Referrals are the lifeblood of any successful personal trainer or fitness business owner. No one likes a sales pitch from a stranger, but everyone loves a helpful testimonial from a trustworthy friend. Hands down, the best way for you to grow your business is to reel in new customers with referral marketing. The people who come through your doors are already excited because they heard about how great you are from a friend, so closing shouldn’t be a problem. Here are 10 tips for helping your fitness clients help you.
Were they motivated by a special deal or discount? Did they come because a friend recommended it? Are they trying to lose weight or maintain it? Is your location particularly convenient? The first step to successful referral marketing is knowing what works and continuing to do just that!
Often times, clients don’t realize how much we depend upon their referrals to keep our businesses thriving. Often, just asking them for their help is enough to start bringing new clients in. Make it easy by sending them gift cards for money off or a free trial. You want the deal to sound like a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Posting testimonials from each target segment is an effective way to improve your credibility. You can also run a campaign to reward clients who post favorable reviews on popular sites like Yelp, Angie’s List and Merchant Circle.
How did your fitness services positively impact someone’s life? A case study is like a testimonial, but it tells a third person account of the adversity a person was facing and how your program helped them overcome it. Perhaps you have a mother of three who always did for others and one day realized she was grossly overweight and unhappy. Or maybe you had a man who was told he’d have to go on blood pressure medication, but he was able to lose weight and improve his heart health solely through exercise. These stories resonate with prospects and help you land likeminded clients.
Everyone is looking for “value,” plain and simple. Communicate your benefits and features to consumers in your sales pitch and make sure your offer sounds like a deal that is too good to pass up. You want your clients to feel as though they can never possibly repay you for all the free services and life-changing additions you give them.
Are you getting walk-ins? Are people finding your website or social media page online? Are people looking up your location through Google Maps? Whatever channel is bringing people to you is the one you should be investing more money into.
Do your clients run in local 5-K races, attend fundraisers for charity, participate in walk-a-thons, or go cycling? Do they attend trade shows, conferences or nutrition seminars? You want to be everywhere your customers are. You want to be involved in the local community to increase your credibility and local profile.
Print ads are not totally dead, as some would have you believe. A well-placed ad can best compete in the market and entice new prospects. Even if you’re not advertising in a trade journal or magazine, you may partner with them to sponsor a local event.
Whether it’s a guest post, an affiliate deal, or a Groupon, you want to have a presence on your clients’ favorite websites.
Google Analytics is a MUST for anyone who is serious in the fitness business. You need to know what keywords people are typing into the search engine to find you. These valuable keywords can then become the crux of your content creation, website optimization and Google Adwords advertising.