[00:00:00] James Breese: Strength Matters Media. Video. Print. Podcasts. How are personal trainers using social media? In a nutshell, mostly badly, I think is the best way to put it. Andrew, what are your thoughts on this and what you're seeing so far from personal trainers posting online in today's climate of 2024?
[00:00:21] Andrew Wallis: Oh, it's, it's those Facepalm moments.
[00:00:24] Um, you know, the, the amount of conversations we have with, uh, clients and potential clients when it comes to generating, uh, leads for their business, they're jumping into social media. And more often than not, they're jumping straight into, uh, Facebook advertising because they've been told that that's the way to go to generate good quality leads.
[00:00:45] Unfortunately, through my own experience and experience of clients that have done that, that's not the best place to start. Yes, you could be generating leads, but those leads are generally poor quality. And what I'm [00:01:00] finding is that those people that are using it, they're not got proper systems in place in their business.
[00:01:06] So they have, um, more often than not, they'll get a good amount of leads. But then they just sit there. They don't follow up and those leads just die out if they were of a good quality anyway. So that's the first big mistake I think most personal trainers and fitness professionals do with Facebook ads, uh, using Facebook ads.
[00:01:29] James Breese: Well, exactly. And that's, that's it. So like they go into Facebook advertising without understanding what their social organic methods are. I think that's really important to understand is what is your ability to gain organic traffic? What works, what doesn't work? What is connecting with your local audience?
[00:01:44] Now the biggest bugbear I'm seeing with personal trainers right now is they're all doing this same scripted methodology that's been made famous by maybe Alex Hormozy and also You bet knees over toes guy, uh, Ben Patrick, I think his name is [00:02:00] right where it's all scripted. It's little jump shots here and there for those who don't know what that is.
[00:02:04] It's like edit here, scripted here, doing different locations to keep you attention. But like anything in marketing, people switch off, right? I'm switching off to these things. I'm just finding them repulsive to watch online now because they're all copying each other. It's the same system. It's the same strategies and great.
[00:02:20] It worked. You know, five, six years ago, maybe for Ben to start building his network up, but there's no honesty and transparency and connection. There's no nothing at all. So if you look at our posts on social media, and I'm not saying it's the best one to go at the moment. You'll notice that I'm doing a lot of talking to camera headshots in one take, all one take.
[00:02:38] So the better B roll over the top of it. Okay, but the idea is to try and build this honesty in this, this connection with people online because we're losing this connection. It's going down the route of being more fake. So if your trainers, personal trainers are using this jump shot, this technique, these scripted elements to do it.
[00:02:55] Great. But that was so yesteryear. It really was. Okay. And people are [00:03:00] getting bored and switched off with that. What you've got to do is, again, it always comes down to this honesty and simplicity and transparency. It always, always works. And how it helps you build a connected, engaged audience. So that's something I see quite in time, you know, time, time again.
[00:03:13] But Get on camera, share your voice and expertise and talk to camera and just share what you're doing. Keep 30 second pieces to try and do it. But don't just try and copy what everyone else is doing because you just get lost in the sea of noise. I think
[00:03:28] Andrew Wallis: a lot of us, we, we approach it in the wrong direction.
[00:03:31] We need to stop following what we think is working because we're seeing it. It's prevalent across social media, as you've already said, and I think we need to. Take a step back and just think, who is my target audience? What is the message that they want to hear from me as a trusted fitness professional?
[00:03:54] And then, as you say, just get in front of camera. Initially you're going to suck. You know, it's, we're not used to [00:04:00] it. We feel clunky, awkward. Um, but the more we do it, the more we'll find our groove, we'll find our voice, our personality will shine through, and that personality is going to, uh, is going to resonate with, uh, key prospects that, you know, your audience.
[00:04:18] You're going to lose some people because the message isn't resonating with them, but that's great because you're getting a tighter group of, of a community that wants to hear your voice. your take on, on a particular topic. It might be a topic they've already heard, but maybe the way you're telling it, your personality is when the penny finally drops.
[00:04:40] So just use the time to find your groove. And I think that's a much better approach to using social media as a fitness professional. Here's a special message
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[00:05:19] Ever wonder how many new clients you're losing by not being Google's number one? Don't wonder, act now, book your free strategy call at strengthmatters. com forward slash website today. Exactly. And again, I think again, well, it's just a bit of more of a spitball ideas type of thing. What a person chose. You know, the question is, how are you personally just using social media?
[00:05:38] They're using it in varying different ways with no strategy in place at the moment. I think you've got to, you could have strategy and use the right term, but you can't deny that short term video is here to stay. So a lot of them are using short term video and you've got to use it in your, in your. As your playbook almost to start getting it, getting it across the simplest and easiest thing.
[00:05:57] I think people can do right now is [00:06:00] answer questions in a short, simple and succinct way. So for example, the client asks you, Hey James, what's the best way to lose weight this month, right? You share your answer in less than 30 seconds. Saying to them, you can start off with, Hey, um, um, how do I lose weight in January, 2024?
[00:06:19] Well, I had this question from my client, Joe Bloggs, who asked me this question. Here's what I said to them. You need to start walking more, drinking more water and sleeping more. That was the key thing. So for all those who are similar out there to Joe Bloggs, who are looking to try and lose weight in January, 2024, that's my advice to him.
[00:06:34] That's my advice to you. And I hope it works. Let me know down in the comments down below. That's a simple video script. I've just made it off the top of my head, right? But it's a simple way for you guys to connect with your clients and just engage with them. So they see your voice, see your, see your face, I think is the most important thing.
[00:06:50] And then you start building this relationship and start doing that as a starting process. So that's, you know, so personal trainers are using social media for various different ways, [00:07:00] mostly on these edited scripted videos right now. However, I think that was yesteryear, we've got to focus on new styles, new tactics, and the best way is real authenticity.
[00:07:10] is the key, I think, to grow your social media presence and have these connections with people in 2024 and beyond. Now, there are other things they're using at the moment. They're using a lot of pictures and how to scripts on the carousel images. They're useful. I think we're now using like a Twitter thing on Instagram, as well as using Twitter to share advice and tips on my personal thing.
[00:07:31] So what I'm doing, if you guys noticed in seeing our strategy behind the scenes for you guys, we're using Strength Matters to share these tips and ideas. But on Twitter I'm using my personal brand to share my ideas and thought process along the way. But we're using on Instagram these, this, um, this imagery, this carousel post to share like a thread of ideas across that.
[00:07:51] Because Instagram wants to use photos just as much as it wants to use videos at the moment too. So just bear that in mind. So you've got to combine. A little bit of carousel [00:08:00] posts and images, right? Of people doing stuff as well as the video short form format. So that's kind of how we're seeing what people are doing and how personal trainers are using social media in 2024.
[00:08:10] Andrew Wallis: I love it. Um, as, uh, as you say, model what we're doing, we're in the trenches, uh, testing things so that, um, we can then, um, let you know how those tests are going and what we're seeing within it. So, uh, you know, if you're not following us, please do. And, uh, you'll, you'll get to see what we're doing, what our testing is.
[00:08:30] Uh, live, uh, here in
[00:08:32] James Breese: the trenches, in fact. Yeah, that's a call out for everyone listening to this podcast. Make sure you follow us on Instagram at Strength Matters, and if you're gonna see me on my personal thoughts and ideas around growing your fitness business and just me in general, go to go to X or Twitter, uh, and go to at underscore James Brees, and you'll find out what I'm doing.
[00:08:49] And you'll see the stuff that we're playing with and how we're testing things in the water at the moment to see how it grows our fitness business in terms of strength matters. There you have it. So, that's the question. How are [00:09:00] personal trainers using social media in 2024? And that's our answer.
[00:09:04] Hopefully, mostly short form video and using video that's direct to camera and sharing answers to questions that your clients have to build that connection. But to avoid All that scripted video type stuff because that's what everybody's doing and everyone's getting bored of it or they're doing it really badly There you go.
[00:09:21] That's my thoughts and you knew anything else i'm good for that. No, I love
[00:09:25] Andrew Wallis: it I'm ready for the next one.
[00:09:28] James Breese: Brilliant Well guys as always as they say in rails here ciao for now as I say in chan now And we'll see you on the next podcast