21 Aug Have You Created Your Own Fitness Brand?

The fitness industry just like every other industry is a highly competitive world filled with many prominent names and successful individual brands. There are thousands more working as personal trainers and advisors, but not all enjoy the success their hard work deserves. One of the reasons for this is that many fail to recognise the importance of being identified as a ‘Brand’ rather than as an individual offering training and advice.

What is Branding?

Quite simply put, the process of becoming a brand involves creating an image that is associated with unique qualities and which will appeal to the public and retain that interest leading to increased business and popularity. Branding is used in all areas of industry, and associated advertising and social media are powerful tools to promote brands. Names such as Nike, Adidas and Slazenger are synonymous with sport and fitness. CrossFit has become famous largely through social media which helps to promote and create popularity for a brand. Marketing a brand is clearly more likely to be successful than simply marketing an individual.

How to make the Person the Brand

Everyone is unique. No matter what common skills and knowledge trainers may use, their performance and presentation will be unique because of their own levels of interpretation and fitness and their own personality. A very good starting point is to understand who you are and what you want to say about yourself to your existing and potential clients. What makes you unique? What can you offer clients that another trainer cannot? Why should they choose you? In a very real sense, you will be your own brand. A brand should be associated with images and a vision that appeals to potential clients; it very often also represents a life style to which people aspire.

By becoming your own unique brand, you will make yourself a whole package that people will want to buy; image isn’t just about the way you look it’s also the way you speak, the language you use, the tone and content of your website and any written material. Your beliefs, aspirations and goals can represent a larger you and all of these will combine to represent your overall image which will be a part of your brand.

Identify the Business you want to Attract and Plan

Just as every trainer is unique so too is every client. Be clear on what kind of client base you wish to attract, for example young people, middle aged, those with health difficulties or some kind of impairment. Aiming at everyone is admirable, but it means you will have to develop a wide knowledge base. Nate Green is a successful businessman in the fitness industry who started out as a trainer and was ready to give up within a year. He puts this down to a lack of understanding and planning. Clarify what you want to achieve, beyond simply getting clients and earning money. This will feed into your own unique brand of training. What specialist skills do you have or want to develop? Gunnar Peterson, a Beverley Hills celebrity trainer, is famous for developing innovative techniques to help train his clients, and this is a part of his unique brand.

Create An Image

Creating a public image that will be part of your brand doesn’t mean creating a whole new person. Think about the kind of image you want to project, but make sure it has you as its main core; then project the parts of that image you feel most represent you and will attract clients; for example if you are patient and understanding and can help those with little confidence through encouragement, build upon those attributes, but be yourself.