(Editors' Note: This sponsored article is part of Club Industry's report, "The Changing World of Personal Training." To download this free report, go here.)
Everyone knows social media marketing is important. It's the biggest, most financially savvy medium available, and it is utilized by top businesses around the world.
Perhaps the trendiest strategy in digital marketing today is the leveraging of the influencer. The term gets tossed around a ton. The definition is straight forward: somebody who can influence the purchase decisions of a massive following. Yet some mystery and hesitation continue to surround influencers: Who are these people? How do I find the right ones for my brand? Which platform should I target? Can I trust them? If so, what should I be asking of them?
Researching, coordinating with and directing a social influencer strategy can be an overwhelming and time-consuming job with everything else you are doing to drive results for your club. The good news is that you don't need to go far to find the perfect influencers for your business. In fact, they're already working with you — your personal trainers and fitness instructors.
Instructors with Influence
Some of your staff members may already be Internet famous and have a massive audience, but more likely, your staff fall into the tier of micro-influencers—those who have a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand followers. Micro-influencers are valuable due to their heightened relevance on a local level; that is to say that their audiences are much more local, relevant and actionable than the wide and varied audience someone like The Rock may be broadcasting to. Sure, he has millions of followers, but how many of them live close enough to your club to come in and try a new class or buy that first pack of personal training sessions? Probably few.
These mighty micro-influencers are not only more relevant to your target audience, but as your trainers and instructors, they also have a vested personal interest in sharing enthusiastically about your club on their social networks — and if they don’t, they should.
Building Bodies and Brands
Trainers or instructors who aspire to high levels of success know that building their reputation online is the foundation of creating a personal brand. Although organic word of mouth can help, establishing their expertise and effectiveness by sharing success stories on their own accounts will fast-track the process.
Not only will creating social media evangelists increase online awareness, it can also act as both a new business driver and member retention tool. What better way to prove people should be working with you than to show it firsthand? What better way to keep a client coming back than to show them just how far they’ve come?
Above all, empowering the members of your team to build their own brand through social media comes full circle to benefit you as an owner. When people search for your club on social media, they should see post after post of reasons why they should be working out at your club with your trainers. As your group fitness classes fill up day after day and your trainers’ books of business grow, so does your revenue.
Getting Started
Your trainers and instructors are already influencing members in your club. Now it’s time to get them to influence your social media network. Here are a few ways to encourage them:
- Create a quota. Set concrete expectations that staff can use as guidelines, such as sharing twice a week.
- Suggest topics. Theme certain days to inspire content, such as Motivation Monday or Flex Friday.
- Show support. Affirm efforts made by liking and commenting on staff posts, and even re-sharing them on your brand accounts.
BIO
Austin Smith is the director of enterprise accounts (fitness) at UPshow. UPshow is a member engagement platform built to drive outcomes that matter most to your fitness club. One small, plug-and-play device transforms TVs within your business into powerful marketing and entertainment assets. To learn more or request a custom demo, visit upshow.tv/fitness.
