How to harness the power of social media to promote your business

There is an ever-growing list of over 2-billion Facebook users. Billions more across the other juggernaut platforms including Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn. With all these networking sites fighting for user engagement, it can often be difficult knowing how to fully harness the power of social media. Not to worry, we are here to help.

In this blog, we provide some useful tips to elevate your social media strategy. Continue reading to know which channels you should be the most active on. Attract new clients and delve into the importance of value-driven strategy in the form of content.

Channels

• Instagram

They say 'a picture can tell a thousand words,’ and this quote helps explain the vast global popularity of Instagram. For users, it provides an opportunity to showcase life activities, and for a business, a stage to show off products and services. There are over 200 million business accounts on Instagram and over a billion active users. This is a platform coaches simply cannot ignore.

• TikTok

The rise of TikTok skyrocketed particularly because of the global pandemic. Spending more time at home meant people opened their minds to creativity, expressing themselves using this short video posting platform. The app provides an algorithm in which content can go viral instantly, meaning an opportunity to show-off your activities to the world. 

• LinkedIn

Commonly associated with job hunting, LinkedIn is adding more tools to its platform every month making it increasingly practical for coaches to advertise activities to clients. It gives accurate targeting, similar to Facebook, so adverts can be seen by the relevant audience demographic. Their system rewards strong content with high exposure.

• YouTube

The beauty of YouTube is that content is perceived as more authentic in contrast to television. Users subscribe to their favourite channels and build a rapport with the content creator on a more personal level. Types of content that work for coaches could include vlogs, live streams, podcasts, and documentaries. As a coach who engages in fun activities every day, why not showcase your passion using this platform?

• Facebook

Facebook holds the largest user base of any platform. As Facebook has remarkable data management tools, there are endless ways to reach customers, including lead generation forms, image/video adverts, messenger banners, and story highlights. There are also fantastic tools that allow the syncing of your posts across social media channels. If you are posting a picture on Instagram for example, you should also share on Facebook to increase visibility.

• Other platforms to think about

Twitter - Great for engaging in trending topics

Pinterest - For sharing beautiful imagery

Snapchat - Keeping followers updated in business activity

Content

Your social media strategy should be value-driven. At the end of the day, this is why followers follow you. Because you provide something of value to their lives.

Lucky for you as a sporting coach, you have an abundance of value to offer. The key is presenting this value in the correct manner to your audience. Value can include, regular posting, sharing knowledge, writing blogs, and vlogging. Here are some fantastic examples from fellow coaches:

Posting

Nutrition advisor Madison Brookes posts regularly and consistently on TikTok to ensure her followers remain engaged in her activities. Most platforms reward accounts that are contributing regularly by increasing their reach (amount of people who see posts) so it’s vitally important to be disciplined with posting and vary the content.

Book your nutrition session with Madison Brookes

Sharing knowledge

Josh Whitemore provides fantastic value for his followers in the form of useful information. It is important to come across as someone who wants to help other humans rather than a business looking to monetise.

Book your personal training session with Josh Whitemore

Blog writing

Blog writing not only showcases knowledge but can also increase organic traffic to your sporting activity. SEO (search engine optimisation) is the strategy of making yourself as easy to find as possible on Google. By including keywords that everyone is talking about in your blogs, you can show up as results for people searching for answers. In the example below, Grace Carey-Centon has written interesting articles which potential clients might be searching for information about.

Book your nutrition session with Grace Carey-Centon

Vlogging

Speaking to the camera may feel a little strange at first but it’s an invaluable skill that is well worth the time and effort. By allowing your audience to learn about your everyday life, a connection is built, where they will feel like they know you better. This increases the likelihood of them trusting you to provide sports coaching services. Zof keeps her followers up to date on a daily basis using Instagram stories.

Book your personal training session with Zof Olszowska

Keep your vlogs and Instagram videos organised in your story highlights. These tell users that you have been active and that you’re someone worth following.

Aesthetics

Maintaining an aesthetic across your social media channels that suits your personal brand personality can be the difference in increasing followers. In the below example, Boo Kartawick showcases her passion for yoga in her imagery. Clients can instantly learn a lot about her personality and dedication to the activity through her Instagram.

Book your yoga session with Boo Kartawick

To conclude, if harnessed in the correct manner, social media will be a huge asset to your client acquisition strategy. By being visible online across popular social networks, potential clients will be able to get a flavour of your passion for your activity and thus be more likely to engage with you.

It is important to remember, content shared should be value-driven. Always ask yourself: What do my followers get out of my posts? If there is nothing there, it’s not worth the effort. It takes time and patience to succeed. A commitment to working hard with your social media strategy will increase your sports coaching visibility and bookings dramatically.

Book your sessions with Sport Session now!