I’ll admit that we’ve been a bit guilty neglecting our blogs recently in favour of doing more on social media, but at the end of the day, we need to practice what we preach.

One of the most popular questions I see from fit-pros and personal trainers is this:

Do Facebook ads really work for fitness businesses and personal trainers

The answer, of course, is a resounding yes, however, there are a metric ton of factors that you must consider. Plus you should never rely on Facebook Ads (or just one strategy) to grow your fitness business without having other strategies in place.

Facebook (and other social platforms like Instagram) is not somewhere where we generally go to buy stuff so expecting someone to click on an ad and sign up for your personal training services is like walking into a bar and getting someone to agree to marry you on the first meet.

Marketing your fitness business is all about touchpoints. What I mean by this is that the more times your potential clients come into contact with your business there is a greater chance of them taking action and picking up the phone.

Multiple Touch Points

Here is what I mean

If one of your clients refers you to a friend and they see one of your ads on Facebook or Instagram offering a Free trial or a consultation, then they are more likely to notice it and act because they all ready know who you are.

Equally, if it happens the other way around and they see your ad first, they are more likely to be receptive to the referral, and that’s just two of the tools you have at your disposal as a fit pro.

The same thing happens when they see your blog posts, emails, social media videos and then your ads. If this sounds like a lot of work to you then you would be right, but it’s worth it and will pay off hugely in the long run.

Ignore The Fitness Marketing Gurus and Internet Marketers

Despite what you may see online there is no magic formula, magic email you can send, or magic social media post that’s going to get people flocking to your gym or studio.

You need to play the long game and think differently.

How many times (and in how many different places) can you get your business in front of your potential client and promoting your message and your offer?

To do this properly there are generally 3 phases to and effective fitness marketing campaign.

The 3 Fitness Marketing Phases

Fitness Marketing Phase 1

The Awareness Phase. Your blog, your website and social media channels. This is usually the 1^st port of call for someone who has just discovered your business. In marketing, we call this the awareness phase. Its where people become aware of what you do and how you can help them. Getting your message and your mission statement and knowing what problem you solve for your potential clients is vital here.

If you are using Facebook ads to promote this phase then you should be promoting your videos and your blogs posts. In fact, if you’re reading this right now there is a good chance that you’ve clicked on tit from a Facebook ad.

Fitness Marketing Phase 2

The Engagement Phase: This is where your potential clients start to get engaged with your business. It could be commenting or liking your social media posts or in an ideal scenario giving you their email address. If you have a look at the way we have set up our site here, you should be able to see that there are several potential opportunities for you to give us your email address in exchange for something of value (aka a lead magnet).

If you are using Facebook or social media ads to promote this phase of the client buying journey then you should be sending your traffic to a landing page asking for an email. (That’s it)

Fitness Marketing Phase 3

The Conversion Phase. If you have followed in order phases 1 and 2, instead of trying to sell from your 1^st ad, you should have a bunch of hot prospects who know who your business is, how you can help them and what you do (From Phase 1).

You should also crucially have a bunch of engaged social media followers and an email list of potential clients who are interested in investing in your services.

This is the stage where all the magic happens. This is where you can and should have a call to action asking them to buy.

You can do this in 3 ways:

1. A social media post with your offer and a call to action.
2. A Facebook Ad with your offer and a call to action.
3. An email to your list with your offer and a call to action.

So in conclusion, Facebook Ads can work really well for your fitness or personal training business but only if you consider them as a part of a wider marketing strategy, and one that starts with the right messages and offers on your Personal Trainer Website