How to Stand Out Online with your Fitness Business
Let’s be real: the online health and fitness industry is *seemingly* filled with people right now! (Seemingly, because YOU are part of this industry already and you see more health and fitness information than the average person. Remember: your Facebook feed is specific to your interests, and if you generally click on health and fitness links, that’s what you’ll see more of!)
Still, you might feel like you are just one in a pool of so many talented people. Maybe you’re currently partnered with an Multi-Level Marketing company (MLM), and you are literally one of hundreds of thousands of people selling a similar product. Maybe you’re a fitness coach, taking your business online for the first time, and you’re overwhelmed by the great number of people already doing this.
You KNOW You need to stand out online (that’s why you’re here!), but how? And how can you attract the right types of customers to your brand?
How can you differentiate yourself AND share valuable content or products with your people? Well, to STAND OUT ONLINE with your business...your face needs to be MORE VISIBLE to more people and your content needs to RESONATE DEEPER with the people in your industry.
to help you out, I’m sharing four tips with you about how you can stand out online, starting today!
And these are GAME CHANGERS, people! These are the things that literally doubled my income from one month to another. These tips can help you STAND OUT, and they can bring you SALES! Now. Before we share the juicy details {these four tips!} I have some good news: You are in an extremely profitable industry!
Mind + Body Fitness is a $390 billion industry!
Healthy Eating + Nutrition + Weight Loss is a $277 billion industry!
People want what you have to offer. And they’re willing to pay for it. So let get you STANDNIG OUT ONLINE so that the right people are clicking your page. There are FOUR TIPS that will help you STAND OUT ONLINE with your health and fitness business:
TIP #1: Be A Creator, Not A Consumer.
Let me give you an example of advertising in Consumer Mode.
The other week Starbucks rolled out their brand new Unicorn Latte. You probably noticed: the drink blew up our newsfeeds!
I saw A LOT of digital marketers copying the same meme (you know, the one with the pretty pink drink alongside the Snickers bar, comparing the sugar content of each). Maybe YOU even thought, “Oh, I’m going to hop on LIVE and talk about this!” or “I’m going to share this picture and remind people how horrible this new drink is!” or “I’m going to take this chance to advertise my product or service as an alternative.”
This is essentially the CopyCat Strategy: You scroll through Facebook, find a meme that’s funny or interesting to you, and you just share that.
Here’s the deal guys: We shouldn’t be hatin’ on Starbucks, because Starbucks knows how to stand out online with their business. (In fact, they have a lot to teach us about digital marketing: Starbucks blew up our newsfeeds with one drink!)
YOU NEED TO MOVE FROM CONSUMER MODE TO CREATOR MODE.
In Creator Mode, you’re creating new content more often than not. Truly, 70-80 percent of the time you are working your biz, you should be a creator!
(Now, this doesn’t mean you don’t take time to develop yourself and your business professionally, or listen to your influencers, or hop on LIVE videos to gain insights. You ALWAYS need to be learning and growing in your industry!)
But I have found that my sales increase twofold, from one month to another, simply because I spend less time scrolling Facebook and more time creating. During March, I spent most of my time writing webinar content, five-day challenge content, and online workbooks, plus planning LIVE video content for you guys! Once I let myself get completely into that creative zone of genius, THAT is when things started happening for me!
You need to think: “How can I make this ME? How can I share content that is designed by me or that is different from what other people are doing online?”
You don’t want to be RE-active with your business; you want to be PRO-active.
You want to be a leader. And leaders don’t simply see what other people are doing and copy that; leaders create new content.
TIP #2: Be A Listener, Not A Lecturer.
A lot of times with Facebook, we think we need to hop on and scream from the rooftops: Be healthy! Exercise!
But I want you to think of Facebook more as a cocktail party!
Let’s say you’re inside a Facebook group and you start nailing people with, “You need to do…” or “This is what you’re doing wrong and this is how to fix it…” You might notice that your posts receive little interaction. Why?
Did you listen to the needs of your people before you began to create and share content?
Just like if you’re at a cocktail party or a friend’s house for the first time, you wouldn’t begin lecturing them about what their macros should be or what their yoga flow should look like or how their run form is off! Instead you would get to know these people! You might ask them questions about their running or their nutrition. You might get to know their background. When you meet people on a more personal level, eventually you might begin to hear some of their greater struggles (and this is where you might discover what kinds of content your people are looking for).
When you know people more intimately, when you know who they are and what they struggle with most, THAT’S when you can go into creator mode, because you know what to create!
You can create something your people want and need rather than something you’re not sure they want or need.
When you are on social media, listen to what your clients are saying! I encourage my clients to do market research inside their Facebook pages and groups. Ask people questions! Get to know them!
Use social media as a cocktail party, as a place to get to know people and ask them introductory questions. Listen to what people say. And THEN create content around that.
TIP #3: Use Social Media To Your Advantage. Be Active On Social Media Platforms, Primarily To Optimize Your Business.
All social media platforms have algorithm bugs who decide which things get pushed up in our newsfeeds and which ones do not.
HERE’S WHAT’S WORKING WELL ON SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT NOW:
Facebook LIVE
Facebook groups (much more than posting on your business page, because your followers only get notified by a post in the group!)
Using a ladder post (Facebook favors ‘comments’ to ‘likes’ on a post, so you HAVE to get people to engage with a comment!)
Using emojis and the new color feature in status updates
Instagram LIVE video and stories
How can you use these things in your business and also be unique (the creator rather than the copy cat)?
Let me ask you: What is most people’s favorite thing to talk about?!
Themselves! We love talking about ourselves!
Invite people to talk about themselves by asking simple questions in your social media posts (remember, you’re at a cocktail party). For example, you might write, “Who here is training for a half marathon? Comment [insert runner emoji], tell me the marathon and your race PR, and I’ll send you something special!” This post is simple AND it asks people to comment to receive a special something from you!
TIP #4: Be Yourself. This Might Sound Cheesy, But It’s True, I Promise!
For those of you partnered with an MLM, you know you’re one of many people offering the same product. How can you be different? How can you stand out?
The answer is simple (yet kind of complicated!):
LEARN HOW TO BE YOURSELF!
Here’s the deal: Other people might be selling the same product or offering the same service online, but they do not have your story or your life experiences or your voice or your talents…
Remember that you have something special that no one else has: YOU.
We are all made uniquely and wonderfully- and I don’t say that to be cheesy. I say that because I believe that YOU have the ability to impact people in very different way than I do, for example.
When I hop on LIVE video, I’m sassy and loud and in-your-face. My viewers like that (of course!), but other people might not. Some people might prefer a coach who is more gentle and calm. In other words: I connect with a certain audience, and YOU might connect with a different one (even if we’re offering the same service!).
Think about this: How is your voice different from mine? How is your voice different from another person in your industry?
Practice some ways to identify your voice (written or recorded) so that you can be the most authentic version of yourself.
Before you post online next time, practice saying your posts aloud. You might even make an audio file of recorded posts on your desktop. Listen to how you speak differently from other people. Is this authentically you?
Or maybe, next time you’re typing content online, simply close your eyes and say the words aloud. This might give you a better idea how YOU specifically say something vs. copycat another person’s voice.
You can also transcribe a Facebook LIVE post. Listen to the video and read your words. Notice how you speak differently from other people. Is this authentically you?
Learn to speak with YOUR voice. It’s the most powerful tool you have (and it’s unique to just you!).
Find ways to weave in YOUR story and YOUR background. This is how people will connect with you, a real person! People crave authenticity, so BE AUTHENTIC!
I’ll give you an example.
Let’s say I’m selling Shakeology. I could hop on social media and share the same information that everyone else shares: “My shake has hundreds of superfoods and antioxidants! It has folic acid (it’s good for pregnant women)!” I could list a bunch of boring facts. OR, I could get really personal and tell you about how my digestive system really struggled postpartum, and when I started drinking shakes on a daily basis after that, all my problems went away!
Which of these advertisements draws you into my product? The one that’s personal and authentically me. (You get the idea!)
Note: It’s important that we realize why we’re so passionate about our own products or services first! So if you haven’t already, think: What actually made the difference for me personally, and how can I share that with other people?
Don’t be afraid to share your story boldly and as honestly as possible. (You have to decide how that’s most comfortable for you- whether you’re talking to people LIVE or writing your story in blog- or email-form.)
For those of you working with MLM’s, you need to realize that YOU ARE MORE THAN THE PRODUCT you’re partnered with! Don’t put yourself back into the corporate bubble box. If you’re truly passionate about your product, there are TONS of ways you can stand out among the masses! (Note: if you’re NOT truly passionate about your product, it might be time to rethink your business model.)
So, let’s review the four tips that will help you STAND OUT ONLINE with your health or fitness business:
Be a creator, not a consumer.
Be a listener, not a lecturer.
Use social media to your advantage.
Be yourself.
Try these things, and then tell me how they work for your business! Join my Female Fitness Entrepreneurs Facebook group, a community of women like you, working hard to STAND OUT ONLINE with their businesses. And, as a bonus gift, get free access to my Fitness Business Checklist!
