Every business needs to manage its brand identity: it guides the marketing strategies and gives customers/clients an idea about what to expect from the final product. If you’re a personal trainer, your brand is you.

Your first step is to identify your brand. What sort of product do you offer? Do you approach your clients as a drill sergeant or a therapist? Do you work with athletes or people desperately trying to change their lifestyles?

This about how you can express your brand’s personality. Think about using the following as outlets:

Blogging

Start a blog. The great thing about being your brand is that your blog can fall nicely between the casualness of a personal blog and the rigidity of a professional blog. Use this space to give your business a voice!

What to write about is entirely up to you and should work with your brand identity. Just keep it fairly short, readable and relevant. To go that extra mile and give readers a reason to keep coming back, post useful tips such as healthy recipes, how-to’s for new exercises or stretches and product reviews of athletic gear. Whatever you think your clients will be interested in.

This is also a great way to foster a community around your business. Be sure to encourage comments by asking questions in your blog posts and respond to all the comments that are left.

Business cards

Not just for corporate suits, business cards are a great way to spread your name around town. They’re also a great way to spread your branding!

Use colors, graphics and text to let people know what it is that sets you apart from other personal trainers. If you can afford it, it might be worth having these done professionally.

If you aren’t sure about a draft, imagine you’re looking at your card lined up against the cards of five other personal trainers. Does your card stand out? Does your card express what sort of service you provide? Make sure your cards reflect you.

Classes

You already know that teaching group classes at a club is a great way to recruit new clients, but did you know it’s also a great way to promote your brand?

If you like to have your clients do high-energy, high-impact workout, teach an appropriate class, like pump or kickboxing. If you like to keep things fun and light, try incorporating brightly colored fitness balls and funky music into your class. If you have a good sense of your brand, it shouldn’t be hard to find a way for your classes to reflect this.

Just remember to let your personality shine through when you teach your classes. Talk to the students before and after, choose music that suits the kind of exercise you do and push your students to the level you would push your regular clients. Some might not like it, but others will love it and these are the people who will hire you as their personal trainer.
 

About the Author

Whitney Cox is a New Zealand-based blogger, writing for MAX Fitness: an innovative fitness school that pairs personal training courses with practical business courses, allowing graduates to launch a career in any aspect of the fitness industry.

View the Author's Profile and other articles published in Personal Trainer Today.

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