With Facebook officially overtaking Google as the number one most visited site in the world, I think it is fair to say that if you haven’t got your toe in the social media water then you do so at your own peril.
Now I have heard many stories from trainers about how Facebook has changed the way they do business so rather then me just spreading the good oil, I thought I would let the trainers tell the story. So today we have eight of Australia’s best personal training business owners explain how they get the most from using Facebook in their business.
Facebook has evolved from a mere friend-finder to now being a social networking powerhouse that even I have become a disciple of.
Let me tell you my story first….
About two years ago I started my first Facebook personal profile because I had heard that it was a good way to catch up with my friends. But when I found out that anyone could see my profile (yeah, I hadn’t quite got a handle on the privacy settings yet) and I freaked out and immediately deleted my new Facebook status as I cherished my privacy. Fast-forward 2 year years and I now have three FB pages, lots of “friends” and it is one of my most researched topics.
Oh, how things can change…..
You may or may not know that the personal training industry has a MASSIVE presence on Facebook and this has recently evolved with the popularity of business Fan Pages. With a little bit of practice, commitment and guidance any personal trainer or boot camp operator can (and does) have their own presence on the worlds most visited site – and it’s free (and did I mention more people hang out here then any other place on the web….OK good).
So you now have a place where you can build amazing relationships, give people an insight into how your business runs, create amazing social proof, reward and recognize current clients, drive traffic back to your website, deliver valuable information, promote new services AND generate new leads. Sounds too good to be true….
Well sometimes it is.
Facebook can do all the things mentioned about but it can also suck way too much time from your day and fill you with false expectations (2000 “friends” does not = lots of new clients). So in order to get a good handle on how to play the game and build great relationships that will be the foundation for your amazing business, I wanted to take you on an in-depth look at how other trainers are using Facebook to build there businesses.
With a little help from my friends….
To achieve this, I have enrolled the help of some of Australia’s best personal training business owners. These guys and girls know how to play the game and the reason that I asked them specifically is that they all have really cool FB fan pages for their business and use social media in a great way (eg: they can learn you alot if you click on the links and check out there pages).
In order to get both sides of the Facebook story I asked the following question to each person:
a) How has having a presence on Facebook helped in developing your business?
b) What is the downside to using Facebook (in any)?
OK so make yourself comfortable, get yourself a cuppa and let’s learn from some of Australia’s best personal trainers how to play the Face book game…..
1. Jodie Hebrard – Zenergy Personal Fitness Training
Jodie and her Partner Tony run an awesome boutique personal training studio in Brisbane. Jodie uses lots of different methods of social media (FB, Tiwtter and You Tube) to build relationships and her web presence.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
For existing client/contacts has been a great tool to connect with them and keep the “zenergy” communication going. I used to work full time from the studio so had a great rapport and lots of opportunities to connect with clients, however I started working from home last year. I do not train clients and haven’t trained clients since 2007, so this transition to a home office has it’s up and down sides……..the down side been losing the contact that I had with clients and losing the “zenergy relationship” that Tony and I work on building with them.
Also with other contacts in the industry. It’s made networking a lot easier and keeping everyone up to date with what is going on with zenergy.I have used our Fanpage a few times with specific promotions and do think it’s a good way to engage in inquiries. It’s hard to test and measure here but given it’s free I will keep plugging away and learning and evolving with the times.
What is the downside of using Facebook?
For me there are 2 possible down sides –
I don’t interact much personally on FB (not my personality, I am very private with my own life)…….so sometimes I do get clients wanting to be “my friend” and I have chosen to let the friend request sit their collecting dust. So, I might be offending clients without meaning to, but it’s important to me to keep my private world separate and also share openly with those folks that are truly are a part of my life.Interesting lesson in morale ethics, so now a days I ONLY accept friend requests from people that I genuinely know AND also genuinely want to be a part of my private life. !
The other downside is of course the time factor………updating our Fan Page does take time and I generally don’t stuff around, but consistency is the key and this is where I probably fall down…….Regular little updates I find are the best, but I’m unsure if I achieve this all the time.
Thanks Jod’s :-)
2. Pete Tansley – Priority 1 Fitness
Pete runs a studio in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast and he also has a really great Boot Camp in the beautiful Queensland sun. He blogs and uses social media really well to build relationships with potential and current clients.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
FB has helped position me as a fat-loss expert on the Gold Coast. I use it to gain prospects, educate clients, and of course link to blogs and special promotions. From there I can convert friends over to the business page, which helps, as people see a “Face” behind the company first. I used to think social media was simply an annoying webpage where old school friends would find you… But it is a legitimate sales weapon! I’ve really followed guys like Brad Sugars and watched how he grows his personal brand and then convert to a sale.
What is the downside of using Facebook?
NONE! Although I think some trainers mistake the page as a way to dump their emotional luggage… Or worse, the hard sell. It has to be about the RELATIONSHIP first, and then the business or the sale. It might take months or even years, but eventually you will get their trust and they will convert.
Thanks Pete (and great tip about following other business leaders to see how they do it)
3. Kaz Muddell – Mind Body Motion Fitness Solutions
Kaz runs a mobile and outdoor training business in the North Shore and Hills District of Sydney. She is a self-proclaimed workaholic and her business is a great reflection of her hard work.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
- Allows me an extra dialogue with my clients who are on Facebook
- Creates a community with the clients and friends we have on Facebook, they feel like they are part of something bigger than just them or who they train with
- Can showcase what we do and share client testimonials to build trust with potential clients
- Can celebrate successes for our clients and our business
- We share information that might be relevant for others
- Helps to build our presence in the marketplace
- We can advertise our services, events and so on to possibly gain more business
- Articles can link back to our blog which helps to improve our web presence
What is the downside of using Facebook?
I don’t see any downsides. Just need to be careful to always get permission to share video’s, stories and pics of any clients. Never post anything you don’t want the world to see!
Cheers Kaz, thanks for contributing.
4. Chris Bellette – Active Aussies
Chris is one of those guys that was born to run a PT business. Active Aussies has been operating for just over a year now he has already scaled great heights. Social media has helped him get there as he takes the networking aspect of his business really seriously.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
Facebook has helped me to develop a sense of community with my members. It provides a means for us to communicate together and stay in touch. I put my blog posts and workout ideas up on Facebook and I get clients commenting and interacting all the time. We hold regular fun activities and events for members and we’ll pop photos up on Facebook too. I use it to publicize my upcoming events and I’ve gotten a couple of leads through doing that.
Facebook is also a good way for me to follow up on my clients first session. I’ll do a search by email address to see if my leads are on Facebook and if they are I’ll ask if they want to be my friend. I don’t do this to everyone, just people who commit to an initial consultation or who have expressed some desire in training with me. I’ve found by doing this and other things that my conversion rate is pretty high for people who have an initial consultation with me.
What is the downside of using Facebook?
I think the only downside of using Facebook or any other online social media is that you run the risk of becoming over absorbed in it. I’ve found that if I have clear objectives about what I’m trying to achieve and don’t waste my time on it then Facebook becomes a powerful tool. I will upload stuff every Monday and only check my Facebook page a couple of times each week to reply to people. I suppose I could be more involved but if I did that I would really have to draw the line somewhere to know what is work and what is play – if that makes sense?
Great stuff Chris – love adding your leads to your Facebook to build your local community group.
5. Emily Boylin – Bondi Bum
Em run’s a mobile PT and group training business in (you guessed it) Bondi, Sydney. She has an amazing following and has really built up a strong network or business alliances that she leverages really well through Facebook.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
It has helped heaps! Not only does Facebook allow me to have an immediate interface with all my clients, whether it be a question to ask, a new promotion for them or just friendly chit chat, it also allows me to reach a whole host of additional people who are friends of my clients…friends of friends of my clients…friends of friends of friends of my clients (you get the idea!)
The brand awareness is great…as is the amount of potential new clients and leads that can be generated through Facebook. One photo or post can lead to potential new clients contacting with an interest to train, a comment on the page or a request for information…and from there you have a platform to convert those leads into clients.
One example is an image I recently added to my page of some clients boxing at a morning session…just by tagging the girls in the photo I received 3 new leads…friends of the girls in the photo or friends of someone who ‘liked’ the photo…each of those leads are now new clients and have brought another 2 clients with them!
The limits of Facebook are endless…
What is the downside of using Facebook?
The only downside to using Facebook is getting distracted away from my page and staying on there too long! That might sound funny, but if I’m on there for work reasons I have to give myself a time limit to get done what I set out to do and then log off so my work time doesn’t turn into personal time and blow out the rest of my morning!
Awesome Em- thanks.
6. Paul Gehan – Your Local PT
Paul runs a really impressive group and mobile PT business in the Northern suburbs of Brisbane. Facebook and all things social media has been a new world for him but he has taken it on and made it work really well for his business.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
I have found Facebook to be a valuable tool to enhance my business through advertising and recruitment of clients into my bootcamp. I almost filled my current bootcamp program in 2 days via my email list and Facebook in 3 days. My business has got people lined up for my next program already again through the Facebook.
We are able to offer support to clients using Facebook which raises my profile online also as others on my clients posts know who I am as they read my support and comments to my clients. So this is raising my overall brand awareness which has lead also to unknown people to me emailing me to ask questions. I am currently looking to recruit staff to my expanding business and am using Facebook as a means to do this along with Twitter and my email list.
What is the downside of using Facebook?
The one down side If I had to find one would be the time it takes to administer but it is time well spent I think.
Nice one Paul – thanks.
7. Chrystle Elise Wellburn - Adrenaline Vault Training
Chrystle run’s her business with unbridled enthusiasm and a clear commitment to provide her clients with the best possible service. Her business is based in Brisbane and her use of social media is to be admired.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
I have always enjoyed surfing the internet so it was a clear path for me to move towards with my business. Personal training is always an interesting business with the flow of clients at different times of the year and having constant contact with clients at a time that is perfect for them is great! (Plus this way I can accidentally motivate them to keep on the straight and narrow with a few updates;) )
In building my business it has been the best thing in the world, my contacts are able to learn what I do and how I do it. They are also able to watch me grow and interact with my current clients and hear what great results they are achieving. It’s one of those great old sales techniques about having to speak to someone up to 7 times before they are ready to commit to a service… the want to know they can trust you. Facebook helps with this – and it’s amazing.
I love to give away information for free – I find that my clients love it, and any other possible contacts on the net can make use of it until they want something more. Networking between other local business can be easily done on Facebook – something that PT business owners find very handy!
What is the downside of using Facebook?
The downside is hard to find… I feel that sometimes it’s difficult to get into your local area as easily… worldwide contacts are easy but getting beyond your current friends (and then they’re friends) is the real challenge. I do find the communication can be easier on the phone or via skype when your talking about things in detail, but as long as your fun and professional online Facebook marketing is the best thing since sliced bread!
Cheers Chrystle :-)
8. Luke Scott – Revolution Health and Lifestyle
Luke runs the premium mobile personal training business in Melbourne. He dominates Google and spends way to much time on Twitter and Facebook (all for a good cause). Like me, he is what you would call a social media nerd and his business is definitely seeing the benefits.
How has having a presence on Facebook helped you develop your business?
While I do spend quite alot of time on Twitter and Facebook building up our brand, the biggest benefit of using Facebook specifically has been in the promotion of your group training and specific promotions. We have a really responsive fanpage that we spend time inter-acting with our clients on and when we do a promo we get a great response.
We also use the fan-page to post up links to our daily blog posts . This not only provides our readers with valuable content on a daily basis to help them reach their goals but it also brings more traffic to our main site with a greater opportunity to convert them into clients if they are not already.
What is the downside of using Facebook?
While I have attempted to automate as much as I can in my social media efforts, I still feel the need to personally oversee most posts that go out. This can be time consuming but very worthwhile for SEO and relationship building purposes.
Cheers Luke - great tips.
So there you have it. Eight of Australia’s best personal training business owners exposing what Facebook means to there business. As you can see, this is an amazing tool in building great relationships and really put your business in front of lots of potential clients.
But the fun doesn’t stop there….
I also think it is important to see what your experiences are with Facebook and the impact that it has had on your business. So to keep The Facebook Experiment rolling, I would be stoked if you could take two minutes and join the others in answering these questions in the comments section below:
a) How has having a presence on Facebook helped in developing your business?
b) What is the downside to using Facebook (in any)?
I cant wait to hear your response and I hope that you have learnt some great tips in this post on how to build relationships using Facebook to benefit your business.
Cheers
Rick :-)
About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, swearing personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches, writes books, runs an online community and holds live workshops for personal trainers but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read, subscribe to blog here and get your weekly dose of goodness delivered straight to your Inbox.
