The Twelve Pillars of Marketing Your Personal Training Business

The number one question I’m asked most often as a fitness business coach is “how do I attract more clients into my personal training business?” There’s no easy answer or one right way to do marketing. It takes a wide variety of activities and strategies in order to attract new clients to your business. These marketing activities are what I refer to as the Twelve Pillars of Marketing and will assist you with starting your fitness business and they are;

1) Events

2) Promotions

3) Media

4) Conferences/Trade shows

5) Advertising

6) Community

7) Networking

8)  Writing

9) Flyers

10) Partnerships

11) Website

12) Consistency!

To begin the process of marketing, first start with clearly defined objectives. For example, are you looking to add five more clients to your practice, market a new program or have more people sign up for your boot camp? Once you identify your objective then pinpoint your target market. Are you looking to attract the inactive, athlete, men or women of a certain age group? Then craft your marketing message that attracts those people to your business. Finally, clarify what’s unique about your offering by listing the benefits and results people will receive if they should attend your program. Once you have done some of this work you can then apply the twelve pillars of marketing. Here’s an example of how to apply the twelve pillars when marketing a boot camp program.

Steps to marketing your program.

Step One: Identify your objective

Step Two: Pinpoint your target market

Step Three: Craft your message

Step Four: Discover your unique offering

Step Five: Use the twelve pillars to market the program

Applying the Twelve Pillars

Event: Boot camp

Promotion: Bring a friend and receive 50% off the cost of registration.

Media: Partial proceeds from the camp will be donated to XXX charity for kids.

Conferences: Not applicable to this event

Trade show: Not applicable to this event

Advertising: Share the cost of an add with the charity.

Community: This could be wrapped up in how you message the boot camp. For example; let’s get our community in tip top shape.

Networking: Once you identify your target market, find networking groups to talk about the program.

Writing: Write an article for the local newspaper or trade publication about the benefits of exercising in a group setting.

Flyers: Chose businesses or locations in the area where you will be offering the boot camp class and post your flyers.

Partnerships: When you are at those businesses see if there’s an opportunity to create a partnership with them. For example, go to a local running store and offer to bring your bootcamp by after class for a quick show assessment.

Website: Promote the bootcamp on your website. Use lots of photos, testimonials and quick blurbs about the bootcamp. Speak about benefits and results.

The last pillar to consider is consistency. It’s the most important pillar and one that anchors any of your marketing efforts. Without consistency you have no focus, direction and will not see the result of your efforts pay off.

Using the twelve pillars of marketing is a powerful tool to spread your marketing message and get the word out about your services. Refer back to it everytime you think about marketing your business and I know you will be truly successful in your efforts.

PS: To receive your FREE copy of the 12 pillars of marketing template contact me edgefit@shaw.ca