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According to a 2017 study there are now over 23,000 personal trainers in the UK. Never has there been a more important time for PTs to stand-out from the fitness professional masses.
A recent survey from Protectivity showed that for 33% of personal trainer insurance customers, attracting clients was their biggest headache. In second place were the 20% of respondents who claimed that standing out from the crowd was the top challenge they face.
The two problems certainly go hand-in-hand, so what can PTs do? Understanding how to gain personal training clients isn’t a straight answer but we feel three actions could go a long way to helping…
Spend a little on advertising
Over half of the fitness professionals we asked in our survey said they didn’t engage in any form of paid advertising. However, although some may see it as an unnecessary outlay, for a relatively small expenditure you can hit your target audience hard.
Personal trainers could print out 500 business cards or flyers and ask local gyms or health clubs if they would keep a pile on their reception desk, for example.
But what could really be key here is social media. Two-thirds of our PTs have a Facebook page for their business, yet less than a quarter use Facebook’s advertising options.
For as little as £1 a day you could splash your business’s message across the news feed of those people you need to.
Set up a location target of your operating area, home in on those who Facebook deems to show some interest in fitness, gyms, dieting (whatever your speciality, really), knock up some attractive designs and away you go! Rather than waiting for your customers to find you, you can go out and search for them.
Always look to learn
Just because you have become a fully-fledged professional personal trainer, don’t let complacency sink in. There is always more to learn about your industry, from new workouts to try, to changes in legislation as to what you can and can’t do.
Making sure you are on the front edge with these new developments can give you a distinct advantage over some of your rivals. Read, read, and read some more to keep up to date with what is new in the fitness industry, both locally and nationally.
Personal training clients, and society in general, so often want to experience something new before it becomes the norm for the masses. By becoming the first personal trainer in your area to offer a specific service, or to get your hands on the newest piece of kit you become the chosen option for your local market.
Share your knowledge and become an expert
With your new-found skills and knowledge it’s up to you to go forth to share your pearls of wisdom. However, it’s not just your current clients that could benefit.
Set up an online blog and write about what you are learning. Share hints and tips on what is working for you and your clients, and maybe include a testimonial or two.
Use the aforementioned social advertising, as well as asking friends and family to share links, to get your blogs read by your target audience. Build up a good readership and you will soon become recognised as an ‘expert’ in your chosen field.
With trust gained that know exactly what you are talking about, someone looking to work with a personal trainer is far more likely to pick you over a professional they have no previous experience of.
Produce good content that people will share and you should have a solid readership in no time, and a group of potential clients all looking to you for advice.
These are just three things that personal trainers can do to stand out in an increasingly competitive market place. On top of everything, delivering a promised service to your clients will be the real test. However, use these examples and you could have a bigger customer base to use as proof of your expertise.
Knowing how to gain clients in the personal training industry can be underlined with these key points. Try out some of these ideas and see if you can improve your proposition to your customers.
*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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