As a fitness coach, you would wish to train as many people as possible every day, and help them achieve their fitness goals.
The problem is, time is always a constraint. And apart from training clients to generate revenue, you also have to create time for yourself for eating, sleeping, socializing, and attending to other chores.
So, how can you manage to train more clients without sacrificing your personal time? Well, you can easily achieve that by creating and selling online fitness training programs.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of creating an online fitness program. You will also learn how to make an online fitness program. So, if you are looking to create virtual workout programs but don’t know how or where to start, this guide has the answers.
1. Why Create an Online Fitness Program
Creating and selling online fitness programs comes with numerous benefits. They include:
1.1 A Convenient Training Method for Busy People
Some people would like to follow a healthier lifestyle. But due to their busy schedules, finding time to go to the gym becomes a challenge. And such people may end up giving up on their dream of achieving a healthier lifestyle. By creating virtual workout programs, you will be providing a convenient means for this group of people to achieve their fitness goals.
1.2 No Time constraints
We all have 24 hours in a day. And out of these 24 hours, you have to split it between training your clients in the gym and spending time with friends and family, unwinding and attending to various other responsibilities. And if you are only offering in-person training sessions, your earnings will be limited to the number of hours that you can manage to work. But, by offering online workout programs, there are no time limits. You can train as many people as you want, without sacrificing your personal time.
1.3 No Space Constraints
With in-person training, the number of clients that you can manage to train will depend on the amount of space you have in your gym. So, if you only have a small gym, you can only train a handful of clients. Consequently, your earnings will also be on the lower end.
But with online training, you don’t have space limitations. Virtual workout programs allow you to connect with an unlimited number of clients. Again, this means higher earnings for your fitness business, compared to only offering in-person training.
1.4 More Revenue Streams for Your Business
As a fitness trainer who only offers in-person training, your main source of income comes from the money you get from your clients. So, if you fail to train clients in a particular week or month, you will have earning nothing. And, you may find yourself in such situations more than you can expect.
For instance, you may get an injury, which may sideline you for a couple of weeks or months. When this happens, you won’t be able to offer training sessions, meaning no income.
And if you hadn’t put aside a fund for a rainy day, you may find yourself struggling to pay your bills. But by creating and selling online workout plans, you will have added more revenue streams to your business.
So, if you aren’t in a position to offer physical workout sessions for whichever reasons, you will still be earning money to support yourself and your fitness business.
2. Steps to Creating an Online Fitness Program
When it comes to creating and selling virtual workout programs, it can be hard to know where to start. Besides, you also need to do it in such a way that you will set yourself apart from the competition. In this section, we will walk you through the steps to follow for creating and selling fitness programs online.
2.1 Define Your Target Market
Before going any further, you first need to define your target market. Your target market is your ideal client, whom you will be targeting with your online workout programs. Having a clear idea of whom you are targeting will help you to determine the type of content that you will create, the delivery method, the pricing, as well as how you market your program. Also, defining your target audience will help you to nail your unique selling proposition.
If your online workout guides are too generic, you will struggle to attract the right client. Furthermore, it will be hard to stand out from the competition. As you may expect, there are hundreds of other fitness experts out there, who are also selling virtual workout programs.
To define your target market, you will need to ask yourself questions such as who your ideal client is, their demographics, their fitness goals, the problems they may be facing, as well as how much they may be willing to pay for your online fitness workouts.
2.2 Plan Your Content Style
After defining your ideal client, you then need to figure out the content structure for your online fitness programs. The content structure that you choose will mainly depend on your target audience. For instance, some people may prefer getting the workout instructions from written guides while others may prefer videos.
So, do your research and determine which format your target audience may prefer and then use it. And if you are still unsure about your target audience’s preferred format, you can simply have a mix of different formats.
For example, you can have workout videos and transcripts of the same videos in written form. With this approach, your target client will choose their preferred means of consuming your fitness programs online.
2.3 Choose a Hosting Platform
At this point, you already have an idea of the type of content that will feature in your online fitness plans as well as the structure you will use. The next will entail choosing where to host your online fitness programs.
Here, you have two options you can explore. You can either opt to host your online fitness programs on your fitness website. With this method, you will need to set up a membership area. From there, your clients simply need to create an account and they will be able to access the content after paying the required fee.
You also have the option of hosting your virtual fitness programs on a third-party platform. With this method, the platform will take care of everything, including marketing your online fitness classes. They will then send you the money your programs have generated weekly, monthly or according to your agreed schedule, after deducting their cut.
2.4 Select Your Pricing Plan
Another key step when creating and selling fitness programs online is choosing a pricing structure. And you have plenty of options to explore when it comes to pricing structures. The two main methods are a one-off fee and a monthly membership fee.
In a one-off pricing plan, members will simply pay a one-time fee upfront to access your online fitness guides. This pricing structure will be the preferred option if you don’t intend to add or update content on your virtual workout programs.
On the other hand, if you are planning to be updating the content on your online training routines, then you should go for a monthly membership fee. Whether you decide to choose a one-time fee or a subscription-based monthly membership will depend on your business model, your clients and the type of online workout plans you will be creating.
2.5 Create Your Online Fitness Program
It’s now time to create your online fitness training programs, to help your target clients achieve their fitness goals. You can either create videos, written guides or a mixture of the two, depending on the format that you selected in step two.
For video content, you can opt for pre-recorded fitness videos you can sell online live classes. Each type of format has its pros and cons. So, do some research and choose a format that aligns best with your fitness business model.
If you settle on pre-recorded videos, you can handle the entire process of shooting and editing them yourself. But, if you don’t have these skills, then it will be highly advisable to hire a professional to do it on your behalf.
As you may expect, there are hundreds of other video-based online workout programs out there. And, you want your content to stand out from the others. To achieve that, you should consider getting it professionally done.
2.6 Launch and Promote Your Online Workout Programs
By now, you have everything in place, and it’s now time to launch your online fitness programs. But, your work doesn’t end there. You will also need to promote your virtual workout programs.
If you fail to promote or market your online workout plans, your target audience won’t get to know about them. And, you will not record any sales, regardless of whether they are the best online fitness training programs out there.
Some of the methods you can use to market and promote your newly created online fitness programs include social media content marketing, in-person marketing, referral marketing, affiliate marketing, paid ads and influencer marketing, among others.
3. Wrapping It Up
Selling fitness programs online allows you to reach more clients, train more clients and boost your revenues. Besides, the demand for virtual fitness training is also growing, meaning you can never go wrong with this business. So, use the ideas we’ve provided in this guide, create the best online workout programs possible, deliver great results and see your revenues grow.