The fitness industry is making use of technology and the internet like any other business in today’s commercial climate. Trainers use computer technology to expand their client base and stay connected with in-person clients.
The digital face of your business often gives one of the first impressions your potential clients will have of you. There are several ways you can go online to enhance your marketing efforts, as well as generate supplemental sources of income. We’ll give you some basic pointers in this chapter on creating a simple business online presence. It’s in Chapter 6 that we’ll really ask you to do some stretching (of the social media variety) and go beyond just setting up a website. You don’t want to just get by doing the bare minimum, do you? So let’s get that website created so we can talk to you about blogging and tweeting.
The simplest option is to create a website that functions primarily as an online brochure, giving clients information about your company and your trainers. This allows potential clients to learn about you in a relaxed, nonthreatening environment. “They can become interested and already sold on your facility even prior to coming in,” explains Bill Sonnemaker, who owns a facility in Atlanta. “If they find something appealing about your website—if they like the content and the pictures—they’ll feel more comfortable. And it provides credibility. When people call on the phone we always ask if they’ve had a chance to view our website.”
One of the special features of Gunnar Peterson’s website (http://gunnarpeterson.com) is a press section touting his uniqueness in health and fitness publications.
The special attributes of Tyrone Minor’s site (www.chizelinc.com) are a cluster of impressive testimonials with dramatic before and after photos, a media section with snippets of Minor’s appearances in various sports publications and websites, and a slick portfolio of his fitness modeling photography.
Some web hosting sites offer tools to quickly get your website up and running—for example, www.register.com and www.sitesell.com (which have tools to optimize your site so it will be picked up by search engines). You also can use these sites to check if your desired domain name is available.
Remember when designing every element of your site to make it as easy as possible for people to use. Here are some tips as you think about your site design:
Determine how many pages you’ll have and how you’d like to link them to each other.
Make navigation easy—for example, users should be able to access major categories on your site from any page within the site.
Imagine your typical audience member and what they’re looking for. Create “gifts” for them in the form of knowledge. Short, newsy blasts of “Did you know?” style copy create interest for the viewer and make them want to linger on your site. Interesting photos that tell a story relevant to your business cause an attraction that can lead the viewer farther into your site.
Pages, graphics, and blocks of copy should load quickly. If they don’t, the user will leave.
Only relevant information that the viewer will benefit from should be on each page. Anything else is distracting and uses up the viewer’s attention span.
Focus on keeping the design relatively simple and easy to read—avoid using big words when a friendly tone will do, and have enough blank space and/or graphics on the page so the reader isn’t overwhelmed by text.
Prominently display your contact information so users don’t have to hunt for it—include contact names, your business name, address, phone, fax, and email.
Additionally, a potential client should be able to submit questions through a form on the website, as well as be able to email or call you. Remember that the form should be optional, and not the only way they can contact you. A properly designed form will allow you to obtain their contact information and use it later for newsletters and campaigns. Don’t ask them to provide more information than an email address and phone number. If they can’t call or email you, you may lose a sale. This kind of information capturing is fine if it’s of service to the potential customer and lets them add details to their query, but if they can’t just pick up the phone or shoot you an email because you’ve decided to only respond to messages, it smacks of customer service that will be for your convenience, not theirs.
While you can design your own site, you’ll save time by hiring outside help, and chances are you’ll end up with a more professional design. Just make sure the designer builds in some flexibility so that you can make simple changes on your own, especially as your company grows. “As a small business, we wanted the ability to control the content and be able to update the site as necessary,” says Bill Sonnemaker, who hired a designer for his company’s site. “You don’t want to have employees listed who aren’t with the business anymore. You don’t want to offer or talk about things that are weeks old. That’s why the ability to update—at no cost to us—is really beneficial. If we want to change a sentence, we’re not dependent upon waiting for [a consultant] to have time, nor do we have to pay a $50 or $100 service fee to do that.”
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To find a website designer, check with business and networking groups you belong to for references.
Here are more tips to keep in mind if you hire a web expert:
When you come across a website you like, try to find out who the designer is (this is typically indicated at the bottom of the page). You also could simply ask the business directly.
Keep favorite sites bookmarked so you’ll be able to give the designer an idea of your preferences.
As you’re narrowing down your choice of designers, look at their own websites, and check out their portfolios.
Consider putting your project out to bid online at www.guru.com, which is an online marketplace touting more than 600,000 freelancers whose expertise includes web design, programming, and graphic design.
Check to see if your designer can build the site from pre-formed templates—this could save on costs.
If the developer is building the site from scratch, determine in writing who owns the source code—if the designer does, this could limit what you can do with the site later on.
Get your agreement with the designer in writing and save your correspondence.
If you want to move beyond simply having a website presence, you could consider computer-based tools to enhance your services, either as your primary method of delivering training or in conjunction with face-to-face sessions.
Depending on the features of a particular program, you may be able to assess your clients’ fitness levels, plan their programs, analyze their progress, maintain appointment schedules, handle billing and invoicing, and do training online. Online training allows you to give one-on-one attention to clients who may not be able to afford a face-to-face program, and to train clients in different geographic areas. Some services offer website setup. Here’s a sampling of products, but shop around to find the personal trainer software or online service most appropriate for you:
Don’t Give Away the Store
Be wary of putting too many exercise tips on your site—if you do so, keep things simple. This will help limit your potential liability and is just good marketing. “You want to give some information to be helpful so that even if they never contact you, perhaps you’ve motivated them, you’ve educated them,” says Bill Sonnemaker. But from a sales standpoint, he says, giving away too much information for free isn’t a good idea because the web surfer should have an incentive to contact you. In fact, that same principle applies to listing your prices. “One reason we don’t publish our prices online,” he says, “is that we at least want the opportunity to talk to them.”
Pro Fitness PT, http://profitnessprogram.com
Visual ClubMate™, www.visualclubmate.com
BSDI, www.bsdiweb.com
Gubb, www.gubb.net
PumpOne®, www.pumpone.com
CrossTrainer, www.crosstrainer.ca
Wellcoaches, http://wellcoachesschool.com
Another alternative is to design your own online training capability from scratch. Depending on how things are set up, clients could use your website to complete forms that would allow you to do an assessment and create a program for them. You could provide them with an online exercise diary, which you review regularly to evaluate their progress and make adjustments if necessary. Questions could be handled via email.
A good website designer should be able to set up an online personal training business site for you based on your specifications.
Sending emails to your clients and prospects is an inexpensive way to stay connected. Bill Sonnemaker sends out weekly or twice-weekly emails to his client list and people who have contacted the facility inquiring about services over the phone or through the website. “We send them information on current research findings, recipes, and other things related to health and fitness,” he says. He often hears from people in other parts of the country who were forwarded one of his emails, and they request to get on his mailing list.
When Trainers Go Electronic
Trainer Mike Hood uses www.gubb.net to create, manage, and share an unlimited number of lists with clients. “It allows you to be mobile while not in a session, while integrating reminders, lists, and tips for various parts of everyday life,” Hood says. Trainer Louis Coraggio uses www.pumpone.com, a membership site that helps you quickly set up an online training business. You get access to a drag and drop tool to create your own workouts that can be used on any mobile device, including Apple Watch, and an online store to sell them. “It is an effective way to increase clients and prevent burning out from trying to squeeze a certain amount of clients into a day,” Coraggio says.
But be cautious, because email can backfire in this day and age of spam email campaigns. “You’ve got to be careful because if you’re soliciting, people are going to delete the mail and ask to be removed from your email list,” Sonnemaker says. “Not one email we have sent out in the last three years said, ‘Sign up now’ or ‘We’ve got this special going on.’ Instead, we focus on educating.”
To drive traffic to your site, get creative. Trainer Annette Hudson, for example, ran a weight-loss contest on her site. “I was rewarded with a dramatic increase in traffic,” she says, “which continued after the contest ended. It was a lot of fun awarding the prizes, which were donated by Bowflex, PCGamerBike, AquaJogger, and others.”
Another idea: If you have a membership website, you can give free trials to new members. “You’ll dramatically improve your sign-up rate if you allow the member two weeks to make sure they like the program,” says Hudson. She also suggests giving website members inexpensive gifts that display your logo, such as pens and calendars.
Here are more traffic-boosting strategies:
When you use a program such as Google AdWords, an ad for your website appears next to internet search results based on keywords you choose. You’re charged when someone clicks on your ad. “I recommend using the most specific keywords that you can—this will keep the cost way down,” Hudson says. “For example, if your studio is located in Minneapolis, use the keywords ‘Minneapolis personal training’ instead of ‘personal training.’” Being specific also increases the quality of your clicks—that is, the people who click on your ad (and that you pay for) are the most likely to be a potential client.
Use a free online search engine submission tool so the search engines will find your site. The hosting and site-building service at www.sitesell.com has user-friendly tools for search engine optimization.
Issue a press release about your new site and include the address on all of your stationery, business cards, and brochures.
Offer to exchange links with other websites that are complementary to yours—you’ll list their link on your site if they list your link on theirs.
Research Insight
A new client may experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)—the pain from exercise that occurs 12 or more hours after training. This probably results from microscopic tearing of muscle fibers and swelling. Eccentric movements, such as running downhill or lowering weights, seem to be the worst culprits. Proper warm-up and cool-down can mitigate DOMS; once the damage is done, it may help to do low-impact cardio because this increases blood flow through the affected area.
stat fact
According to Statistic Brain’s (www.statisticbrain.com) “Gym Membership Statistics,” as of December 1, 2015, 58 million people use the 30,500 gym and health clubs in the U.S. Those users average two gym visits per week and gym membership averages $58 per month.
We’ll talk more about this in Chapter 6.
As the number of people who use the internet to find information and conduct business increases, so does the volume of related litigation. Disclaimers can help minimize the potential liability from the use of your site.
If you provide links to other online merchants, consider including a disclaimer that you are not endorsing the products or services sold on the linked site, nor are you responsible for the quality or performance of those products or services. If you provide any type of healthcare advice or information, your disclaimer should identify the source of the information and state that use of the information is not a substitute for medical treatment. It’s a good idea to consult with an attorney to make sure the type, content, and locations of your disclaimers are appropriate and effective.