Protect your Digital Homebase

If I had a dollar for every time I talked to a fitness professional who was spending money on paid advertising, blasting social media, or handing out business cards at networking event YET still neglecting their website, I’d have enough to buy that new Callaway driver (you know…the one with BOEING technology?).

I’m confident in saying that the website should come first. Here’s why…

Control what you can control. If you’ve been consistently pushing content out on Facebook (whether native or paid), you’ve noticed some changes in the first part of 2018. You are playing in THEIR sandbox and they keep changing the rules. All the other social platforms are fully capable of shifting at THEIR whim.

Your website is different. It’s 100% under your control. It’s your digital storefront where visitors browse and making buying decisions. It’s critical to your business that your website provides a great first impression and user experience.

This doesn’t have to be complicated though.

It just needs to be clear and efficient in guiding your potential client to the most important call to action…OPTING IN. Take a look at your homepage and make sure two things are happening. Does it clearly and simply tell people what you do and how they can benefit from your service/product? Is the first step in becoming part of your tribe obvious and simple?

The first click should capture their name, email, and other contact information relevant to your sales process through a simple form. The second click should get them on your onboarding specialists calendar within 24-48 hours. Have you ever wanted to schedule a service appointment (haircut, consultant, golf lesson, etc) and then taken a look at their calendar and not seeing anything available for weeks? What do you do? You bounce to a competitor’s site…and so will your prospects.

Websites do need ongoing love. Themes and plug-ins need updating. Site speed needs consistent attention. The aesthetics need to change with the times. It’s worth it to hire somebody to do this kind of work so you can’t do what matters most…help people.

Once you have your home base secure and optimized, you can start working on “satellites.”

The first is email marketing. This is also 100% of your control. Build your list, nurture it, and sell your services. For most, services like MailChimp and Active Campaign will do the trick. For the more robust and sophisticated marketers, Infusionsoft and Ontraport tend to be tools of choice. Be honest with yourself and don’t let your ego take over here. What is the goal? For most, it’s basic email marketing, so choose the right tool. If you don’t need logic statements, tags, and advanced functionality, keep it simple (and save money)

Social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter), Podcasts, and YouTube channels are all EXCELLENT content formats that can be extremely powerful and very worth your time. They are, for the most part, not in your control. The key is to have multiples legs to your digital presence that ALL point back to your home-base…your website.

Thoughts or questions? I’d love to hear from you.

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#Business #digital marketing #Fitness Marketing #fitness website #Marketing #social media marketing

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Eric Malzone

Eric’s professional experience stems from a decade in various sales and marketing roles that led him to open a CrossFit (TM) affiliate in 2009, Gravitas Fitness. After 8+ years of gym ownership and a deep analysis of his own “ideal day,” Eric decided to sell his gym and go full throttle into FMA.

The success that he saw during his days as a gym owner, can now be leveraged to help thousands of gym owners worldwide.