If you’re struggling to fill your fitness classes, you’re not alone. Starting out in the fitness industry is easy, but with the competition heating up, standing out requires more than just great workouts—it takes clever marketing. It takes social media marketing.
However, saying you need social media marketing is as vague as saying you need exercise. Below, we’ll give you seven specific social media marketing ideas for fitness classes that work. Whether you run yoga, spin, or HIIT sessions, these actionable tips will help you attract more students, build a loyal community, and grow your brand.
How do personal trainers get clients through marketing?
You’ve heard the social media marketing buzz before. Just pick your social media platform of choice and start creating fitness content. Your audience is going to view your content, see the value in it, and enroll in your fitness programs.
While that can certainly happen, what you should know is that social media marketing holds the potential to help your business in other indirect ways as well. Understanding them will not only help you tailor your content but also leverage it in the right way.
Here are some ways you may not have thought of with which personal trainers, fitness coaches, and gym instructors can get more business from social media.
Client referrals
The basis of all social media is that people share content with their networks or circles. People tend to share what they like, what inspires them, and what they feel reflects their personality in the manner they want to be perceived on social media.
If you’re a personal trainer and create content worth sharing, you can expect to get in front of not only your audience but also your audience’s network. Every time someone shares your content, it counts as a referral.
And guess what? Referrals are the most powerful form of marketing possible. A prospect can say no if you’re selling directly to them, but if you’re a referral through their network, they trust you already. Half your sales job is done!
Social media branding
Social media can get you new enrollments and referrals through your students who’ve seen the power of your fitness regime, but there’s something more. Being on social media, consistently creating content, and nurturing a community has the potential to turn you into a fitness ‘brand.’
Here’s a marketing secret: branding helps you sell more. In fact, 71% of people admit to buying more readily from brands they trust. Trust is the most significant psychological trigger, and when your brand value resonates with your audience, selling becomes effortless.
Don’t want to turn yourself into a symbol or logo? Consider this: once you’ve established yourself as a brand, you can slap that logo or symbol on products and create your own line of fitness merchandise to supplement your revenue and create a community. How does that sound?
Content creation
Social media can get you enrollments for your fitness classes, it can get you referrals, and it can turn you into a brand. However, when you start creating content on social media, you also stand to grab a healthy slice of the creator economy pie.
When you consistently produce high-quality and informative content on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, you can start generating a following. Once that happens, several avenues open up.
You can leverage the platform’s built-in content monetization options. You can have your content sponsored by attracting brands aligned with your fitness niche. You can sell affiliate products. Also, you can divert traffic to your own website.
Once you understand fitness marketing, the options are endless. The only challenge here is coming up with ideas for consistent content creation. Here are ten content marketing strategies to start you off!
How to market yourself as a personal trainer on social media: 7 tips
If we’ve convinced you to start social media marketing, the next question on your mind should be about how to get started. Here are a few tried and tested tips that get results going quickly.
Share helpful fitness tips
Are you an evidence-based strength coach or a functional training expert? Whatever your discipline, start sharing helpful tips about it with your tribe. Visual content is incredibly effective, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend an excessive amount of time.
Make snappy videos. YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, and Snapchat spotlights are all very effective. Short-form video content also gets 2.5 times more engagement. The same principle applies to infographics, funny memes, and even inspiring stories. The only thing to keep in mind is providing value to the users and demonstrating your expertise in the field.
If you’re unsure about where to start, address your audience’s most common pain points. When you have a following, ask them directly what your next social media post should be about, and if you’re making videos, don’t forget to add captions so they can see your videos even without sound!
Create exercise videos
If you feel like you have more to say, go for the longer exercise videos. You can demonstrate proper techniques, share different workout splits, and even offer valuable nutritional advice that helps your audience get faster results.
If you need more ideas, start creating content that caters to different fitness levels. For example, you could create beginner-friendly routines alongside more advanced challenges. Alternatively, you could exclusively target the evergreen videos niche.
If you have the expertise, don’t let the lack of video equipment hold you back. You don’t need expensive equipment to get started. Use your smartphone and ensure good lighting. You can always add subtitles or voiceovers to explain and highlight key points later.
Establish a niche for your brand
When you start posting on social media, you’ll generate some viewer metrics. Here’s when you need to start tweaking your strategy a bit. Observe carefully who’s watching and engaging with your posts.
Are your posts resonating with busy professionals or new moms? Are you getting a lot of content requests from the under-25 age group? Or are seniors loving your yoga for mobility and longevity concept?
No matter what you initially thought your niche was, this is the time to incorporate those who are viewing your content. Make your posts for them. Address their pain points, use specific hashtags, and collaborate with other influencers they like to increase your visibility.
Engage with your audience
It’s not enough just to post content, though. You need to actively interact with your followers to create a sense of community and trust. Encourage commenting, liking, and DMs, but also respond to those comments, answer those DMs, and acknowledge all mentions.
‘Give to get’ is the golden rule for social media success. If you don’t know how to engage, post a poll or ask a question. Then, acknowledge your community’s inputs and responses. Ask, receive, appreciate, then repeat!
One great way of creating content while engaging your community is hosting live sessions. Tackle commonly asked questions in real time to show your expertise. Record these and post them as long-form videos, convert them into sharply written posts, or turn them into infographics.
Post strategically and often
So, you’re making social media posts, posting them, and engaging with a lively community. If you’re doing it right, you should be feeling a little pressure about the time it all takes and asking yourself, how often do I really need to post?
It’s time to get organized. Start by creating a content calendar to map out all your posts. Plan a mix of content types, such as workout tutorials, client testimonials, fitness tips, and motivational posts. Each type serves a purpose: tutorials demonstrate your expertise, testimonials build credibility, and motivational posts inspire your audience.
Varying your content also keeps your feed fresh and engaging. Posting times matter, too. Analyze your audience’s activity patterns to determine when they’re most active and post accordingly. Don’t get overwhelmed, though, as in fitness, so in social media posting, consistency is everything.
Start a fitness contest
If you’ve been posting consistently for a while, you’ll need ideas to keep the momentum going. Also, now is the time to start working on converting some of those viewers into paid customers of your fitness classes.
So, start a fitness challenge. Challenges work in all industries but are especially effective in the fitness industry. Contests create excitement and a sense of community. They’re like interactive trailers for your fitness classes.
They encourage your audience to participate actively. Plus, when your participants start getting some results, they’ll share their journey, which further feeds the community spirit. Once you’ve established that your fitness classes can get results, half the deal is done!
Supplement social media with local SEO
If you’ve done the above, give yourself a pat on the back, and get ready to give your marketing another boost by doing local SEO. While you attract online clients through social media marketing, local SEO will help you attract clients in your area.
This strategy ensures that your online presence extends beyond social platforms, making it easier for people to find you through search engines. 93% of all web traffic still comes through search engines. You can’t ignore that.
So, make sure to create a full Google Business Profile with accurate contact information, business hours, and a compelling description of your services. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews, and don’t forget to thank them when they do.
Marketing fitness classes? Ranq can handle your SEO and content creation
When your social media marketing takes off, you’ll be ready to pull all that buzz and traffic to your website or fitness classes’ landing page. A well-optimized website or page will ensure that you convert all that hard-earned traffic to paying customers.
We know you’re a fitness expert. We’re Ranq, and we specialize in SEO and SEO-friendly content creation. Partner with us to market your fitness classes, and guess what? We can take care of your entire marketing cycle as well. This means we start with marketing ideas for your fitness classes, then create a customized strategy that works for you and execute it for you as well. Get in touch with us to start your fitness class marketing journey!