Launching a fitness challenge is quite exciting. And because you can achieve so much with it, the urge is strong to just jump in and get started.
But before you do, it’s critical to map out your approach from beginning to end. Because once the challenge kicks off, you won’t have time to create any plans. Instead, you’ll be occupied with a hundred and one things.
Here’s a concise checklist of all the things you need to figure out before your fitness challenge even begins. These will help you get the most out of the challenge and achieve your objectives.
Define your goals and audience
This step will begin long before you actually decide to launch a fitness challenge. Taking time to map out your intentions and actions will guide every step of this process, from creating the routines to finding the right attendees.
Here are three things to figure out in this process
What are you trying to achieve?
A fitness challenge can help you accomplish a ton of goals. Some of them include:
- Generate leads
- Find prospects who are actually interested in your services
- Help you test a new form of exercise plan
- Create awareness about your business
- Launch a community like a Facebook group
- Land actual clients
Some of these goals may also overlap for you. For example, you may be looking to find prospects and hopefully, upsell them to one of your plans before the challenge ends. Or you may be launching your business and want to get the word out about your unique exercise plans.
Once you figure out what you want, use the following steps to map it out. As we run through these steps, I’ll explain how you can use them to your advantage.
Who is your target audience
So you know exactly what you want. Now, who would help you achieve this the most? Obviously, if you specialize in functional training, your target audience is already mapped out. But if your offers are more dynamic, take some time to think about this.
Knowing your audience can help with your messaging which then increases the chances that people will respond to you.
If you’re having trouble getting your target audience to attend your challenge, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a detailed guide on how to drive traffic using tools you already have at your disposal.
What does your audience want?
This is just to help you make sure that your offer and your audience’s needs connect. For example, you may be offering online functional training classes for older adults. But this won’t work if they prefer to show up in person and put in work.
You could ignore this mismatch and proceed with the challenge. But you’re more likely to achieve your goals if you align everything just right.
Create a marketing strategy
So you know what you want, and you know the best audience to target. The next question is, how are you going to reach them?
There are a ton of avenues you can explore depending on your budget and how much time you have. Here are a couple of effective strategies to consider.
Create a messaging sequence
If you have an email list, creating an email sequence is an inexpensive but highly effective way to start.
An email sequence is a series of messages that prepare the receiver for your offer. It begins with a simple introduction and goes deeper into explaining the benefits, and eventually selling them on the offer.
Here are 7 email sequence templates you can use to get started.
If you don’t have an email list, adopt a similar strategy on your social media. Get your friends to engage with it, like, and share. That way, the algorithms can give your posts even more exposure.
Use sponsored ads
If you have the budget, sponsored ads can be very effective tools for getting the word out there. They are especially useful if you’re trying to generate leads or reach a whole new audience segment.
Consider using platforms like Facebook, or Instagram for the most results. Check out this resource for tips on how to get started with the ads.
Encourage social sharing
I love this strategy because it’s free, and it can yield a ton of positive results if you do it right. Unfortunately, I find it quite challenging because I’m not a big fan of social media. If you’re like me, don’t worry because I found a technique that actually works.
All you have to do is create the necessary posts; it can be videos, graphics, or a combination of others. Then, post them and ask your friends to share.
It really is that simple. I found that close friends and family are always eager to help, and if you show them how much the project means to you, they’ll be glad to oblige.
Create a video
Before you go about promoting your change, it’s worth it to create a short video explaining:
- What the challenge is about
- Who it’s for
- What attendees stand to gain
- How they can get started
- Additional benefits for attendance
I recommend video because research shows that people are more likely to respond to videos than they are to simple graphics. You should still create graphics for information at a glance, but videos are going to be more successful.
While creating your video, there are also a couple of things to keep in mind
Let your personality shine through
Very often, we expect our videos to be perfect, scripted, and as ‘professional’ as possible. But the truth is, your viewers probably see all that every day on the news and other TV shows.
If you’re going to catch someone’s attention, it helps to show them the real you. If you’re like me, you probably aren’t perfectly scripted and will say “um” very often. But that’s actually what catches the eye.
Viewers will see that, recognize you as a real person, and connect with you. And a personal connection really helps when you’re trying to sell something.
Here’s a YouTube video I found that talks about how to record natural videos.
Show more than you tell
Your short video is a great chance to show people what they stand to gain before ever joining the challenge. Consider recording yourself doing some exercises, or leading a group routine. It will be more effective than anything you can say yourself.
Plan your content delivery
Next on the list, you have to think about how you’re going to share your routines. Will you be doing a live workout? Or is there a downloadable pdf with instructions that everyone can simply follow along?
The decision is entirely up to you and the tools you currently have access to. If you can, a live video remains one of the best mediums. People can watch, follow along, and engage with you. For this, you can set up a Facebook group or YouTube channel to share your live broadcast.
With the Facebook group approach, you can also create conversations with your audience. Great examples include live interviews and Q&A sessions.
If a live video isn’t an option, don’t worry because there are several other mediums you can use. Some of them include
- Pre-recorded workout sessions
- Calendar with workouts filled in
- Downloadable fitness calendar
- Meal plans
Maximize lead generation
The best way to do this is by exchanging participation for contact info (usually an email address.) You’re offering free fitness advice with a framework of accountability, so submitting an email address is a very fair tradeoff.
One way you can do this is to create a landing page for the challenge sign-up. People submit their address and they receive the Facebook group link via email.
You can also create a question for the group and have people submit their emails before joining. I personally don’t like this option because it comes across as you just trying to get their contact information.
With the previous option, you can say something like, “I’d like to send you the facebook link via email. Submit your address to join the challenge.” At least this way, people understand that submitting their email directly leads to joining the Facebook group.
Plan post-challenge activities
Once your challenge kicks off, you may not have time for anything else. That’s why you must create a post-challenge strategy before it even begins.
This will depend on the goals you identified in the beginning. If you want to generate leads or land new clients, you can offer discounts for your fitness coaching. You can also use the leads you gathered from the previous step to create your email list.
However you choose to proceed, be sure to nurture your audience. The last thing you want is to waste all the momentum and visibility you’ve gathered.
If you created a Facebook group. Take an hour or two every week to plan your posts. That keeps your audience engaged and it keeps you on top of their mind.
You can also create a couple of irresistible blog posts around the challenge. You could lay out some next steps for everyone who’s taking the challenge. You could also write posts that feature testimonials of past attendees.
That way, you have marketing material for your next fitness challenge.
In summary, here are some things you can do after your challenge
- Add participants to a Facebook group
- Create an email list
- Offer discounts for your coaching services
- Ask for testimonials and referrals
- Take a survey
Goodluck
A fitness challenge is a fantastic way to generate leads, grow your audience, and accomplish all the other good stuff we mentioned earlier if you do it correctly. And with this checklist, you’re pretty much on your way.
I’ve launched a fitness challenge myself and I’m currently detailing everything I’ve learned. I’ll publish the details soon. If you’d like an extra pair of eyes for your fitness challenge strategy, schedule a zoom with me, and let’s have a chat.
