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By August Høgås Røen
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Published June 20, 2023
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Article contents Niche & Client Fulfillment
Business Optimization Marketing Polishment Introduction
So, you've decided to become an online fitness coach? Way to go! You've taken the first step towards making a positive impact on people's lives and helping them achieve their fitness goals. But let's be real, the journey ahead is no walk in the park. Even if you have biceps that could rival Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's, becoming a successful online fitness coach requires more than just a great physique. That's why I'm here to help you navigate the challenges you'll face as an online fitness coach, starting from today. But don't worry, I won't just leave you hanging with stress momentum and throbbing back pain. I've got solutions to each of the challenges you can encounter, so you can power through the tough times and come out stronger on the other side. So, let's dive in and explore the top strategies for running an online fitness coaching business and the possible solutions to overcome them. From niche and client fulfillment to business optimization and marketing polisment, we'll go in depth on the strategies you should incorporate to grow your empire and thrive. Get ready to take on the challenges and build a successful online coaching business! Niche & Client Fulfillment Competition: As the popularity of remote coaching continues to soar, competition among coaches has become increasingly more fierce. With so many coaches battling for the attention of potential clients, it can be a real pain in the neck for you as a beginner to stand out from the crowd, build a greater following of loyal clients and gain a foothold within the fitness community. The most effective and commonly used strategy for this problem is to specialize in one particular niche or area of fitness. This will make you able to differentiate yourself from the competition and label yourself as an expert within your niche. Which in turn allows you to put higher prices on your services, construct attractive demand generating headlines, that most importantly will attract clients who are right for your business and seek your undisputed expertise in that area. Written for you headline examples: What to do: “Specializing in building a cut and defined body to impress everyone at the beach” “10 years of experience in making stubborn belly fat loose hold around your waist” “Pregnant? No problem! We offer soothing exercises that improve day-to-day function and relieve you from stress” What not to do: “Professional fitness coach with a long experience” The difference is staggering! Don't be the last person! Within your coaching offer, you may specialize in different training styles, like cardio or strength training, or focus on helping clients with specific health issues, such as back pain or diabetes to make your offer glow in the eyes of your potential client. Something that's also pretty common is specializing by gender. Men and women naturally have different body compositions. And in many cases, they have individual desires and requirements when it comes to training. Of course, it's important to keep in mind that specializing in a particular niche or area of fitness requires a deep understanding and expertise in that field. But by doing this, you will be able to go to greater lengths, and possibly build your very own empire of jacked up superhumans! Limited Resources: Now, if you are starting from scratch you may lack the sufficient resources that the more established fitness coaches around have already acquired within their business. Such as gym equipment, training space, or other traditional fitness resources. If you're planning on having a strength based training program, then limited resources can be an immense hassle, if not done correctly. It can make it more difficult to create an effective and comprehensive fitness program. It may also limit the variety and intensity of exercises, resulting in repetitive or ineffective workouts and bad client satisfaction. (Which is the quickest way of shutting down a business for good!) However, if you do your research properly, and with a little creative cunningness… There are a few solutions to offer effective and varied workouts within the strength training niche, which creates just as good results as a gym would do. One solution is to design workouts that use bodyweight exercises, this will make it so that you don't have to rely on training facilities, or make any public videos with a bunch of sweaty people trying to have an honest, quiet workout. You can also implement equipment that is easily obtainable such as resistance bands, jump ropes and stability balls, just to name a few. You can easily make exercises that are just as effective as traditional gym workouts with just these simple appliances. And if these are out of range within your budget, another solution is to provide clients with guidance on how to use household items, such as chairs, stairs or even door frames to create home workouts targeted towards people who enjoy spending their day without leaving the house. Here are an additional list of niches that requires almost no equipment:
BONUS: If you're planning on offering support and guidance on nutrition and other lifestyle factors that can affect clients' fitness journeys, without having access to a certified nutritionist, you may take a holistic approach, and provide clients with guidance and resources on healthy eating habits, stress management or other factors that can affect their business journey. (What I ultimately recommend is to wait a little until your business is afoot, and you're able to hire a professional. It is not a must-have when first starting out.) By being creative and resourceful, you can provide your clients with effective and engaging workouts, regardless of the limitations you may face. Your brain is your most important muscle, now implement it in your business! Client Retention and Commitment Retaining clients and promoting their commitment are two essential aspects of successful online coaching. To maintain a steady income and build a loyal client base, you need to keep clients engaged, motivated and accountable. Additionally, you need to help your clients stick to their workout plans and follow your recommendations to achieve their goals. Retaining clients is crucial to maintain a steady income and build a loyal client base. There are a lot of people that may have unrealistic goals for their training, and I can't blame them. With all the training programs out there bringing HUGE promises to the table. For Example: “Go down 10 kg in body weight after just 1 month by eating this secret supplement” “How you can naturally gain 5 kg of lean muscle just by implementing 1 change to your training regiment!” “You only need to train once a week once you know this secret!” Now these are only examples that I've come up with, but you get the point… It's not weird that people may struggle with staying on track, when all they see out on the wide web is a mix of false advertising and big promises that never seem to be fulfilled… To keep your clients engaged and motivated, you can schedule regular check-ins, provide motivational messages and challenges, and celebrate clients' successes. This can help them see their progress and feel encouraged to continue their fitness journey. You should also encourage clients to set achievable goals and track progress, which will support clients to get a more realistic view on their journey ahead, and help them see their progress, stay motivated and continue their journey. Follow-ups and keeping close relations with your clients is key to help them stay motivated and dedicated. Creating a supportive community of clients is another great way to promote client commitment and retention. You can facilitate interactions between clients, where they can share tips, motivate each other, and hold each other accountable. They may even make a couple of new friends that they can relate to and discuss strategies with. This will all help minimize the chance of a client going dark on you, and help them stay on the right path to lean and chiseled abs. While you can keep maintaining a steady income, and a more predictable day-to-day life, which is a win-win for everybody! Business Optimization Time Management: Time management is a crucial aspect of any successful business. Making sure everything within the business runs effectively is essential to maintain trust and build a positive reputation. As an online coach, you have to balance creating custom workout plans, tracking progress, and responding to client inquiries promptly, which can be overwhelming without proper time management strategies. What I've learned is that the most effective solution to this challenge is to use time management tools such as calendars, scheduling apps, and project management softwares. Calendars will help you schedule your tasks and appointments, ensuring that you never miss an important deadline or meeting. Scheduling apps like Calendly or Doodle can also help you schedule appointments with clients more efficiently and minimize scheduling conflicts, and ultimately make sure everyone shows up to the call. Project management softwares like Asana or Trello can help you organize and manage your tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. These tools allow you to break down complex projects into smaller, manageable tasks. These tools will help you manage your time, allowing you to prioritize important tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. Giving you the additional spare time to hang out with friends, getting in that extra set at the gym, or binge 2 or 3 episodes of that amazing new Netflix series. Different Time Zones: If you want to attain a large audience, earn the most money and achieve greater influence, then you will probably want to make your course available worldwide. That implies committing to cater clients in different time zones, which can make scheduling coaching sessions a challenge. It's essential for you to be flexible and accommodate clients' schedules to ensure they can receive coaching at a convenient time… To address the challenge of different time zones, you can offer flexible scheduling options, such as a morning coaching session and a late-night session. This will accommodate clients in different time zones, and ensure happy faces from ear to ear. You can also use the scheduling software (as mentioned in the time management tools) to make it easier for clients to book coaching sessions at a time that works for them. Additionally, you can provide clients with recorded workout sessions or personalized workout plans, which clients can access and complete on their own time, without the need for a scheduled coaching session. By providing flexible scheduling options, you can improve the overall coaching experience and ensure clients receive the support they need to achieve their fitness goals. Payment processing: Processing payments can be a tedious and time-consuming task for online coaches, especially when clients fail to make payments on time or at all. Late payments or non-payments can create financial difficulties for coaches and may affect their ability to sustain their business in the long run. To simplify payment collection and ensure timely payment, you can use payment processing platforms like PayPal, Stripe or Square. These platforms offer a range of features that can help you manage their payments efficiently. You can easily send invoices, accept payments online, and set up recurring payments, which can help you avoid payment delays and ensure a steady income. By using payment processing platforms, you can also provide your clients with a convenient and secure payment option, making it easier for clients to pay for your services. This, in turn, will improve your client satisfaction and retention, as clients are more likely to continue using the services of a coach who provides a seamless payment experience. Marketing Polishment Effective and unique marketing is essential for a business to stand out in a crowded marketplace and attract new clients to grow your business. However, marketing can be challenging. Especially if you lack experience in sales or marketing. Marketing is a crucial aspect of any business, including online coaching. And without a dedicated marketing expert in your arsenal, it can be almost impossible to reach out to your desired audience. It is both time consuming and has a broad learning curve, which are factors you don't necessarily have time for while operating a successful online coaching business, especially if you don't have any prior experience within the subject. But as a fresh online coach, you may not be able to afford the luxury of a marketing expert. And without the proper tools in your utility belt, it will quickly turn into a dark and grim road ahead… But fear not! I got you covered! To improve your marketing efforts, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy. It's smart to just start with a few channels and later include multiple channels for greater coverage. Possible marketing channels includes:
These are all valuable tools for reaching and engaging with potential clients. Social media marketing involves using platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. To share content, promote services, and engagement with followers through DMs and CTA (Call To Action) posts. Content marketing, on the other hand, focuses on creating valuable and informative content, such as blog posts, videos, and podcasts, to attract and engage with potential clients. Email marketing is another effective way to stay in touch with clients and prospects by sending regular newsletters, updates, and promotional offers. Paid advertising, including PPC (paid-per-click) ads and sponsored social media posts, can also be used to target specific audiences and generate leads. In addition to these strategies, you can invest in building a strong online presence by creating a professional website that showcases your services and success stories. You can also optimize your profiles on social media platforms and online directories, which can help potential clients find you more easily. By developing a comprehensive marketing plan and investing in building a strong online presence, you can attract new clients and grow your business. Closing Statements: That was a lot of information to absorb! If you're just starting out, I suggest taking some time to really digest the tips and strategies we've covered today. These insights are not only useful for online fitness coaches but for anyone looking to scale their business and deliver great results to their clients. If you're not currently implementing any of these tactics, I highly recommend giving them a try. You'll be amazed at how quickly your business can transform when you start leveraging these proven strategies. I hope this read has been helpful and motivating for you. Remember, success as an online fitness coach requires dedication, hard work, and a willingness to learn and adapt. Keep pushing yourself, and before you know it, you'll be delivering amazing results to your clients and building a thriving coaching business that you can be proud of. Keep grinding, and the results will come! |