Read part 1 of this article here: Marketing Ideas For Your Sessions In Spring
Part 2 – Online
As someone who feels both tech-impaired and addicted to my phone, it’s easy for me to think negatively about social media marketing.
In the past I would begin to post consistently, only to get a few weeks in and think, “What is this even doing? I’m just wasting my time!”
While I don’t believe social media is the holy grail of marketing that we want it to be, the reality is that our lives and businesses are almost always intertwined with social media; having an online presence of some sort is important.
Don’t Be Invisible
Here’s my case in point:
After a long 2021 social media hiatus, once I began posting about my fitness classes again, I met up with a friend I had not seen in a long time due to the pandemic. She said to me, “I’m so glad to see you’ve started offering your virtual fitness classes again!” In truth, I had never stopped offering them since the very beginning of the pandemic! However, since she had not seen me post about it, she just assumed they weren’t happening!
What I’m Doing Online Marketing Wise
So here are the things I’ve been working on this spring in order to create a healthy online presence for my business:
- Posting on Facebook and Instagram about 4-5 times per week. I’m working on making this easy for myself in a few ways:
- I’ve been using the Facebook (or “Meta” now) planner tool. This way I can sit down once every 1-2 weeks and schedule all the posts I want to make on both Facebook and Instagram at one time and be done with it.
- As much as possible, I’m using content I already have, like video demos of exercises, pieces I’ve already written for my newsletter, quotes I’ve saved, etc.
- I’m trying to not be too precious about it. I don’t believe posting will be the thing that will make or break my business. Instead, I’m doing it to remind people on the fringes that I’m still here! So every post I make doesn’t have to be monumental. And my hope is that, just like exercising, the more I do it, the easier, better, and faster I will get!
- Sending out monthly newsletters. This is something I am getting back to doing regularly. My goal here is to more deeply connect to those who have already taken steps with me and to invite them back into our community in a number of ways…and to simply offer helpful information that people actually want to read! As I mentioned in the last article, the monthly newsletters are also helping me to create and commit to a slate of offerings for the next month.
- Offering regular online Challenges. I ran a “March Madness” challenge that involved brackets and supersets, and I’m about to run a two week “movement revolution“ Mini Challenge. Two years ago, I ran a “Walk to the Beach” Challenge, and it was so successful that I plan to bring it back this summer. Online challenges are a great way to pull new people in and generate interest, which is primarily why I do them (plus, I enjoy them). They also add something fun for existing clients while giving interesting content to post about.
- Running a Spring sale on punch cards for my virtual classes, which are good all summer long. I don’t typically offer punch cards – I only use memberships – but this is a chance for people to feel more comfortable dropping into class.
Where To Start
If you have wanted to create a better online presence but feel overwhelmed by it, my best advice is…just start! Posts and newsletters don’t have to be perfect in order to showcase who you are and remind people that you are available. Decide in advance what you feel you can commit to, and block out a time to make that happen.
If you already ARE an online guru, what things are you doing online that are working for you?
Having an online presence may be important, but it is far from the only way to market ourselves, and in fact, may not even be the most effective for you.
Tune in next time to learn about low-tech / no-tech ways to reach a wider audience…
Part 3 where I cover the Face-To-Face Marketing Ideas I’m trying drops next Thursday.
Niki J. Torres is the owner of Folk Fitness where she specializes in helping everyday folks come together to build healthier, stronger lives. A personal trainer for over 9 years and nutrition coach, she believes there is strength in numbers, power in fun, and that the smallest changes make the biggest differences. With a background in theatre and a love for board games and all things silly, Niki loves finding ways to build community and make fitness enjoyable. Folk Fitness currently offers virtual classes, online programs, and in-home personal training in the Raleigh area.
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