Promoting your business when you are starting up takes just as much time as actually training clients if not more. If you can spend a good part of your week actually promoting then more clients will be attracted to your company and then gradually less and less time will have to be dominated by “selling”. As most of us in the fitness industry did not get into it to become salesmen/women but it’s an essential part of building a successful business.
Get out and meet people - simply means actually talk to people in your local gym or park. If you see people training try and start a friendly conversation and eventually drop in how to help them train and then give them your card and offer to help.
Free consultations – Giving people something for free that they think is especially valuable is a great sales technique. Go onto forums or sites that offer PT services and advertise that you offer free consultations with no obligations – it’s a winner every time.
Use a blogging site – setting up a blog is a great way to promote and hit a bigger audience, but make sure that the blogs you post are informative and actually help potential and current clients. Tips on healthy living etc. or new evidence always gets people’s attention.
Attend fitness exhibitions – if you cannot afford to get a table or demo space at fitness expos like Body Power then simply attending is a great way to network and find out what the competition is doing. Wear your company’s shirt and you will be surprised how many people approach you
Mail shot – most mail services offer the option of a mail shot. Where you can send out your leaflet to be delivered to people in a specific area. This can be particularly expensive when paying someone to do it. Or you can always go door to door yourself.
Become a resident expert – there are lots of health shops in the high street and it’s a good promotion technique to offer yourself for an hour to answer specific exercise questions to customers in return for being able to offer your card.
Social Media – such an obvious tip but a great way to hit a larger audience. Get a Facebook page and a twitter account specifically for your business. Use it to post offers and information for current and potential clients. Be careful not to spam the pages with useless info or people will unfollow.
Limited time offers – a great promotion technique is to use limited time offers or websites that offer a service such as Groupon. Though the competition is fierce for the fitness industry it can be a great way to promote your business. As people who do not buy are still seeing your company name and information.
Be your best asset – most business rely on assets to make them invaluable and successful. You are your only asset so make sure that you are the best you can be. Always be on time, respectful and make sessions fun and challenging.
Starting a business is hard and especially in today’s economy. But if you are prepared to put a lot of time and effort into without getting paid then the potential is huge. Most people struggle because they expect to be getting fully booked within the first few weeks. Be prepared to struggle and try to get some financial backing before you start so you’re not relying on being booked to start with. Put all of these things together and your business is just waiting to kick off!