Strategy

Not so fast with those typing thumbs. Before you start writing, let’s get right some principles:

Nobody cares about your gym kit, Mohammed.

Right, I said it out loud. The truth is no, because all your competitors are bragging about their equipment, neon lighting, sculptural trainers and desperate promotions; you must repeat precisely the same because we do what everybody else does, right?

The protagonist is always your member and what they want.

Your features are only a plus. People will trust those who understand their struggles and needs.

They seek more of life, and technology facilitates self-actualisation. Saying so:

• What can you give them to live better?
• How can you make it easier for them to achieve their goals?
• What is the specific benefit of your service?

You think everyone else knows the same thing you do.

If that were true, 99.9% of the population would be healthy and in optimal shape (for their personal goals), and I wouldn’t be writing this article. Instead, I would be running a cooking workshop, perhaps.

Yes, most probably someone said it before. But only YOU can explain it in a way that resonates with your audience. This is because only YOU have specific experiences and can produce certain remarkable emotions in people.

Your scramble eggs don’t taste the same as your mom’s because you got that particular ratio that only YOU can achieve.

You rely on paid ads only.

Paid advertising is handy when your brand is ready to do so.

To make it easier to understand, it is an amplifier, which increases the reach.

Let’s say; for example, I’m talking to a group of people. I can reach as far as the power of my voice allows everyone to hear me.

But then, I get a mic.

Suddenly my voice is louder, and even people outside the room can hear me.

If my message is relevant and meaningful, they will come for more. However, if it is unclear and messy, it will be perceived as unnecessary noise.

Unclear messaging is an example of why paid ads fail.

Your Content Pillars

Save the list somewhere to avoid running out of ideas:

Value. Give something to your audience that will be helpful and related to your business.
Examples:

• Them: “I have no time to workout.”

You: Have you tried our express 30 min classes before heading to the office?

• Them: “I can’t come today; I’m too sore.”

You: Follow these drills to speed up your training recovery.

Results. Share your member’s stories about how your facility has impacted their lives.

It’s not always about the number on the scale but how they overcome high-stress levels or find a place to connect with like-minded people.

Your method. How do you help your clients to achieve their health and body goals?

Is it through group classes?

Guided training plans, or are you good at keeping them accountable?

Fun & Community. The vibe and atmosphere are essential when going to a gym or studio.

Help your audience perceive how it is to be part of your community.

Trust me, FOMO is a thing.

What else are you planning besides gym activities to get people together?

Examples include organising competitions or a member’s iftar during Ramadan, etc.

Your offer. Here is where you can let people know about your pricing, special promotions (if applicable), join now, and pay later strategies.

Or invite them for a free trial, and encourage them to bring their friends and family.

Based on these pillars, you can create tons of engaging content for your audience without falling salesy or too corporate.

Fitness is a fun industry, and while we still want to educate our audience, there’s always a sweet spot to balance both.

Keep the topics relevant to your audience and align with your objectives. 

The dos & don’ts of Instagram

I’m referring to Instagram because it is the social media channel we use most in the GCC region. However, you can apply the same principles to Tik Tok and Snapchat, which are also common.

Don’t live in Ghost Village

How do you feel when you go on a first date and never hear back from your acquaintance? Ghosted.

Yes, being ghosted is a thing and a digital verb we have adopted.

One common mistake I often see fitpreneurs make is when they get excited about a particular topic, write a post about it, fail to engage with their audience, or just disappear from the metaverse.

No wonder why you get “unfollowed” or people think you’re no longer relevant.

These are some simple steps to avoid that from happening:

• Batch your content. Block some timing in your schedule, decide what you want to share and create those pieces.

• You don’t need to post every day if it’s not sustainable for you. Instead, plan how to distribute your batch content to show up frequently enough.
  
• Leverage your team. They are very knowledgeable, the ones who connect with your people daily and honestly, most of them are very creative. So you can share some parameters and brainstorm the weekly posts.

• Engage with your audience. Answer their questions, appreciate their comments and invite them to join you. Be more personal and less generic.

Don’t use your feed only for sales

If you have not taken the time to cultivate a relationship and establish credibility with your audience, this content is likely to fail. Everyone is fighting for attention on social media.

Your almost 80% membership discount will feel desperate, without added value, and it will attract the wrong people.

Break that cheesecake down

If you attempt to eat the whole cheesecake in a sit, you most probably end up with a very upset tummy, not even remembering when or how you started eating.

It’s precisely the same with content.

I know you have too many things to share. But we humans can absorb just a certain amount of that cheesecake at once, plus our attention span is as little as 8.25 seconds.

The best practice is to condense the information, AKA save the fluff for later, and break down your knowledge or message in ways that are “easier to absorb.

The good news is that strategy just gave you more pieces of content to share.

Keep it simple

You want to position yourself as an authority, and proof of knowledge is the skill to simplify concepts without jargon.

Remember, here in the GCC, we share our space with people from all around the world. If you think about it, most don’t speak English as their mother tongue. Therefore, simplifying your words is a good practice.

To hashtag or not to hashtag, that is the question.

There’s no hidden trick with hashtags, but you can leverage your reach with the right strategy.

Instagram is SEO-optimised. If you use keywords like gyms in Dubai, you will get a significant list of content created in the Emirate.

Don’t use random keywords, but those relevant to your topic with a long tail.

Instead of using #fitlife, opt for the option #fitlifeindubai, which is more specific.

Saying so, you want to do a hashtag search that includes the following:

• Who is your audience? #momsintofitness #fitnessforbusypeople
• The topic of the post. #ramadanchallenge #lowerbodyexercises
• The struggles of your audience related to that topic. #weekendwarrior #massbuilder
• The solution or transformation you’re offering. #flexibledieting #gymbuddy

After you have a group of around 20 hashtags for each type, you can mix them up to have a better reach.

Choose the ones with fewer posts (-50K) to avoid losing your content in the tsunami of posts.

For example, #fitlife has 37.1 Million. You will need to go viral to get noticed in that group.

Keep consistency

It is just like dieting and working out.

It will feel like your content is not having any impact, but with time and patience, it will reach your business’s ideal customers. Trust me, that presence is worth it.

One more piece of advice, practice!

Write more. It will pay a high return on your business presence.

If you’re not sure where you can learn more about writing, I can recommend one of my favourite books:

This book teaches you the roadmap for an effective marketing strategy. It challenges you to write better-compiled copy after you question many times, so what?

By questioning so what? You learn to write something that shows people why your message matters.

It helps you to organise your ideas and encourages you to write that ugly first draft.

If you need a hand with your content strategy or genuinely need to get it done (I know how it gets, those meetings where everyone agrees but nothing happens), reach out!

We’re here to help and simplify your daily operations.