By Kelly Plush, T-Rex Designs (@trextryingstrongman)
Word of mouth no longer automatically directs people to your doorstep: it sends them to your socials. When most people hear a name they’re unfamiliar with, they whip out their phone and search social media. So your digital curb appeal matters now more than ever!
What can you do about it? Longtime strongman athlete and social media extraordinaire Kelly Plush is here to help you make the most of your social accounts!
How To Decide What to Post
Set Goals
Start by identifying the primary goals for your social accounts. If you’re longing to become an influencer, you’re going to have to do some major social media work. If you’re looking to share what you do and gain clients, keep your social media posts focused on your target market.
Your business can grow its audience while offering value, motivation, humor, and more through social media. Posts should draw them in and encourage sharing, which boosts your account growth and reputation.
Brand Consistently
You want a cohesive look across your website and socials. A recognizable logo and a consistent color palette are important to create continuity and professionalism.
Post Clearly
Posts don’t need to be fancy, but they should always have a WHY and a HOW. Tell your audience WHY they should care about your content, HOW you can help, and HOW they can contact you or sign up.
You need both quality and quantity. Quality doesn’t mean fancy; it means clean and clear. Make sure images are solid and readable and text is clear and spellchecked. If you’re going to take the time to post it, take the time to proof it.
Introduce Yourself
Your bio needs to be super clear and concise and give your audience all the info they need in one place. Your name, contact information, physical location (if relevant), and exactly what service(s) you provide should be immediately visible. Any logos should match your website and the rest of your branding.
If you have more than 1 link you want to share (like including both a website and a link to book a consult), consider adding a Linktree or other “link in bio” option.
Be Authentic
Your brand needs to represent you: your values, your beliefs, your personality. I’ve seen some coaches who begin to build their brand on social media and then fall into the trap of trying to be an exact replica of another successful coach.
But here’s the thing: just like with training, the best program is the one you personally can execute effectively. The best “image” is the one that’s real. Be who you are, and don’t take yourself too seriously. The truth is, we’re all figuring it out, so be you.
Humanize your brand by including things about you and your community. That said have separate business and personal pages. Save the personal posts for your personal page. Your vacation pics are only relevant if you’re sharing how to workout (or that’s it’s okay to not workout) on vacation.
How To Interact
Engage and Educate
Your socials are an opportunity to engage and educate people across belief systems, industries, etc. Post images or videos of your business in action, testimonials, how-to guides, member accomplishments, event promotions, motivational quotes, and team introductions. Use captions to clarify, provide in-depth commentary, or present ideas.
Utilize various posting styles (reels, photos, carousels, and stories) as well as different mediums (videos, infographics, images). Share user-generated content and encourage booking and engaging with your content.
Interact
Interactions are king (and queen) on social media. Active interactions – likes, shares, follows, and comments – help build your audience and connect you with other people and accounts.
Follow, like, share, comment, and tag. You can also reach a wider audience by cross-posting and collaborating with other professionals. It’s networking in digital form and should be treated as such.
Set aside 30 minutes once a week to scroll your feed, like your followers, follow some new brands, comment, etc. While you’re doing that:
- Look for opportunities to celebrate, challenge (respectfully), or collaborate
- Ask questions that explore ideas not confirm your beliefs
- If you can google the answer, don’t ask it
- Don’t be afraid to send the first message
- Follow up!
Call To Action
Every post should have a call to action (CTA), i.e. a specific action you want your audience to take when they see your post. The CTA should reflect the goal(s) of your account. Try things like: “book a consult using the link in our bio,” or “comment below to learn more,” or “shoot us a DM to get started.”
Quick Tips and Logistics
Platforms
Facebook and Instagram are the two most popular social media platforms for gyms and personal trainers. However, if you’re targeting a younger demographic, consider adding TikTok to your arsenal. Social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn can also benefit networking and outreach.
#TAGIT
Hashtags are used to categorize content and make it easier for users to find related posts. When you click a hashtag, it takes you to a dedicated page where you can see all the posts that have used that same hashtag.
Choosing hashtags relevant to the niche of your profile and your business can allow specific users (ideally your target audience) to reach you and your content.
Gone are the days of spamming your posts with as many popular hashtags as possible. Now it’s all about quality over quantity. Instagram prioritizes posts that are deemed relevant and valuable to its users, so it’s crucial to use hashtags that are most relevant to your content and target audience. This means that instead of using popular hashtags that have millions of posts, you should focus on using niche hashtags that have fewer posts but a more engaged and interested audience.
Location hashtags are among some of the highest searched tags, so make sure to add these in to increase your exposure (eg. #phillystrongman). If it’s relevant, add your physical location to your posts as well.
Instagram also allows you to select 3 relevant topics for your Reels prior to sharing. There are a few fitness related options to choose from and it never hurts to add those to your post.
Scheduling
Just like a training program, it’s helpful to have a long-term plan. Setting a consistent posting schedule helps keep your followers engaged and interested. It’s also an excellent way to show followers that you are reliable and always present on social media.
Be consistent – if you’re going to have people looking to you for information, you have to deliver with some level of consistency. Post frequently and at similar times each day and week.
Plan content ahead of time. It helps to set daily and weekly themes in advance so you always have some inspiration to fall back on. It also keeps your content consistent over time.
Helpful Tools
Canva is a great beginner-friendly app that helps you create graphics, logos, and more. You can also save color palettes and post templates for consistent branding (and major time savings).
Use a scheduler to help plan posts in advance and knock out a bunch of content in one sitting. Meta Planner is free and covers Facebook and Instagram. If you’re posting to other platforms, consider a service like Later, Buffer, or Hootsuite. Most of these services have starter options that are free.
Stay organized with a spreadsheet to track your posts, topics, themes, and scheduling all in one place. Google Sheets is free and easy to use, plus you can share it with your staff or social media manager.
Need Help?
The Strongman.Training team has your back! You can reach out to us via DM or email (strongmandottraining@gmail.com). You can also reach Kelly directly to set up a consult for your social media needs. You can find her on IG at @trextryingstrongman or via email at kellyplush@gmail.com.
About Kelly Plush
Kelly started competing in strongman in 2013, has competed at national and international levels, and is a strongman coach at Power Plant Gym in Pennsylvania. She also owns T-Rex Designs, a social media management and consulting service. Kelly is available for one-time social media consults, long-term social media planning, and full service social media management.
Feature Image by Lewis Ogden via Creative Commons.
