How To Get More Personal Training Clients And Grow Your Business
With the growing popularity of working out, personal training services are also increasing. If you have ever considered becoming a personal trainer, now is the time! To have a successful business, you need a sustainable way to get more personal training clients.
This article will share five steps to help you start and grow your own successful personal training business.
Step 1 – Define Your Business
Know Your Market And Target Customer
Know Your Market and target customers as a first step to getting more personal training clients and growing your business
Knowing your market is the first step to getting more personal training clients and growing your business.
As a personal trainer or coach, you need to know whom you serve and what they need.
The best way to do this is by understanding their needs, wants, desires, and challenges. You can do this by speaking with them directly or by conducting market research.
Here are some questions that will help:
- What do they want?
- What’s important to them?
- Do you know their goals?
- What are their problems?
- What would they like to see done differently in their lives?
How do they feel about fitness? Are they happy with how things are going now? Would they like more support from a personal trainer or coach? Do they want guidance on how to achieve their goals?
As a personal trainer, you’re in the business of selling health and fitness. To do that well, you need to know your market and target customers as a first step to getting more personal training clients and growing your business.
Know Your Market
You may think everyone is the same, but they’re not. Some people look for immediate results, while others look for long-term improvement. Some want to lose weight and then maintain their weight; others want to get fit and strong to compete in an athletic event like a 5K or triathlon. And some people come to you because they’ve been injured in an accident or have other health issues that need addressing as soon as possible.
Learn As Much As Possible About Your Market By:
Looking at demographics — age, gender, income level — in the areas where you work out or want to work out (in person or online). Online communities can be beneficial here. Join them and learn what types of questions people ask and their concerns about their health or fitness goals.
Find Your Niche/Specialty/Techniques
The first thing you need to do is find your niche or specialty in the personal training realm.
This is so important because it will be hard for you to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by potential clients if you’re not a specialist.
So what can you specialize in? Here are some ideas:
Weight loss or body sculpting – this one is probably the most prominent and most common type of specialty because everyone wants to lose weight and get toned.
Athletic performance – if you’re an avid runner, cyclist, or athlete, then perhaps you could focus on helping other athletes improve their performance.
Post-pregnancy workouts – if you have experience working with post-pregnancy women, then there’s nothing better than being able to help them recover after giving birth.
Kids’ fitness programs – if you’re great with kids and helping them get fit, then maybe offering kids’ fitness programs would be a good move for your business.
So, here are some ideas:
- If you love training people with weight loss goals, focus on that.
- Do you enjoy helping people reach their fitness goals for a wedding or an event, focus on that.
- If you like working with seniors, focus on them. If you like training athletes and elite athletes, focus on them.
- Do you like working with kids and teens, focus on them!
Or maybe you love working with all types of people, no matter their age or where they are in their fitness journey? That’s great too! But that will inform your marketing. You will need to market yourself as a generalist.
The key to getting clients is to find your niche or specialty in the personal training realm. This could be a specific type of training, like weightlifting, or a specific population of people, like working with older adults.
Once you’ve identified what you want to specialize in, you can start marketing yourself as an expert in that area. You’ll want to ensure that everything you do online (and offline) reflects who you are and what makes you different from other trainers.
Where Do You Train?
When you are starting your personal training business, it is essential to know where you plan on offering your services.
If you want to be a mobile trainer, you need to ensure that you have the tools and equipment you need to train people wherever they are. To offer your personal training in gyms and studios, then make sure that those spaces fit you and your clients.
If you plan to offer your services at people’s homes, make sure that you have all of the equipment you need for those sessions.
Be clear about if you train at a gym, at your home gym, at clients’ home gyms, at public parks, etc. Make it clear, so potential clients know if you are the right personal trainer for them.
Step 2 – Invest In Yourself & Personal Brand
Invest In Your Education (And Then Tell People About It).
If you’re thinking about starting your training business, you should consider investing in your education as a personal trainer. The best way to do this is through a certification or degree program that will prepare you for your future career as a personal trainer.
You may be wondering why it’s essential to get certified or trained as a personal trainer. The fact is that people are more likely to trust someone knowledgeable and experienced than they are someone who isn’t. If you have a certification or degree, potential clients will know that they can trust you with their health and fitness needs.
Consider earning an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in kinesiology or exercise science from an accredited university. These programs will teach you about anatomy, physiology, and nutrition and how to design exercise programs based on this knowledge.
On your website and social media profiles, convey your educational background to help attract more personal training clients.
Help People, And Provide Advice Freely.
The best way to grow your training business is by becoming a trusted advisor.
This means you need to be willing to help constantly, approachable and offer advice freely. It will build your reputation as a helpful expert, which will help you get more clients for your personal training business.
If you’re not naturally inclined toward helping people, you may have to make an effort. Take the time to listen and provide feedback on their concerns or questions. You may even want to write down some tips for them so they can refer back to them later.
Your clients won’t always be looking for answers from you, but they must know they can count on you for help when they do.
Business Cards
Business cards are a great way to promote your personal training business. They are inexpensive and easy to make. They allow you to quickly and easily hand out your contact information to potential clients or employers. In addition, having a bunch of professional-looking business cards on hand is a great way to impress people who are interviewing you for jobs or clients who are considering hiring you as their personal trainer.
When selecting a color, remember that you’ll want to make sure it coordinates with your logo and overall branding strategy. If you’re having trouble coming up with a color scheme, then consider using one of these combinations:
**Blue and White
This combination is often used in athletic apparel and sports equipment because it looks crisp and clean. It also conveys professionalism and trustworthiness, which is perfect if you’re trying to attract clients who want personal training services for their children or elderly parents.
**Red and Black
This combination is another one that works well for athletic wear because it looks sharp and sleek without being too bright or flashy. Red also conveys passion and determination, so it can be used when marketing your services to people looking for motivation in their lives.
There are plenty of quality online options for creating and printing business cards. Consider Vista Print or Moo as great options for creating business cards for your personal training business.
Step 3 – List Your Business Everywhere It Matters
List Your Training Business In Online Directories Like Thumbtack, Yelp, Findyourtrainer.Com, Fitnesstrainer.com
Listing your personal training business in online business directories is a smart move because it’s a great way to get new clients.
That’s why it’s essential to make sure your business is listed in all the right places so that clients can find you.
Here are some of the best resources for getting your personal training business in front of potential clients:
- Find Your Trainer
- Yelp
- Thumbtack
- Fitness Trainer Finder
- Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile page is also an essential part of your digital presence. It’s where people go when they search for businesses in your area. If they find you on this page, they’ll get a snapshot of your personal training business, including your services, locations, and hours.
The best part? You don’t have to pay extra money to set this up — it’s free to create a basic profile with Google My Business.
Google My Business is a free service that helps you connect with customers, manage your online presence and make more money.
Google My Business will help you create a local listing for your business on Google Maps that shows up in search results. You can also add photos, videos, and other information about your business.
To get started with Google My Business, go to google.com/business and sign in with your Google Account. If you don’t have one yet, create one and verify it by entering an email address or mobile number.
Simple Professional Website
Build a simple website for your personal training business using Mighty Sites. Our system will let you deploy a simple, professional website for your small business in minutes.
You can have a professional-looking website that shows off your expertise and gets more clients in just a few clicks of the mouse. Your website is built on our easy-to-use platform, one of the most popular content management systems, making it easy to maintain and update over time.
The best part? You don’t need any technical knowledge or design skills to build a fabulous online presence! You need a computer with Internet access and our easy-to-use web builder tool that lets anyone create their professional-looking website within minutes.
Social Media Profile Pages
Social media can be a great way to get new clients, but it can also be a massive waste of time and money. If you don’t have the right strategy, it can be not easy to see results.
But suppose you know what you’re doing. In that case, social media is a powerful tool that can help you grow your personal training business. Here are five tips to get started:
Create social media business pages for your personal training business.
Make sure your profile on each platform is professional-looking and up-to-date with accurate information about your services, pricing, and location(s).
Use an engaging bio that includes keywords related to your industry and services to help people find you when searching for a personal trainer in their area (e.g., “Certified personal trainer in San Diego”).
Post regular updates on each platform to keep customers interested and engaged with content they want (e.g., motivate them with fitness tips or inspirational quotes).
Use hashtags that are relevant to fitness professionals (e.g., #fitness, #healthyliving)
Put Up Flyers On Bulletin Boards At Gyms, Health Food Stores, And Community Centers
You can get your name out there and attract new clients by putting up flyers in various places. Put up flyers for your personal training business on bulletin boards at gyms, health food stores, and community centers. You can also distribute flyers to local businesses to increase visibility and get new business leads.
**Get Creative with Your Marketing Materials
You can also use other marketing materials to spread the word about your business. For example, if you offer group fitness classes or boot camps, create promotional posters with the date and time of your next class and the location. You could even include a short description of what you’ll be doing in the class, so people know what they’re getting into before signing up for it.
Don’t be afraid to include an inspirational image in your flyer too. If you want to take things up a notch, consider creating a flyer that includes a picture of yourself holding your client as they do push-ups or squats. At the same time, they look up at you in awe of what they just accomplished! This gives potential clients an idea of what working with you will be like, but it also shows them that you’re capable of helping them achieve their goals in record time!
Step 4 – Build Word-Of-Mouth
Online Reviews & Testimonials
If you’re like most personal trainers, you probably have a passion for helping others reach their fitness goals. But if you want to grow your business, it’s essential to look beyond just training clients one-on-one.
Online reviews and testimonials are essential for any successful personal training business. They allow you to expand your reach, generate more leads and increase the awareness of your brand — all without having to spend a lot of time or money on marketing.
With that in mind, here are some tips for getting more online reviews and testimonials:
- Make sure you ask for them
- Offer incentives for leaving a review or testimonial
- Send follow-up emails after a session with a link where your clients can leave you a review.
Offer Free Trials To Onboard New Clients
If you’re looking to grow your personal training business, there are a few ways to do so.
One way is by offering free trials to new clients to help you grow your personal training business. You can attract more clients and get them hooked on what you have to offer before they even sign up for their first session by providing a free trial of your services.
Here are some tips on how to use free trials in your personal training business:
Offer a limited number of free sessions. Make sure that you offer enough sessions so that the client gets used to working with you, but not so many that they won’t want more once they’re finished with the trial period. A good rule of thumb is two sessions per week for six weeks or one session every other day for two weeks.
Offer group classes in addition to individual sessions. Offering group classes will increase the number of people who sign up for your free trial, which will increase the amount of money coming into your business each month. Plus, if any of these new clients decide to sign up for additional sessions once their trial has expired, they may also choose to purchase group classes from you!
Ask For Referrals
Having a solid network of connections is an essential part of business success. The more people you know, the more opportunities will come your way.
But how do you build that network? One way is by asking for referrals from your current clients.
Referrals are great because they’re free, don’t cost you anything at all, and are a lot easier to get than cold calls or cold emails. Suppose you have a good relationship with your customers. In that case, they’ll be happy to tell others about their experience with your business.
You might think asking for referrals is too pushy, but it’s not; it’s actually quite natural for people to refer others because we all like to help out friends and family. Most people want to feel like they’ve done good deeds, and helping others out is one way of doing this.
Stay Active On Social Media
Social media is a great way to reach new customers, but it can also help you to keep existing clients engaged.
Here are some ways you can use social media to build word of mouth for your personal training business:
Please take photos of your clients working out and post them on social media. Use hashtags like #fitnessgoals or #motivationmonday and tag them. This will help people discover your images and find out about your business.
Share articles or blog posts that mention personal training, bodybuilding, or fitness-related topics. This will not only help you get more exposure, but it will also allow you to show off your knowledge on these topics.
Make sure that all of your posts are relevant to the industry. For example, if there’s an article about how eating right can help prevent heart disease in women ages 45-65 years old, then share that!
Partner With Yoga Studios, Gyms, And Fitness Studios In Your Area.
Personal trainers are an integral part of many gym and fitness studio memberships. They’re also making a name for themselves as independent contractors in the fitness industry. This can be a great business opportunity if you have the right skills and personality.
If you’re thinking about starting your training business, here are some tips to help you get started:
- Partner with yoga studios, gyms, and fitness studios in your area to help build word of mouth for your personal training business.
These partnerships can be mutually beneficial and create significant opportunities for both parties involved.
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Join committees or boards at local health organizations such as athletic clubs and community colleges to meet people who might be looking for personal trainers in their area.
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Set up a Mighty Sites website that highlights your qualifications and credentials so potential clients can learn more about what makes you unique before signing up for sessions with you.
Reach Out To Physical Therapists, Nutritionists, And Chiropractors In Your Community For Referrals Or Partnerships.
Strategic partnerships are an effective way of growing your personal training business.
For example, my friend is a physical therapist. He works with people who have back pain or other injuries, and he helps them rehab their injuries and get back on their feet.
As a personal trainer, I often reach out to him when I have a client who needs physical therapy. This is not only good for referrals but also for marketing. When my clients see how well their PT is helping them recover from an injury, they want to return and work with me again.
Another partnership I have is with a nutritionist specializing in helping people lose weight by changing their diet and exercise habits. She has helped many of my clients lose weight quickly and easily by following her program for just two weeks. Many of them decide to continue working with her after the two weeks because they see how much progress they’ve made in such a short period.
Some other partnerships you can consider include partnering with chiropractors.
These partnerships work both ways and allow you to refer clients to them and for them to refer clients to you. It is a win-win-win. It is a win for your clients, your strategic partner, and a win for growing your personal training business.
Step 5 – Advertise
Promotional Products: Provide Promotional Products That You Know People Will Use While Working Out At The Gym.
An excellent way to get your name out there is by providing promotional products with your business name on them, like workout t-shirts, water bottles, and other accessories that people will use while working out at the gym. This will help promote your personal training business.
Facebook/Instagram Ads
The good news is that you don’t need a big advertising budget to get started with Facebook and Instagram ads. You need a few dollars and some time to invest in learning how to use them effectively.
If you’re new to paid advertising, here’s how it works: You set up an ad campaign consisting of an image or video and some text that will appear when someone sees the ad. You choose whom you want the ad to show up in front of (by location, age group, or other demographic factors). Then, once you’ve created the ad, Facebook and Instagram will automatically send it out to people who match your criteria. They’ll be taken straight to your website or landing page if they click on it.
Google Ads
You can use Google ads to promote your personal training business. You can target people who are actively looking for personal trainers or target people based on their interests and demographics.
The best way to use Google ads is to set up a website for your business and then use Google’s keyword planner tool to find relevant keywords. For example, suppose you’re a personal trainer in New York City. In that case, you could target keywords like “personal trainer NYC” or “personal training NYC.”
When someone searches for these terms on Google, they might see an ad from your business that says, “Get fit with [your name] today!” When they click on the ad, it will go to your landing page, where they can learn more about your services or sign up for a consultation.
Sponsor A Rec League Or Athletic Event
Sponsoring a rec league or athletic event is a great way to get your name out there about your personal training business. The key is to make sure that the event aligns with your brand and helps you reach your target market.
Here are some tips for choosing the suitable event or league to sponsor:
Look at the demographics of the event. If it’s a sports team, what age groups are represented? Are they primarily men or women? What types of people do you typically attract as clients?
Choose an event that matches up with your interests. If you love basketball, don’t sponsor a bowling league — it’ll just be uncomfortable and awkward for both parties involved! However, if you like golf and playing golf helps you relax after work, then sponsoring an annual charity golf tournament might be perfect!
Conclusion
It’s an exciting, challenging, and rewarding time to be a personal trainer. New technology has led to better education and improved health in many parts of society. Training professionals have embraced it, adjusted methodologies to reflect it, and now reap the benefits. But as anyone who has ever been a trainer can tell you: working with clients can present challenges at times. How to get new clients is one of the biggest.
Follow the steps and tips from this article to get more personal training clients and grow your business!