I have been a keen gym goer for several years now. In that time, I have developed a very structured approach to my training in order to make the most of the time I spend in the gym.
So, here are four practical lessons from my experience that you can use to create an effective digital marketing strategy.
1. Set clear long-term goals
There is a difference between exercising and training. Exercising is being in the gym without any structure or any end objective. Training is about reaching a specific goal and the steps you take along the way.
When I step into a gym, I know exactly what I need to do. I know which exercises I will do, the order I will do them, and why I am doing them.
If all goes well, I have a rough idea of where I will be in six weeks and where I will be in three months, as each training session is about making progress towards that end goal.
That goal may be to build muscle, lose weight or increase cardiovascular endurance. The training I undertake will differ depending on that goal.
Your marketing efforts should be geared around specific long-term goals too. Do you want to increase brand awareness, improve audience engagement or build authority in your area? Your approach should be specific to what you want to achieve.
Identifying your goals will allow you to form a long-term plan in which you can work toward reaching a clear objective in a structured way.
It can be useful to adopt the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound) approach when defining your objectives. Instead of a vague goal like “get more clients,” you could instead, aim to “add five new clients in the next quarter.”
When your goals are established, your marketing tactics can align directly with what you need to accomplish.
2. Consistency is key
Progress in the gym is dictated by consistency. You need to train properly, eat properly, and rest properly.
To make progress with your fitness goals you need to be consistent in your training, recovery and nutrition. If you lack in any of these areas, your results will be sub-optimal.
The same principle applies to your marketing. Once you have defined your objectives, and how best to achieve them, be consistent in your efforts, whether that’s posting on social media, sending newsletters, or updating your blog. Consistency is what will allow those marketing efforts to pay off in the long term.
Being consistent will bring in a range of benefits for your marketing strategy.
Consistency is how you can foster relationships with your clients. For example, sending a newsletter at the same time each week or each month, can demonstrate reliability to a client.
3. Keep an open mind
Being adaptable is key when it comes to fitness. While I know exactly what I want to do in order to achieve my goal, sometimes that needs to change.
If I get to the gym and a certain machine is broken, a piece of equipment is not available or I have picked up a small injury, I will need to adapt my approach. I might change the exercises I do or change the order I train.
In the world of marketing, adaptability is just as crucial. It’s important to understand what is working and what isn’t working. While you may have ideas of what content you think is going to really resonate with your audience, in reality, it may not land.
Being open-minded, trying new tactics and undertaking consumer research can help you keep in touch with your audience and strengthen your marketing efforts.
4. Track your progress
When I create my next training cycle I look at where I want to be and where I have been.
My future training is always informed by what I have done in the past and I keep records of what I have done whether that’s weight, repetitions or time. To assess how I should train, I need to understand where I am starting from.
Monitoring your marketing progress is just as important. Keep track of key metrics such as newsletter open rates or social media engagement in order to understand what’s working and what you may need to change.
Are certain types of content resonating more than others? Is your audience engaged on specific platforms? These questions can provide insights which you can use to optimise your marketing efforts continuously. Adopting a data-driven approach will allow you to make informed decisions regarding your future marketing strategies.
Get in touch
Effective marketing is as important for your business as exercise is for your body. These four fitness lessons can help you inform your marketing strategy and hit your long-term goals.
If you would like to spend more time in the gym and less time working on your marketing, we can help. Get in touch at hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call us on 0115 8965 300, to arrange a chat.