Coach Sportif: 7 strategies for attracting new customers

How can I attract clients as a sports coach?

You've studied hard, passed your exams and realized your dream of becoming a sports coach. Now you're probably wondering, "What's the next step?" How do you go from learning to finding clients to coaching and accompanying?

Perhaps you're an experienced sports coach struggling to attract new clients on a regular basis and increase your income.

Many people think the hardest part is finishing school and becoming a sports coach. Sure, it's a challenge, but the rest is even harder.

Today, you're competing with the best trainers, not only locally, but also with online coaches and AI-driven fitness apps. Competition is tough.

But don't start worrying or doubting your decision to join the health and fitness industry. There's good news: with the right approach, you can build your own customer base.

This article will show you the exact steps you need to take to start attracting new customers for your sports coaching business.

1. Create a personal brand

A personal brand is essential in 2024, and all you need is access to the Internet and a computer.

Personal branding helps you create your own audience that trusts your knowledge and experience based on what you share on your social networking accounts.

Consider this: if you have a loyal group of people who believe in your expertise, they'll be very likely to sign up for your services, whether locally or for online fitness training.

Here's how to create a personal brand.

Find your niche

The fitness market is saturated with all kinds of fitness coaches, so you need to focus on a specific type of audience you want to help and develop your brand around that.

For example, this could be: a weight loss specialist, a calisthenics trainer, a home training specialist, a performance coach, etc.

This sets you apart from other coaches who specialize in something else or take on all types of clients. It also helps you attract clients who are specifically looking for a weight loss coach or Cross Fit coach.

Start creating content for social networks

Social networks are where your audience is, and you need to let them know that people like you exist to solve their problems.

Choose two or three platforms where you can find your target audience, like Facebook and Instagram to start with.

Have a profile photo of you in sportswear, standing in front of fitness equipment. This immediately shows that you're a sports coach.

Next, write a bio for your profile. This bio should cover three key elements:

- Who you help (your target audience)

- What problem do you solve (the benefit)

- How you solve it (your unique selling point, USP)

For example, here's how your bio might look:

"I help women over forty lose weight and stay fit with simple 30-minute at-home workouts."

- Target audience: women over 40

- Benefits: lose weight and stay in shape

- Services: simple 30-minute in-home training sessions

Once you've set up your bio, start creating content based on your niche and answering the questions people are asking in that niche.

To do this, you can use Google search or tools like AnswerThePublic to find out what questions people are looking for answers to.

Then create Facebook posts and Instagram reels on these topics on a regular basis. The more you post, the more these platforms' algorithms understand your niche and, over time, begin to display your content in the feeds of people who are actively searching for this type of content on their platforms.

Build an email list

Once you've started publishing regular content and gathered around 50 to 100 subscribers, it's time to start building your email list.

Capturing emails is crucial because it opens up a direct line of communication with your subscribers.

With their focused attention via email, you are perfectly positioned to promote your services, which can include:

- Personal coaching services

- 30-day fitness challenge

- Online courses on problems specific to your niche

- Subscription-based training video library

- Affiliate marketing opportunities

This approach enables you to expand your offering beyond just personal coaching; you can engage customers with a broader range of services.

However, to successfully capture your subscribers' emails, it's essential to earn their trust. This usually means offering them something valuable for free.

In exchange, they simply provide you with their name and email address. Consider offering a free 7-day training plan in PDF format, or a one-hour masterclass on a specific subject.

It's important to constantly offer value to your subscribers, making sure they feel they're receiving more than they're giving.

2. Launch Facebook Ads

Statistics show that in 2024, if you advertise on Facebook, you have a potential reach of 1.98 billion people. With over 3 billion active users on Facebook, as a sports coach you need to take advantage of this opportunity.

Facebook ads can be a valuable tool for reaching your target audience and letting them know that you can help them achieve their fitness goals.

To use Facebook ads effectively, you need to launch an advertising campaign.

This involves selecting your target demographic- for example, women over 40 in France - and specifying interests related to your services, such as health and fitness.

The next step is to create an engaging ad. Tools like Canva offer an easy way to design eye-catching ads.

The ad should be visually appealing, with large text and bright colors. Encourage users to click on a "Join us" or "Sign up" button, directing them to a landing page.

This page might offer to join an online fitness challenge, get a free consultation with you, or fill out a questionnaire.

The main objective is to make it as easy as possible for them to take the next step with you.

3. Ask your current customers for recommendations

Even if you only have a few customers at the moment, that's okay. You can start with just one.

Ask them if they know anyone who wants to get back into shape. Tell them you'll offer their friends a discount if they sign up thanks to their recommendation.

For example, at the end of a workout, you might say something like this:

"Great job today! By the way, I'm currently looking to help more people achieve their fitness goals, just like you. If you know any friends, family or colleagues interested in sports coaching, I'd love to offer them a free consultation. Plus, for every referral that becomes a client, I'm offering [a special benefit/discount on future sessions]."

This approach may seem traditional, but word-of-mouth is still an extremely effective marketing tool.

According to a survey of 40,000 people in 56 countries, 88% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know more than any other form of marketing.

So, if you have existing customers, don't hesitate to ask them for referrals. Make the offer more attractive by offering them discounts or additional free sessions as a thank you for their help.

4. Work as a sports coach in a gym

If you're just starting out, this is one of the best ways not only to learn on the job, but also to make yourself known to potential customers.

If one day you decide to start your own business, many of the gym members you've trained might be interested in following you.

The only small drawback is that you'll have to give up part of what you earn at the gym for each person who signs up for your sessions.

But think of it this way: in the beginning, you have the opportunity to learn a lot, which is really important. And later, many of these customers may want to continue training regularly with you, even after you're no longer at the gym. So, in both cases, it's good for you. It's a win-win situation.

5. Launch your sports coaching blog

This is another method that has proved its effectiveness over the last decade. The principle is that many people use search engines to look for specific terms.

As a sports coach, identifying and focusing on a niche you're passionate about is essential. For example, if you choose "Workouts for pregnant women" as your niche, it's crucial to establish yourself as an authority in this field.

This means covering a wide range of related topics to gain recognition from both search engines and readers. Blog topics could include:

- What exercises should I avoid during pregnancy?

- Exercises for the first trimester of pregnancy

- When to start exercising during pregnancy

- Exercises for the third trimester of pregnancy

- What month to start exercising for a normal delivery

- Can pregnant women exercise to lose weight?

- Home exercises for pregnant women

By addressing a wide range of issues related to your niche, you reinforce your authority, improving your visibility in search engine results.

This increased visibility can lead to a steady flow of web traffic. Attracting visitors to your site is just the beginning; converting them into customers for your coaching services is the next step.

Strategically placed sign-up buttons for your coaching services at the end of your articles can encourage interested readers to seek professional advice from you, which can lead to more clients for your sports coaching.

6. Network with other professionals

As a sports coach, you probably remember the importance of the "Field of Competence" in your training. This concept underlines the importance of operating within the scope of your skills and license.

For example, if a customer asks you for advice on rehabilitating an injury, the appropriate approach is to refer them to a physiotherapist who specializes in this field.

Similarly, the situation can be reversed, highlighting the value of networking with other healthcare professionals such as nutritionists, physicians and physiotherapists.

These professionals, when they identify a need for lifestyle changes in their clients-for example, a patient in a medical clinic with hypertension and pre-diabetes-will refera dietician for nutritional advice and a sports coach for exercise programs.

Networking with these health and fitness professionals can lead to referrals, potentially bringing you new customers on a periodic basis.

By building and maintaining strong professional relationships with these experts, you can expand your network and increase the chances that your name will be mentioned when a client needs sports coaching services.

7. Offer a free week of sports coaching for new registrations

Many people join a gym but prefer to work out on their own. Some think that hiring a trainer is too expensive, or they simply don't like being told what exercises to do.

For those people who are reluctant to use a sports coach, you could offer a free one-week trial where they are under no obligation to commit.

They simply come, you train them for a week, and then they can decide if they enjoyed being guided by you and if they'd like to sign up for more sessions.

This offer could also attract people who have never done sport before but have always thought about starting. Seeing a free sports coaching offer could be just the push they need to give it a try.

Make sure you spread the word about this offer, especially on social networks. If you're not yet active on social networks or don't have many followers, you can always spread the word.

Ask your existing customers to tell their friends and family. This way, you have a good chance of getting at least a few new people interested in signing up for the free week.

8. Offer online coaching sessions

Since the pandemic, many people have been forced to train at home. However, even after the pandemic was over, many still enjoyed training in the comfort of their own homes.

So there's a huge number of potential online sports coaching customers you can target.

Your online coaching can be as simple as doing a live training session via video call, where your client performs the exercises you do.

You could also create a library of training videos. Customers can pay a subscription fee to watch these videos and choose their own workouts.

Another great way to find customers online is to offer group workouts. You could start by organizing a 21-day fitness challenge. Advertise it extensively on social networks, both for free and with paid ads, and let people sign up without paying.

During these 21 days, you can host live training sessions on platforms like Zoom, where anyone can join in and follow along.

At the end of the 21 days, ask them if they'd like to continue doing personal coaching sessions with you online or join another group training session, but at a reduced price. Offering free group sessions at the beginning can be a smart way to get clients for personal coaching.

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Are you a sports coach? Discover more of our articles:

How to stand out as a sports coach with AZEOO

Sales funnel : A complete guide to getting more customers

What exercises to offer as a Fitness Coach

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Conclusion

These are just a few of the traditional and new methods that work very well these days to attract new customers for your sports coaching business.

However, it's important to remember that discovering new strategies to earn more money is a good thing, but helping your customer should always be the main objective.

So, whatever new approach you try, you need to make sure it really helps your customer. If you're offering a free week of personal coaching, give your best to these sessions.

If you offer a paid fitness program by email, create a really useful educational PDF that they receive for free when they provide you with their email address.

This way, they get something valuable, and you get to show off the quality of your coaching.

So get started with at least one of the strategies mentioned in this article.

Find out how AZEOO can help you develop your sports coaching business. With AZEOO, you can easily manage your clients, organize online training sessions, create engaging content and track your clients' progress. Join us today and take your sports coaching to the next level. Take advantage of a 14-day free trial!

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