you will find a trend in how they live their lives and run their businesses – they give more than they take. When creating fitness content for your audience, you should never be fearful that clients will take your tips and run with them without ever purchasing a membership. Will this inevitably happen? Absolutely, but what is the reason you got into business to begin with?
The absolute best fitness operators are the ones who are truly seeking to change lives. And those that change the most lives will reap the most benefit, so if you ever question whether or not you are producing too much content, be generous and then give calls to action to reach out to you by using your tips. The only long-term effective fitness programs are customized, so when abundance is your mindset, the more people you impact, the more business you will create.
Stay ahead in the fitness industry with exclusive updates!
Ben Ludwig is a leadership, sales and strategy expert. He currently acts as the Chief Operating Officer of Traction Group LLC, an F45 Training company, Serves as the Growth Pastor for CrosspointNow Network of Churches across Kansas, as well as owns multiple fitness businesses including those featured on Good Day Kansas and KWCH Channel 12 News. He also contributes regularly to fitness business magazines including Club Solutions, IDEA fitness magazine, Personal Fitness Professional (PFP), Club Industry Magazine, Gym Owner Monthly Magazine and Boutique Fitness Solutions. Ben also volunteers his time serving on multiple Boards of Directors and is open to contributing his time and expertise in causes he feels align with his values.
