engage and sell

Everyone’s talking about how to grow their social media following and get more likes, and I get it—it’s a big deal, especially for an online fitness business. People are going to check you out, so you want your profile to be active. You don’t want to disappear for weeks at a time and then randomly pop back up. But at the same time, you don’t want to fall into the trap of posting just for the sake of it. Sure, you need to maintain a presence, but there’s a fine line between just filling up your feed with content and actually providing valuable, authentic stuff that your target audience will care about.

Every now and then, you’ll come across new methods or a fresh twist on old ones, especially with the pace of technology. For example, Instagram’s Threads feature wasn’t around a few years ago, but now it could be a valuable tool in your marketing. New ideas and tools are going to pop up—it’s the nature of the tech world. What you’ve got to watch out for are those people who claim they’ve unlocked some secret, foolproof way to secure clients. If someone’s saying they’ve cracked the code and you’re missing out if you don’t do things exactly their way, take it with a big grain of salt.

At the end of the day, building a successful business still comes down to the basics: having a solid offer, positioning yourself as credible, finding the right audience, delivering real value, and showing off your personality. People need to like and trust you. There’s no magical shortcut here—you’ve got to be great at what you do and be someone people can rely on.

Now, when it comes to social media strategies, sure, there are some things you can do to boost visibility and credibility. You want to move beyond just getting likes and hearts and really aim to become known as an expert in the fitness industry—a trusted advisor. Someone people come to with questions because they see you as the go-to person in your field.

To start, you need a consistent posting strategy. Plan out how often you’re posting and what topics you’re covering. Have it all scheduled so you’ve got time for creating the content, posting it, engaging with people about it, and reviewing how it’s performing. A simple strategy that still works? Video posts where you explain something interesting or break down a fitness concept. At the end of the video, don’t be shy—ask people to follow you if they like what they heard. It’s a classic move because it works.

Make sure you're posting not just reviews and testimonials but also fun or interesting communications with your clients. It could be a cool WhatsApp message or a phone call you just had with someone. These are perfect for stories, giving people a real glimpse into what you do day-to-day. It shows you’re active, working with clients, and making an impact. You can even add a little insight or commentary on what the conversation was about to keep it engaging.

Now, those single posts where you ask people to comment with a specific word? They still work like a charm! I’ve seen clients get great results by combining that with a request for someone to message them directly. It’s a super simple way to spark conversations without being pushy. And please, don’t jump into selling right away. Social media is, first and foremost, a social space. The business talk comes when the timing feels right.

Stories also make it easy to add interactive stickers or buttons. Let’s say you’ve just helped a client hit a weight loss or muscle-building goal. You can ask your followers if they want to achieve something similar and tell them to tap the button. It’s a really smooth way to get inquiries going. Try experimenting with these across different platforms. For example, if you’re targeting busy dads or professionals, LinkedIn might be a great place to start connecting. But you’ll want to tweak your content to appeal to that more professional crowd.

Here’s a strategy we’ve seen a lot of success with lately: connecting with people on LinkedIn (or another platform) and then guiding them over to your more visual social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. These platforms let you show off more of your content and drive engagement, while building your follower count from other networks.

Don’t forget the basics—collaborating with others is still huge. Whether it’s running a fitness challenge, doing a live or online event, or hosting a Q&A session, it allows you to tap into new audiences while keeping you active in the fitness community. Plus, it’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Challenges and contests? Yep, they’re still a hit. People love them! You just need to commit to bringing the energy to keep everyone pumped and engaged. It’s a great way for your audience to get to know you better. And don’t be afraid to mix it up! Polls, questionnaires, and even random fun questions (not necessarily fitness-related) get people to interact. It makes them feel heard, and the more they engage with you, the more connected they’ll feel to your brand.