5 Ways to Get More Online Training Clients

Jun 1, 2018

By Tim Saye



Research shows that over 60% of the UK’s population is overweight, 26% of whom are obese. In the US the obesity rates according to the latest statistics are over 36%. Many of these individuals feel uncomfortable attending a traditional gym and look for a private and non-intrusive exercise experience. If you're a personal trainer and you don’t cover this demographic, you may be missing out on both business growth opportunity and helping those who need it the most.

Online Personal Training could be a great solution for this population. Through an online medium, you can disperse valuable fitness-related information about exercise, posture, nutrition, supplement intake and recovery. You can even create virtual communities so like-minded people can connect with you and with each other, understand they don’t have to battle through their journey alone and receive the support and accountability they need to stick to their health and fitness goals.

If you've already recognised how creating services for people who are happier to communicate from behind a laptop can help you take your fitness business to the next level, here are 5 easy and budget-friendly ways to build your online audience and attract more potential clients to your fitness business.


Live Stream on Social Media or Start Your Own YouTube Channel


According to statistics, videos have helped 97% of marketers increase product/brand awareness and 76% to improve web traffic and purchase rate. Respondents on average claim that they watch 1.5hrs of video content per day while for 15% that number is up to 3 hrs.

Even if you don’t feel you have the skills to produce quality video content just yet, it may be time you start working on it now. Majority of people who consume content online are already in favour of learning about new products in a video format and that will only increase in the next few years.

If you think about it, you can provide more value in much less time, not to mention that visitors can see you and relate to you as a person instantly. From introduction videos, through video blogging to live stream updates you can capitalise on video content in many ways.


Leverage the Power of SEO


Research shows that 93% of all online browsing experiences start with a search engine and 47% of prospect clients check several contents created by the company whose product they are interested in before getting in touch. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) doesn’t need any more selling. You simply must do it if you’d like to be seen by people who are already looking for your services online.

If you’d like your online training website to rank on page #1 of Google, your online presence needs to be consciously focused towards driving more traffic to your web pages, including the use of the right keywords at strategic places on your website, on-site SEO, description of your blogs and even in your hyperlinks and URL.

Incorporating long-tailed keywords in your content is also a great idea. More than 50% of all searches include 4 words or more. While these may be less efficient in converting, those that land on your website through these long-tailed keywords may better match your ideal clientele.

Using location keywords in your content can boost your SEO ranking so long it’s relevant. Include your locations and keywords in your Metadata and URL. One thing to remember however, your keywords need to blend in smoothly with your content and be relevant to what the page or the blog post is about.


Implement an Influencer Marketing Campaign


Social media influencers are a great way to reach out to your prospects online. When people see your brand being mentioned by a renowned fitness influencer, they are more likely to check-out your online personal training website. They are also more likely to read any content you’ve written in your blogs.

Influencer marketing on Facebook accounts for 19% of all global purchases and 80% of micro-influencers claim they use Instagram for their original content. Pick the one that you are comfortable to use.

Visit these platforms and give your favoured fitness influencers a shout-out. You can tag them in your posts, engage with them on their profiles or even ask them to guest blog for you or promote you on social media. This is where the quality of your content will play a big role, so before quoting them, make sure your graphics, pics, videos and written content are top notch, high quality and look appealing to the eye.


Actively Engage with Prospects on Social Media


People love it when personal trainers and fitness professionals respond to their comments and interact with them online. This adds a personal feel to the marketing campaigns run by your brand and further cement the relationship between you and the prospect. Remember, people make purchases based on trust, likes and awareness.

When members of your audience comment on your post or like your status, thank them. If they’ve asked a question or posed an alternative theory/argument, politely respond to their message and use education techniques to widen their horizon. If they’ve tagged a page or person in your post, visit the person/page and interact with them too. Like your prospects’ comments and activities on your wall.

All of this will increase your visibility online. It’s been observed that some of the most-successful online trainers are the ones who are the most interactive, accessible and present.


Provide Customised Discounts on Your Online Channels


An excellent way to get more your online personal training clients is to incentivise the contact. Studies show that brands are 8X more likely to get conversions if they provide coupons to prospects as rewards for their first purchases.

There are many ways to discount your services. When done wrong, you may end up with many newbie clients who were interested purely on price. Better approach is to only offer it in exchange of a certain action, to a selected group of people and/or as part of a soft offer to already warm and qualified audience.

An example could be a limited time offer for the members of your free support group when they invite new members into the group.

You could also provide referral codes to your existing clients and ask them to refer new clients to you. A referral code, which, for example, gives 10% discount on the month’s membership fees to both the referrer and the person referred, is a great way to attract new clients and retain old ones.

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