fitSpot Guru

What We Cover In This Episode:

• A look at the concept of generating share links and where it can be done inside fitDEGREE [6:32]

• Why share links are so powerful, especially for new clients [7:37]

• Best practices when using share links, including why you'll want to uniquely title ever one you use [9:49]

• What to look out for, and what not to do, when generating share links in fitDEGREE [12:56]

Quotes:

"Share links are really powerful for new clients, to get them in the door. [You] click this link, purchase the intro offer, go to the website widget and register for your first class." [Nick, 7:37]

"So you want to make sure [you] uniquely title every share link, because you can create multiple [links] on your website. You can add one for landing pages, you can have one that's a Facebook ad for the month of April versus an Instagram ad for the month of May, and then also, business partnerships." [Nick, 10:54]

"It's really cool that you can track the success or the traction you're getting from each of your business partnerships by creating these share links." [Nick, 11:34]

LINKS:

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Some of the reasons why is it so critical for business owners to reach out to the local community [1:43]

• What you and your business can do now to align with the local community and start engaging and committing to those around you [3:08]

• A social media strategy you can use to market your business while doing community outreach [4:11]

• Tips for writing an introductory email and asking for opportunities to create a partnership for cross-promotion [4:40]

• How to align with businesses in your local area before you even open your doors, and impact this will ultimately have on your success [6:18]

• How to level up by connecting with your local Chamber of Commerce, schools, news stations and more [11:36]

• Why we don't want you to underestimate the power of local outreach [12:32]

Quotes:

"I want you to engage with these businesses in a very authentic way, because you're going to be creating relationships with them. I want you to take photos and videos of you enjoying their products and services, I want you to post on Instagram and tag each business and really explain why you were there and why you support their business, and I want you to make sure you are keeping an eye on those comments." [Cherise, 4:03]

"Really try to see if you can sit down for coffee, or if you can meet in person just to say, 'I'm opening this new business, this is who I am and these are our core values, this is my demographic, is there an opportunity for us to connect?' I promise you, there are going to be opportunities that you probably didn't even think of when you sit down with other business owners who are as passionate as you are." [Cherise, 5:36]

"These are things you should be doing before you open. It doesn't mean it's ever too late [to start], if you've been in business three years and you're kind of spinning your wheels, [you should] probably go back to some of these strategies. Whether it's owning a business or opening a business it is an interesting story that other business owners like to listen to." [Nick [14:24]

LINKS:

Episode 128: Marketing My New Business Part 1 (Digital Checklist)

Episode 44: How to Identify & Create a Community Partnership

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• A disclaimer we want to share about any upcoming features we talk about on the podcast [1:12]

• The inside scoop on where we are at with direct messaging for our app users [2:13]

• Why Nick is so excited about direct messaging, and why he thinks the adoption by users will be so quick [3:31]

• The main reasons that we decided to introduce competitions as our newest feature [6:57]

• A sneak peek at what features will follow the rollout of competitions on the app [8:21]

• Some of the different types of competitions we may see featured on the app [10:20]

• The ways that this new feature will allow people to integrate competitions in a simple way in order to leverage them even more [15:02]

• Our thoughts on bingo in the studio and how you can help us develop this type of competition in the fitDEGREE app [16:42]

Quotes:

"Maybe if the studio does two monthly competitions throughout the year, it's a big deal for the studio and there's big prizes and all that stuff. We thought, why can't the clients themselves create competitions among each other throughout the entire year? [Nick, 7:46]

"If they're already using direct messaging, they'll immediately start using competitions. If they see competitions, it'll also get them to start using direct messaging, and our goal is for them to use the entirety of the app." [Nick, 8:06]

"Right now I'm facilitating a competition and it is such a pain. Printing out calendars, having to start a group chat, and then tracking everything manually, it's horrible. It's fun for the clients, but it's horrible for the amount of hours I have to put in on the backend to make sure all the points are actually accurate, so I can't wait to have a system that does it for me." [Megan, 9:20]

"If you think it could be helpful for competitions, we want to know it, because we want to bring this to you all as the greatest thing your clients have ever seen." [Megan, 10:10]

"It can be leveraged more, and it should be. I think competitions are fun and they bring a little liveliness. A competitive edge is always good for everyone, whether there's one winner or there's 10 winners." [Megan, 15:02]

"Hopefully this helps people do more. Maybe [competitions] is something they do want to do, and they can't get to it because they feel like they're spread too thin. Now we can make it as easy as a 5 to 10-minute set-up and then it's automated, and we just tell you the winner and give you the live updates and things like that." [Nick, 16:17]

LINKS:

Episode 82: Industry Tea with the fitDEGREE Team (featuring our CTO Daniel)

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• What the fitDEGREE announcement board is and how it serves your business [2:55]

• Why you should be treating your announcement board like you do a social feed [4:56]

• Ways you can use the announcement boards to promote things by speaking directly to current clients [6:53]

• How to drive awareness to events and series in advance using this tool [8:00]

• What you can do to encourage instructors and brand advocates within your studio to comment on your announcement board [11:13]

Quotes:

"Yes, we looked at Facebook and Instagram to get an idea of how it should look and feel so it doesn't look like a new concept to people, but It is our own custom-built social feed inside of your app for your clients to look at." Nick [3:18]

"This is something that you should be treating like you would your Instagram feed, your Facebook feed or any other social feed. It should be preplanned, premeditated, and pre-formatted, and your announcements will start to look more legit." [Megan, 5:17]

"I think one thing that's very important across-the-board, but to keep in mind for your announcement board, is your brand. You're not just taking a random picture on a Tuesday afternoon of the front of your gym, where there's 14 different cars of different colors parked out front, and the sunset looked pretty, but you've also got 6 people walking through the frame." [Megan, 9:03]

"Even if it's manufacturing it, get people to write comments on your announcement to spark engagement, and then on the admin side you can comment back as the instructor." [Nick, 12:05]

LINKS:

Loom

Vimeo

YouTube

Limitless Activity Centre

Episode 97: Industry Tea with Niki Riga

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• The role that investing in a quality website built by professionals should play in your marketing plan [1:55]
• Tips for optimizing your Google listing as a new business [3:09]
• Our thoughts on setting up social platforms where your demographic is hanging out [3:22]
• Important digital meeting approaches for new businesses [6:10]
• A list of things you can share to your social media channels to get local followers to engage with you [10:52]
• What you should be doing as you are documenting your journey in business [13:31]

Quotes:

"The industry has definitely shifted, so it's really important for new businesses to have a very strategic plan from Day One, and some of the things that maybe you think are old school are actually re-emerging to be more effective." [Cherise, 1:37]

"People want to know who you are, and sharing this journey can tremendously help you grow your community, before your doors open." [Cherise, 7:02]

"Ask them to share your post, and engage with them, and tell them why. There is power in identifying as a small business and reminding your followers that you cannot exist without their support." [Cherise, 7:56]

"We want people to see your logo and your name as much as possible. It's a subliminal approach. How do we get it in front of people?" [Cherise, 13:41]

LINKS:

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Levi's journey with his own health and why helping people with others is so important to him personally [2:43]

• His take on what corrective fitness is, and a breakdown of the 4 key elements laid out by NASM [8:11]

• The steps that Levi took that led him to where he is today with his career and the qualifications he has obtained along the way [13:49]

• His advice for trainers that are struggling to see the pain with their clients and who want to get into more of a corrective fitness modality to help them [24:30]

• How acceptance of the therapy model is now greater since the pandemic, and why Levi feels this is good thing [32:15]

• The ways in which his clientele has evolved and the type of clients that excites him the most right now to work with [33:41]

• A look at what Levi is working on at this time and the significant pivot he is making with the coaching he offers [36:00]

Quotes:

"The medical professional that I had seen at the time told me that there was no hope in the medical realm for me, ordered me in a wheelchair and just sent me home. I decided I'm not going to give up hope, and I'm just going to learn everything I can." [Levi, 3:18]

"The place that they generally start is trying to train strength into weakened or disengaged muscles, which seems like the intuitive way to go. If I were to encourage anyone out there who doesn't have a corrective exercise background, just take it one step further and stretch out the opposing muscle, the one that's shortened and is demanding the joint." [Levi, 11:30]

"As far back as I can remember, I've always seen and perceived stress in peoples' bodies, just by looking at them. I know that might sound odd, but it's just always been how it's been, and as a kid I didn't necessarily know what to do with that information I was perceiving." [Levi, 13:54]

"It's so foundational, but if these were the first steps that people took and they aligned their body, then trainers like that are going to have way better chances of having those good outcomes." [Levi, 30:09]

"I think that's one of the silver linings that came out of Covid-19. People had to reflect inward, and modalities like what I'm talking about have more room because people are more willing to look at that." [Levi, 32:36]

LINKS:

Levi's Instagram & LinkedIn

Book A Call with Levi

James Waslaski

Gray Cook

Dr. Kerry D'Ambrogio

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• The way to help sell people into your classes by creating a description from the prospect's perspective, not yours [2:17]
• How to use the difficulty level within the description and why that can be important to potential clients [3:43]
• The reasons not to use niche vocabulary or brand terms in a class description that is offered to all skill levels [7:36]
• Why not a having a description can be a deterrent for potential prospects [9:11]

Quotes:

"Your classes are far too important to let your descriptions fall by the wayside, and a lot of newcomers are turning to your descriptions to learn more." [Megan, 1:02]

"Think about your class description too. You're not talking to yourself, you are not talking to your members. You're not talking to other fitness instructors, you're talking to someone that is just starting their fitness journey." [Nick, 3:24]

"I think just not having a description at all is a huge red flag because you're talking about the person thinking about their first class. If you create uncertainty by not having a class description at all, they'll just say it's not for them." [Nick, 9:42]

"If you're focusing on the first impression, then focus on what's in it for them, why they should come, how it is going to benefit them and what exactly they are even doing. I think if you cover those things [in your description] and you think about it from a first impression perspective, you're already way ahead in the game." [Nick [11:29]

LINKS:

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Cherise reveals how she got started in the industry and founded her own company [1:26]
• A look at Nick's entrepreneurial journey as a founder [2:25]
• What a founder story is and all the things that having one can do for your company [4:29]
• How you can leverage and utilize your own founder story to make those connections and build community [7:25]
• The way that having a founder story will develop trust and credibility, along with inspiration [7:40]
• What you can do if you feel like you do not have a founder story that you can share [13:39]

Quotes:

"That founder story is your personal journey, your experience of why you chose to open a gym. I think our industry is so unique because there are so many unique stories." [Cherise, 5:22]

"That founder story is often used as a way to connect with potential customers and build a sense of community and connection with them, and when it is done right, it is something pretty special." [Cherise, 6:10]

"I feel like that's the difference between the entrepreneur and the dreamer. The dreamer can think up 47 different business ideas and never do them out of fear. The entrepreneur lacks just a little bit of that fear." [Megan, 7:07]

"There has to be some kind of story that allows someone to trust you and feel like you could be a credible leader in this space, so your customers are drawn into that." [Cherise, 7:58]

LINKS:

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• A look at the American College of Sports Medicine's top industry trends for 2023 [3:05]
• Where Ali sees people's attention turning to in terms of the goals they have with their fitness routines [6:05]
• How longevity will play an even bigger theme for people this new year [14:02]
• What modality was one of the most booked classes in 2022 [15:27]
• Our thoughts on how LA Fitness is moving more towards boutique fitness [16:19]

Quotes:

"The focus I still think has been people are more interested in building muscle, but the people that had muscle and have put on some fluff, as I love to call it, they're looking to shed that fluff again." [Ali, 6:05]

"I think people are starting to realize how [having] that much stress in their life is actually causing physical harm to them, and that exercise is a great way to build your physical health and relieve stress, but not for everybody and not all the time." [Ali, 11:21]

"I think breathing, sleeping and walking are all things you just do, but there's an optimal way to do all three of those." [Nick, 12:57]

"It seems to be that the grand overall main theme in the industry in 2023 is going to be longevity. So we're shifting a culture away from looking for quick fixes and short-term goals with unrealistic expectations." [Megan, 14:02]

"I think we're going to see a lot of people finding their home in the boutique [fitness] industry as we're coming out of the pandemic, places are opening up and people are becoming more accustomed to getting back out there in the world." [Megan, 15:53]

LINKS:

Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2023 (ACSM)

Wellness Trends in 2023 Include How Fitness Makes People Feel (Club Industry)

LA Fitness Owner Fitness International Launches New Fitness Brand

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• The two big things to keep in mind logistically when filling in your branded app form [2:10]
• What you can do to set yourself up for success before opening up the form in the admin [4:32]
• A few tips to help if you are struggling with the process of filling out the form [5:52]
• Key branding considerations to keep in mind and a potential pitfall to watch for with the app icon file you use [6:18]
• Recent updates to our submission process with the App Store to be aware of and why it's being done now [10:05]

Quotes:

"As far as logistics go, you don't need to worry about anything for account creation with the app stores, and you just pay us 150 bucks [to do it]." [Nick, 2:39]

"We could get 7 branded apps through and the 8th one has a problem, so I would always plan to roll out your branded app on the first of the month, which means you have to then plan 30-plus days in advance to start the process." [Nick, 3:35]

"As Nick Dennis of fitDEGREE, I think I should be able to complete your branded app form for you, just by looking at your website." [Nick, 4:37]

"If you're opening up this form and you're struggling, maybe treat it like a branding workshop. Call in a friend or call in an expert to help you fill out that form, turn it around and use it on your website. It's time to revamp, because if you're struggling with filling out this form, your clients are probably struggling to understand who you are and what you do on your website." [Megan, 5:44]

"Take some time and take a few deep breaths, because branding is not easy, especially if you're just getting started. This is setting the tone for your business, so take it seriously, get it done right and hopefully you don't have to update this branded app too many times in the future." [Megan, 14:18]

LINKS:

Pixality Design (Connie) Website

Michael Jay's Website

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q