Over the past few years, Instagram has become a major marketing tool for the fitness industry. Whether you are just starting out as a personal trainer or you have been in the industry for years, finding ways to reach new clients is always important. Among the popular social media services, Instagram has grown into a primary channel for personal trainers to gain brand exposure and connect with clients. It's time for all serious trainers to take advantage of it. Are you?
To help you jump-start or improve your Instagram marketing, we've put together 5 Instagram hacks for personal trainers. Before we cover these tips, let's go over some basic rules of thumb for a successful Instagram account.
First, Instagram is a visually-driven platform. Post unique and interesting images and videos to stand out in the feed.
Second, post consistently to keep your followers engaged on a regular basis and to become a pillar of their Instagram digest.
And lastly, always offer value in your posts. Whether that's in the form of free workout tips, discounts, health facts, or beautiful pictures, give them a reason to follow you.
Now that we have covered the basics, here are 5 tips specific to personal trainers:
1. Use Videos and GIFs
If a picture is worth one thousand words, a video is worth at least one thousand and one words. Moving content is more engaging than images and will get more views. Instead of posting a picture of a specific workout, post a short video clip.
This opens up a whole new way to show proper form and other fitness tips a photo cannot communicate. Instagram just increased the maximum video post length from 15 seconds to 60 seconds this year. You can bet they did it for a reason! Videos are proving their value across the platform.
This opens up a whole new way to show proper form and other fitness tips a photo cannot communicate. Instagram just increased the maximum video post length from 15 seconds to 60 seconds this year. You can bet they did it for a reason! Videos are proving their value across the platform.
2. Be Motivational and Inspirational
This might seem cliché, but be motivational in your posts. People like positive messages. Thus, people follow users who post positive messages. If you can motivate people to try a specific workout or inspire them to get to the gym, you are bringing value to their lives. Original posts are great, but posting famous inspirational quotes works well, too and is easy to do.
3. Create a Hashtag for Your Brand
Using hashtags in your posts is important. It increases the audience of your post to anyone viewing those hashtag channels on Instagram. For instance, you can add in #fitness #fitspiration #lifting or any other popular tags to reach thousands of people.
In addition, create your own unique hashtag and use it in every post. It could be a play on your name, company name, or just something you say. The goal is to get your clients and other people to start using it in their posts. The more people who use your hashtag, the more your brand and channel will grow.
Apps like Websta will help you to find hashtags that are popular and which accounts and which users influence those hashtags.
In addition, create your own unique hashtag and use it in every post. It could be a play on your name, company name, or just something you say. The goal is to get your clients and other people to start using it in their posts. The more people who use your hashtag, the more your brand and channel will grow.
Apps like Websta will help you to find hashtags that are popular and which accounts and which users influence those hashtags.
4. Engage Influencers
Influencers are people who have a lot of followers on Instagram. One of the best ways to reach a broader audience is by getting people with more followers to tag you or post about you. You can reach out to influencers by tagging them in your posts.
You can try asking them a question, challenging them to something, or just praising them. Engaging them in a fun, creative way is always best. In the ideal scenario, they will respond with a post that is dedicated to you and tag you back. It can be tough to reach celebrities or famous influencers, but you can start out with asking friends or acquaintances who have a lot of followers to tag you in a post.
You can try asking them a question, challenging them to something, or just praising them. Engaging them in a fun, creative way is always best. In the ideal scenario, they will respond with a post that is dedicated to you and tag you back. It can be tough to reach celebrities or famous influencers, but you can start out with asking friends or acquaintances who have a lot of followers to tag you in a post.
5. Incorporate Results and Testimonials
Every personal trainer knows proven results are a key marketing component. Make sure to include results and testimonials in your posts. They could be in the form of before vs. after pictures, client quotes, or even photos of your own body.
Whatever your preference, keep a steady stream of success on your account. If you can get clients to post on their own accounts and tag you, that would be even better.
Whatever your preference, keep a steady stream of success on your account. If you can get clients to post on their own accounts and tag you, that would be even better.
Overall, Instagram is one of the best ways to improve your fitness marketing for free. To maximize your success and get clients, remember to include videos, motivation, hashtags, influencers, and results in your posts. If you have never used Instagram, hopefully this overview will help you get started today.
The personal training industry is always evolving. It can be hard to stay on top of the latest trends and marketing techniques while you focus on running your business. Our goal is to keep personal trainers up to date with the latest in fitness marketing. Sign up for free courses, tools, and resources today to start saving time and money.
