Monday, May 21st, 2012
On the tail of a global recession, business miscalculations can have greater, more enduring consequences than usual. Here are 3 common marketing mistakes you really can’t afford to make in your personal training business.
When you hear the phrase “Just Do It,” your mind immediately goes to Nike, doesn’t it? Everyone knows that Nike produces sporting kit. Can you imagine BMW attempting to enter into the sports apparel market with a new innovative pair of running shoes?
Yet, many of the business cards I receive from personal trainers lists everything they think they do: from preparing a client for competitive sport to weight loss to nutritional counseling to image consulting.
Define what you do in two sentences or less. If you aren’t sure about exactly what you offer, neither will your clients.
I find it shocking when personal trainers have nearly nude, or in some cases completely naked (I am serious), pictures of themselves in “clever” positions on their marketing materials. If you’re advertising for soft porn, that’s probably appropriate. If, however, you are trying to convey professionalism, then you’ve missed the mark.
I completely understand the logic behind attempting to communicate that you’re fit and represent your product. Further, if your market is a younger demographic that will respond to a more edgy, even a bit salacious, marketing message, than go for it.
However, if your target market is 40+ and desires to lose weight and improve their overall health, then:
In The End Of Marketing As We Know It, Sergio Zyman, former marketing director of Coca Cola, talks about one of the worst marketing failures in history: the launch of New Coke. The company misinterpreted their market research to mean that what their customers really wanted was a sweeter version of what is now known as “Classic” Coke.
Nothing was further from reality. The product failed miserably.
In The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR, authors Al and Laura Ries assert that a person must be exposed to a brand 3 times before he or she will recognize it. To make matters worse, because of the high degree of preoccupation in today’s fast-paced world, that person is only really paying attention about 1 out of every 9 exposures. So that means we need to put our brand in front of our target market an average of 27 times before they will even recognize it.
If you are constantly changes the look and feel of our marketing message, you won’t get noticed.
Think about three top brands, any three that come to mind. More likely than not, you’d be able to recognize the brand by the logo and color scheme alone.
Recognizable brands communicate with consistency.
Cheers,
Bobby
This article was originally written and posted for Bobby’s blog “Be the change” at PTontheNet: http://www.ptonthenet.com/blog/be-the-change/
