EVERYTHING IS AN AD

newsletter Dec 01, 2022

Everything is an Ad

You are the product.

Being a trainer immediately makes you a business of sorts – meaning all eyes are on you as the “product”.

Everything fitness related can be leveraged to represent your skills and personality.
Let your personality lead, but don’t forget to present in a professional manner.

Reality Check

As much as we’d like to think that we are altruistically spreading the good fitness word – we are also running a business. These two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive, nor is running a business a dirty word – but it does help to be honest with oneself in terms of what this means for our presentation to potential clients. Every time you interact with a client on the gym floor, make a post on social media, or even train yourself – there will be eyeballs on the perceived product that you may one day offer that observer. Your credibility and personality are two overarching factors that influence whether or not someone wants to work with you; therefore, everything you do becomes a subtle advertisement.

Model The Right Behaviors

While it might seem a bit unnerving at first, knowing that everyone is potentially watching you can be a point of leverage in your favor. The way you carry yourself on the gym floor with clients, interactions with staff or regular members, the intensity and organization of your own workouts, the curation of your online presence – these are all critical entry points for observers to get a glimpse of who you are.

It seems inane but it must be stated – be active and attentive with your own clients during your sessions. The quality and care with which you engage with them will reflect upon the attitudes prospective clients hold towards you from the outset of any future interactions.

Your own training can be an enormous vehicle for attracting potential clients with similar goals or interests. Establishing a routine both in terms of specific time-of-day training in addition to a clear objective (be it strength, skill, muscle, or anything else) can help your workouts be a lightning rod for potential new leads.

Presence within your environment can also be a subconscious and long-term seed planted in the mind of a future trainee. How you interact with your peers, gym staff, and members throughout the day influences the perception of your personality and potentially self-selects for like-minded personality types.

Finally, and most importantly in the current fitness climate – is how you curate and interact in the online space. As the fitness industry has diversified from in-person exclusive training to online and even hybrid models – how you post, interact, and communicate online can be a huge opportunity to subliminally advertise your personality, training style, and any number of proof-of-concept content. Building a supportive community amongst your current clients through social media engagement can be an ongoing source of advertising for your skills and also attract those that might want to get involved in such a group of people. On the other hand, be cautious about mixing personal engagements with business accounts. Once you start to leverage social media or an online presence for business – everything can be perceived as a statement of your character. Post, comment, and interact wisely.

Be You

Personal training may be the product in your mind – but in reality prospective clients are actually seeking a connection with a trainer. Whether it be training style, personality, or some mixture, there are more than enough options for coaches and clients to forge a business relationship; but, more often than not people are seeking to create a relationship with you. You are the product – not the spreadsheet, workout, or motivational post, but everything that makes you unique in the space. Be genuine, be professional, and represent yourself well. Everything is an advertisement.

Leverage all possible avenues to accurately represent yourself – personal interactions, posts, and workouts are all great ways to start.
Know that people are watching, even if it’s subconsciously, and developing an opinion of you as a potential future trainer.
Be genuine, but be professional. Letting your personality lead can be accomplished while also presenting a professional image – remember, you are still running a business.