If you’re a personal trainer, one thing that is likely always on your mind is getting more clients.
There are many ways to do this of course, but one huge player in the marketing game is social media. LinkedIn is yet another social media site that you can use to market and grow your business.
In this blog, we’re covering everything you need to know about LinkedIn marketing for personal trainers, including how to make the most of the site and get more fitness clients.
Table of Contents:
- Chapter 1: The Importance of LinkedIn for Fitness Professionals
- Chapter 2: 4 Steps to Get More Personal Training Clients on LinkedIn
- Chapter 3: Build Your LinkedIn Network and Grow Your Business
The Importance of LinkedIn for Fitness Professionals
LinkedIn sets itself apart as a social media platform for professional networking and business connections.
This distinction makes it not only a great place to connect with other professionals in the fitness industry, you can also take advantage of the site’s popularity to attract and engage with potential clients.
LinkedIn has nearly 67 million active monthly users, so with the right strategy, you can use the site to gain a lot more visibility online. Having a LinkedIn profile can also help you up your professionalism and meet other professionals in the industry.
Let’s talk about how you can get more fitness clients from LinkedIn.
4 Steps to Get More Personal Training Clients on LinkedIn
As with all social media, making the most of LinkedIn will involve a bit of a learning curve. However, once you learn how to set yourself up and use the site to its max potential, it can be a great marketing tool to have in your arsenal.
1. Create an Effective Profile
The first step to a winning LinkedIn strategy is making sure your account is set up correctly and professionally. Your profile will serve as the first impression for many leads and it’s important to include the relevant information that will make your ideal clients want to connect with your business.
Make sure to use your name or business name as your URL to make it easy to find your page. Use your headline to give profile viewers a quick snapshot of who you are and who you do. Don’t be afraid to get creative, but make sure any viewers will be able to easily understand who you are and what your business is about. Here are some examples:
“Utah based personal trainer who specializes in fat loss without a restrictive diet”
“Former gymnast turned personal trainer that can help you build strength and flexibility.”
Don’t feel the need to put too much info in your headline. Use your summary section to share more about your professional experience, how you help clients, and a tidbit into your personal life that makes you relatable to your ideal client. You can even include a couple of testimonials in the about section. .
Use well lit professional looking photos for your profile and consider using a branded cover photo. You can hire a professional to take branding photos if you’d like though it’s not totally necessary, just show your face, wear something bright and look directly at the camera.
Include a professional summary including any degrees, certificates, and training you’ve completed and relevant work history.
2. Connect with Your Ideal Clients
Think less of LinkedIn as a place to sell your services and more as a place to build relationships with potential clients and open up ongoing communication channels. Ongoing communication channels are how you prime leads and get them to buy from you.
As with all marketing efforts, make sure that you are familiar with your ideal client and keep them in mind as you communicate on LinkedIn. Send connection requests and build your network; include a personalized message in each request.
Once you add work and school history, LinkedIn will also suggest people you may know. Try to connect with as many as possible, to get your page in front of more eyes and continue building your following.
3. Share Fitness Content
Active networking on LinkedIn is important, but sharing relevant fitness content is also crucial for growing your business on the site.
If you’re already sharing content on other social media platforms, great! Follow that same framework and repurpose the content for linkedin. Focus on content that’s engaging and gets followers to interact. LinkedIn allows you to post polls, photos, documents like PDFs and more.
Need some more ideas for creating your LinkedIn content?
Educational content
One of the most important parts of your content strategy should be educational content that teaches your ideal clients and establishes your expertise in the industry.
Think about your ideal clients’ needs and the types of questions they are asking online. Conduct some keyword research to make sure that you are targeting the right questions.
Many people see LinkedIn as a great place to learn something new. Keep your followers engaged by sharing your industry knowhow and making their lives better with your health and fitness tips.
Share your identity
LinkedIn isn’t all about stuffy professionalism – it’s also a great place to build likability and highlight your personal identity online.
You may identify with being a mom, a dog lover, a traveler, etc. We are all drawn to people that we relate to. So by making a few elements of your personality a part of your fitness brand, you can attract more followers and build that like factor.
This type of content performs great on network based social media like LinkedIn where building community is key and people expect personal content.
Highlight what makes you different to stand out in a saturated market
If you have a new way of doing something, special training, or a unique approach, make sure that you are making it a prominent feature in your content. This can help you stand out and be more memorable in an oversaturated market. Think about the advantages of your approach and compare them to the disadvantages of your competitor’s approach.
Use thoughtful captions to explain to your followers what makes you different. You can point them toward your other social media sites or your blog where they can learn more from your other types of content.
Think about the doubts your potential clients might have and tackle them head on
Your followers and potential clients will have countless objections, doubts, and limiting beliefs that will stop them from buying from you. It’s your job to tackle these doubts head on and dispel them. Remember, people have short memories and it’s ok to repeat yourself on social media, especially when it comes to tackling your ideal client’s doubts.
4. Be Active and Consistent
Be sure to check in on LinkedIn on a consistent basis to help grow your following. Take the time to respond to comments and messages and like, share, and comment on other profiles’ content.
It can be difficult to maintain a social media presence – especially if you’re using more than one platform to market your business. Try to schedule out a block of time each day for LinkedIn, and plan ahead as much as possible. Batching your content can make it easier to consistently post, and spending just a few minutes a day interacting on the site can go a long way. Eventually, you may be able to offload social media marketing to an expert, which can save you time while you reap the benefits of a strong social media marketing plan.
However you do it, staying consistent will help you build your community of ideal clients and generate more personal training leads.
Build Your LinkedIn Network and Grow Your Business
LinkedIn marketing starts by laying the right foundation and setting up your profile correctly. Highlight your professional experience while still letting your personality and relatability shine through.
Share relevant personal training content on a consistent basis and send genuine connection requests to expand your reach to potential clients. As with all marketing efforts, practice patience and consistency for best results.
Are you trying to up your marketing game? Be sure to check out some of our other great resources for personal trainers:
Fitness Email Marketing: An Ultimate Guide