Featured image source: wayhomestudio
Y
ou’ve considered the benefits of social media and realised it is as worthwhile as a protein shake when taken right, and it will pump up the gym’s attendance and profile.
Good on you!
And, thanks to our last article, Pick The Best Social Media Platform For Your Business, you now know which platforms you’re gonna attack like it’s cardio day!
Here are a few content ideas to get you started.
What’s Happening In Your Business
Challenges & Competitions
‘15 minutes a day for a month challenge’, ‘morning yoga challenge’, ‘the client who attended the gym the most this month’, ‘who can hold the plank the longest’, ‘the pull-up record’… You get the idea. This will allow you to engage with your clients, appeal to their competitive side, show that you care and that your business is fun.
Events, Promotions & Giveaways
Social media are a marketing tool; when you have a special event or a promotion, make it known! A special price, a guest, a once-in-a-year class or workshop, etc.
Giveaways are a great way to bring followers from the brands you share the prizes with.
Behind-the-class / Behind-the-scene
What does it take to prepare a class? How many times does the cleaning team come to the gym?, What does it look like during the night compared to the day (if you open at night)?, Who arrives first? Who leaves last?, How does a new machine get delivered? Show what happens when the clients are not looking.
People are naturally curious!
Team Introduction
Introduce your staff! Make it relevant and interesting – share their expertise, when they work, what they love about it, their success story, something funny about them, how they got into the job, and why they care.
Classes Schedule & How To Book
Remind your audience of the classes that are still free, times, days and how to book. You can always direct them to your website for more information and to drive more traffic there. Make sure you make it easy for them by adding your website link to your bio.
Showcase Your Equipment & It’s Quality
Let your audience know where you source your material from, why you chose this particular equipment versus another one (quality, values you share, etc.) and if there are any interesting tit-bits about this particular equipment.
Highlighting Your Values & Evidence You’re Applying Them to Your Business
Highlighting values makes you look more humane and not like a big corporation (usually associated with negative feelings). For example, if you’re environment-friendly, show how you recycle, upcycle or fix the equipment before buying new ones, that you’re providing cork and alternative material to foam equipment, that you went plastic-free, or you partner with companies that are eco-friendly as well.
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Focus On Your Clients
Success Stories, Client Journey, Before & After Pictures, & Testimonials
Your gym needs to feel human. You are, after all, in a business that welcomes a community.
People like to get inspired by other people, and they trust people more than they trust corporations or fancy marketing jargon.
Film a success story – a client giving a testimonial or, if you can, their full journey. Before & after pictures are also very effective. Keep it real! People are becoming more and more sceptical on socials and they usually can see right through the fake glow-up.
Re-sharing Clients’ Posts & Stories
If your clients tag you in their posts, reshare and add your little note to it. Be positive or funny. If they create free content for you, it’d be wrong not to use it. Consider polls, Q&A, surveys and feedback forms to engage with them.
Not only do you need a rough social media schedule, but you also need to monitor your posts and be available to respond, re-share and add to them.
Just like leg day, interacting with the audience is widely overlooked!
Answer FAQ & Pain Points
FAQs are a golden mine to create content. Just pick a question from one of your clients, something they’re having trouble with and create a post or a video answering their question the best way.
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Share Your Expertise & Interesting Content
How To’s – Techniques, Uses & Tips
‘How to use a certain piece of equipment properly’, ‘How to do this exercise effectively and what does it work on’, ‘How to recover faster’, ‘Which type of protein shake to use’,…
People love free advice, and they will pay it back by being loyal to your business.
Share Workout Routines
Your staff are all most likely to each have a favourite workout routine, so share it!
What does arm day look like for them? Do they change from one day to the next? How do they pick their recovery days? What are their favourite exercises and why? Etc.
Personal Trainers Talks & Expertise
Your trainers might have areas of expertise they’re comfortable talking about or showcasing. Make it appealing by teasing it, and go live if you can.
Long talks can be cut up into small parts and released as shorter videos (i.e. for stories and reels), giving you more content to release over time.
Use the resources within your business.
Educational Posts On Health & Fitness
‘How is fat stored’, ‘Why do women have more body fat than men in general’, ‘What is the biology behind sore muscles’, ‘Why is stretching so important’, ‘Why is protein important’, ‘What to do when you get injured’, ‘What is recovery’, etc.
Inspirational Quotes Or Funny Memes (if on brand!)
In the fitness industry, inspirational quotes are almost a must. Exercising is hard, and these quotes can give some much-needed hope, understanding and a sense of community.
Find quotes around mental health and mental strength, self-development, reaching your goals, pain & gain, aspiration, new journeys, and body & mind relationship.
Tip On-Target: Be careful with funny memes, and only use them if silly humour is part of your branding.
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Extra Advice:
If you’re looking to go the extra reps and get more out of your social media, this will help:
- Be consistent in your posting – 3 times a week is ideal!
- Find your brand personality beforehand – this will help you with your brand’s tone of voice and the overall look of your posts (font, colours, icons, etc.)
- Videos are all the rage right now – keep it clean and short and use high-quality images.
- Be creative, and don’t be afraid to try something new.
- Look at statistics to post what works best.
- Adapt to your target audience.
- Be collaborative (with your PT and influencers).
- Reuse content on all your platforms.
Check out our 5! Alive Social Strategy if you feel overwhelmed and need help. We cater to most – from the newbie to the more established brand.
Creative genius, talented wordsmith and all-rounder copywriter up for the grabs! If you can’t stand the look of your copy right now, she’ll shape your rambles into the most compelling words.
Marie Rene | LinkedIn
