As youth strength and conditioning professionals, we’re always looking for ways to expand our programs so we can help more kids. For the last few years, SPIDERfit Kids has been working with individuals and organizations to assess and determine the most effective strategies for growth.
What we’ve discovered is that many of the “go-to” methods that coaches believe will be effective, aren’t. These strategies aren’t necessarily “bad” or “wrong.” It’s just that they would serve better as an addition to other, more effective ways to increase their programs’ value and visibility to their community.
Below I share how some of the most common strategies coaches use, and what has shown to be more effective for engaging current and potential customers. Again, these common strategies aren’t “bad” it’s just that better results may come from more time and energy being spent prioritizing more effective methods.
Creating a new youth fitness or sports performance program for your facility can inject some variety and excitement into your list of offerings. However, creating a plan and platform to market that program to your community should be your top priority when it comes to time and energy. A “perfect” program with no attendees is a missed opportunity all around.
Creating programs that impress other fitness professionals makes for great “shop talk” at industry events. However, focusing on programming to engage kids and parents while enhancing the learning process will pay bigger dividends when it comes to business growth.
Asking for referrals from parents and coaches is an important part of growing your business. However, attending your youth clients’ sporting events is one of the most effective ways to develop relationships with potential clients.
Assigning kids at-home workouts extends the value of your service. The problem is – kids never do them. Creating expectations and accountability for simple at-home character-building habits like making their bed, eating vegetables, etc… will often prove more valuable to the overall culture of your program.
Putting pictures/videos of kids training on social media is a way of sharing the value of your services with your community. However, sending these pictures/videos to the child’s parents with a quick comment on their child’s progress will pay higher dividends when it comes to creating value for your program.
Investing in more youth training certifications is a great way to expand your professional knowledge and credential. However, few trainers spend the time and energy to master the framework and information in these youth training certifications. Quality over quantity.
Regularly posting about your services on social media is an opportunity to highlight your value to the masses. However, learning to target and use paid advertising on social media will have a much greater impact on your ability to reach more families in your community.
Having an effective “pitch” is important for efficiently sharing the value of your services with potential customers. However, taking the time and energy to develop a relationship prior to pitching your services will create better results. Listen, listen again, then pitch.
Relying on word of mouth is a low-cost marketing strategy. However, without a consistent, organized, intentional marketing strategy it is difficult to experience meaningful growth.
In initial interactions with parents, it’s important to display your knowledge and expertise. However, the most important part of the interaction is listening to their needs and concerns.
You can see that with nearly all the above, it’s not a matter of adopting one tactic and getting rid of the other. However, to grow your business and help more kids, you may need to consider how you could re-prioritize your time, energy, and growth strategies.
Keep inspiring!
Brett Klika CEO and co-founder of SPIDERfit is an international award- winning certified strength and conditioning coach, author, and motivational speaker with over 20 years experience motivating and inspiring youngsters to a life of health, fitness, and performance.
Brett consults with schools, athletic organizations, fitness professionals, and fortune 500 companies around the world.
Connect with SPIDERfit!