Let’s face it, there is so much to juggle as a fitness coach. From communicating with clients and developing programs to advertising and growing your business’s reach – it can be a lot. Adding video to your marketing strategy on top of that may seem overwhelming, especially if it’s not a medium you’re used to working with.
That said, the effort may be worth it depending on your business goals. If you’re looking to connect with new clients, consider that the average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. More time with you and your brand means more opportunity for you to build the “like, know, trust” factor you need to help retain current clients and bring in new ones.
Video can also be a tool to help you make a deeper impact on the people who are engaging with your brand. Video viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. Whether you’re showing off the perfect squat form or sharing about an upcoming group challenge, your viewers are more likely to take in and remember what you’re sharing when they see it in video form.
Plus, if you are electing to make video a part of your strategy you’re not alone: Every 60 Seconds, 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.
If you’re ready to take your fitness coaching business to the next level through great video marketing, these steps will get you started on the track to success.
Choose your channels
There are plenty of places online where videos can be helpful and effective. Channels where video can be effective include, but are not limited to the following:
Your website
Ideally, your website is set up to give your audience all of the information they need to know about you. Video is a great way to drive traffic to your website and help potential customers get a taste of what you are all about.
Building up your email list means grabbing a direct line to clients’ eyes and ears. Incorporating video into your emails can generate up to a 50% higher click through rate.
YouTube or Vimeo
When you post a video on one of these channels, it is more likely to be seen there versus on your website. That said, it is a great opportunity to create brand awareness and ideally drive people to your website. Vimeo also offers password-protected video so you can grant your paying clients to private videos as an add-on to your services.
Facebook is a great place to attract new clients with free content. Facebook receives over 8 billion average daily views and 100 million hours of video watched every day. With those staggering stats, it’s primed to become a video powerhouse in short order.
Instagram can be a great option for fitness trainers because it is primarily a visual medium and people are becoming increasingly used to watching videos there. In fact, the prevalence of video has increased 80% year-over-year. It’s one thing to talk the talk, but showing your followers you can do what you say with great form pitches your coaching better than anything else.
Last but not least, you can post videos on Twitter and earn 10x the engagement of a text-only tweet. Twitter does tend to lean toward more text-based conversations, but if it’s a channel you like using you absolutely should.
Just because there are many avenues to explore doesn’t mean that you need to be everywhere. Pick and choose the channels that make you the most excited and feel most comfortable. This may take some trial and error, but don’t be afraid to play around and iterate.
Start small
Incorporating video into your strategy as a fitness coach doesn’t mean you need fancy cameras or expensive videographers. While highly produced videos are a great addition if you have the interest and budget, they’re not necessary to get started. Your video magic can begin right from your phone or computer.
Instagram Stories or Instagram Live videos can begin with a few clicks and are effective. According to Boston-area fitness professional Garrett Wood: “I love posting videos on Instagram because it immediately connects me to my community without us having to be in the same place. They also seem to spark conversations that have definitely helped me grow my business.”
Strive to connect
Highly motivated individuals seeking ,a fitness coach or trainer want the workouts, the nutrition guidance and the actual results of course. But what makes you different than any of the other fitness coaches out there? Simon Sinek says “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” Infusing some of your personality and passion into your videos by letting your “why” shine through is a great way to build a connection.
When you’re just getting started, it might be tempting to imitate or borrow someone else’s style – but don’t. You are bringing something completely new to the table that people are sure to love.
Encourage engagement
Consider your video content a handshake before creating a deeper connection with your audience. On each of the channels listed above, there are ways for people to reply to what you’re sharing – whether it’s in comments or to you directly. Ask people to give their opinion on something or answer a question connected to the video’s topic. Doing so may spark a deeper connection and a possible business opportunity.
Quality counts
While it’s certainly true that you don’t need a huge production team to be effective, your videos should still be clear and high quality. Whenever possible get in front of some natural light (a window during the day is a great option). Try to shoot in front of an appealing background like a wall, home gym or clean office space. Be sure your audio is clear without excess background noise. These small reminders will make you look like a total professional without creating additional work.
Think about SEO
SEO is such an important way for people to organically find you and the services you provide. Many people associate SEO with written content but in truth, videos offer up another opportunity for you to increase your visibility. Make sure your video is SEO optimized by including a transcript, adding engaging thumbnail videos and creating keyword-rich titles and descriptions.
Educate and entertain
Think about the videos that you like to watch. Chances are they are teaching you something or entertaining you in some way. You should be doing the same for your audience.
Don’t forget that you’ve got the expertise in the fitness industry. Choose concepts that you know well and that come naturally to you. Whether it’s as simple as demonstrating a great core sequence or walking through how you do your weekly meal prep, creating quality educational content is a key method for building trust. It also generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
Keep it short
Whether we want to admit it or not, our attention spans are short. You only have a few seconds to engage your audience and make them decide whether they’re in it to watch or to move along. The length of your videos will vary per platform but a general rule of thumb is to keep it under 2 minutes. Choose a creative angle, a neat place to shoot it or wear something bright to catch the potential client’s eye.
Know your audience
You’ve probably heard the phrase “the riches are in the niches”. There is definitely some truth there. You cannot possibly be everything to everyone: is your focus in prenatal wellness? Perhaps you’re interested in focusing on men who are 50 years old or above. Whatever the case may be, find your niche and get to know the people you want to serve like the back of your hand.
The best videos offer advice, tips, information, and other informative content that your dream clients want to know.
Plan ahead
There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting together an organic off-the-cuff video. In fact, doing so makes you seem relatable. However, you should also have a greater video strategy at play for your fitness coaching business. A great way to figure out what you should be sharing? Ask the people who will be watching.
Chances are, you’ve connected with some of your dream clients already. Determine their biggest pain points and create content that gives them answers. Planning ahead also allows you to create video content that is relevant to the time. For example, a fitness coach could give tips on eating healthfully around the holidays or share some outdoor park workouts for when the springtime comes. Simply imagine there’s a camera following your life and start to share what it is that you do on a daily basis that could add value to the lives of others.
Don’t overthink it
As with anything new, there will be some level of experimentation. Chances are, not every video you put out is going to get thousands of views or rake in tons of ideal clients. What’s most important is to not get discouraged and stick with it. You do the work you love to help others – marketing is just a way to share that.
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