Follow for Fitspo: How Social Media Can Increase Your Marketing Gains
Social media. Whether it’s the significant other in your love affair with procrastination, or you're known for your radio silence online, we’re all familiar with the power social media platforms have garnered in the last decade. But as a small business owner, your relationship with social media will look slightly different to scrolling endlessly on Instagram looking for something to fill a void; a meme, a throwback from someone’s holiday in Cancun, a story someone will regret the next morning (we’ve all been there).
As a small business owner, by implementing a social media marketing strategy, you can use social media to do a lot of the heavy lifting in your overall marketing strategy.
Engaged customers spend more, it’s a fact: they buy 90% more frequently and spend 60% more per transaction. You can easily use social media to respond to comments and questions, share content you’re tagged in or infiltrate the meme market to increase engagement with your customers and build a lasting relationship.
Are you a PT whose clients are sharing their success on Instagram? Share these stories and build that relationship. This client is more likely to come back for more and advocate for you whenever they have the opportunity. Set up that question box on your Instagram story and encourage questions from nervous new gym-goers. Building that relationship is more likely to have them reach out to you when thinking of hiring a PT.
While keeping current customers engaged is important, we mustn't forget about those who haven’t had the pleasure to know us just yet. Customers prefer to purchase from brands they are familiar with and lucky for us, social media makes brand building simple and effective. You can get your brand in front of a lot of people, very quickly. Each post or piece of content you share contributes to introducing you to new networks of people - all potential customers.
Think of how many new gym-goers signed up to FlyeFit or Ben Dunne Gyms. Why? Because they’re familiar. Going to the gym for the first time is a daunting thing for many so why make it more so by going in blind. Most will pick somewhere they’re familiar with and the same goes for hiring trainers. Be the face a gym-newbie wants to see when they hit their milestones.
And the cherry on top? It’s cost effective. It’s a no brainer really.
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Rebecca McGrath
Good point on engagement. It feeds into so much - trust being the main point, in my opinion. Social media helps build communities, consistent posting (which is needed on socials) establishes you as a thought leader and then in turn builds trust. Building a name for yourself generally now days starts with good social media content and the above makes you a common household name. As you mention above too that people are more likely to reach out to you on socials - so again, reiterates what we have heard before, social media presence helps with conversions and traffic.
ReplyDeleteAt the start you mentioned that for small businesses their relationships with Social Media look a lot different and it’s more than endless scrolling. For those not familiar with incorporating Social Media as a strategy it can be written off as mindless and a waste of time. It is definitely worth looking at how other businesses both within the fitness industry and outside the fitness industry engage with Social Media. As you said you are engaging with people who are actively looking for what you have to offer your ‘followers’, ‘friends’ and ‘subscribers’ are more likely to share with others and ultimately purchase. – Helen Mc
ReplyDeleteLove the reference to 'infiltrate the meme market', when that's done well by a business the traction it can get and traffic to websites and socials is crazy. Same thing could be said for when businesses or organisations jump on the ol' meme bandwagon and it goes horribly wrong - I'm looking at you Fianna Fáil...Leave Britney, I mean, Wordle alone! When talking of reaching potential customers it is a great way of thinking about social media marketing, that each post or piece of content you share contributes to introducing you to new networks of people, which, if the content is engaging enough could lead to new customers.
ReplyDeleteSocial Media has been a game changer for the business world! For those in the fitness industry it presents a real opportunity for growth and reaching an audience that would have previously been impossible! I follow Kayla Itsines on Instagram and signed up to her SWEAT programme through lockdown and I know if I wasn't on Instagram I would not have ever heard of or signed up to her programme because she doesn't even live in the same country as me! Just goes to show how influential Instagram is and the power of Social Media, your business can take off globally with just a few clicks!
ReplyDeleteSocial media is definitely a no brainer! It has changed how businesses perform. If your business isn’t on social media you’re truly missing out! I agree with your statement that social media can do a lot of the heavy lifting for your overall marketing strategy. Speaking for myself and possibly many others, we’re influenced by what we see on social media. Clients, who share their success stories on Instagram and photos of their results would be one of the main reasons I would join the same gym. Keeping your current customers engaged is also very important and informing them of new staff, fitness class and even new equipment might encourage them to attend more frequently.
ReplyDeletegreat post
ReplyDeletegreat tips and some excellent takeaways and food for thought.
Caitriona