As a personal trainer, you need serious marketing to get through to paying clients, but that is often easier said than done in a competitive fitness industry.
There are different fitness marketing strategies you can use, including local marketing, which will direct local clients to your physical gym. However, that presents a small pool of clients - you can attract more local and online training clients through digital marketing. One good way is to collaborate with influencers on digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter (now X), and Instagram.
Read on, and let's share the best strategies to leverage influencer marketing on your website!
What Is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing in the fitness industry is a strategic collaboration between personal trainers and individuals with a significant social media following. Influencers can range from Instagram fitness models to YouTube workout gurus who have built trust with their audience.
When they promote your services or content, their many followers are more likely to visit your website and consider your offerings.
Unlike traditional advertising, influencer marketing leverages the personal connection and credibility these fitness personalities have established with their followers. This approach lets you tap into pre-existing communities of fitness enthusiasts who are already engaged and interested in health and wellness content.
4 Benefits Of Influencer Marketing For Fitness Businesses
Here are a few reasons you want to consider influencer marketing to reach and convert your target audience:
1. Targeted Reach
Out of the 5.17 billion social media user identities worldwide, fitness and wellness content creators command a significant audience.
To put things into perspective, for example, over 135 million people interact with the hashtag #fitnessmotivation on Instagram alone - with the social media platform also home to around 50,000 fitness influencers. If you partner with such influencers, you're tapping into this highly engaged fitness community.
2. Increased Credibility
90% of your target clients will trust recommendations from people (even if they don't know them personally) over branded content.
So, when a respected fitness figure endorses your personal training services, it leverages this trust.
In addition, 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations for their purchase decisions. This proves that, in the fitness industry, where personal transformation is key, a good influencer marketing campaign can significantly impact a potential client's decision to choose your services.
So, when a respected fitness figure endorses your personal training services, it leverages this trust.
In addition, 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations for their purchase decisions. This proves that, in the fitness industry, where personal transformation is key, a good influencer marketing campaign can significantly impact a potential client's decision to choose your services.
3. Content Amplification
Influencer-generated content receives eight times more engagement than content shared directly by brands. This means that when influencers create content featuring your services, it's likely to generate more interest and drive better traffic to your website than if you were to develop and promote the content yourself.
4. Cost-Effective Marketing
While traditional advertising costs continue to rise, with TV ads costing an average of $115,000 for a 30-second national spot, influencer marketing remains relatively affordable. A survey by Tomoson found that businesses make $6.50 for every $1 they spend on their influencer marketing campaigns.
So, when you want to increase brand awareness on a tight budget, influencer marketing campaigns make the most sense.
How To Leverage Influencer Marketing On Your Fitness Website
Influencer marketing is a technique you should consider for your new personal training business. Here's how to get started today!
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Before contacting fitness influencers, clearly define your ideal client.
Are you targeting busy professionals, new mothers, or aspiring athletes? Understanding your target audience will guide your influencer selection and ensure your message resonates with potential clients.
To start, create detailed client personas, including demographics, fitness goals, challenges, and interests beyond fitness. This information will help you choose fitness influencers whose followers match your ideal client profile and increase qualified traffic to your PT website.
Are you targeting busy professionals, new mothers, or aspiring athletes? Understanding your target audience will guide your influencer selection and ensure your message resonates with potential clients.
To start, create detailed client personas, including demographics, fitness goals, challenges, and interests beyond fitness. This information will help you choose fitness influencers whose followers match your ideal client profile and increase qualified traffic to your PT website.
2. Find The Right Influencers
Look for influencers whose values and audience align with your brand. You can search on influencer marketing platforms like BuzzSumo and Heepsy to discover relevant fitness influencers. Pay attention to engagement rates, audience demographics, content style, and previous brand collaborations.
You can aim for a mix of micro-influencers for high engagement, macro-influencers for wider reach, and local influencers to attract clients to your physical location if applicable.
You can aim for a mix of micro-influencers for high engagement, macro-influencers for wider reach, and local influencers to attract clients to your physical location if applicable.
3. Reach Out And Build Relationships
When contacting potential influencers, personalize your approach. Show that you've researched their content and explain why you think a collaboration with them would be mutually beneficial.
Your outreach should include a brief introduction of yourself and your fitness brand, specific examples of their content that you admire, how your services align with their audience's interests, and a clear proposal for collaboration.
Your outreach should include a brief introduction of yourself and your fitness brand, specific examples of their content that you admire, how your services align with their audience's interests, and a clear proposal for collaboration.
4. Upload Influencer-Generated Workout Programs
Collaborate with influencers to create exclusive workout programs for your website to provide valuable fitness content for your audience and give the influencer's followers a reason to visit your site. Choose influencers whose approach to exercising and fitness align with your brand and create a series of workouts rather than a one-off program.
Then, promote these workouts across all digital platforms and use them as lead magnets to capture emails. You can offer free access to a portion of the program, then upsell the full version or your personal training services.
Then, promote these workouts across all digital platforms and use them as lead magnets to capture emails. You can offer free access to a portion of the program, then upsell the full version or your personal training services.
5. Publish Sponsored Blog Posts
You can also invite influencers to contribute guest posts to your personal trainer blog. Ensure the content is valuable and relevant, with a mix of informational and promotional content.
Also, include clear calls-to-action and optimize posts for SEO to increase organic traffic. You can also promote the posts on both your and the influencer's social media channels to maximize reach.
Also, include clear calls-to-action and optimize posts for SEO to increase organic traffic. You can also promote the posts on both your and the influencer's social media channels to maximize reach.
6. Share Influencer Product Reviews
If you sell fitness products or recommend specific equipment, influencer reviews can be powerful. Choose influencers who genuinely use and love your products to ensure authenticity. You can include both video and written reviews and encourage honest feedback about pros and cons to build trust.
You can also become a fitness influencer or expert for media outlets or online platforms by sharing expert tips and reviews for their audience, like Judd did for Best Reviews:
You can also become a fitness influencer or expert for media outlets or online platforms by sharing expert tips and reviews for their audience, like Judd did for Best Reviews:
7. Host Influencer-Led Giveaways
You can organize contests where influencers promote your services as prizes to increase your social media following and drive traffic to your website.
Choose prizes that align with your target clients’ interests and make visiting your website a condition of entry. Also, use a unique hashtag to track participation and follow up with non-winners by offering a consolation discount on your services.
Choose prizes that align with your target clients’ interests and make visiting your website a condition of entry. Also, use a unique hashtag to track participation and follow up with non-winners by offering a consolation discount on your services.
8. Set Up An Affiliate Marketing Page
Create a dedicated page for influencers to promote your services and provide unique affiliate links to track their impact on your business growth. In addition, offer competitive commission rates and provide marketing materials like banners and pre-written social media posts.
You can also use your tracking software to monitor performance and set clear terms and conditions to maintain the quality of promotions.
9. Create A "Guest Influencer" Blog Series
If you want to keep your content fresh and leverage the new audience, why not launch a recurring feature spotlighting each fitness influencer?
To start, create a content calendar to ensure regular posts and provide clear guidelines to maintain quality and relevance. Then, promote each post across all your channels and encourage the guest influencer to do the same.
To start, create a content calendar to ensure regular posts and provide clear guidelines to maintain quality and relevance. Then, promote each post across all your channels and encourage the guest influencer to do the same.
10. Launch Fitness Challenges
Your influencer marketing strategy can also include fitness challenges. Keep them short and achievable, use a dedicated hashtag to track participation, and offer prizes or recognition for completion.
Also, follow up with participants after the challenge with special offers on your services to convert them into long-term clients.
Also, follow up with participants after the challenge with special offers on your services to convert them into long-term clients.
11. Showcase Influencer Testimonials On Your Website's Homepage
You can also prominently display endorsements from respected fitness figures on your site. Use a mix of text, video, and image testimonials, and include specific results or benefits experienced by the influencer. Update testimonials regularly and place them strategically on your site, especially near call-to-action buttons.
12. Monitor And Refine
Finally, track the performance of your influencer marketing campaigns using analytics tools. Consider metrics like website traffic, engagement rates, lead generation, and conversions.
Then, use this data to refine your strategy and focus on the most effective partnerships. Regularly review your results and be prepared to adjust your influencer marketing approach based on what's working best for your fitness business.
Then, use this data to refine your strategy and focus on the most effective partnerships. Regularly review your results and be prepared to adjust your influencer marketing approach based on what's working best for your fitness business.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, you can create a successful influencer marketing campaign for your fitness business without fuss. Just start with the right fitness influencers and work together on content that shows off what you do best as a PT.
Then, measure everything: website visits, engagement, and, most importantly, new client sign-ups. If something's not working, switch it up.
Then, measure everything: website visits, engagement, and, most importantly, new client sign-ups. If something's not working, switch it up.
