Month: September 2015

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Being a personal trainer is an active profession – you are on your feet every day, exercising clients, and using a range of equipment. There is little ‘desk work’ involved which is why many people choose to become a trainer, but it subsequently means it is a career with more risks. On your part, if you were to sustain an injury, albeit in a gym or not, you would be unable to train, work, and make money. On your client’s part, they could sustain an injury or be involved in an incident and chose to file a claim against you or your gym.

We’ve had a think about the most likely questions you will need to ask a trainer concerning insurance to help you decide what sort of cover you need:

1. What is Liability Insurance?

We have liability insurance for everything – our car, house, even life itself. As personal trainers, protection against a claim is a must. This could arise from inadequate supervision or instruction, equipment malfunction, improper use of equipment, sexual harassment, and more…so it is essential to be covered! There are two levels of liability insurance: General and Public. Although General is better than nothing, we recommend a Public policy which has more coverage and is better for a nationally certified personal trainer.

Your profession involves giving fitness and nutrition advice, and it is wise to cover yourself in any unthinkable case that may arise. For example, if you suggest that a client eats more oranges to increase their Vitamin C intake, and it turns out they are allergic to oranges and fall ill, you may have a costly court case on your hands – and General Liability insurance will not cover you. Insurance for personal trainers, by contrast, includes everything: it provides cover for injury or damage to third parties (eg. persons other than employees) or their property; includes cover for damage to premise hire, and all legal fees related with defence settlements.

At Protectivity, our policy offers you Public Liability cover up to £1m (with the option to increase up to £10m) with zero excess.

2. Do I need Professional Indemnity insurance?

In short, yes. As a trainer, your business functions around giving advice and offering a professional service. This kind of cover will protect you against the cost of a claim of negligence, or a mistake that may leave your client out of pocket. You may have done nothing wrong, but the cost of defending yourself against these claims can be high. Professional Indemnity insurance for sports trainers means you are able to give advice, instruction, and tuition to your clients without worrying about any consequences.

3. I work at a gym that is insured, so do I still need insurance?

Again, yes. Certainly, if you are not an employee of a gym, but still use it to train your clients, the gym’s insurance does not cover you and you’ll be unprotected if a client sues for something that is your fault. If you are an employee of a gym, the insurance still might not cover you and even if it does, the coverage is likely to be minimal. Remember, even if you are both employed and covered by a gym, you still will not be covered when working with a client outside of that gym (eg. in a park).

4. Am I protected if my clients have signed a waiver that exempts me from being at fault?

Unfortunately, not quite. When signing a waiver release, a client is signing their right to seek compensation under any circumstances that are foreseeable at the time of signing, within reason. Therefore, if taken to court, any client could simply claim that when they signed the waiver, they did not know that a piece of equipment was broken, for example. Although useful documentation, it is wise not to rely on waiver release forms as a means of protection.

At Protectivity, we can cover you for a range of activities, from Aqua Aerobics to Body Balance to Sports Therapy to Kettlebell Training. You simply take out a personal trainer insurance policy and you’ll be protected should a claim arise following an injury to a member of the public or one of your clients. Our expectation is that you hold a certified qualification in the activity you are instructing.

Tools of the Trade/Equipment: You can increase the value of equipment covered, should you wish, by dragging our customised slider. It provides cover for sports equipment that you specifically use to carry out the activities for which you are insured. Please note, it does not cover electrical items (eg. laptops, sound systems, iPads). The maximum value is £30,000 which has an excess of £100.

Personal Accident: You can choose to add Personal Accident cover to any policy, which means you will be protected should an accident occur whilst you are carrying out the activities for which you are insured.

Overseas Extension: If chosen, this will provide cover outside of the UK, but you must be a UK resident. Cover is limited to 30 days during the annual period. There is the option of overseas extension to Europe, or Worldwide (excluding USA).

Get Personal Trainer Insurance from Protectivity

*Disclaimer – This blog has been created as general information and should not be taken as advice. Make sure you have the correct level of insurance for your requirements and always review policy documentation. Information is factually accurate at the time of publishing but may have become out of date.

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08:28:43 GMT • 15 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

The Resources Needed to Organise Your Own Sports Event

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

24 September 2015

•

4 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Sports events have the ability to bring together the masses, whether they are record breakers or simply looking to achieve. Often sports events can be used to celebrate, achieve or raise money. Whatever the objective, any sports events require a lot of resources to make it a success.
Here are just some resources that you will need to make your event one to remember. The exact requirements will depend on the size of event, activities that are included and location but these are the basic elements to consider as part of the planning process.

About us

Protectivity is a specialist in niche commercial, leisure, and lifestyle insurance. We cover thousands of individuals and small to medium size businesses across the UK, offering a range of tailored insurance products such as Event Insurance to protect our customers against unforeseen events.

Venue – ensure that you have all of the necessary permissions to hold an event at the venue you have chosen and that all the relevant authorities have been notified. Contact the local council for details of any licences that might be required.
Advertising – Put in place a strategy to advertise the event. Contact the local paper, use social media and promote through sports clubs to reach as many people as possible.
Insurance – There will be a minimum amount of sports event insurance required to cover any incidents during the event and protect the organising committee in the event of cancellation for reasons beyond your control. Policies can be tailored depending on requirements, visit our Sports Event Insurance page for more details. You will need at least public liability to cover injury or damage.
Staff – don’t underestimate how much support you will need to make your event a success. Depending on the time of the event you are planning, you will need marshalls, first aiders, administrators and security (see below). Ensure that staff you recruit are reliable and hold all of the necessary qualifications (ie. First aiders). Where possible utilise volunteers – get in touch with local schools, universities and sports clubs as these are often a great source of volunteers.
Health and Safety – conduct a full risk assessment to consider any potential issues and how they might be overcome. Advice can be found on the Health and Safety Executive site.
Security – depending on the size of your event and the profile of athletes attending, you might require a security presence to help manage the event. Ensure that you use a reputable agency for this and that they have all of the necessary licences and insurance in place. .

Here are some other great hints and tips to consider too when organising your sports event:

Have a wet weather plan – can the event still go ahead in the event of rain, or even snow?
Invite the local paper – get them to come along and take pictures and get a write up to help raise the profile of the event. This is really helpful for annual events especially as you can drive interest for the next year!
Consider what refreshments you will provide and who will supply them.
Enjoy it! Once all of the planning is over enjoy the event.

So, when you are planning your next sports event, ensure that you have considered the basics and have the right cover in place.

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09:40:44 GMT • 11 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

How to successfully market your martial arts business

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

23 September 2015

•

5 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

There seems to be some consensus that martial arts businesses are more likely to become broke than to succeed, but this does not mean that you can’t have every success with yours. Being broke should not be synonymous to running a martial art school, no matter how many excuses can be made…the economy! You can’t make money in this industry! There’s too much competition! Well, entrepreneur.com reports that martial arts as a sport is second only to golf in terms of number of new participants over the past decade, so if you’re familiar with the ancient rules of supply and demand, we think you’ll see the opportunities in this market! Excuses aside, it is all about mind-set, a good strategy and developing healthy business habits. Competing with established businesses may seem daunting when you’re starting out, but effective marketing can really pay off. Why not try the following marketing strategies to help boost your martial arts business?

1. Take stock and prioritise

You may know where you’re going but you have to start at the beginning with the basics – knowing these will help you to know your marketing budget. What are your assets? (Membership payments, savings, anything you own outright.) What are your liabilities? A successful marketing campaign needs a solid platform under it so you must have your finances straight – and be honest with yourself! Prioritise then where you spend your money. Is it a good idea to spend thousands on a big name instructor for a training session? If it’s not essential for generating profit – such as increased membership or a higher profile – get rid of it.

2. Set a marketing budget…

…and make it the second cheque you write each month, right after rent. Be sensible with this budget but prioritise it as an individual, separate budget. If it helps, why not make a separate account? At the end of each month, you know to spend every last penny before the month is out. When you set your marketing budget, think about your goals. How many new students do you need to sign up each month to start generating some profit? When you’re just starting out, your business goals need to be centred around promoting and selling, and so prioritising your marketing budget should come before other expenses.

3. Modernise your website

To compete with the best, you must have a website. It’s an interface accessible to all, can be made to look professional easily and inexpensively, and most importantly it represents your business online. Customers can find out all about you and your business so you need to make a good impression. Take advantage of your new position in the market – older businesses might have out-dated websites, how can you make your website fresh, exciting and appealing? What are other websites lacking that you can make sure yours has? What do you think your target market would like to see on your website? Make your site clean and clear as it needs to be easy for visitors to find out about your business, for example your team and your prices, and ensure your contact details are obviously displayed.

4. Community advertising

If your business takes you out and about in the local area, why not advertise with branding. This may be a van with your company logo, branded jumpers for your staff – anything that gets your business and brand in the public eye. If you regularly visit schools for example, having your company name visible will attract the attention of potential customers. It is also beneficial to attend any community events to promote your business. If your target audience was children or young adults, you could have a stand at school open days, summer fetes, with information about your business and promotional items to give out. Perhaps have incentives to attract people – martial arts demonstrations, a competition? Visual aids are always great and it allows you to interact, engage and advocate your services simultaneously.

5. Be professional

Being friendly, chatty and personable is great when drawing potential customers in, but it is important to establish a line between that persona and a professional one, so your customers feel reassured and comfortable while practicing martial arts with you or your staff. Your business’ professionalism is key to supporting this. The professional side of your business can be measured by whether or not you have comprehensive martial arts business insurance that covers third party liability and relevant qualifications, such as first aid training and certification, among others. Display these details on your website and any other promotional materials to demonstrate your experience.

To find an insurance policy tailored to your Martial Arts business, click here to get a quote.

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09:40:44 GMT • 11 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Marketing your personal training business

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

22 September 2015

•

6 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

To date, most fitness professionals have followed a similar strategy when it comes to marketing their personal training business and one that does seem sensible.

Sure, if you’re looking to expand your client base to generate more profit, it makes sense to spend most of your marketing budget on outbound marketing efforts and invest much less into your current clients. Though this is how the game has been played for years, the industry is changing and becoming incredibly competitive. If you’re a startup personal trainer, it’s highly unlikely that your marketing efforts will be more successful than those of chain clubs, so you’ve got to think smart!

So the acronym goes: GAME ON – Gain Advantage, Monetise Everything, Overlook Nothing.

Powerful isn’t it, so pay attention!

1. Refocus and referral

It’s time to invert the personal training marketing equation and think about investing most of your budget into your existing clients. It may sound narrowing and we know you want to aim big, but the return on this investment will put you in good stead. Make a client referral program because marketing strategies are, in fact, most effective when presented to people that already know, like, and trust you. When your clients send business your way, reward them… everyone responds well to incentives and if your client knows there’s something in it for them – a free session or health vouchers, for example, they will be willing to help you out.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask

There is no shame in promoting your business to current clients. After all, it’s them who know best what you can do and how good you are, so it is natural to talk about advancing yourself in their company. Make sure your client is aware of the scope of your ability – you might be helping them with a fat-loss program but can you also help athletes with endurance training? People who do exercise are likely to have friends who do exercise, so forget the idea that it’s ‘cheap’ to ask for referrals, and ASK!

3. Transformation challenges

Never underestimate the value of visual impact when it comes to planning how you will market your personal training services.

It’s all very well and good telling your client you can help them shift those unwanted pounds in 6 weeks, but if you can show them how your other clients have done just that, it will have far more resonance!

If you find willing clients who are prepared to share their transformation journey, whether it be through photos of testimonials, it will make a great addition to your website or even to your sales pitch in conversation.

5. Positioning

As we’ve said, the personal training industry is hugely competitive. Everywhere you turn there’s a ‘fitness expert’ ready to sustain the world’s rising interest in health and fitness. There is also now added competition from home workouts and fitness apps, so it’s essential that your business focus is to create a competitive advantage.

Know what your client does not have and wants, know what you need to offer to make yourself the best choice in the market place, and know how to play your strengths. If you shift your business to rely on those strengths, you’ll be well positioned in the market to reap the benefits of a unique service.

6. Stay ahead of the crowd

Information is now so accessible that you must be ready to provide the information that is not easily accessible. No one wants to pay to be told something they could have read about in Fitness Weekly.

If you can satisfy your client’s curiosity they will keep coming back for more, and whatever you do don’t think that client education will mean they will eventually not need your business anymore!

A client will always come back for new programs and tougher workouts so long as you stay at the top of your game, and help them to achieve and further their goals.

To do so, you must also always be looking for ways to educate yourself whether that’s attending fitness events, talking to the best in the industry, or just pooling ideas.

7. Be professional

At the end of the day, personal training involves risk. You’re dealing with potentially unfit clients who are not accustomed to exercise, you’re supervising their handling of equipment and machines, and you yourself must stay fit…when you yourself are your business, it pays to be responsible. Promoting a friendly and approachable persona is great, but the professional side of your business can be measured by whether or not you have comprehensive personal training insurance. This needs to cover third-party liability and relevant qualifications, among others. Display these details on your website to demonstrate your professionalism, responsibility, legitimacy and experience.

If you have your own gym – highlight this and it’s equipment, and mention that you have gym liability insurance in place to give customers peace of mind.

Aside from the seven points above, it’s important to remember you will need full cover when operating as a personal trainer. Click here to get a personal trainer insurance quote from £4.29 a month.

Get Personal Trainer Insurance from Protectivity

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08:37:29 GMT • 15 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Best Apps For Monitoring Pet Health

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

21 September 2015

•

4 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Get pet business insurance from Protectivity

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

The fitness tracking market is booming, with hundreds of apps and gadgets tracking your daily exercise, diet and fitness goals. But this isn’t exclusive to humans; there is also a huge range of apps and gadgets for pets.

From basic medical advice to tracking your dog’s daily activities, there are plenty of apps to help you look after your pets. We’ve tracked down the top 5 for perfect pet health.

Pet First Aid

Created by the American Red Cross, this app is a comprehensive guide for everyday pet emergencies. There are videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice explaining health essentials, what to pack in a pet first aid kit, how to do pet CPR and more.

Carrying this information around in your pocket means you’re fully prepared if your pet does get into trouble.

Available on IOS and Android.

Tagg — The Pet Tracker

This app uses a lightweight GPS Tagg tracker that easily attaches to your pet’s existing collar and supplies tracking info to your phone. Detailed charts let you keep up to date with your pet’s daily activity so you can ensure she’s getting the right amount of exercise.

You can also set a designated Tagg zone and if your pet leaves this you can quickly pinpoint her on a map, allowing you find her easily. By monitoring your pet’s movement every day you’ll be able to pick up on any health issues and keep her safe.

Available on IOS and Android.

Pet Phone

Organise all of your pet’s health records in one place with this app. Keep up with Vet appointments, track your pet’s weight, store notes about any allergies or food preferences your pet has and manage their medication.

You can also sync the app with your calendar to get reminders for Vet appointments and medication doses. Pet Phone lets you manage every aspect of your pet’s health so you can be sure you’re doing everything to help him live a happy and healthy life.

Available on iOS.

Dosecast

If your pet is on a course of antibiotics, it is essential they have the right dosage at the right time for the medication to work properly. Although this app is designed for humans, it can also work brilliantly for managing your pet’s medication. You can set reminders, schedule medication on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, and customise the dose amounts so you’ll never miss a med.

The app is particularly handy if your pet is on multiple medications.

Available on IOS and Android.

Aquarimate

There are a lot of factors involved in maintaining a healthy ecosystem in your aquarium. This app helps you organise tasks, keep track of tank conditions and note changes in fish health and growth. There is also a livestock library of Freshwater and Saltwater fish, coral, invertebrate and plant species so you can easily find information.

Ensure your fish live in the optimum environment by setting up tank parameters and tracking your activities.

Available on IOS and Android.

These apps are great for giving pet owners peace of mind about their pet’s health. Give your business the support it needs with a comprehensive pet business insurance policy – whether you’re a pet sitter, dog groomer or walk dogs for a living, get a quick quote for your business’ requirements.

Our Pet Business Insurance is available from just £5.62 a month – get a quote today!

Get Pet Business Insurance from Protectivity

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11:01:32 GMT • 14 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

What is a PAR-Q?

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With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

21 September 2015

•

3 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire is designed to determine an individual’s safety when starting a new exercise plan. Most people can start a exercise plan without worry; however, some people may require a preliminary health check to ensure that they are taking on the right level of activity for their medical condition.

Personal trainers often use the PAR-Q to identify any reasons why their client shouldn’t start a course of physical exercise. A PAR-Q highlights any medical conditions or physical inabilities that a client may need to speak to their GP about and that the trainer may need to take into consideration during training. From a liability point of view, the PAR-Q reduces the risk of client injury, illness and even accident.

About Protectivity
Protectivity is a specialist in niche commercial, leisure and lifestyle insurance. We cover thousands of individuals and small to medium size businesses across the UK, offering a range of tailored insurance products such as Personal Trainer Insurance that protect our customers against unforeseen events.

What does a PAR-Q include?

A PAR-Q will typically include questions such as:

Do you have chest pain when performing physical activity?
Are you pregnant or have you given birth in the last 6 months?
Do you have a bone or joint problem that causes you pain when exercising?
Have you had recent surgery?
Do you have any other limitations that must be addressed when developing an exercise plan (i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, back problems etc.)?

If a client answers yes to any of these questions, they may be an unsuitable candidate for your training. The client should seek medical clearance from their GP before continuing with your exercise programme, or seek advice about their limitations for exercise.

Why do clients need to complete a PAR-Q?

It is advised that each personal trainer or business should produce their ow PAR-Q relating to the type of activity they provide, as well as a set of guidelines stating what action should be take is a client gives a ‘negative’ response to the PAR-Q. This might include advising the client to speak to their GP or adapting the exercise plan to incorporate the client’s specific requirements. In extreme cases, you may have to deny a client your services to prevent client injury or incident.

If you failed to ask your clients to complete a PAR-Q and they suffer an injury due to a previous condition or troublesome body part, problems could ensue. You could be blamed for asking a client to undertake an activity that they were not physically able to do so. This may be seen as negligence on your part.

Where can I get a form?

We have provided a basic template which can be used as a guide for your own PAR-Q. Be sure to adapt this basic template to reflect your specific business activities and create a separate set of guidelines to manage any ‘negative’ responses to the form.

View our example Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.

Our Personal Trainer Insurance is available from just £4.29 a month – get a quote today!

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09:40:44 GMT • 11 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Personal Trainer Career Goals

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With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

20 September 2015

•

3 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Becoming an established fitness professional doesn’t mean you should stop driving for success. Increasing your business growth and achieving career goals will only make you a stronger personal trainer. Unlike other industries, health and fitness don’t have a set career path, and as such you’re able to go in whichever direction you want.

Working towards goals will keep you motivated and increase what you can offer clients. Why not boost your skill set to the following:

Training and Development

Keeping your skills and qualifications up to date maintains your professionalism and ensures you’re delivering the best possible service to your clients. There are various continuous professional development courses, workshops and further instructor courses available’ so you can pick and choose what you think will help your business and boost your fitness knowledge. Having these qualifications also helps you get onto official fitness registers.

Diversify

You may have chosen a field to specialise in, but this doesn’t mean you can’t diversify. Further instructor courses will increase your skills so whether you specialise in antenatal women, rehabilitation, or people with disabilities why not branch out? You could start offering nutritional advice with diet plans or specialist yoga for your clients, the more you can earn. It won’t hurt your reputation either!

Enhance your area of interest

The best way to be good at something is to do what you love. If football is your one true passion, you could set up football coaching or training sessions in your local park. Or you could build on your personal training speciality to utilise your existing customer base and start a group class. Be creative and try to do something that no one else offers to make your business stand out from the crowd.

By constantly learning and building up your business, you’re increasing your training experience and expertise, which is invaluable for freelance personal trainers. Make sure you’re fully covered for any new ventures with fully comprehensive personal trainer insurance. Get instant online cover with Protectivity. Get a quick quote now.

Whatever your discipline in personal training, you’ll need to be covered so make sure you’ve got adequate liability insurance just in case the worst happens. Find out how little it could cost for a comprehensive policy with Protectivity.

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09:40:45 GMT • 11 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

How to Successfully Market Your Pet Business

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

18 September 2015

•

3 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Get pet business insurance from Protectivity

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

In the thriving pet care business community, standing out from the crowd is imperative. Competing with long established businesses may seem daunting, but effective marketing of your business can really pay off. Why not try the following marketing strategies to help boost your pet business?

Modernise your website

Your website is a hugely valuable asset to your business as it represents you online. Customers can find out all about you and your business so you need to make a good impression. Having a clean and modern website can be advantageous over long established businesses whose websites may be slightly neglected. Make sure visitors can easily find out about your business, for example about your team and your prices, and ensure your contact details are prominently displayed.

To help rank above your competitors, you might like to attach a blog to your website. This will allow you to produce original and helpful content, establishing you as an expert in your field. Tailor your content specifically for your customer audience to generate interest from readers and potential customers.

Community advertising

If your business takes you out and about in the local area, why not advertise with branding. This may be a van with your company logo on the side or even branded jumpers for your staff. If they are out walking dogs, having your company name visible will attract the attention of potential customers.

It is also beneficial to attend any community events to promote your business. You could have a stand or display with information about your business and even give out promotional items. Stand out by hiring the cutest puppies you can find – these may be customers’ pets or even from a local sanctuary. Having this pull will attract people to your stand and allow them to interact while you can advocate your services.

Be professional

While promoting a friendly and caring persona, it is important to ensure customers feel reassured when leaving their pets in your responsibility; your business’ professionalism is key to supporting this.

The professional side of your business can be measured by whether or not you have comprehensive pet business insurance that covers third party liability and relevant qualifications, such as canine and feline first aid training and certification, among others.

Display these details on your website and any other promotional materials to demonstrate your experience.

Get Pet Business Insurance from Protectivity

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11:42:43 GMT • 14 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

Top Five Personal Trainer Apps

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

17 September 2015

•

5 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

If you’re planning a career as a personal trainer, or you’re looking for ways to make your work more efficient, then technology is here to help. There are countless apps for personal trainers available on every mobile platform, helping make your life easier, and helping you deliver better service than ever to your clients.

At a time when the personal training market is more competitive than ever, using the right app can make the difference in attracting and retaining clients, and maximising your profitability. This guide highlights some of the best personal trainer apps around.

Why are personal training apps so useful?

Personal training apps are useful for a number of reasons, the main one being that they can do most of the data and analysis legwork that many PTs find difficult and time-consuming. From minutes spent on the treadmill and calories burned, to progress over time and achievement towards goals, they can help you get meaningful insights to the performance of your clients quickly and easily. This can help better inform the PT plans you put together for them, and ensure your sessions are better aligned to their goals.

But personal training apps don’t have to be about training directly. There are also many excellent apps available that assist with the business side of things, from organising appointment schedules to processing payments, and everything in between. Back-end business operations is an area that PTs often overlook when they’re starting out, so these can be a great help.

In some cases, personal training apps can also enable you to run sessions online, as well as in person, opening up a potential new revenue stream for your business.

Our pick of the best apps for personal trainers

A brief look in your app store will tell you that the amount of personal trainer apps to choose from is virtually limitless. What is trickier, however, is understanding which are the best to use, and which will add the most value to your business. Here are five of our favourites:

Trainerize

Trainerize is an excellent multi-functional app for personal trainers who want to try a bit of everything. It’s handy for organising face-to-face sessions, bringing groups together for communal training, and for holding sessions virtually. It features a high level of customisation, meaning that you can integrate your own personal branding and content into the app, and make it look like a true part of your business. And with the ability to input measurements, track workouts and use a pre-loaded exercise library, it’s full of resources that can save you time and give you new ideas.

MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is perhaps one of the most well-known personal training apps around, in no small part thanks to its close links with the fitness apparel manufacturer Under Armour. It’s especially useful for helping clients whose primary aim is weight loss, as it includes integrated calorie counting and diet planning tools, so that you can help your clients stay on track towards their target weight. What really makes it stand out is the huge library of food items uploaded into the system, including their nutritional details, so users can quickly understand the implications of what they are (or aren’t!) eating.

PT Minder

PT Minder is one of the most popular apps around for personal trainers who are looking for help with the business side of things. Bookings, payments and client progress can all be handled and managed from a single platform, whether sessions take place in person or online. There’s also the possibility to integrate PT Minder with other platforms, such as Facebook, Google Calendar, Mailchimp marketing software, and even your website; that way. you can streamline your communications and client-facing processes.

Halo Fitness Cloud

Similar to PT Minder, Halo Fitness Cloud is an excellent personal training app for those PTs who want a platform for managing business as well as training sessions. However, Halo Fitness Cloud comes with a difference: it can be connected to specific pieces of compatible gym equipment so that results from client use can appear directly in the app. This makes it much easier to understand how well clients are progressing, and to highlight any areas where they’re struggling and where your expertise is best focused.

PT Distinction

If you’ve already got a PT business up and running and you’re looking for the best personal training app to fit in with them, then PT Distinction should be your first port of call. That’s because it’s practically unrivalled in the scale of potential integration it offers: FitBit, MyZone, MyFitnessPal (as mentioned above), Paypal, and your website are just some of the areas it can help you take care of. And with a library of over 1000 videos you can access, there are also plenty of resources you can use to add some variety to your sessions.

Get personal trainer insurance with Protectivity

As this article demonstrates, there are plenty of choices when it comes to personal trainer apps that can help you with your business. But another choice that you really shouldn’t underestimate is insurance, so that you’re covered if something happens to you, a client or your equipment.

Protectivity has years of experience in covering personal trainers just like you, whether you’re highly qualified or you’re just starting out. Our policies include Public Liability, Professional Indemnity and £250 of free equipment cover, and you can customise your insurance to suit the specific characteristics of your business. Take a more detailed look at our personal trainer insurance options.

Get Personal Trainer Insurance from Protectivity

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09:40:45 GMT • 11 November 2024

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

4 Ways for Personal Trainers to Maximise Client Motivation

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

16 September 2015

•

5 mins read

Contributors

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creatin...

Bee Ingram

With a focus on producing high-quality, consistent content across multiple platforms, Bee is committed to creating engaging and effective messaging that aligns with the brand’s voice and strategy.

This is a guest blog post written by Luke Grahame of Tough Love Cardiff. Luke is an experienced personal trainer and has consulted for The Independent on Sunday, The Metro, BBC News and others.

The first weeks and months of Personal Training can be tough for a new client.
For many, it will be the first physical exercise that they’ve undertaken in years which can be daunting, if not terrifying prospect. Even harder is what we then go on to do: we take the client’s notions of healthy eating and healthy lifestyle and turn them on their head. Special K for breakfast isn’t healthy, the cross trainer isn’t the greatest instrument of fat loss ever conceived, and eating 3 eggs a week won’t make your heart explode in your chest. We quash our client’s accepted truths and ask them to change decades of deeply ingrained habits in a short space of time. It’s difficult, it’s scary, and the client’s mind and body will be straining to find excuses, run away, anything to make things return to the status quo.

So that’s where we come in. We need to demonstrate the value of our profession, be so good that our client’s motivation and resolve stays strong. Here are 4 ways to help you keep them on the straight and narrow at all times.

1. Show results

We need results and we need to be able to demonstrate them to the client. Provide unarguable results that our system works and motivation will soar. Skinfold, weight, measurements, progress photos, 1-rep max – anything will suffice as long as it shows the client the desired improvement. If regular assessment doesn’t show results then the trainer needs to be on the ball and make adjustments in training and nutrition promptly. Continued lack of results simply means that we are not as good at our jobs as we think we are.

2. Goal setting

In terms of results, a little often is fine. If weight is the variable being tracked then a pound a week of loss is perfectly acceptable, on the condition that the client understands that this is the target. If the only agreed goal is a long-term target of several stones then a short-term loss of a single pound will feel like a failure when it is in fact progress. Agree and write down long term and short term goals together with the client and regularly re-evaluate and re-establish new ones. All Personal Trainers know what a SMART goal is. How many PT’s use them effectively is another thing.

3. Give the client their control back

Many have felt out of control of their bodies for years and, despite what they believe are their best efforts, they have changed physically in ways that they do not want and do not understand. It is our responsibility to make them aware that they have the power and the control to change themselves and all they need are the tools that we provide. Turning up to train regularly, training hard during sessions, following their food plan, avoiding junk food, and getting lots of good quality sleep are all powerful choices that give the client accountability and control over their actions.

4. Motivation works both ways

The trainer should be equally invested in the progress of the client as the client is them self – after all their results are your results! Every little step they make should be met with positive reinforcement and enthusiasm, from new personal bests, to successfully met goals, to a newly visible vein on a bicep; they are all steps on the road to success and should be applauded accordingly. If the trainer doesn’t treat the client’s achievements as being valuable then why would the client? And subsequently, why would they be motivated to continue? Their motivation will reflect yours so do your job well and lead by example.

Get Personal Training Insurance with Protectivity

In today’s litigious society, it is important to ensure you are protected from yourself and the unpredictable. Fortunately, insurance is available to protect you and your interests and though legal matters may be far from your mind, as a PT it is highly recommended that you invest in a policy which can protect you, your equipment and your credentials. At Protectivity we can provide specialist cover including personal training liability insurance. Get a quote online.

Get Personal Trainer Insurance from Protectivity

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