How To Promote PT Skills On Social Media

Whether you are entering the fitness industry and searching for your first client, or looking to grow your portfolio of clientele, social media is a great platform to market your personal brand or fitness business. But, while you may have a personal Facebook or Instagram account, establishing and growing a business account is a whole other playing field. So, in this article we share our 5 hacks for using social media to market your PT business;

#1 – Get Started On The Right Platforms

While there are A LOT of social media platforms that you don’t need as a business owner, Facebook and Instagram are the two main ones that you do! Not having a Facebook/Instagram presence is sort of like not having an online presence at all. So once you have your business name locked in, jump on these platforms and create your business page.

You will need a profile image (which could be your business logo if you have one already), and for Facebook, a cover image too – this is the larger banner like image at the top of the page. Be sure to have the same profile picture and name for both social channels, so people can easily identify that they are linked.

Write your Instagram Bio and Facebook ‘About’ section, summarising what you offer in a short and sharp way. Ensure you include your mobile number and email address so people can get directly in contact with you if they wish. Instagram allows you to add these details as buttons with a business profile, so be sure to utilise this feature to make contacting you as easy as possible.

TIP: While setting up your social media channels can be exciting, don’t get too carried away with joining a bunch of different platforms – just stick with one or two channels to start, you can always look to create other accounts (Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, TikTok) once your business is up and running.

#2 – Content Is Key

Content is one of the main areas that businesses fail on their social media, and it comes down to not having a social media strategy. NOTE: A social media strategy does NOT have to be a twenty page document illustrating what you would like your followers to gain from your content! It can be as simple a weekly template of what type of content you want to share, for example:

Monday = A Motivational Quote

Wednesday = A workout video

Friday = Healthy recipe idea

Saturday = Fitness Tip of The Week

Having a guide like this will ensure your content is consistent and covers the relevant key areas you are interested in i.e. Fitness, Nutrition and information via tips and workout videos. Keep in mind, that whilst publishing content every day is good, having great quality content is better, so think quality over quantity. Start by aiming for three posts per week, that are engaging and of interest to the audience you are trying to attract.

The timing of your posts is important too; think about when YOU use social media (before work, at lunch, in the evening) and publish your content around these peak times so you can maximise your engagement and reach.

TIP: When using social media to market your business, sharing your expertise is a great way to gain credibility and provide value to your followers i.e. sharing fitness tips. Another content tip; publishing video content is a great way to extend your reach and engagement further than just publishing images – so get filming!

#3 – Use Apps To Make Your Content Stand Out

Ever wonder how some businesses create their amazing quote graphics or fitness tips with eye-catching backgrounds to match the theme of their Instagram feed? Or how their images are so well edited, resulting in a high-quality image that stands out? While some may be paying a graphic designer to create these, or spending hours using Lightroom or Photoshop, there is a quick and FREE way to achieve this… Using apps on your phone!

To name a few apps that should be on your next download list:

•  Canva is our go-to for creating graphics, Instagram stories and so much more,
•  UNUM is great for organising and planning your IG feed ahead of time,
•  VSCO or Colourtone are our favourites for editing images.

TIP: These apps are all free for their basic uses, but most allow you to upgrade to use some premium features. Start with the free version and see how you go!

#4 – Be Consistent

Having a social media strategy is one thing, but executing it is another. So make time to create content for your social channels and plan ahead. Facebook Business Pages allows you to schedule posts up to six months in advance. That means no excuses for lack of content over the holidays or scheduled time off. There are also platforms such as Hootsuite and Later that allow you to schedule content on other social channels.

#5 – Engage On Social Media

Lastly, ENGAGE with your followers and other relevant profiles on social media. When someone comments on a post of yours, ensure you comment back or like their comment. Social media is a great place to reach new potential clients, but it is also a place to communicate with them and build rapport.

Liking and commenting on other relevant profiles and businesses is another great way to interact with those who are in the industry, while also extending your reach to more potential clients.

Like all technology, social media continues to evolve, with new features being developed regularly. To learn more about how to market your business using social media why not study our Fitness Business Essentials Course.

• Bio

AIF

The Australian Institute of Fitness

The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is the largest and longest established fitness training organisation in Australia, with dynamic training methods and expert course coaches nationwide - spanning fitness, massage and nutrition. The AIF qualifies more fitness professionals than any other provider in Australia, as well as offering a broad range of continuing education courses (CEC), upskilling resources and partnership programs for existing industry.