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Did you know there are thousands of health and fitness professionals who, unknowingly, make the same mistakes with their digital marketing?

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Most often, it’s because their websites sites were designed by “non-fitness” developers who don’t really understand our business.

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Or, it’s because the fitness business owner was talked into a digital “lead generating system” – (that actually didn’t generate any quality leads) or a “sales funnel” that only funneled money into the funnel building company!

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Listen, there are dozens of digital marketing models. Many of them make no sense for a fitness business!

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In fact, some of these well-intentioned digital models may hurt you more than help you!

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Five (5) Easy Secrets…

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So… I’m going to share with you FIVE (5) EASY SECRETS you can implement right now to make your Digital Presence more “legit” more “engaging” and maybe even more “profitable!”

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1.) Exit Links:

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We do NOT embed any “exit links” to social media (or anywhere else) on any of our websites.

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Once a person lands on your website you want him or her to STAY THERE — and:

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✅ Learn about you and your business

✅ Discover what you offer

✅ Find out how to get started

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It’s a guarantee that if your website visitor clicks on a social media icon they’ll become distracted and most likely NOT return to your site.

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I’ve witnessed fit pros who spend over $3k/mth on paid Facebook ads to drive traffic to their websites — only to lose them via exit links.

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Unless you’re linking to a “private group” – the whole “Come visit us on Facebook” is total BS! Great for for Facebook. Horrible for you.

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Get rid of all exit links!​
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2.) Over-Automation:

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Yes, I know the entire pitch about automated, lead generating systems. It seems like the perfect sales system!

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There’s nothing more sexy than a tech-stack full of chat bots, email triggers and SMS follow-up text messages, all out there making connections and generating leads.

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But, are they..?

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We’ve installed a few at the request of our partners. And, after about 6 months we uninstalled them because:
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1.) The leads were totally unqualified and a waste of time.
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2.) The chat bots were too general and more annoying than useful.
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3.) The non-stop “BUY NOW” text messages and emails actually drove people away.

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Here’s the TRUTH: Your existing clients and prospects are your most valuable assets.

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This is where your time is well spent to pick up the phone, write a personal email or take whatever action is necessary to demonstrate you value their business.

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Automation has its place. Use it for member dues and payments, scheduling, appointment reminders, bookkeeping, motivational quotes, etc.

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But, don’t relegate your most important assets to automation.

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Just to put a “wrap” on it, people on the receiving end of automated messages are sick of bots, robo calls and non-sensical “buy now” emails (especially as we enter the presidential campaign season).

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They want a CONNECTION with a real person.

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3.)  Email vs. Social Media:

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There is “no contest” as to which tactic is more EFFECTIVE.

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If you enjoy social media and participate “organically” just to stay social, keep your brand top-of-mind or even just to show off your clients, your facility or even your awesome self… then, go for it.

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But, don’t expect a lot of conversions. We’ve tracked this for years and found that the ROI even for paid ads is not wonderful.

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When you compare Email Marketing to Social Media Marketing for effectiveness and generating new sales – it’s like apples vs. oranges!
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Email will always outperform social media.
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​According to HubSpot, email marketing is “….40 times more effective than Facebook, IG, LinkedIn and Twitter when it comes to customer acquisition.”

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So, if you want to do both, great. Just be sure to manage your expectations.

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But, if you can only choose one tactic based on your time and budget – stick with EMAIL MARKETING. Period!

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4.) Website = Digital Platform:

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Another truth: The days of operating a simple website are long gone.

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This is more of a “mindset” kind of thing — but it’s helpful in order to understand the complexity of your digital presence.
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Most people think of a website as a “single” thing. But, today, that’s an “old school” perception.

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Today’s websites are multi-functional “digital platforms” built upon layers of different technologies (tech stacks) that perform unique tasks.

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Everything from optin forms and email service providers to shopping carts, payment gateways and video hosting…

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The tech stacks are complex functions that ultimately serve to automate many of your business functions.

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This complexity is what gave birth to the huge “all-in-one” platforms like Wix, Kajabi and Shopify.

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However, even with them, there’s still a steep learning curve in learning what the functions actually do… and then, sometimes you need a function they don’t offer. 🥵

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Plus, you’re still required to create and upload 100% of the content. They are empty shells.

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Apologies for the blatant plug of our business, but his is why we’ve stuck with WordPress, our pre-produced branded content and complete management of the digital platform for our partners.

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Your time is better spent working with your most valuable assets: 👉 CLIENTS.

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5.) The Future is Online Services:

 

This is another huge truth:

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It doesn’t matter whether you’re a big box club, a boutique studio or home-based trainer working out of your garage…. at some point you will absolutely, positively need to offer online services such as online video workouts (evergreen) and/or live stream workouts – just to stay competitive!

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Maybe not today or tomorrow, but “online workouts” as a value-added service, as well as other online services, are rapidly becoming the “new normal” for all health and fitness businesses.

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Some pros are already investing in the equipment required (new smartphones, cameras, microphones, lighting, editing software, etc.) to produce their own videos — while others have decided to outsource the entire process to companies like “White Label Workouts.”

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The good news is that while it may be an added upfront expense, over time your online services will increase your revenue (paid subscriptions, memberships, one-off sessions, online consultations, etc.) and definitely increase your reach into the global market of prospective clients.

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Stay Focused:

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There are literally hundreds of different marketing and sales strategies, programs and systems. Attempting to try them all can potentially spin your business out-of-control.

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I advise our fitness partners to stay focused on these five (5) “digital truths” to help drive their businesses forward in a straight line! I hope you find this helpful.

 

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🚀  ​  P.S. More marketing tips on the BLOG….