By Eric Bach

If you’re a fitness professional, email marketing should the cornerstone of your business. It’s helped me build many revenue streams:  in-person training, online training, business coaching,  freelance writing,  and paid speaking and workshop gigs.

Here is my number one secret:

You need to own, not rent, relationships with prospects and customers.

You can’t rely excessively on Facebook or a software vendor. Policies can change anytime. So can prices.

You can’t afford to become completely reliant on any one system.

If it’s your only source of leads, you’ll be in big trouble when something changes

Instead, you need to:
Build and maintain a highly engaged email list.

Why You Need an Opt-In

A hugely prominent opt-in form should leap off your website homepage. It needs to be the first thing readers see.

If you’re not gathering emails, you’re missing out on a huge growth opportunity for your business.

Email provides you with the best way to get up close and personal with your audience. You’ll create a personal relationship by addressing their pain points.  

Use email to tell stories that solve your readers’ biggest problem.

You’ll be rewarded with loyalty and sales.

And you’ll own the relationship.

P.S.

Want FREE help building your email list?

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Step One: Find The Pain Point 

Before you create anything, you need to determine the number one problem you’re going to solve. To do this, you need to understand your clients.

Why?

Your goal is to solve your clients’ problems better than anyone else.

This starts with knowing your readers/potential clients on a deep level.

To determine your ideal client, take out a piece of paper (yes, now) and write out the following as clearly as you can in their words.

-Name

-Occupation

-Age/sex

-Family/relationship status

-Interests: Sports, music, books, hobbies, movies

Hopes: What are their goals? What do they want to achieve?

Dreams: What happens once they’ve reached their goals? How is their life improved?

Pain Points: What challenges do they face? What is getting in the way of reaching the goal?

Fears: What could happen if they’re not successful? What is the cost of staying the same?

Goals: What is their number one fitness goal?

Take the time to get inside your ideal client’s  head and understand truly motivates them. Your content should follow from that.

To learn more about determining your ideal client, read this.

Step Two: Validate Your Idea

Okay, you’ve determined your ideal client — or so you think! But is it really the right market for you?

What will set you apart?

Don’t try to out-do T-Nation at being T-Nation. Sure, see how they work. But don’t copy. Same with the whole superhero thing or Hunter S. Thomson thing.  

Find where your market is.

Look at how your competition is marketing to them.

And  then create your own unique marketing message.

Step Three: Create The Solution

Now the fun begins: creating the solution to the problem you’ve identified.

Your “ethical bribe” will solve the problem and you’ll supply it in exchange for their email. Your ethical bribe can come via webinar, video series, eBook, challenge, or eCourse. 

A few pointers here:

Remember your customer research?

(1)  Look at the most common goals and pain points of your clients.

(2) Solve your client’s problem by using their language, not yours. Produce the content they want.

Avoid “trainer-speak” like “maximizing fatty acid mobilization” or over-the-top ‘bro talk unless it’s your ideal audience.

Here are some actual titles of ethical bribes we’ve helped our Hybrid Business Coaching clients produce:

• Lose Your Belly Fat

• The Five Day Muscle Fix

• Strength by Nutrition: The Badass Guide to Getting Strong and Sexy

Solve one problem. Your ethical bribe doesn’t need to be an encyclopedia of bodybuilding. Arnold already did that, so you probably won’t match it. Keep it simple and solve one problem.

Get your ethical bribe professionally edited, make it look pretty, and make it attention-grabbing. (Like this one for personal trainers)

But all this is only the beginning. Once your ethical bribe is developed, it’s time to develop your first warm-up/autoresponder sequence.

When done correctly, an autoresponder provides non-stop value to your clients and leads them towards your first sales.

This is the cornerstone of successful internet marketing and scaling your business. Before developing your first email, you need to answer these questions:

What is your end goal/ product?

This is likely a lower end offer. The first sale is the toughest to get, so this could be something like small group coaching or an eBook for sale.  What is your long-term goal/sale? Generally, this becomes high-end coaching.

What does your client want?

Do they want to lose 10 pounds? Have more energy? Become self-sufficient with exercise? Gain 10 pounds of muscle, rippling abs, and bang sexy people? This is why knowing your avatar is so damn important. Where are your clients now, compared to where they want to go? Your job is to fill the gap and take your subscribers from point A to point B.

How will you get your subscribers warmed up and prepared to take action?

You probably want your prospects to end up on a sales page or phone call.   Give them what they need and you’ll  “train the click.”  By sending clients to blog posts, videos, and helpful content you teach them that clicking to a new page is worth their time…just like clicking on a sales application or page will down the road. If you want your subscribers to take action, you must train the action.

P.S.

Would You Like To Make More Money & Work Fewer Hours With A Hybrid Fitness Business.

==>Click Here to Grab the Six Figure Fitness Business Guide. <==