Friday Favourites: Low Cost Advertising for Small Business

Friday Favourites are back and this week the focus is on building your business.

Whether you are a nutritionist with a home-practice or a chiropractor with your own clinic,
you need to do some form of advertising to attract clients.

Many advertising strategies don't come cheap, but does costly always equal more effective? Sometimes, but many small business just don't have a large advertising budget.

So, here are a few ideas on how to advertise on a shoestring:

A flyer that I used last year to advertise my bootcamp

Guest Post:Certification in the Fitness Industry, Part 4, NASM

It has been many months since the last installment in this series and I am thrilled that my friend Suzanne @ Workout Nirvana (a newly certified personal trainner - way to go, Suzanne!) has stopped by to talk about her experience with The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Take it away, Suzanne...

I’ve always admired and respected personal trainers. I never imagined I’d be one until about a year ago, when the thought first crossed my mind. 

My blog and online fitness community has buoyed me from being passionate about weight lifting and health to actually becoming certified as a personal trainer. A change in careers was the last thing I thought I would be doing at this point in my life. But with an endless reservoir of knowledge, support, and motivation at my fingertips, I finally made started the wheels turning.

My first step would be to find a certifying organization - ACSM, NASM, ACE, and ISSA are a few reputable ones I looked into. I relied on word of mouth, mostly – which were well-respected certifications? What were the curriculums and exams like? What did employers think about them? Since I didn’t have a degree in exercise science, I knew I wanted a certification that would be challenging and reputable yet not too frustrating.

My 3 Favourite Fitness Presenters

Since I am attending the CanFitPro Fitness Conference this weekend, I thought it would be fitting to feature some of my favourite fitness presenters.

These guys (and girl) really know their stuff when it comes to exercise and their passion for the industry shines through each and every time they present.

If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest that you sign up for one of their sessions (whether you are a fitness pro or enthusiast) as I guarantee you will leave all the better for it!

Source

How to Promote Your Blog

A few nights ago, we had a great discussion on Fitblog Chats about blogging.

I have posted about how blogging can help you build your brand as a fitness pro (or any other pro, for that matter) and how you can to build a better blog.  Today, I wanted to talk about some of the specific things you can do to spread the word about your blog and connect with the community.

My 3 Favourite Blogs for Fitness Professionals

Happy Friday, friends!  It looks like it is going to be a beautiful weekend.

I a heading up north to the cottage again (I am a lucky girl) to celebrate my neice's birthday.

Over the last few weeks, I have been giving some love to my fellow bloggers and sharing some of my favouites.  Today, I wanted to feature some blogs geared towards fitness professionals.

These sites give great advice on how to build a better business.  (Even though they are fitness focused, some of the information could apply to any brand or business, so check them out :)

When To Break Up With Your Personal Trainer

Breaking up is hard to do.

But there comes a time in some relationships when you know you need to go your separate ways. 

Your relationship with your personal trainer is just that, a relationship and for many reasons, there may come a time when the relationship stops working for you and you need to move on.

This is tough for many of us to do because we tend to feel a loyalty and even a friendship with our personal trainers (PT).

Be strong.

Remember, this is professional, not personal (OK, it could be a little personal), but it is about you reaching your fitness goals and if this person is no longer meeting your needs, it is time to part ways.

Here are 10 reasons you'll know when it is time to say goodbye to your trainer.

Confessions of a Personal Trainer

Many of you know that I have recently re-embraced my love for all things healthy and have decided to go into business for myself; teaching, training and helping other fitness pros.

(The website is almost complete. Don't worry, you will be the first to know when it goes live :)

As much as I try to walk the walk, I am certainly not perfect.  No one is.  Many people assume certain things about personal trainers, which are not necessarily true.

Guest Post: Certification in the Fitness Industry, Part 3: ACE & SCW

In the second part of the series, you got the rundown on some of the Canadian fitness certifications from the wonderful Diana @ FITness Training. 

For part three, the fabulous Paige @ Running Around Normal is going to tell you about her experience with the American certifications, ACE and SCW...

Hello, Commit to Fit readers. My name is Paige and I blog over at Running Around Normal about recipes, life, running, and dealing with an injury from running.

One of my jobs in a personal trainer, and that's why I'm here today! Tracy asked me to contribute to her Certification in the Fitness Industry series by writing about my certification, which is the American Council on Exercise (ACE.) If you're considering becoming a certified personal trainer through ACE, there are several options for you.

Guest Post: Certification and the Fitness Industry, Part 2: Canada

In the first part of the series, I shared some of my general thoughts on the topic of certification in the industry.  

For Part 2, I have enlisted a friend of mine, Diana @ FITness Training, to give you the rundown on some of the most popular Canadian certifications.

Take it away, Diana...

Which organization offers the best certification for the best price and what do the courses involve? 

It seems like there is no standard across the board. Each of these organizations has different requirements and very different prices.

Canadian Personal Trainers Network (CPTN)

• Courses available in person and/or online
• Over the age of 18
• Current CPR
• 20 hours of practical experience or a degree in Kinesiology
• 5 hours of mentor/observation time
• Submit a personal training log
• Achieve 75% or higher to pass both the theory and practical exam. 
• Costs:
•  $64.14 for membership
• $497.20 for preparation course (includes manual)
• $204.75 for theory and practical exam 

Canadian Fitness Professionals (Can Fit Pro)

• Courses available in person and/or online
• Over the age of 16
• Current CPR
• Complete 25 hours of training
• Achieve 80% or higher to pass both the theory and practical exam
• Costs:
• $50 for membership
• $434 ($399 for early bird) includes online course, in class course, course manual, study guide and exam

  

Ontario Fitness Council (OFC)

• Courses available in person and/or online
• Complete 24-32 hours of training
• Current Emergency First Aid with Heartsaver CPR
• Achieve 80% or higher on exam
• Costs:
• $225-239 for fitness theory and exam
• $65-90 for NFLA exam
• Need to contact for rates of PT course
• $45-65/hour for practical examination

So, which is the best course for you? 

At one time I held many certifications with various organizations. It looked great on my resume however; it started to get very costly to keep them current. I decided to choose one organization to continue with my certifications.   

I went with the one that would help me continue my education credits (CEC's), online or in class, and worked around my schedule. 

No matter which one you choose, make sure you thoroughly research your options and consider the following:

• What is the time commitment?
• How much money are you able to invest?
• What are the requirements for re-certification?  Will you be able to meet them?
• What kind of support does the association offer?

Source

I have met trainers who are extremely knowledgeable and hold many certifications. I have learned from them, but they have no passion and lack personality. How do you teach “personality”?

Having personality is just one aspect, I believe being a great trainer is a combination of many things. For me this includes passion, love, education, expertise, experience and personality.

A few years back, I was personal training in a well known gym in Brantford. I had been working there for less than 6 month and had already 20 clients.   

One woman came up to me and said, “I’ve been watching you for a while now, and you’re the trainer I want. You’re fun, know what you’re doing and are able to push me when I need a push”.

I am the first one to say that I don’t know everything when it comes to fitness. However, I continue to learn and educate myself.  Most importantly I build relationships with my clients; I care about my clients and have fun with them. 

That is my secret…don’t tell anyone :) 

Keep Moving, 

Diana

FITness Training

Some questions to ponder:

Do you think requirements and standards should be the same across the board?

Can anyone call themselves a personal trainer?  

Does having a passion for fitness make you knowledgeable in the fitness industry? 

Do years of experience take presidency over education? 

Building a Better Blog(ger) for Fitness Professionals

A few weeks ago,  I talked about the benefits of blogging for fitness professionals. It is a great way to increase your online presence and brand.

As you can see, I use Blogger (I know many of you prefer Wordpress, but lets save that talk for another post :) Over the last few months, I have been looking for ways to  improve my blog and I have stumbled across some pretty cool features.

When I tweeted about it, I got this request by the lovely Lisa @ Vegan Culinary Crusade

 Ask and you shall receive.

I am happy to share some of my discoveries in the hopes that they will help you build a better blog(ger).

  
Google Friend Connect. When friends follow you, they are able to get updates about you on their Blogger Dashboard.  This makes it easy for them to come back for more of your fantastic posts.  You can also use Friend Connect to allow users to subscribe to a newsletter, by adding the feature found here.  It is super easy to use and it is a great way to keep your fans updated.

 
Stats.  This is a relatively new feature for Blogger, which you can find  in your Dashboard under "Manage Your Blog."  It keeps track of how many people visit your blog, which pages they are viewing and how they got there.  It is a great tool for you to see which topics are most popular, when people visit and to give you some direction for future posts.

Social Media Gadgets.  Do you use Twitter?  Have a Facebook page?  Add them to your blog! You may only have your reader's attention for a few minutes so make it easy for them to connect with you.  Many of these other sites have gadgets ready for you to use.  All you have to do is copy the HTML code, click "Add Gadget", select "HTML/Javascript", paste and save. You can find the Twitter badges here and the Facebook page badges here.


Which gadgets have you added to your blog?
Any Blogger tips to share?


Stay Healthy,
Tracy

Certification and the Fitness Industry, Part 1

Source

This series of posts was inspired by a discussion over at my friend Lisa's blog when she spoke to the "Biggest Loser's" newest trainer, Cara Castronuova about her certifications.  (You can read it here.)

It sparked a wonderful conversation about what skills and education are necessary for fitness professionals and what makes a good personal trainer (PT).

I have addressed this topic in other posts, but today I would like to offer my reflections after participating in this discussion:
 

• There exists no law (that I am aware of) that requires one to be certified or educated to call themselves a "personal trainer".  For this reason, good trainers should be upfront and honest about the education that they do or do not have.

• I cannot stress enough how important education (both theory and practical) is to the industry.  We are dealing with a client's health, well-being and safety.  Furthermore, regulation of this education would give our profession more credibility, prestige and value.

• That being said, having a dozen certifications certainly implies that a person is knowledgeable, but it does not mean that they are a great PT, nor does it mean that they are the right trainer for you.  A good trainer is a combination of personality, passion, skill and education.

• One does not necessarily need to be "certified" in everything.  For example, if you are a certified fitness instructor and you may not have to take separate certifications in other specialties such as fitness boxing or a yoga-inspired class.  This is provided that you have had adequate training and have proven yourself competent and safe through practical experience. 

Are you a fitness professional? 
What do you think about certification in the industry? 

Stay Healthy, 
Tracy

P.S. Thank you so much for your fantastic comments and support for the Vegan For A Week Challenge.  If you would like to join us, please check out  Morgan @ Life After Bagels for more information.