you have no ownership over those followers. You are permitted access
to the platform, but that can be taken away from you at any time and
for reasons that may not necessarily be deemed fair.
And, if you do find yourself in the position of ever selling your
business, your social media followers are not valued anywhere near
as highly as actual customers.
2. Social media reach now comes with a price tag
Increasingly it is also becoming necessary to invest in paid advertising
to reach your social media followers. You have probably noticed that
posts from your business page reach fewer people than they once
did. So the traditional advantage of social media being a free method
of marketing is becoming more and more diminished.
As all of the major social media networks have now launched their
paid advertising platforms, this trend of paying for reach looks set to
stay – making it much harder for businesses to reach existing (and
new) followers without digging into their pockets.
How does your own website differ from your social
media pages?
Your website is an asset that belongs to your business. As such, you
get to decide how to use it to make the most impact.
A website is not just an online business card
If your website contains nothing but your contact details and some
information about your business then you are missing a huge
opportunity. E-commerce (selling online), is huge business, but it’s
not only for huge businesses, with technology making it simple for
smaller operations to harness its power.
With an e-commerce enabled site you can not only explore
myriad ways to better serve your existing customers, but also reach
a global audience. And it’s this concept of scalability that can take a
small operation focused on local business, and turn it into a global
business focused on big things.
As a fitness professional you are largely governed by the amount
of available time you have, especially if your primary income comes
from face-to-face coaching.
While this is very personally rewarding, the financial rewards
can be limited. Few enter the fitness industry to become rich, but
you could also argue that your income is in direct proportion to the
number of people you’re able to help.
So, a scalable online business really just helps you to reach a
greater number of people who need your help.
When coaching was my primary form of income I was working
quite long hours, sometimes up to 60 or 70 per week. While making
the move to more passive income (through book, online coaching
and product sales) I realised that I was going to have to change my
focus from that traditional coaching model. Instead I started thinking
about who would be interested in what I had to offer. It was the most
defining moment of my career so far.
Leveraging the potential of your website
The following techniques will enable you to maximise the
effectiveness of your website.
1. Encourage people to subscribe to your updates
Blogging is a fantastic way to build a strong list of users and
subscribers. Offer some useful information (either original content or
shared from others), a little