It’s never too late to take control of your brand identity. Ignore it, and your business will develop a default presence. And by leaving it to chance, you’ll end up with a vague, inconsistent brand that you never had any hand in creating.
It’s much easier to intentionally create a brand than to retrospectively try to change your image. Take control of your brand and you’ll be taking control of your image, messaging, and reputation.
If you’ve been put off by the thought of spending mega-bucks (or hiring an agency), take a look at these five simple steps to DIY brand identity.
Step 1: Define your brand
You’re not “just” a PT or a local studio. Get crystal clear on what makes you different to other fitness offers. This specificity will be the foundation for all your branding efforts.
3 questions to define your brand
- Do you have a niche? Think about the common factors that run through your favourite clients. This might be a client demographic, a niche offer, or a unique way of working.
- Do you address specific problems for a particular audience? This will help you develop memorable offers and services that stand out to your demographic.
- What exactly are you offering, and what will your clients get out of it? Drill down until the message is clear (and you can communicate it in a few words).
Niche?
We recommend finding a niche to not only strengthen your professional identity but give your marketing and brand messaging direction - it can also be a way to justify higher prices!
Read about finding a niche in our dedicated blog post Choose A Training Niche For Success.
It's also included in two of our free guides; Writing A Successful Business Plan and Get Your Fitness Business Started.
Step 2: Create consistent visual branding
Branding isn’t just your logo. It’s the visuals on your website, the tone of voice on your socials, even the paint colours on your facility walls.
Your DIY brand identity in 5 steps
- Pick brand colours that communicate your vibe and resonate with your audience.
- Stick to the 60/30/10 rule for your primary, secondary, and third colours.
- Make a record of the exact colour hex code so you never stray from the exact shades.
- Be consistent with brand colours, typeface, and font across print, web, socials, and merch.
- Continue your branding into language by naming programmes or workouts to match your brand character.
Step 3: Make your brand visible
Having a killer brand is great, but it won’t make an impact if you keep it hidden. Remember that paid advertising isn’t the only way to get your brand out there. Learn basic SEO for your website, and commit to consistent social media posts. And be strategic about where you put physical marketing materials. You might support the local florist, but does your audience ever go in there?
Need some inspo for getting yourself out there? Have a quick read of our blog No Budget? No Biggie – 11 Low-Cost Marketing Tips For Your Fitness Business.
Step 4: Back up your brand with social proof
Word-of-mouth recommendations and social media referrals are vital for business growth – so make it easy for people to be your best ambassadors. Create pinned posts on your socials so people can easily share the right info. And use plenty of social proof to reinforce your brand messaging - before-and-afters, client stories, and testimonials.
Step 5: Give them a taster with a freebie or two
As a fitness professional, you’re selling knowledge that gets people to their goals. So give away free insights into your brand experience. It doesn’t have to be a free session (although that can work well). You could create branded videos or ebooks that show off your expertise.
Solid branding doesn’t need 5-figure budgets and a team of specialists gurus. You can do all the basics yourself with a bit of creative thinking and some free online tools.
