Five “Web 2.0” Marketing Tips for Personal Trainers
By
Jim Labadie
The internet changes fast and personal trainers interested in harnessing its
power for marketing purposes need to keep up. The landscape has changed. Simple
websites that act as a static business card are no longer enough. People expect
rich content delivered to them in different forms of media. And they expect to
be able to participate with businesses and engage with them in an online
conversation. This is where the term “Web 2.0” comes from. It’s the new
internet—one where millions upon millions of people worldwide—and in your own
backyard—are having online conversations, sharing information, and holding
businesses more accountable.
The following five tips will help any personal trainer interested in making
“Web 2.0” part of their marketing plan:
Blogging: Static websites are extinct. Personal trainers who are just
now setting up their simple websites are several steps behind their competition,
who are using dynamic blogs. Word press blogs are the gold-standard. Not only do
the search engines love blogs but so do internet users. They allow for people to
get involved in the conversation online, and they allow your prospects to follow
along with the very latest developments in your business and the results that
your clients are getting.
Social bookmarking sites: Social bookmarking sites allow you to share
with an entire online community the content that you’re finding useful and
entertaining. And while you can social bookmark your own content to receive more
exposure online, you need to be very careful. A good rule of thumb is to
bookmark six other sites and content that you’re enjoying for every social
bookmark of your own.
While Digg.com seems to be the most well-known, fitness internet marketers
have found Stumbleupon.com to be the most used social bookmarking site for
people interested in fitness information.
Youtube.com: Yes, YouTube has been around for awhile now, but personal
trainers are still ignoring this incredibly powerful marketing tool. Not only
can you upload incredibly enticing videos of your training and boot camps, but
YouTube also allows you to include keywords that will help people in your local
area easily find you and your personal training business.
Facebook: Many business owners fail to see the value of Facebook. It’s
more than just a silly way to reconnect with friends from high school and
college. For business purposes, it’s an absurdly powerful way to show your
prospects and customers that you’re a real person with a real family. It’s a way
for people to get to know you. And people like to do business with those they
know, like, and trust.
Twitter: Like Facebook, Twitter is an incredibly powerful way to build
relationships online. It is a “micro-blogging” site that allows you to
frequently post what you and your business are currently working on. And it’s a
way to drive traffic to your blog or Facebook page so that people can get to
know you, like you, and trust you.
Lastly, Twitter has an advanced search feature that allows you to connect
with local people on Twitter—people who very well may become personal training
clients or joint venture partners. Simply put, Twitter can’t be ignored.
Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, sales expert, and speaker. To
discover the four things you must know about running profitable fitness
boot camps, please visit
http://www.howtoprofitwithbootcamps.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
