Most brands use one or more of the established social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While they do yield results, they are also becoming saturated with budding entrepreneurs who are all vying for attention from the same audience.
One great option is to beat the crowd and get noticed by a smaller audience by heading over to some of the lesser-known social media channels. You may be able to build closer relationships with people who are interested in what you have on offer and are not inundated with promotions from dozens of similar businesses.
Here are the top 5 little-known social media platforms that can work wonders for your online fitness brand.
Quora
Quora is a less known platform among trainers even though it has 200 million visitors each month.
Quora is a Q&A platform that acts as an online repository of information, connecting those who seek answers with those who can provide them.
It is the perfect social media network for any personal trainer who wishes to establish himself/herself as a thought leader by answering questions about fitness.
You can create your account in minutes and hook it up with your Facebook and Google profiles. Once you are all set, just search for fitness related questions in your niche and answer them. Focus on being helpful and providing pointers for the persona who asked the question.
StumbleUpon/Mix
Curated content is one of the biggest sources of leads for any business. According to a Nielsen survey in 2011, 70% of customers trust reviews and consumer opinions posted on the internet, and 58% in curated and editorial content. Since then online marketing has boomed and people are much more likely to do their research before making a purchase.
This is exactly where StumbleUpon will help. A discovery and advertisement engine that doubles as a content aggregator, StumbleUpon helps prospects find the most relevant content online. Using the audience’s content preferences, the platform discovers and recommends content that it is sure the audience will love. By providing a feed to StumbleUpon, you can rank your fitness website content high in the search list. If you haven’t ventured into StumbleUpon yet, be ready that it’s moving onto Mix, so all new account will be registered on Mix.
We Heart It
A picture speaks a thousand words, and in social media, posts with images produce 1.5-2x higher engagement rates across multiple platforms than wordy posts. If you’re looking for a photo-based social media platform that isn’t Instagram, Snapchat or Pinterest, then turn towards We Heart It. This platform is unique in the sense that it allows users to post a variety of static images containing inspirational quotes on a wide range of subjects.
Users can set statuses, comment on images, and share multiple visual formats from infographics to GIFs. The best part about this platform is that it allows personal trainers to narrow their search to fitness and find people who are involved in health & fitness and those who wish to work on their wellbeing. The platform supports over 20 languages, and this makes it perfect to target clients who belong to other ethnicities.
Follow micro-influencers on the application, create your own inspirational visual content and share. Work with micro-influencers to get your brand name out in the market.
Nextdoor
If you are new in your area and would like to market online to draw personal training clients to your physical gym or fitness studio, there are a few methods to do it. A large part of your marketing will be focused on your local audience. If this is the case, then using a platform like Nextdoor will help you find prospective clients in a jiffy.
This US-headquartered app is primarily for US-based citizens, and it is designed to help you find and friend people who live in your neighborhood. Just set the geographical limits of your residence and get started.
From finding prospects in your locality to sharing e-vites to community events, there are plenty of things you can do to inform your neighborhood about your fitness classes and sessions. Now you no longer need to worry whether you’re targeting the right prospects with your content or not. Nextdoor’s spectacular geo-targeting services ensure you find the right leads.
Periscope
64% of global social media users claimed that videos posted on various platforms helped reinforce their belief in brands and helped them make the right purchase decision. The power of videos is extraordinary, and the people at Periscope know that.
Periscope is a social media platform that allows users to broadcast short blasts of live videos. Whether it’s a simple product review or an elaborate event, you can go live in real-time on Periscope.
The app is perfect for budding fitness trainers as it allows you to showcase your skills to younger and energetic audiences who are looking to be part of new experiences. Broadcast an online session, your group classes, a Q&A session or even an interview with a well-known fitness personality.
As of 2018, the 16-24 demographic was the largest user-base for Periscope; if you are targeting that population with your online fitness packages, Periscope can be on of the best tools to use to reach them.
What Next?
Big names in social media will remain highly effective for online marketing so long as they don’t implement too much limiting terms for businesses or change their algorithm where it becomes impossible to reach your ideal clients.
However, close relationships, client referrals and social proof will always bring in more leads, so why not find a smaller community that relates to your fitness mission statement and create bonds that last long. Finding the right balance between a wider audience and a smaller and tighter community might just be the best marketing strategy for your online personal training business.
