The Ins and Outs of Launching Your Personal Training Website
The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that jobs in personal training and fitness instruction will increase by 24% between 2010 and 2020, faster than the average 14% expansion for all occupations (NSCA). This means that there will be more personal training business websites being launched in the next few years too.
So, how can you make sure potential customers can find you, and existing customers can easily keep in touch with you? Continue reading to discover the ins and outs of launching your personal training website.
Select a Reliable Domain and Website Hosting Provider
Before you start building your website, you’ll want to make sure you have a website hosting provider that will keep your domain and website secure and optimized for search engines. You’ll want to select and register a domain that’s secure and easy to find in search engines too. And, you’ll want to make sure your website hosting provider has ample customer support.
Understand and Narrow Down Your Ideal Client and Services
When building your personal training website, you’ll want to build it with your ideal client in mind. Instead of appealing to anyone and everyone who hopes to design and stick to a fitness regimen, you’ll want to narrow down your ideal client base so that your website can stand out and specifically appeal to them. For instance, do you want to cater your personal training services and website design to women who just gave birth or retired individuals in their 60s and 70s? Or do you want to highlight the fact that you use a certain workout technique or type of equipment?
It’s important to narrow down your ideal client so that the content and services you offer on your website remain focused and unique. Otherwise, your website will simply look like all the other personal training websites out there.
Share Top-Notch and Targeted Content
Once you narrow down your ideal client base, you’ll be able to create video content, blog content, sales content, etc. that resonates with them. You’ll essentially be able to execute detailed and targeted content marketing initiatives.
For instance, if your ideal client is a woman who just gave birth, you’ll want to create content that discusses getting rid of “baby weight,” and that keeps in mind the demands and concerns of being a new mother who wants to participate in personal training. Then, once you’ve created such targeted content, you’ll want to share it with your email subscribers and social media followers.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less, and rakes in conversion rates six times higher than other methods. So, if you want your personal training website to stand out, create and share targeted content for it.
Decide on an Ideal Website Theme
As you’re building your personal training website, you’ll want to select a design or theme that resonates with your ideal client and that matches your business logo and information. Make sure the color scheme and font are appropriate, and that the layout will be easy to navigate. Overall, you’ll want a theme that induces excitement, energy, and accomplishment, as you’ll want your website visitors to be excited about getting started with your personal training services.
Capture Photos and Videos for Your Website
Including real “before and after” photos on your website will help encourage your website visitors to reach out to you and to start their new fitness regimens. Everyone interested in personal training services will be encouraged by real-life people who have lost a significant amount of weight or who have reached other important fitness goals.
Additionally, keep in mind that 70% of marketers claim video produces more conversions than any other type of content (Live Stream). And other research indicates that content shared with photos is much more likely to be read and engaged with online (HubSpot). So, be sure to include things like workout videos and images of some of your featured workouts on your website if you want website visitors to stay on and return to your website.
Collect and Showcase Reviews and Recommendations
Collect and showcase reviews and recommendations on your personal training website. Include personal stories from previous clients you’ve helped and how your personal training services impacted their lives in a positive way. Not only will the reviews and recommendations highlight your expertise and reliability for new website visitors, it will also offer more motivation and inspiration for them to reach out to you.
Document Your Story
Your website visitors will want to know a little bit about your personal story and why you decided to launch your personal training business and website, and why they can trust you and your experience. They’ll want to know what you’re up to right now, too. So, create an “About Me” page explaining why you decided to get into personal training and how it transformed your life, and then include periodic updates so that your website visitors can follow you and your story. Revealing your story through short video clips and blog posts is a great way to keep your following engaged and repeatedly returning to your website. It’s also a great way to keep them inspired and motivated with their own goals and routines.
Leverage Social Media
Share stories, photos, and videos published on your website across social media outlets on a regular basis. Not only will this increase your online following and reputation, it will generate more traffic back to your personal training website. And, when you generate more traffic back to your website, you can capture more leads and land more clients. You’ll also keep current clients engaged, and increase your thought leadership across the entire personal training industry.
Allow Prospects to Book Appointments
To make things as easy as possible, allow your website visitors to book information sessions and other personal training sessions with you via your website. It’s convenient for them and makes it a lot easier for you to manage your own calendar and bookings.
Use Opt-In Forms and Promote Offers
To continue to grow your personal training business, you’ll want to use opt-in forms on your website to generate leads on a rolling basis. Typically, an opt-in form will offer a free digital product in exchange for a website visitor’s email addresses. For instance, you can offer a fitness e-book guide or exercise worksheet in exchange for email addresses. Then you can send informational emails and offers to your growing email list in the future.
To generate more viable leads and interest in your personal training services, you’ll want to consider promoting limited-time offers and discounts to your website visitors. And, you’ll want to share those promotions in emails and social media campaigns.
Learn the Basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
You’ll want to optimize your personal training website for search engines if you want it to be discovered and frequented by prospective customers. Along with understanding the basics of keywords, headers, and meta descriptions, you should read and follow the tips in SEO Must-Haves for Your Website in 2018 – A Comprehensive List to make sure your personal training website is optimized for search engines in 2018.
Ultimately, as you’re building your personal training website, make sure it remains focused on your ideal client base and that it’s generating leads and sales.
Sources Cited
Content Marketing Institute. “9 Stats That Will Make You Want to Invest in Content Marketing,” http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/10/stats-invest-content-marketing/. Accessed 4/19/2018.
HubSpot. “42 Visual Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know in 2017,” https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy. Accessed 4/19/2018.
iPage. “SEO Must-Haves for Your Website in 2018 – A Comprehensive List,” https://ipage.com/blog/website-seo-must-haves/. Accessed 4/19/2018.
Live Stream. “62 Must-Know Live Video Streaming Statistics,”https://livestream.com/blog/62-must-know-stats-live-video-streaming. Accessed 4/19/2018.
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). “The Future of Personal Training: Where is the Industry Headed?” https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/the_future_of_personal_training/. Accessed 4/19/2018.