Personal Trainer Marketing Plan Template For Getting Clients

Creating a personal trainer marketing plan isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must. A well-crafted plan helps you attract new clients, keep your current ones engaged, and grow your business steadily. But where do you start?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key components of a personal trainer marketing plan.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your current marketing approach, this article will help. By the end of it, you’ll have the tools and info you need to create a plan that works. And if you’re short on time or want a head start, we’ve got something special for you: our trainer template bundle, packed with ready-to-use examples and templates.

Trainer Essentials articles are written by qualified personal trainers with 15+ years of fitness industry experience. We’ve helped thousands of PTs to embark on their careers, level up their coaching, sales, and marketing skills, and grow their own training businesses.

How To Create a Personal Trainer Marketing Strategy Pinterest

Business Goal

First things first, you need to set a clear business goal that you want your marketing to achieve. Think of your business goal as your North Star – it gives you direction and helps you stay focused on what really matters. Without a goal, it’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind without making real progress.

So, what should your goal look like? It needs to be clear, measurable, and tied to a specific timeline. For example, you might set a goal to “Increase your client base by 25% in 6 months.” This gives you something concrete to work towards, and you’ll know exactly when you’ve hit the mark.

Your business goal should align with the bigger picture – your overall vision and mission. Why did you start your personal training business in the first place? What impact do you want to make?

If your mission is to help people live healthier lives, your business goal should support that. For instance, if your mission is to reach more people with your training programs, a goal like increasing your client base or expanding your services would be a perfect fit. When your goal aligns with your vision, it becomes more meaningful and motivating.

Need some inspiration? Here are a few examples of business goals that might resonate with your personal training business:

Grow Brand Awareness: “Increase social media followers by 40% in the next 3 months.”
Increase Revenue: “Boost monthly income by 20% by the end of the year.”
Expand Services: “Launch two new online training programs in the next quarter.”

Marketing Objectives for Personal Trainers

Once you’ve nailed down your business goal, it’s time to break it into smaller, actionable marketing objectives. Think of these as the stepping stones that will help you reach your big goal.

If your business goal is to increase your client base by 25%, a marketing objective might be to “Generate 50 new leads per month.” Each objective should contribute directly to achieving your overall business goal, making it easier to track your progress and stay on course.

To really nail your marketing objectives, it’s a good idea to make them SMART. That means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Let’s break that down:

Specific: Be clear about what you want to achieve. Instead of saying, “Get more clients,” say, “Sign up 10 new clients this month.”
Measurable: Make sure you can track your progress. Use numbers or milestones to see how you’re doing.
Achievable: Set goals that are challenging but possible. Don’t aim to double your revenue in a week – that’s just setting yourself up for frustration.
Relevant: Your objectives should align with your business goal and overall mission. If your goal is to grow your client base, your objectives should focus on lead generation and conversion.
Time-bound: Give yourself a deadline. This adds a sense of urgency and keeps you motivated.

Here are some examples of SMART marketing objectives for personal trainers:

Increase Social Media Engagement: “Boost Instagram engagement by 15% within the next 2 months.”
Boost Website Traffic: “Increase website visitors by 25% over the next quarter through targeted content and SEO.”
Generate Leads: “Capture 50 new leads per month through online ads and landing pages.”

By setting SMART marketing objectives, you’re breaking down your big goal into manageable, actionable steps that will lead you to success.

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Crafting Your PT Marketing Strategies

Next you’ll need to develop the plan by crafting marketing strategies for your personal training business. Let’s look at how to approach this along with some examples you can use…

Target Audience Identification

Before diving into any marketing efforts, it’s vital to know exactly who you’re trying to reach. Your ideal clients – the people who will benefit most from your services – should be the focus of your marketing strategies.

Think about their demographics (age, gender, location), fitness goals (weight loss, muscle gain, general wellness), and lifestyle (busy professionals, stay-at-home parents, athletes). The more you understand your target audience, the better you can tailor your message and choose the right channels to reach them.

Positioning and Messaging

Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to figure out how you want to position yourself in the market. What makes you stand out from other personal trainers?

Maybe it’s your experience, your unique approach to fitness, or the specific results you’ve helped clients achieve. Your messaging should clearly communicate this unique value to your audience. It should resonate with their needs and desires, making them think, “This trainer really gets me!”

Marketing Channel Selection

Not all marketing channels are created equal, especially when it comes to personal training. You want to focus on the platforms where your ideal clients hang out.

Social media is a popular one, but which platform? Instagram might be great for visually showcasing your services, while LinkedIn could work better if you’re targeting corporate professionals.

Pay-per-click advertising is a great way to generate hot leads and get in front of new people. Partnerships with local businesses can also help you reach new clients.

And don’t forget about email marketing – it’s a powerful tool for staying in touch with clients and nurturing leads. The key is to choose the channels that align best with your audience and your message.

Examples of Effective Strategies

Content Marketing: Create and share valuable content that helps your audience solve problems or achieve their fitness goals. This could be in the form of blog posts, how-to videos, or social media tips. The goal is to establish yourself as an expert and build trust with your audience.

Referral Programs: Word of mouth is incredibly powerful. Encourage your existing clients to refer friends and family by offering incentives, like a free session or a discount. This brings in new clients AND rewards your loyal ones.

Partnerships: Teaming up with local businesses can expand your reach. For example, you could partner with a local health food store to offer joint promotions or collaborate with them online to tap into their following.

You might also like… The Ultimate List of Personal Trainer Marketing Ideas To Grow Your Business (coming soon).

Marketing Tactics: Turning Strategies into Action

Now that you’ve got your strategies in place, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty – the specific actions you’ll take to bring your strategies to life. These are your marketing tactics.

For example, if one of your strategies is to build a strong social media presence, a tactic could be posting three times a week on Instagram. If you’re focusing on content marketing, a tactic might be writing a weekly blog post. The key is to be clear and specific about what you’re going to do.

A great way to stay organized and on track is by creating a marketing calendar. This helps you plan out your activities in advance, ensuring you’re consistent and strategic with your efforts.

Your calendar should include everything from social media posts to email campaigns to local events. By having a schedule, you can avoid last-minute scrambling and make sure you’re hitting all the right notes throughout the month.

It’s important to manage your resources wisely too – this includes your time, budget, and any marketing tools or platforms you’re using. If you’re a one-person show, you might need to focus on a few key tactics rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Prioritize the tactics that are most likely to deliver results and allocate your resources accordingly. Whether it’s budgeting for online ads or setting aside time each week to create content, being strategic with your resources is crucial.

Here are some examples of marketing tactics for personal trainers…

Social Media Campaigns: Run targeted ads or promotions on platforms like Instagram or Facebook to reach potential clients in your area. For example, you could offer a discount on the first session or promote a free fitness challenge to draw people in.
Email Marketing: Stay connected with your clients and leads by sending out regular newsletters. Share fitness tips, success stories, and special offers. This keeps you top-of-mind and helps build a relationship over time.
Local Events: Hosting events like free workshops or fitness challenges can help you connect with potential clients in person. It’s a great way to showcase your expertise and build trust with the community. Plus, it gives people a taste of what it’s like to work with you.

These tactics, when implemented effectively, will bring your marketing strategies to life and move you closer to achieving your business goals.

You might also like… Digital Marketing Ideas For Personal Trainers & Fitness Coaches (coming soon).

Measuring Results: Tracking and Adjusting Your Plan

The last part of your marketing plan should focus on measuring results. To know if your marketing efforts are paying off, you need to track the right metrics.

The best metrics are closely tied to the marketing objectives for your personal training business. For example, if your goal is to grow your client base, a key KPI might be your conversion rate – the percentage of people who contact you and end up signing up for a session.

Other useful KPIs might include website traffic, social media engagement, or how many leads you’re generating each month.

Here are some marketing KPIs that are especially relevant to personal trainers:

New Client Sign-ups: How many new clients are you bringing in each month?
Client Retention Rates: Are your clients sticking with you over time?
ROI on Marketing Spend: For every dollar you spend on marketing, how much revenue are you generating?
Social Media Engagement: Are your posts getting likes, comments, and shares?
Website Traffic: How many people are visiting your website, and where are they coming from?

Review Your Marketing Plan Regularly

Your marketing plan isn’t something you create once and forget about. It’s a living document that needs regular check-ins.

Set aside time each month to review your KPIs and see how you’re tracking against your benchmarks. This isn’t just about patting yourself on the back when things are going well – it’s also about identifying areas where you might need to make changes.

If a particular strategy or tactic isn’t delivering results, don’t be afraid to tweak or even drop it. On the flip side, if something is working really well, consider doubling down on it. The key is to let the data inform your decisions so that your marketing efforts are as effective as possible.