Content

Creation
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Marketing Download Series

Need clients and not sure where to start?
The marketing download series has all the answers!

Start with the Marketing Checklist (either the commercial gym trainer one or the private facility / mobile
trainer / online trainer one) This gives you actions to do and helps give an overview to the main goal of
your lead generation and marketing efforts.

If social media is a main feature of your marketing plan* then the Social Media Marketing Checklist is
your next stop. Including an overview of your social media plan and a structure you can use for your
posts, this checklist will help you understand how to structure your social media marketing.

*If you are based in a commercial gym your primary marketing focus should be aimed at the people
in the gym. They have already decided that the gym can help them towards their goal so you have
a head start, your job is to be able to demonstrate to them how you can help them get there quicker
and without getting stuck into a “gym rut”. Social media can have its place in your strategy but keep a
check on yourself to ensure you aren’t allowing it to sidetrack you or enable your procrastination.

If you are a mobile trainer or in a private facility don’t forget there are other options available to you
and a combination of approaches will be beneficial.

If you are looking for content ideas then the Content Creation download is for you. However, it comes
with a caveat: Avoid posting content for the sake of content. If your goal is more clients then your posts
need to appeal to the people you are looking to attract and show what you do, how you do it, how it
helps your clients and how it can help the people seeing your posts / emails / videos. “Content” should
support that goal, it can help position you as an authority and it can help demonstrate that you know
your audience but be aware that it can also put people off and become a time drain that brings you no
benefit so keep a track of the bigger picture.

Alongside the downloads aimed at attracting leads the Converting Leads to Clients download helps
you take the next step to get people signed up.

Then of course there are other resources for onboarding them and retaining them!

Above all with these downloads, the information they contain will only help if you apply it. Use the
checklists, adapt the information for your business, act, review and tweak as required.

Then let us know when you are fully booked!

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Introduction
Before we dive into the list of content ideas start by considering the following:

Who are you providing the content to? Why are you providing the content?
This is going to have a massive impact on the topics you The answer to this question is key to deciding what types of
choose and the tone you use in your posts / emails / content you share.
newsletters / blogs / wherever you deliver your content.
If your goal is to get clients then remember that whilst
It should also be used as your filter for what is appropriate to content can be used to show you understand their goals /
share. concerns / life to some extent and to position yourself as an
authority, it’s not going to make any difference if you don’t
If you haven’t already thought about this then spend some also include information on the service you offer, what it does
time on it before you go any further in this download. and how it could benefit the user and a call to action to get
them to enquire / sign up / contact you.

If your goal is to position yourself as an authority and take

a place as a more personality based marketer then you will
probably want more videos and posts that show more about
you. Note this may not be the best route if you’re aiming to
get more people into an ongoing personal trianing service.

See the “Marketing

Checklist – Social
Media” download
if your main goal here is to use social media
to attract clients.
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Topic Ideas
There are a number of different sources of inspiration for topics, consider the following:

Client Led Calendar led

Interactions with clients can be gold when it comes to Whether it’s a particular celebration day that will resonate
providing content ideas. An in person conversation, a check with your target audience (world diabetes day? International
in form, a post on social media, a question they have asked Gin day?) or a more formally recognised day (New Year,
you directly or an observation you or they have made can all Independence day, Australia day, Guy Fawkes day etc)
form the basis of a great piece of content. In my opinion this there’s something for every day of the year so plenty for
can form the basis of most, if not all of your content. inspiration for every audience.

You can also ask questions of your clients specifically

aimed at identifying topics for content (“What would you
like to know more about?” can be useful or can be too wide
a question. Quick easy to answer polls / multiple choice Education Led
questions / more targeted question can sometimes be more
useful to get responses). Sharing things about what you are learning can
provide another area for content. Here it is key that the
information is shared in a way that is of interest and both
understandable and relatable to your audience.

Media Led
Take inspiration from the stories in the media. This could be
relating to health and fitness or other major stories. Personal Experience Led
Note: This is one of the areas where I see the most trainers Whether they are current or from the past the lessons you’ve
getting it wrong. learned from an experience can often provide inspiration for
content. It can be used to highlight thoughts, feelings and
Common issues are: epiphanies that your audience can relate to which can create
or build on a connection between you.
Not putting the time into thinking about what they are saying
and who their audience is. Unfortunatley this can mean they When using this kind of topic as content aim to keep it
come across as judgemental instead of understanding. authentic, there’s a lot of contrived posts on this kind of
thing and if people start reading a story that changes into
Being inconsistent with their messaging. Complaining about a sales pitch you’ll generally lose more connections than
all media being rubbish when there’s stuff they don’t agree you’ll gain. You don’t always need to “join the dots” for
with but happily supporting a link that suits their biases. your audience, sometimes giving them your story without
going into the “a lot of people joining a gym feel like this
Confusing their audience by sharing things they don’t agree and that’s why at CMW training we always make sure we….”
with and forgetting that their sarcastic comment could easily Is better. That can turn the positive into a negative as your
get overlooked by the reader who sees the main headline of audience realises they are being manipulated into reading a
what’s been shared and assumes the poster supports the marketing message.
message of the content.

Introducing their audience to a concept or argument they

hadn’t even considered and giving attention to people they
disagree with.
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Topic Ideas Continued

There are a number of different sources of inspiration for topics, consider the following:

Audience Environment Other Fitness

Hang out where your audience hang out – yes people Professional Led
watching can be a valid business related activity (although
make sure you aren’t using it to procrastinate / avoid work or Sharing other people’s content, with appropriate credit
as an excuse when you should be paying attention to loved (ideally sharing their original post / blog page etc) can be
ones). See what they do, listen to what they say (in a non another option.
stalkerish, non intrusive manner). This can not only provide
you with great content but also help reconnect you with Before doing so make sure you have thought about whether
what life is like outside of your own fitness acquaintance it is appropriate to your audience. Just because you find
related bubble. something funny it doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to
be funny for your client base or appropriate to share on your
Look at what your audience is reading; both books and business channels where you are aiming to attract people.
magazines - note: don’t just assume all women read all
women’s magazines etc as there are a wide range, if in
doubt survey your existing clients to see what they read and
how they consume the content (do they sit and read it cover
to cover, do they prefer digital or print etc. Appendix 1
Listen to what your audience is listening to; podcasts, In appendix 1 you’ll find an example of an “on the go” ideas
audiobooks, radio stations list. It’s primarily aimed at female weightloss and includes
some more personal elements but the principles can easily
Watch what your audience is watching be adapted to apply to any audience.

None of this means you have to embrace stuff you hate but These ideas for posts can be used as they are or
an awareness of your audiences preferences and how that incorporated with client experience to make them more
influences their thoughts and feelings about health, nutrition relatable and, where appropriate, to help demonstrate proof
and exercise can be really useful. of results / understanding.

NOTE: As with the media section, be aware of how your If being used to “just create content” remember they need to
comments about people’s choices come across. Mocking be heavily supplemented by posts that show who you help,
people who like Love Island / X factor / Bake Off / Game how you help them and how you can help the reader / listener
of Thrones / insert whatever series you don’t like here, as / watcher.
being stupid may not be the best idea. How people choose
to spend their down time isn’t a moral decision (unless And don’t forget your call to action adverts!
they are committing murder, theft or some other illegal
activity) and making it one makes the poster come across
as judgemental – do you want your potential clients thinking
you are judgemental?
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Format

The format you use should be chosen based on:

The platform you are using (hopefully a platform your

target audience use)

Your target audience’s preferences

Your preferences (what are you good at / willing to

work at)

The content itself (some content will only work

visually etc)

Creating the content:

Whatever your ideas are, keep an ongoing list you Start by asking yourself what your aim is with the
update whenever inspiration strikes you and refer piece? Mostly you will be probably be wanting to
back to whenever you are stuck. inform or entertain. You want your audience to be
interested enough to stop and read / watch what you
Diarise regular time slots to create your content. have created and to do something or feel something by
the end.
Aim to write when you are inspired to do so and
have a “stock”, can be just 1 or 2 pieces that you have Jot down any “killer” sentences, thoughts you have
already written that can be used when you really on the topic you want to share and points you want
can’t write something either because of a lack of to make as you think of them, don’t rely on memory
creative flow or a genuine lack of time. Remember (unless yours is far better than mine)
they need to be replaced if you use them.

Start wherever you are inspired to

start, often jumping straight into
the meat of the piece and getting
into the flow can be easier than
starting with your intro.

Take the time for a proper review of

the piece before making it public.
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Reviewing your content

Before Publication After Publication

(including shares of other people’s content)
The best way to learn and improve on anything is to
Avoid posting to tick the box of having posted review how it went. Writing content is no different.
something without any thought. Here are some questions to ask:

Go back to your aim, does this piece do what you Did it make people do / feel what you wanted them to?
wanted?
Who interacted with it? Were they the people you
Wherever possible have a break and read through wanted to reach?
again aiming for an impersonal review based on
exactly what is written / said. Is there anywhere Are you happy with it or is there anything you’d do
you have made assumptions or that may be differently next time?
misinterpreted? Are any humorous / sarcastic / parts
where you aren’t actually saying what you mean What feedback did you receive from your target
obvious? Is there anything that could be taken as you audience / people you trust to be able to put
not understanding your audience, or worse, insulting themselves in the place of your target audience.
them? It can be a good idea to get someone else,
ideally who is either in your target audience or who Look at the metrics you have available (open rates,
has good critiquing skills, to have a read through. views, likes, shares, clicks etc). Keep a record of these
for each piece of content so you can see if you are
Check any images tie in with the text and are improving, if certain content has more impact than
audience appropriate. others etc.

Remember that not all metrics or feedback is equal.

The most important viewpoint / action is that of your
target audience.
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Appendix 1: An example of an on-the go “content idea list”

(These have a female weight loss bias and a few relating to
personal experience but the principles are transferable)
• Self consciousness generally and in a gym
environment specifically • Rediscovering your dieting mojo

• How weight & appearance impact self belief • Special occasions / Celebrations / Picnics

• How exercise improves confidence & positive feelings • Restaurant eating / Eating at friends / Work
why I want to build muscle - I’m a 40 yo woman so
why do I want to build muscle? Let’s start with the • Exercise & appetite / over compensating
official reasons the “why every woman should lift
weights stuff” • Identifying and managing or avoiding triggers

• Women being in that middle ground, coming to terms • Managing hunger

with turning 40
• Emotional hunger vs physical hunger
• Life experience, you know what doesn’t work,
confidence, emotional physical & abilities, support • Friends houses / pressure from relatives & friends
group - you know the support you have, people you
trust, constant & settled. you can choose what you • Celebrating successes
want to do - you make your own decisions.
• Not being a diet bore
• Simplifying everything
• Moving past failures / learning from disasters
• Emotional time of the month stuff
• Maintaining motivation
• Coming to terms with fact you’re never going to have
a 20 yr old body again • Liquid calories

• Maintain body - it needs to continue to do what you • Enjoying exercise

want it to do
• Exercising at home
• Single & responsible for self - living alone (so i’m
meant to be married with 2.4 kids...) • Overcoming excuses and accepting priorities

• Diets & kids & empowering children • Habit forming

• Portion control • Thief’s of motivation

• Exercise when sick • Scales & what makes up and influences weight

• Appetite & exercise • Friends & family & other influencers

• Sabotage / making things difficult for yourself • Feeling like you’ve got there

• Making a difference • Comparing yourself to others

• Motivation vs habits • Learning what works for you