How Online Personal Trainers Should Master and Take advantage of their specialty

This article was originally published on: theptdc.com It is republished here with permission from our PTDC partners.

The call came in my sophomore year in college. My brother was Rodney: Our mother had a severe stroke.

My mom wouldn’t be the same and neither would she be me. She was a full-time nurse, part-time anxious and, unfortunately, no exercise – she smokes.

She was supporting me, so I had to quit school for a while and get a job. My story goes from grief to the worst – the death of my brother, sister, son-in-law, and mom – but I also know it made me what I am: an online personal trainer helping people live healthier lives.

My story shapes my coaching style and my clients to this day. I train moms over 30; This is where I am.

I The solution I wish my mother had become became: Attractive and funny coach who could have helped her recover. Someone would have given her simple exercise routines that she could handle, not deprive her of the foods she liked and could give her gentle and fun encouragement.

I was raised by my mum, a sister 13 years older than me and my grandmother. Their lives – and their deaths – are imprinted on me. They have given me the desire to help women who struggle with exhaustion and stress, mothers who put their needs in the back of helping their families.

Your “why” is important

My place is a natural consequence of who I am. It should be yours too.

Now, I realize that for anyone trying to build an online training business, “niche” or “avatar” words can be stress triggers.

Wait, what’s my specialty? How do I find it? If you find it, how do I tell people?

Let me help. By the time you finish reading this, I think you will reduce your stress and feel more optimistic. You have learned a lot that can help you. First, I’ll fill in my backstory so you can literally see where I came from.

After her stroke, my mother moved in with my brother – until he had a heart attack and died. So, I moved in with my older sister Robin and her husband. Four years later, Robin, who was an addict, drove into the car and died instantly when her car collided with a tree. Her stricken husband refused dialysis and died three months later.

My mom lived another two years in a extended care facility, 120 miles away from me. I’ve been visiting for donut parties on Thursdays, milkshake parties on Saturday and soccer on Sundays. When I leave after a day with her, I have been crying like a baby every time. (More tears: My younger sister passed away last year, leaving behind three beautiful daughters and my handsome nephew.)

Whew. Maybe you related to some of that. Not the details, I hope, but the emotion. I share all of this to remind you of that Your story matters. Don’t deny potential customers that. Let them benefit from your humanity.

There is an old commercial saying: People buy passion and justify it with reason.

Agree, tweak it Online fitness marketing: People are exploiting humanity and justifying your credentials. (Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.)

I can hear you asking: How do I know what is my major?

The best guidance I can give you: align your work with your life.

Or, like Carolina Belmaris He said in our podcast View the trainer onlineYour content is your life and your content is your content.

By choosing a file A niche that matches your life, your message will be authentic, It will have an effect and longevity. Carolina hopes to attract “fatter mothers,” perhaps because she is the mother of a mixed family of four who still gets it all done.

Take an inventory of yourself. Determine your reliable authentic parts. This is your guiding power – draw directly from this well. Athlete? Dad is busy? Or in middle age? Former heavyweight? Teacher? Catalyst? Come back, baby? Find out what makes you tick and put it there.

And remember: you don’t have to be your target niche. I am not a mother over thirty, but these are my clients. Women who have raised me are my guiding power. I paint from that well.

3 Smart Marketing Strategies for Online Personal Training Benefits

Now, let’s talk about some actionable fitness marketing strategies.

1. Immerse yourself in the community

This is easy if you are already a member of your niche.

Obviously, an athlete who works with athletes will understand this life, right? The rigors of the practice, the chills of an ice bath, how to hone a competitive advantage or return from injury – these are all live experiences. Your life immerses you in society. Your originality comes through and speaks for itself. But what if you’re a 46-year-old single man who works with moms over 30? Find ways to listen.

My childhood in that house with my big sister, mom and grandmother? Trust me, I was totally engrossed and had a lot of fun at the time. However, I’m not a 30-year-old mom, so I learned how Social media could be a hypothetical master class in motherhood. Or anywhere online personal training you have targeted. Let others teach you about the life they live.

I am relentlessly observant and sympathetic. I pay close attention to the community I serve, and you should too.

Start by looking and listening. Organize your social media feed. If you work with women, why only follow men’s bodybuilding pages? Follow the experts who work with women. Better yet, follow some women who need your expertise.

Working with soccer players? Maybe you want more of this sport in your schedule, and less on the Lakers for example. Upload your daily feed of things to help you understand your niche.

After that, learn the language. This requires focused listening. Join groups where your target market is communicating. For example, I quickly learned from Wonderful The girls became strong A group that is “female” is not a great way of saying “a woman.” I learned that “female” as a noun is not specific to humans. When I used this word, the response was: “What female? Oh, do you mean a woman?” Lesson learned.

Everything Learns: If I am not ready to observe, understand, and empathize, then it is difficult to work with my demographics.

And don’t forget to ask questions. Yes, you can actually ask someone in your niche directly, and it can be extremely effective. It could be a general question like: “When you think about fitness and nutrition, what are some of the challenges you face the most?” Or it could be specific, such as: “What frustrates you about squatting?” Or “How much time can you find to exercise on a weekday?” This is Intel Pure Gold.

2. Make your customers the star of the show

Post photos of them (with permission, of course) – they are your strongest selling point and most effective spokespeople. This is especially important if you are not part of the population you are serving. While you can collect likes and continue posting pictures of yourself you do push up Or hanging from a Pull When lifting your legs, you may also have difficulty building a list of clients. As a Online Coach Academy Mentor, I speak to coaches all over the world. You will be shocked at the number of followers who have 10,000 followers but you cannot get 10 clients.

When you make your customers the stars of the show, you become their hero. And they stamp your business with authenticity. So do this:

Post their photos. My Instagram feed contains more posts about my customers than my posts. I let them get all the shine. And if you get into something, it’s usually based on what you’ve heard from them. When someone in your niche sees a post about someone who reminds them of themselves, they will appreciate it and be encouraged. They will enjoy seeing someone enjoy the results is yours Experience.

And they might sign up.

Team up. If you have clients who like to record their training, share them and talk about how they were trained. Attract potential customers with something specific and realistic.

If your customers feel cute, post their pics (with permission!) And comment. Remember, just because you are successful with your exercise program and nutrition does not prove that it will work for others. Encourage customers to tag you in their posts and stories, then make them stars. They will appreciate your place and think of you as the solution they need when they are ready to take action.

Make it real. The world of online training is full of unbelievable promises and images. They are not fooling anyone. Amber Reynolds, Head of Online Coach Academy And a personal trainer who calls her professional group “Hot Mess Working Moms”, recently had a photo session at her home.

Did she clean up first? Nope – she wanted to look real, as if a three-year-old lived there (right). No makeup or special clothing. Clients love it, and think, “She’s like me.”

Amber Reynolds with her three-year-old son. She appeals to her stature by keeping her real and showing that she’s a “hot mess mom” too.

3. Speak directly to your major for personal online training

Once you are immersed in your target market, and understand their language, hopes, fears, and challenges, be sure to fully focus on them. Talk to them directly (and only) on all of your content.

In the online space, generalized content is an absolute death sentence. There are thousands of coaches online who can teach your potential client about water, protein, squats, and mindset. But if a new mom starts exercising again, and she sees my post titled “Best 5 Prams for New Moms Who Run,” she will stop scrolling and start reading. A 25-year-old athlete who has no children will ignore her, which is okay (in fact, he’s a favorite).

When you know who to talk to, content creation becomes much easier. And speaking directly to your niche allows them to see you as the clear solution to their challenges. This is beneficial for you and the people you want to serve the most.