Personal Trainers: Everything you need to know about Social Media

Nowadays, a good presence of personal trainers on social media can make the difference between a successful career and a disappointing one.

This, regardless if you work on a gym or several, or even if you are self-employed.

In any case, to be successful as a personal trainer you need clients.

And, without a doubt, social media has an important - and fundamental - role in this process.

Just look at the total number of people (in millions) active in the main social networks at the beginning of 2021, according to Statista.

Why use Social Media?

Social media is free, simple, and entertaining, so it's not surprising that people of all ages, social profiles, and locations are there.

As such, to reach your target audience and increase your number of followers, try the strategy of social media specialist, Gary Vaynerchuck.

In his book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook - How To Tell Your Story In A Noisy, Social World”, the author states that the best way to succeed is to “give, give, give, give, ask”. This means you give content, give information, provide value, and when you finally ask for something in return, your followers will be more willing to do what you ask them.

You should not follow the path of most people. Most people try to sell their products or services in every post. You will wear out your audience really fast and they will engage less and less with your content.

6 tricks to boost your presence on social media

Personal trainers must take advantage of their social media platforms to create relevant content, which will attract the attention of followers who are potential customers. 

The world lives on the Internet, so anyone can be a potential customer, provided that certain assumptions are subsequently fulfilled.

First of all, it's crucial that you understand that you must remain true to what you are and your values. Don't try to be someone you're not. 

1. Establish your USP

Your entire marketing communication should be built upon your USP, Unique Selling Proposition.

What this means is that you must identify what makes you different from other Personal Trainers.

You need to have a clear USP. Think about these 4 questions when you're creating your USP.

Why should I listen to you? 

Why should I do business with you instead of anybody else?

What can your service do for me that no other service can do?

What can you guarantee me that nobody else can guarantee?

2. What to publish

If you want to build loyalty and gain the trust of your followers, you must create relevant and valuable content that responds to the needs, doubts, and even problems of your audience.

So... Where should you start?

Pay attention to the questions that people ask you, read the comments they write, search sports forums, read relevant magazines and sports publications, and, of course, see what the competition is doing.

This will allow you to collect several ideas to be able to establish which strategy you should follow, as well as what content you should create.

3. Content format

As for the format, there's no magic formula here to tell you to do this or that.

It all depends on what your audience enjoys the most. They will react differently to texts, photos, videos, graphics, lives, contests, customer testimonials, interviews. So, you should try different formats, in order to understand what works best.

The best way to get organized is to create a file: what you publish and when, and include the performance for each of the posts: likes, comments, shares ... Then, after a few weeks, you can analyze what works best for you.

4. When to publish

Here, it also depends from person to person when you should publish your content.

However, social networks are here to give you a little help. 

Some of the most used social media today, such as Facebook and Instagram, provide statistical data that allows you to identify the answers to these and many other questions.

This data includes gender, age, location, and even the time of day when they are most active. All of this must be taken into account when creating a digital marketing strategy. 

As far as schedules are concerned, keep in mind that when you post something you should be available for the next hour to respond quickly to questions, comments, and direct messages that may come.

Likewise, how often you decide to post content is up to you: your availability, your goals.

The most important thing is to be consistent. Just like working out, to see results, you need consistency and discipline!

5. Publish original content

Repetitive and old-fashioned content is unlikely to help you achieve your goals, gain more followers and, consequently, increase the number of potential customers on your social media.

As such, new and interesting content that adds value to your followers is fundamental and extremely important to build your reputation and recognition for everyone.

So, instead of replicating what has already been said in other profiles, take advantage of your platforms to share original content: new information, new tips, new exercises, new workout suggestions, or even new perspectives on the knowledge that is not exactly new.

6. Engage with your audience

Having a static profile that just posts content and pays no attention to the interactions of your followers is one of the biggest mistakes you can make on social media. People like to be valued and to feel that their doubts and questions matter and are being answered.

Therefore, we have already told you that you should post on times that allow you to have some flexibility to answer these requests.

Don't just talk to your followers, engage with them, and show that you are available to establish a virtual relationship that, when well-worked, can become a paying relationship of a customer-personal trainer. 

And yes, this implies time and dedication, without any guarantee.

However, it is a strategy that will allow you, as a personal trainer, to get more clients and gain an incomparable reputation in the world of working out.