Top 10 Facebook Marketing Mistakes by Fitness Coaches

Facebook Marketing Mistakes by Fitness Coaches

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It’s no secret that social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram (which Facebook owns) are the number one way to reach clients in the digital age. This is especially true for fitness professionals. So much so that almost every coach online is taking out Facebook ads, which can also appear on Instagram.

With an oversaturated market of online fitness coaches, trainers and other health professionals it can be easy to make a mistake and difficult to successfully stand out from the crowd.

Facebook is a powerful marketing tool when utilized correctly and can significantly increase your revenue. Below we detail the top ten Facebook marketing mistakes fitness professionals make, and what you can do to avoid them.

Marketing is Too Broad: When setting out to make a name for yourself and your business on Facebook, you need to know who your market is. Before you spend money on Facebook ads, know who you are marketing to. Casting too wide of a net to the 2 billion+ users on Facebook is not a successful approach. Once you hone in on your niche, you can adjust filters on your Facebook ads to reach only certain people by: gender, location, age, interests and more.

Ask yourself the following to better narrow down your niche:

  • Who is your ideal client?
  • What do they do for a living?
  • Where do they live?
  • What are their hobbies, interests?
  • What is their age range?
  • What is their biggest problem when it comes to fitness?

Not Engaging: You can’t drive sales purely from cold traffic. Many trainers and coaches will put out their first Facebook ad expecting to see an automatic return. Although it is possible, it is rare and lacks a methodology for sustaining a revenue stream. People don’t buy from someone they don’t know. Go into Facebook groups and start conversations, interact with people who comment on your posts, offer value without asking for anything in exchange. This helps you build a reputation of credibility and will make people more likely to buy from you.

No Consistency: You can’t post once every few days and expect to garner a following. If this is your business, you need to treat it as such. Come up with a calendar plan for when to create content and when to post it and stick to it.

Not Being Unique: BE YOURSELF! Don’t try to be like anyone else. What works for them won’t work for you. Show your quirks, your accomplishments and your faults. The more “you” you are, the more relatable you are.

Posting Haphazardly: If you are posting frequently but with no order to things, it can be confusing to your following. Do you post a rainbow one day, a gym selfie the next, and three pictures of your dog in one day the next? Plan your content topics and posting times to build a reputable brand and following.

Not Relatable / Too Self-Focused: We’ve all seen the personal trainer on Facebook who post nothing but modelesque portraits of their physique of a slew of gym-selfies. We get it. You’re ripped. Tough love time, while it can be motivating to show people what’s possible, most potential clients are in a vulnerable place of lower confidence and seeing you in excellent shape will not convince them to buy from you. Make your ads about your ideal client, ask questions on posts, be vulnerable about not being perfect, start a conversation and watch the engagement turn up.

Being Too Salesy: People on social media are sick of self-centered marketing. What is in it for them? Consider taking a more focused and genuine approach to posting both ads and content alike. It’s not enough to push a product, you need to prove you are a real person who cares. A step further? Gather testimonials, both text and visual, from your fitness clients and post them (with permission from the client, of course) to show the efficacy of your product. There is no better way to make a sale than to have proof and word of mouth from an existing client’s success.

Not Aligning with Facebook Rules: Read these carefully or not only will your post be denied, but your entire account could also be disabled which is an extreme pain to undo. Quick tip: Facebook does not allow before and after photos in ads!

Ignoring Branding: Branding is important. There is the old saying, if you stand for nothing, you fall for everything. Know who your niche is and build credibility in that space.

Boring Content: Be unique, be yourself and most of all be engaging. No cookie-cutter posts!

Getting Started

It’s a tough world making a name for yourself in the online space. With some planning and intent, along with you being your unique, wonderful self, success is inevitable. Happy marketing!

Check out this list of fitness careers that let you follow your dreams which includes what it takes to start a career in personal fitness training. This is your most affordable and fastest way to become a highly qualified personal trainer.

Is your re-certification coming up? Learn more about earning your CEU credits. You can find the full list of CEU courses here.

If you are ready to start your online personal training or coaching business, don’t forget to learn more about our online coaching course.

One of the most popular and fastest ways to get started working with clients while you travel is to coach/train online. You will want to learn more about GymGo. GymGo lets you work with clients and make money in different ways: online, live-streaming virtual training & on-demand training. Use our link to get yourself a free 14-day trial >>> https://www.gymgo.com/nesta

Remember, NESTA and Spencer Institute coaching programs are open to anyone with a desire to learn and help others. There are no prerequisites!

That’s it for now. Take action!

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NOTE: When you take your fitness business home, you can also work with clients outdoors as you operate your business from your kitchen table and even coach clients online from home.