When it comes to social media for personal trainers, there’s more noise than ever. With so much competition, it can be tough to stand out and differentiate your PT business…
The good news is, quantity and quality aren’t the same things. There may be lots of fitness posts on social media, but let’s be honest… the majority aren’t that good.
This presents a great opportunity to take advantage of. By being strategic and focusing on quality content, you’ll immediately stand out.
In this article – we share 7 essential social media tactics and content ideas that’ll boost PT revenue and expand your client list…
The truth is that most personal trainers on social media don’t have a marketing strategy. There isn’t a considered plan behind what they’re posting – they mainly share whatever they feel like on a given day.
This means that their social media activity isn’t supporting their business goals in the way it should be. So simply by having a strategy, you’ll immediately gain an advantage over everyone else!
We handle quite a bit of social media marketing for personal trainers, as well as fitness studios and equipment brands. Over time we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, the best topics to post about, and how to continually come up with new ideas.
So, let’s dive into some fundamental elements of our proven approach. We’ll discuss 7 essential tactics to use as part of your personal trainer social media marketing strategy. Whether you want to get more clients, address common objections, or develop your professional network, these tactics will help…
Social Media For Personal Trainers – Types of Post
Social media channels are really crowded and there’s a lot of competition in the fitness space. So before posting, it’s important to clarify WHY you’re doing it. What’s your end goal? If you’re unsure then check out this article on fitness marketing strategies for a step-by-step guide.
Most fitness-related posts on social media fall into one of seven categories – inspire, interact, entertain, educate, promote, persuade, and network.
These 7 categories or ‘tactics’ cover a variety of business goals and also form the basis of our downloadable social media kits. By mixing up the types of content you post, you’ll appeal to a wider range of clients. Let’s look at each of these social media tactics for personal trainers in more detail…
#1 – Inspire
These types of posts motivate followers to believe in their own abilities and take meaningful action. They’re designed to take people from the “I’m thinking about it” stage to “I’m going to do something”. This ‘something’ might be to start training with you, join a small group PT class, or sign up for weekly meal plans.
What to post ⇒ Inspirational or funny quotes are really popular in the fitness sector. Although they can seem overused (especially on Instagram), they still resonate with audiences. Client success stories, case studies, or ‘before and after’ photos are also good examples of posts that can inspire your followers.
#2 – Interact
Although social media is a great platform for promoting your personal training business, it shouldn’t be a one-way conversation. So make a conscious effort to create posts that encourage your followers to interact. You’ll not only learn more about them (which can inform your product or service offering) but also build genuine relationships and encourage loyalty.
What to post ⇒ Asking questions, holding Q&A sessions via live video, or Facebook and Twitter chats are all great ways to do this. You can also hold quick polls where followers vote for your next training program theme, choose their favourite promo poster designs, or which piece of fitness equipment they’d most like to try.
#3 – Educate
A key benefit of social media for personal trainers is the potential to showcase your expertise. One way to position yourself as a credible authority on fitness is by providing educational info.
The best educational content also helps clients achieve a quick win and sets them on the right path towards their goals. That way they associate you with their own success and will be more likely to work with or recommend you to others.
What to post ⇒ Workout videos, exercise tips, and healthy recipes are the go-to content in this area. But you can also share fascinating facts or scientific research findings (in plain English) too. Provide your own commentary on trending topics, such as whether sugar, carbs, or steady-state cardio are really the devil. If you’re trying to attract local clients, then consider sharing running or cycle routes for your area.
You might also like… 7 Tools That Make Marketing Easier For PTs & Coaches.
#4 – Entertain
Show your personality and make your followers chuckle with entertaining content. These types of posts make your brand more personable and memorable. They’ll stand out in a crowded news feed and are also more likely to get shared too.
Just be mindful that not everyone has the same sense of humour so what’s funny to you may not be funny to others. On the one hand, this can be a great way to separate your ideal clients from those who aren’t, but it can also backfire too. So stay well away from anything that could be controversial or alienate people.
What to post ⇒ Funny gifs, memes, quotes, videos, and quizzes – anything lighthearted that your ideal clients will find entertaining. Social media for personal trainers doesn’t need to be stiff and corporate, so choose entertaining posts that reflect your personality.
#5 – Promote
This is where you get to promote products or services. They might be your own, but could also be affiliate partners or other strategic business partnerships too. It’s best to follow the 80:20 rule here, so limit your promotional posts to a maximum of 1 in 5.
What to post ⇒ Most personal trainers post about the features and benefits of their offering. But people don’t generally like to be blatantly sold to, so think about sharing other aspects (such as your own story about why you created it). The best promotional posts are actually wrapped up as another type of post, such as educational or inspirational content that relates back to your product or service.
#6 – Persuade
These posts are intended to persuade followers who are sitting on the fence about purchasing or signing up. They differ from promotional posts as they address common objections, misconceptions, or frequently asked questions.
The idea of sharing content like this makes some people nervous… They worry that openly discussing reasons not to buy might put off potential clients.
But we believe in marketing with integrity, which means being transparent and honest about your offering. Most people will appreciate your openness and think more positively of you for it.
In fact, this can actually be a great way to differentiate your fitness business from the competition! And the truth is that as long as you have persuasive responses that address the objections or misconceptions, then you’ve nothing to worry about anyway.
What to post ⇒ FAQs, fact .vs. fiction, and fitness testimonials all work really well.
#7 – Network
When it comes to social media for personal trainers, networking with other businesses is essential. It’s a lot harder to be successful if you do everything alone. By partnering up with other businesses or health and fitness professionals, you can create mutually beneficial relationships.
What to post ⇒ Make a list of other social media accounts that you could partner up with strategically. They might be nutritionists, chiropractors, food bloggers, or smoothie bars. You might decide to share each other’s content so that your reach is extended and you get in front of more potential customers. You could run a competition together, promote one another’s special offers, or offer exclusive pricing to each other’s followers.
Social Media For Personal Trainers – 7 Key Tactics
Combining these tactics and content ideas can help you position yourself as an authority, get more clients, and keep them loyal too. Social media for personal trainers doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does benefit a little pre-planning.
By posting a mixture of content that inspires, educates and entertains, people will be more likely to follow and share your posts. By networking and encouraging interaction, you’ll develop meaningful client and business relationships. And by using social media to promote and persuade, you’ll see immediate revenue benefits.
Want more fitness marketing ideas that’ll drive business results? Then download our free ebook for 80+ practical ideas including advertising, events, and social media for personal trainers.
Or check out our social media kits. They make it easy to drive leads, engagement, and loyalty for your fitness business. Ideal for busy PTs and studio owners, they enable you to benefit from our marketing agency expertise for a fraction of the usual cost. The ready-made personal trainer social media posts save you time and effort – learn more here.
