Connect With Your Personal Training Clients Through Marketing

When I was 10 years old the somewhat campy, rather cheesy, yet totally fantastic move “Flash Gordon” came out. I instantly loved it. The style, the humor, the storyline…it all completely captivated me. I’ve already allowed (okay, made) my oldest two kids watch it and you can be sure the others will get their chance when they are old enough.

Did I mention the soundtrack is by Queen?? It totally rocks.

Okay, so by now you understand that I love this movie.

But there’s a good chance that you’ve never had the awesome pleasure of seeing it because it came out in 1980.  If you’re in your 40’s and possibly 50’s then this movie might mean something to you to.  But if you are younger or older, it probably didn’t have a chance to make any sort of impact on your life.

What movie would connect with you?  I mean really connect with you.  Something that evokes positive memories and emotions still to this day?

Of course the bigger question is “What movie would connect with your target consumers?”  With 50 year old men?  With 60 year old women?

You refer to Flash Gordon in a blog, email or ad and you’ve automatically got my attention.  And you’ve put me in a good mood.  So I am going to be really open to hearing what you have to say.

You need to do the same thing for your potential clients.

What are references you can use to attract the attention of your target clients?  They may be way different than what connects with you.

For example, surveys show that 50+ adults really look up to and identify with Ronald Reagan, Oprah Winfrey, Sally Field, Clint Eastwood and Ellen DeGeneres, to name a few.  Using these references meaningfully can really boost your marketing efforts.

However, it is also just as important to avoid stereotypical references typically associated with the Baby Boomer generation like Woodstock.  Woodstock was a “groundbreaking” music festival in 1969 that drew half a million people.  It is an event that is often directly tied to the boomers.  However, trailing edge boomers were only 5-15 years old at the time and even if all attendees were boomers it only affected less than 1% of the entire boomer population.  All in all this means that the true significance of this one event has been really overstated and has become more of a stereotype.

So don’t play 1960’s music or show peace signs or try to re-create their childhood.  Most won’t respond well.  I think about myself.  I loved the 80’s and get a real laugh out of it now but I don’t want to listen to 80’s music.  I don’t want to keep living in the 80’s (been there, did that).

And typically neither do they.

So use short, meaningful references that create positive or poignant connections without being stereotypical or overwhelming them.  It is a critical piece of the whole brain (left-brain, right-brain) approach to marketing.

If you want to find out how you can explode your business with these awesome clients then check out the Functional Aging Specialist certification.

Cody Sipe PhD

Cody Sipe has an extensive background in the fitness industry with 20 years of experience as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, program director, exercise physiologist and club owner. He is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Research in the physical therapy program at Harding University. Cody is also a Co-Founder of The Functional Aging Institute.