Marketing in Fitness Post 10 - Jtrain Fitness is on Patreon!

*If you enjoy this blog or any of my other social media platforms / products, please consider supporting me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/jtrain1224*

Well, here we are Jtrain Nation. The last post in my "Marketing in Fitness" series. I've had a lot of fun doing this, and I hope you've had a lot of fun reading it!

So I was thinking that I might do something cool / fun / interesting for this post. I wanted every post to be about fitness and it looks like I was able to do so. I was thinking about what might be a good topic for a final post when I thought about maybe talking about how my whole Jtrain Fitness brand plans to utilize marketing in the future to grow myself as a brand. So that's what I'm going to do.

The advent of the internet has made it possible for anyone to turn themselves into a brand. If you have an idea, and enough people buy into that idea, you can start up your own brand with countless tools allowing you to do so on the internet with little to no cost.

One of these tools is Patreon. Patreon is a service utilized by many Youtubers to counteract the amount of money Google Adsense pays them (i.e. not a lot). If a person has enough of a following, they can utilize Patreon to ask fans or people who believe in the things they create to support them monetarily with a monthly pledge amount. Potential pledge amounts are decided by the person running their Patreon account, and often times rewards and prizes are offered in return to incentivize people to pledge.

A service like this in my opinion is very powerful. If someone is good at something or can offer something a lot of people believe in and want to support, that person can immediately start collecting money and building themselves and their brand overnight. They are also receiving an income that they can use to enhance and evolve the service that they already provide for their fans. It's a potential win win for both sides.

So how does this tie into me? Well, I want to start finding a way to utilize this service to help facilitate my ability to continuously generate the kind of content I want to bring forth into the world. With this service, I can interact with my own community and they can help support me while at the same time telling me the kind of content they want in return. From a fitness aspect, I could offer making customized fitness videos which answer questions they may have or exercises they need demonstrated.

With this service, I can focus more on promoting myself and generating content that my community wants. They can support me and, in return, are given the content they want.

I can use Patreon as a base for which all other Jtrain Fitness media lead to. I can make posts on all of my current social media (Youtube, Instagram, Blogger, Facebook, etc.) that drive all people who potentially want to support me across all social media to the service they can utilize to strengthen the Jtrain community. As I've learned in my UVA e-marketing class, utilizing consumer input and having them involved is a great way to get people invested in my brand and incentivized to support me monetarily through Patreon.

With social media I have been able to get eyeballs and viewers invested into the content I create. Patreon provides yet another way I can market myself and let those who are kind enough to support me be more involved in said content.

If you have enjoyed this blog, or any of my other social media outlets, please consider pledging to my Patreon account. I want to create the Jtrain Fitness community where you have a say in the types of videos and content you want produced. To do so, please visit www.patreon.com/jtrain1224 . I will think you are the greatest for doing so!

Take care lovely readers of Jtrain Fitness. Until the next post!


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Marketing in Fitness Post 9 - Fitness Platform from Egypt Connects Users to Personal Trainers and Programs

I'm back Jtrain Nation! We're almost at a close to my "Marketing in Fitness" series. It's been a lot of fun writing these blog posts, and I'm really excited to talk about today's story that I found while perusing the internet.

While searching for articles to discuss, I stumbled upon a story on wamda.com discussing a website that was developed in Cairo that connects users to personal trainers and their workout programs from all over the world.

Jumpsuite is a service (launched in February of 2016) that tries to help customers who are frustrated with paying large fees for personal training on top of gym usage fees an ability to interact with personal trainers and gain access to workout plans that they can use. The company cites and ever-growing expansion in the fitness industry, and wants to be one of the first to help consumers that want a way to generate self-discipline by finding workouts and trainers that fit their lifestyle.

Through Jumpsuite, users can search for, follow, purchase, and review fitness programs from all over the world. The company licenses out their product to trainers who then use it to develop their programs and market themselves and sell to users.

In the article I read that inspired me to write this blog post, the author states that the way Jumpsuite distinguishes itself is through its unique interface. The software that it hands out to trainers and nutritionists allows them to build workout programs an view the analytics of their client base. They also have complete control over their products and landing page. Users can also utilize the online marketplace to find, buy, and review programs. 

Currently, Jumpsuite has about 5,600 users registered. Since its launch, it has sold over 200 programs and is seeing growth. Currently, there is no mobile app for Jumpsuite but one is in the works and is currently being reviewed for launch on app stores. 

Personally, I feel like this is a great idea. Jumpsuite is taking advantage of the current fitness craze and providing a market need for individuals who wish to connect with personal trainers or find workout plans but don't know where to start or don't want to purchase a gym membership. Serving as a vehicle to connect consumers with service providers is a great way to take advantage of the current environment. It will be interesting to see if other companies, especially in the U.S. start following this business model.

-Jtrain

Source: http://www.wamda.com/2016/04/building-global-fitness-platform-streets-cairo

-Jtrain-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress?
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Marketing in Fitness Post 8 - A Look at an Indoor Cycling Studio's Marketing Strategy (An Interview).

Hello again Jtrain Nation!

I'm back with post 8 in my "Marketing in Fitness" series! In this post, I will give you the transcript of an interview I conducted with Chris of Applied Fitness Cycle, a small business located in Manassas, Virginia that specializes in providing indoor cycling classes. Chris is extremely passionate about what he does, and left a government job to pursue a career around his love for cycling. I sat down to ask him a few questions about his business, including the marketing strategies he currently uses and plans to use to help elevate his business to continue doing what he loves.

1. What is Applied Fitness Cycle?  An indoor cycle studio that also allows you to bring your own bike and ride it in class. We provide Hand Krank cycles as well. There is only one of its kind in America.

2. Who is behind AFC?  Myself and my Wife Sarah.  My brother who is paralyzed from the chest down was part of the inspiration to include the hand krank cycles. We provide a safe environment for disabled athletes.

3. What do you offer? 20 Real Ryder Bikes, 5 Hand krank cycles and 10 trainers to connect your own bike to.

4. What makes AFC unique?  Our Real Ryder bikes move so it feels like a real bike or at least as close as you can get indoors, we are the only gym in NOVA that offer them.  Also, we offer on and off the bike classes for a complete workout and additional specialty classes like Cycle Yoga, Krank Cycle, and Cycle Bootcamp.

5. What kind of image are you trying to portray with AFC?  We are family friendly environment, a safe place to workout at most ages and levels, our youngest member is 9 and our oldest it 72. 

6. Who is your target market?  Indoor cycling is unique because just about anyone can ride a bike so anyone who is at least 4'11 and wants to give effort is considered our target market.  We do break it down into three general groups for marketing references: stay at home parent, disabled athlete, and the advanced/pro athlete.

7. What form of marketing are you investing most in / rely most on?  We mostly invest in Money Mailers but we use social media the most. It's mostly free and boosting a FB post is much cheaper and can still reach thousands of people for pennies on the dollar compared to traditional marketing.  Word of mouth is everything for us so I consider building relationships within our members a huge marketing tool, another reason we try to get our members out of the studio for rides, swims, runs and races.

8. Do you feel online marketing is important to your business? Why or why not? See previous answer.

If you ARE utilizing online marketing, what platforms are you utilizing most / think have been most successful?  Facebook and Twitter along with our own website.

9. Do you use any analytical tools to examine / understand who is viewing / engaging in your product? Do you use search optimization tools to make it easier for people to find your stuff?  Google analytics is something that we live and die by, numbers are checked daily and we actually rearrange our website if we find people are looking at pages first or second and how long.  Also, we can target where they come from when they come to our website and put more effort and/or money into that.

10. Do you have any future plans to help improve your marketing campaigns? Will it be online or offline and why?  We are always trying to improve our marketing on and offline.  For example, we print out triathlon specific rack cards to pass out at triathlons but then print out "loosing the baby weight with indoor cycling" for our marketing at baby expo's. We are currently making videos to try and spread the word about what we do as well, classes all the way to how to videos.  Also, building strategic partnerships with other local businesses is huge for us, helps with marketing costs if we all want to chip in for a banner for a race or just having our info on their website.

11. Where can people go to find out more about AFC?  @AFCManasses for FB and Twitter and www.appliedfitnesscycle.com

-Jtrain
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Marketing in Fitness Post 7 - A Look Back at the UFC's Unique First Marketing Campaign

Hello again Jtrain Nation!!

It's another week, which means another blog post for my "Marketing in Fitness" series.

Recently, I've become a fan of mixed martial arts and combat sports. In particular, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). I've ordered a few pay-per-views over the past few months and have found myself absolutely enthralled by the characters, variety in styles, and aesthetic of the event. Seeing two people who have dedicated their lives to turning their bodies into weapons going at one another for bragging rights while forging their legacy and mark in history is something I'm definitely into now.

Source: http://www.beyondhe.com.au/media/media/cache/594x334/SH0248_UFC_main.jpg

I know that sports don't really enter the realm of fitness in the sense that it's not 100% about working out at the gym, but I still feel that sports are absolutely relevant to fitness, since we are dealing with world-class athletes who work endlessly in gyms to perfect their craft and be at their most optimal fitness level.

Recently, the UFC was legalized in New York. To be completely honest with you, I had no clue that it wasn't legal there but after thinking about it realized that there's never been a recent UFC event at Madison Square Garden or other New York venues despite them being among some of the most premiere locations in the world.

I was scrolling through articles for inspiration on what topic to discuss for this week, when I found an article on Yahoo! (link at the bottom) talking about the early years of the UFC and how their startup marketing strategy led to their negative stigma and eventual banning in the Empire State.

The UFC was launched in 1993 by four men, one of which was Campbell McLaren. Mclaren had an idea for marketing the UFC, which for the time would in my opinion be somewhat nontraditional. The UFC didn't have a fanbase that was passed down from generation to generation like a lot of other sports, and chose not to sell their product based on their athletes, most likely due to the fact that they were not as well known as the athletes in more popular sports. So, the UFC decided to use its unique and intense looking style of violence as a way to market their product.  They made it look and feel like some underground event was taking place where anything could happen, where rules and restrictions were minimal.

Campbell McLaren with Fighter
Source: http://i3.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article3435421.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Campbell-McLaren-with-Emmanuel-Yarbrough.jpg

The UFC at that time even went so far as to say a fighter could lose by one of three ways: submission, knockout, or death. It marketed itself as the most intense sports could possibly get, and that you would see the ultimate in competition where anything could happen.

This campaign was very successful for the UFC. They sold many pay-per views and were doing well as a startup company. But it was a double-edged sword. The same no-holds barred, anything goes marketing campaign showcasing how intense the sport was also created a stigma with many traditional sports fans and led to the UFC being banned at certain locations. Personnel involved with the UFC had to also appear in court on a regular basis to defend their product.

Source: https://youmayormaynotknow.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/img_4942.jpg

This article made me think of different ways to market a product. While risky, perhaps some companies could benefit off of marketing their product as taboo and rare. The early UFC wanted to market their product as edgy and controversial, and I think it paid off for them in developing a niche fanbase to launch from. I believe that showing how your product goes against the establishment resonates with a lot of consumers today as well. I would be interested in seeing other companies take the risk the UFC did in their early years and see if "exclusive edgy" marketing pays off as a viable way to develop loyal niche consumers to launch your brand from. I also believe that having a little bit of controversy along with the product gets people talking about it more, giving the company free publicity.

Today, with better rules and regulations, the UFC has become a lot more organized and accepted at many places like New York. It may be hard to say, but the question arises as to whether or not the UFC could have become the multi-billion dollar company it is today without first establishing itself the way that it did with their unique marketing campaign to build an audience from. .

-Jtrain

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Marketing in Fitness Post 6 - Pact Fitness App Uses Monetary Rewards and Penalties For Motivation

Jtrain Nation! I'm sorry I'm late with this post. Rest assured I'm still going to make these ten blog posts. I'm just making sure I'm finding the best content I can to share with you!

Recently, while scanning through possible topics to talk about, I came across a fairly new app called "Pact". Pact started in San Francisco back in 2010, and was originally called "Gym Pact". After analysis, they discovered that the "Impact" pun they wanted associate with their brand wasn't resonating with customers and changed the name simply to Pact.

So what makes Pact different from other fitness apps? I'm glad you asked! Unlike most fitness apps, rather MOST fitness apps, Pact uses money to motivate you to work out and eat healthy. Through this app, you sign "pacts" or plans that you will get paid for for accomplishing. Each week, you can make anywhere from $0.30 to $5.00 depending on your level of commitment. You must check in daily and take pictures that Pact verifies to prove that you are adhering to your Pact.

However, Pact also PENALIZES you for missing workouts or not adhering to your nutrition plan. If you are unable to meet your daily requirements, you will be deducted $5 that will be dumped into a community pool to pay out Pact users who are staying on track with their fitness goals.

I personally think that this is a cool marketing idea by Pact. Money is a strong motivator. It's a unique service that nobody has really come up with yet. I believe that Pact does a great job at subtly challenging you, making you question if you  have what it takes to stay on track with your fitness goals and draws you in by showing you how much you could make. It shows you that the money is there, and that if you can be motivated enough you should be making free money. There's also a sense of competition against other people who you could be profiting off of for not meeting their fitness goals.

Pact also tries to build its brand by being compatible with other popular fitness apps like FitBit and My Fitness Pal. You can integrate data from those apps into your Pact app to show how you are meeting your goals and tracking progress.

One limitation I see to this app is that it doesn't really pay enough to really motivate someone to utilize the app. I'm not sure that a maximum of $5 weekly while being penalized $5 a day is really in the end worth it. Being a newer company also makes playing with other people's money potentially dangerous and a recipe for potential backlash that can sink the company before they get a strong hold on the market. If they can get a hold of that and have safeguards in place to protect that, I really see an opportunity for them to change the game and be very successful. The brand has recently seen some backlash in the reviews and hasn't really been growing heavily each year.

When I first saw this app though, I thought that this could definitely be something that catches on. If apps can find a good balance between paying people to workout from crowdfunded funds of people who don't, I can see this kind of model really taking off. It will be interesting to see if other fitness companies develop apps that use money to draw in customers. If there's an app with a strong model I believe in, I could definitely see myself utilizing such a service.

To learn more about Pact, please visit Pact's website .

See you soon with another Marketing in Fitness blog! Have an amazing day!

-Jtrain

Sources: 
http://www.gym-pact.com/#
http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/01/pact/
https://sensortower.com/ios/us/gympact/app/pact-earn-cash-for-exercise-healthy-living-and-eating-right/456068701#review-history?reviews
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Marketing in Fitness Post 5 - United Healthcare Launches Fitness Trackers to Offer Discounts and Promote Being Active

Hello Jtrain Nation! I hope all of you have been well, dominating life and being the best version of yourself could possibly be. It's another week, and so here's another "Marketing in Fitness" post for you fresh off the press!

I was looking through potential marketing campaigns that I could use for this week when I stumbled upon something very interesting. Apparently,  United Healthcare is teaming up with Qualcomm and is developing a device that tracks the number of steps you take in a day and, in return, will offer discounts on your insurance deductible for meeting benchmarks in three different categories.

The program being launched is called "United Healthcare Motion" and gives individuals who enroll in the program fitness trackers that record the frequency, intensity, and tenacity of steps taken while walking. Frequency is defined as walking six times a day for a minimum of 300 steps, intensity is defined as taking 3,000 steps in 30 minutes, and tenacity is defined as taking at least 10,000 steps within an entire day. Qualcomm has developed the connectivity platform for which to capture an individual's data via United Healthcare's device and analyze whether or not they are meeting specified measures for which to receive financial incentives on their deductibles. Currently, the program and wearable device are being offered to companies with 101 to 300 employees and their spouses in 13 different states who have a fully insured health plan.

On average, a deductible costs the consumer around $1,318 for single coverage according to a 2015 employer health benefits survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Individuals enrolled in this program can receive up to $4 a day in savings, or $1,460 in total health reimbursement credit.

This marketing campaign in my opinion takes advantage of the popularity of wearable devices in fitness. Consumers have shown that they are welcoming to the thought of wearing devices that track their fitness. I think United Healthcare is doing something innovative and smart in creating incentives to stay fit while also promoting their own technology and discounts to potentially grab new consumers. It will be interesting to see if other health companies will jump on this bandwagon and develop their own wearable devices for consumers to use. Perhaps health insurance companies can find even more ways to further incorporate technology and healthcare while offering health plan incentives to market their services and show consumers that they really do care about their health and not just charging them money for expensive health plans.

For more information on the United Healthcare Motion program, please visit: http://www.uhc.com/news-room/2016-news-release-archive/wearable-devices-wellness-program

-Jtrain

Sources: 
http://www.mmm-online.com/corporate/unitedhealthcare-and-qualcomm-partner-on-wearable-fitness-program/article/480696/
http://www.uhc.com/news-room/2016-news-release-archive/wearable-devices-wellness-program

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Marketing in Fitness Post 4 - The Gold's Gym Challenge

Hello again readers of Jtrain Fitness! It is another week, and thus another blog post for my "Marketing in Fitness" series.

This week, I'd like to talk about the Gold's Gym Challenge. The Gold's Gym Challenge is a campaign put on by Gold's Gym that is exclusive to Gold's members. The challenge lasts for 12 weeks, and aims to successfully complete a client's fitness goals with the help of a personal trainer.

Unlike your typical personal training sessions, the Gold's Gym Challenge gives a competition aspect to Gold's' traditional personal training services. Clients who sign up for the challenge receive prizes which can include thousands of dollars. A winner from a male and female group, as well as age groups of 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+ are chosen as winners for prizes. 1st place in each group receives $6,500, 2nd place receives $2,500, and 3rd place receives $1,000.

As someone who used to be a personal trainer for Gold's Gym, I'm familiar with this program and have tried to market it to clients. Managers try to push this program hard when this campaign starts up during various times of the year, and incentivizes their employees to push the program hard for the gym by offering them bonuses for each new member they sign up for the program.

One marketing technique that Gold's uses for this campaign is making it feel like an event. They market the challenge before it even begins to make it feel like some special time of the year that people can participate in, and as if it's a big thing that you want to sign up for before it begins. They also call it a "challenge" and make it competitive by making groups compete against one another to see who will win the prize.

When looking at the imagery associated with the banners, flyers, etc, you see a poorly lit black and white photo of someone who looks sad and beaten down next to an (obviously more-edited and beautified) image of that person happy and in color with slim fitting clothing to make them look leaner. This taps into people's emotions and tries to connect with any kind of self-esteem and body image issues they may inherently have, and show the glowing fit and seemingly healthier individual they can transform into...in just 12 weeks! It's an eye-catching piece of imagery that effectively communicates the message and may inspire people to want to take the challenge in hopes of becoming a case like the one shown.

Gold's also does something both sneaky and smart by making this challenge exclusive to members only. By doing this, they force casual gym goers who are not yet members to sign up if they want to be a part of this seemingly special and exclusive event. It's a great way to generate new customers who will pay monthly gym fees on top of the price for participating in the challenge.

I'm not sure how well the challenge helps Gold's in marketing themselves and generating new customers. The fact that the challenge has been going on frequently makes me think that it is doing an effective job for the company. I think that companies that sell products like personal training could benefit from making campaigns that look like challenges and competitions to inspire their customers and potential future customers from investing in their products.

For more on the Gold's Gym Challenge, please visit: http://www.goldsgym.com/challenge-2016/

-Jtrain

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