I had an interesting conversation this week with a friend who had just returned from a coaching sesssion with his Personal Trainer.  I was telling him that we'd just completed a web site build for a local Personal Trainer and he asked 'why does a Personal Trainer need a website?'  His view was that all their work generally comes from referrals so why would they need the added expense of creating a web site too?

To be honest, I was quite surprised by his response. I honestly thought that anyone in today's world would recognise that any business (no matter what industry) needs a web presence.  It's not just about getting more customers through the door, it's also about so many other things such as building a brand, being instantly available for people to find out more anytime of the day or night, building credibility and expanding its reach. 

Having a web presence really is so much more than just about getting new leads for clients. It doesn’t need to be complex or extravagant, but in today’s growing online world, a web presence for personal trainers is absolutely critical. And if you’re thinking that your Facebook page will cut it, you are sadly mistaken.

Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft, really wasn't joking when he said 'if your business is not on the internet then you will be out of business'.

So, here's our top five reasons why every personal trainer needs a website.

1. Increased sales leads and enquiries - yes, in some industries alot of clients will be generated by word of mouth (as my friend suggested) but once someone has told a friend about a personal trainer, people will want to find out more. A website acts as a brochure to provide people with more details and encourages them to reach out to you to make an enquiry.
   
   
2. Build credibility - websites for personal trainers provide them with a 'shop window' that helps to build credibility.  It gives potential customers a way of finding our more about you, your personal training credentials and gives you a shop window from which to build trust and rapport with interested people.
   
   
3. Widen your reach - Without a website for your personal training business, you audience is only as large as the people you know and their immediate networks.  By building a website for your fitness coaching business you are setting yourself up to reach anybody at anytime.  And once you have your site up and running you can easily start driving targetted traffic to your site via online adverts and growing your organic search engine optimisation too.
   
   
4. Marketing that never sleeps - A coaching website is like a having a salesperson that knows everything about your business and never sleeps!  Your website is working for you 24/7.  Whilst personal referrals are great, just think how good it would be too if people looking for a personal coach could reach out to you directly rather, at anytime, than waiting to be referred onto you.  Having a strong web presence will do just that and provide you with a marketing resource that never sleeps.
   
   
5. Because every thing starts with Google - these days everything starts with Google.  So if you seriously want to let people know your personal training business is open for business you need to be online.  If you're not then you will absolutely be left behind and find your competitors gaining real market advantage.  It really is as simple as that!

So, in answer to our questions 'Do Personal Trainers need a website.  YES - if you're not online with a strong web presence you will, as Bill Gates suggests, be out of business faster than you think!

If you'd like any advice or simply would like to chat to understand how you can make the most of a website for your Personal Training business please contact us and we'll be happy to help.