For small business professionals, placing
advertisements in newspapers and magazines requires a lot of forethought
and
planning. There are many parts to placing an effective ad, the least of
which is designing the ad itself. Consideration must be made to how and
where the advertisement is going to run, as well as the length and
amount of
exposure the advertisement will receive. The following is a basic guide
to
help you develop the most effective fitness and personal training
advertisement.
Developing an effective advertisement begins not by sitting down to
write
copy, but instead begins with research. Find out what periodicals are
available to advertise in, and what periodicals your clients read. Make
a
list of local magazines, newsletters, and newspapers that you would be
interested in. Contact the advertising departments of these periodicals
and
ask to speak to your area accounts representative. Many magazines and
papers
have reps covering specific areas of your county, city, or state. When
speaking to the person, explain to them who you are and what you wish to
accomplish. Most representatives are very helpful in making suggestions
regarding proper placement of ads, and may be able to offer suggestions
that
you had not yet considered.
When speaking to your local rep, you should make sure to obtain the
following information:
1. Rate Card: Have the rep fax or mail you a current rate sheet so that
you
know exactly how much your advertisement will cost.
2. Current Demographics: Each newspaper and magazine tracks the number
and
type of people that read their publications. Many publications also
track
the spending habits and reading habits of their demographic. Make sure
to
obtain a list of the periodical’s demographics, this is the most
valuable
piece of information that a fitness trainer can obtain from an ad rep.
3. Submission Requirements and definition of "Photo Ready:"
Make sure to find out what is required to submit an article. Find out
what
form the ad must be in, and when submission deadlines are scheduled.
Also,
find out what the periodical’s definition of photo-ready is. This
definition varies from paper to paper, and may vary from a concept
sketch to
pre-printed three color film. Make sure that the representative explains
how
the ad must be submitted.
4. Special Promotions: Many times, magazines and newspapers implement
their
own promotion programs or events. As a trainer, these promotions may
provide
you with the added exposure that you need. Be sure to ask if there are
any
upcoming events or additional publications that might address your
needs.
5. Creative Design: The final thing that you should ask the
representative
is whether they offer creative design assistance, and if there is a cost
for
such assistance. Most newspapers offer graphic design services to
advertisers who are placing ads in their papers. Better still, many of
these
services are included in the price of advertising. Ask if the periodical
can
help you with the graphics on your ad and if you will be charged for
this
service. Personal trainers live on a budget, and this is a great way to
save
what would otherwise be spent on graphic artists.
Now that you have the information about your advertising options, it is
time to decide exactly what and how you are going to advertise. Sit down
and
write out EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE SELLING TO. Which fitness clients are you
trying to attract? Define the age, sex, and specific demographic that
you
are trying to attract and train. Be specific, people who want to train
to
lose weight are in a completely different demographic than those who
want to
train to gain lean muscle mass.
After you have written down your specific training demographic, write
down why people in this group would want your services. Write down what
you
believe they want, and what value they will receive by choosing you as
their
personal trainer. Once again, be specific, this will be the foundation
of
your advertisement. Keep in mind that most people will not pick up the
phone
for an advertisement that says "get fit." However, millions of
people every day invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to "lose
weight." Make sure that you know the real reason why a client would
chose you as their trainer.
Now that you have chosen who you are marketing to, and what you are
offering, it is a simple matter of choosing which magazine or newspaper
to
advertise in. Match the demographics of the magazines with the
demographic
of the fitness clients that you are trying to reach.
You have chosen where you are going to advertise, and what you are
selling, so now it is time to determine what the ad is going to say and
how
it is going to be laid out. This is where the assistance of magazine
creative designers is invaluable. However, the onus in still upon you to
write the copy. In order to develop effective ad copy, there are a few
basic
facts that you must address to attract fitness clients.
You will usually have less than 0.8 seconds to get a potential client’s
attention. Make sure that the ad uses attention-getting words and
phrases
along with proper colors. Use phrases that attract attention such as
Free,
Special Offer, Limited Time, Sale, Money, and Sex. There is a large
volume
of research available on words that sell effectively. If you are
planning on
placing many advertisements, it may be prudent to research these words
at
the library or on the net.
In addition to attention-grabbing words, proper use of color is
invaluable to create an effective display ad. Red and Yellow stand out
among
all other colors, and are usually attract the most attention. If you are
placing color ads, these colors should be considered.
When writing the copy, word it in such a way that it addresses your
training clients specific need. Refer back to your notes on why the
client
would want to use you as their trainer, and what would they expect out
of
your services. Don’t offer to help people "Get Fit!" when you
can offer to "Lose Ten Pounds Fast!" Most people don’t care
about fitness for fitness’ sake. Most just want to look and feel good.
Address the specific needs of your target client, and word it to address
specific wants, worries or concerns.
Word the advertisement in a way that creates emotion. A client will only
act if you can create enough emotion to motivate them. How many of
people
out there say they want to get fit and lose weight, but have yet to call
you? Unless you create enough emotion to make them act, they will never
respond to your ad. Create negative feelings toward where they are at
right
now, and positive emotion towards what a change in fitness will be like.
Before and after pictures are especially effective in creating emotional
responses. If you are in doubt, watch late night infomercials, or flip
through Flex or Muscle and Fitness magazine. Each ad creates an
effective
emotional response targeted to a specific fitness demographic.
Now that your ad uses wording to create emotion, it is time to encourage
action. You should now make an offer. EVERY ADVERTISEMENT SHOULD HAVE AN
OFFER. Showing before and after pictures may motivate some people, but
you
will have a much better response if you ask the customer to contact you.
Putting your contact information is not enough to get most people to
pick up
the phone. Make sure the advertisement asks your potential personal
training
clients to contact you, and does so in such a way that the customer will
be
motivated to call now as opposed to waiting for three months. Once
again,
EVERY ADVERTISEMENT FOR PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINING SHOULD INCLUDE AN
OFFER.
As a final inclusion to your ad copy, determine how you are going to
track the response that you get from your advertisement. You will be
spending a lot of money on developing and placing the ad, Wouldn’t it be
prudent to find out how effective the ad was? The most common way to
track
the effectiveness of an advertisement is to include a coupon or a
special
offer. This serves a dual purpose, 1) it serves as an offer to entice
fitness clients to call, 2) it provides a way for you to know how many
people responded to an advertisement.
You now have written your copy, and have either been working with the
periodical’s graphic artist, or have been working with an independent
designer or publishing program. After you have developed the
advertisement,
and had it printed in a photo-ready format, it is time to submit it to
the
magazines or newspaper. When placing your ad, make sure that you are
told
the specific times that it will go to press, when it will be circulated.
Also, ask if the periodical can send you a printed proof of the ad
before it
goes to final press; just to make sure that the colors and words line
up.
After printing, make sure that the periodical sends you a copy of the
magazine or newspaper with your ad included.
These are the fundamental steps that personal trainers, fitness clubs,
and small businesses follow when placing advertisements. The process is
not
complex, but it does take some thought to create an effective
advertisement.
About the Author
Barrett Niehus
www.alltrainers.com
Business & Marketing Resources for Fitness Trainers