Expand Your Use of Testimonials, Endorsements and Networking to Grow your Client Base
Do you read review sites before you decide to buy a product or service? More importantly, do your clients? Statistics show that YES, they definitely do. In fact, 86% of customers read some type of online review before making a purchase.
Think about it. That is more than four out of every five potential customers that prefers to see a review of your business before they feel comfortable buying! So it is imperative that you focus on good deal of time and resources on developing the social proof segment of your marketing plan. Keep in mind that social proof is more than just testimonials. There are actually four types of social proof that I recommend you consider in your marketing.
1. USER REVIEWS + FEEDBACK
This is by far the most common form of social proof used in the fitness industry. Nothing sells a fitness service like seeing a current client achieve the same results that a potential customer is looking to achieve. In fact, 80% of potential customers trust what your reviews are saying about your business more than your own marketing statements. So it is vital that you make good use of the stories they share about their experiences. Consider the following four areas:
IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK: Most of us tend to ask a client how they heard about our business, but miss the opportunity to ask about any specific reviews they read while shopping. Ask both your new and current clients which review sites they would use when shopping for a fitness business like yours. Then make sure you have a BIG presence on these sites. The most common review sites tend to be Yelp (used by 45% of shoppers) and Google (used by 63% of shoppers), but again, focus on the sites your clients would use! For more ideas on this subject, check out this piece I wrote for Forbes magazine.
PLACE REVIEWS FRONT + CENTER: Don’t make potential clients dig deep into your site to find reviews. Put them near the top of your website homepage. I recommend putting a quick (10 words max) teaser of their biggest success achieved with their photo on the homepage. Then offer readers the choice to click to read the full story.
SCANNABILITY IS KEY: Make it very simple for potential clients to quickly see (a) what type of clients you work with and (b) the incredible results they have had from working with your business. Swap out long bodies of text for bullets. Use bolding and accent font colors to help key words stand out. Photos and videos are always an ideal way to build an immediate connection between a potential client that sees someone that looks like themselves on your site. I also recommend using titles (i.e. ‘Grandma and Power Lifter’) to give a personality to the people and to their reviews.
MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER… BUT OFTEN IT IS: Give yourself a monthly task reminder in your calendar of asking another client for a review or testimonial. You can never have enough!
2. EXPERT + CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
Having a leader in the fitness industry or a superstar athlete or a celebrity recommend your services can be a great boost for your company’s reputation. If you work with clients like this, always ask for their help in writing a testimonial.
If you have done in depth educational work with an advanced education provider or mentor, asking them for a testimonial can also be an excellent way to positively influence a potential client’s opinion of your services.
Lastly, gaining local or national press as a leader in your community and/or the go-to expert for your specific niche, is a great way to boost your brand. Working with a PR Team or using websites like ‘Help a Reporter Out’ can help with connecting you to the right editors and writers.
3. THE CROWD
Consider the number of people you have trained, coached, and taught throughout your lifetime of training and of running your fitness business. Is this number in the hundreds? Thousands? Especially when you include how many people are reading your blogs and educational social media posts, this number is perhaps a very large number. How can you use this count to display the wealth of clients that have been affected by your business?
I recommend adding a counter (i.e. ‘Clients’ Lives Improved by My Fitness Practice’) on your homepage and increase this number every time to work with a new group of people in some way. Potential customers are often swayed by what the crowd is doing. Check out the counter on our Business Movement homepage for a good example of this idea.
4. FRIENDS
Friends trust friends. Well at least they do most of the time. Therefore, anytime you help a client achieve a major milestone or goal, ask them to share their success stories on their social media. Not only will this be an excellent way for them to acknowledge their success and celebrate ‘the win’, this is a great opportunity for them to spread the word to all of their friends and family about the INCREDIBLE work you do. Referrals of friends and family are one of the leading ways to gain new clients, and often the most powerful marketing tool we have available.
