“The leads aren’t weak, you’re weak.”
Do you remember the famous always-be-closing scene in “Glengarry Glen Ross”?
Jack Lemmon’s character suggests the company’s leads are ice cold, but Alec Baldwin’s aggressive, coffee-is-for-closers character won’t accept that explanation.
If only the sales team from the movie had access to social media.
Today, I’ll teach you how to use content to take leads from “ultra weak” to “world’s strongest.” These tips come directly from gym owner and marketing expert Kieran O’Dwyer, who will be speaking at the Two-Brain Summit in June.
Weak Leads?
In the fitness world, leads are always valuable because each name gives you a chance to change a life. With that said, you can waste a lot of time chasing four types of leads who will almost never join your gym:
- Ghosters fill out a form from an ad or your website but never respond when you follow up.
- Price Hoppers message you with a simple “how much?” and vanish if you don’t give a low number. They are not the right clients for gyms that sell coaching.
- Mismatches think you’re something you aren’t—they might ask a Hyrox gym owner about spin classes, for example.
- Free-Trial Bunnies just want a free session and have no real interest in coaching or long-term investment. They hop from thing to thing and never commit.
If you deal with a lot of leads in these four categories, you’ll waste time that could be spent on people who actually want your help. In the worst-case scenario, you lose confidence in your sales process, get cynical and desperate, and start using discounts and other gimmicks that don’t fit with your business model.
“Weak leads” should more accurately be called “people who don’t know enough about you and your business.” They’ll treat you like a random bot if they respond at all—and you can’t blame them. Everyone is selling something these days, and people get overwhelmed.
To move from “random, annoying marketer” to “helpful prospective coach,” you must use your organic platforms and content to build trust before you reach out. When people have seen your face and know what you’re all about, they’ll be much more receptive when you offer help.
Key Elements of Organic Marketing
Amazing organic marketing greatly increases the critical know-like-trust factor. If you score this win, local people will know who you are when you reach out, and they’ll already have a sense of how you can help them.
You must do three things to make it happen:
1. Set up all Web and Social Platforms Properly
- You need a high-quality logo.
- A mission statement should immediately tell people exactly what you do.
- Viewers must see a clear call to action that tells them exactly what to do next.
- Viewers must see social proof right away (testimonials, before-after content, etc.).
- Everything on your platforms must be created to appeal to the exact people you want in your business. Not all people. The specific people your business was created to help.
2. Post the Right Content
The three biggest trust builders in fitness are authority, social proof and relatability. Kieran has a repeat-forever four-post content cycle that will help you win in all three areas.
You should post:
A. Technique videos that show off your and your staff members’ expertise.
B. Client wins—put happy, smiling clients on podiums so visitors see “people like me crushing it.” Example: Kim is smiling and holding a whiteboard that says “lost 10 pounds!”
C. Upbeat, high-energy hype reels that show your atmosphere and energy (these reels also please social algorithms).
D. Group photos, special moments and coach-client interaction. This content says “great people come here to get A+ service from expert coaches who really care.”
3. Create Connection Opportunities
Posting is only half the battle. The other half is engaging—and almost no one does this. To stand out in the market, you should:
A. Message every new follower. Thank them for following and ask a question like “what are your current fitness goals?” It doesn’t matter if they respond. You just need to let them know you are a real human so they recognize you down the line.
B. Interact with other people’s content. Follow people, like their posts and comment on their content. Don’t just post a fire emoji and leave. Be real: “Wow—huge congrats for taking 5 minutes off your best time in the mud run!”
C. Use special lead magnets to get people onto your email list, where you can nurture them further with content that showcases your business. Example: “I’ve got 5 incredible high-protein snack recipes. Reply with ‘recipe’ and I’ll send them over.” (Two-Brain clients, you have access to lots of great lead magnets in the Content Vault.)
D. Post four to eight short videos (YouTube shorts, Instagram stories) per day to show members training and winning. Be sure to list your town as the location and tag the people in the videos. You want their friends to see them. Ask clients to share the clips and get the footage in front of their audience.
Content Creation Quick Tips
You don’t have to spend days creating content. Here are Kieran’s top tips for getting what you need fast:
1. Create content in batches. For example, film six technique videos back to back or take 20 pictures in two classes.
2. Add content creation into your daily workflow. Your Golden Hour is a great time for these “marketing reps.”
3. Delegate content creation to staff members.
4. Use AI to generate ideas, create content calendars, edit work or write copy—just be sure to review and edit everything so your content doesn’t sound robotic. It needs to sound like you or it won’t have the desired effect!
5. Two-Brain clients: Use the Content Vault. We have mountains of customizable blogs, lead magnets, images and social campaigns you can use.
Better Leads, More Sales
If you commit to this plan and do the work, you will see results.
Think about it—a local person follows you and gets:
- A personalized “thank you for following” message.
- Daily success stories featuring similar people—and maybe even an acquaintance.
- Technique videos that establish expertise and remove fear.
- A constant stream of friendly, happy people having fun while getting fit.
- Likes and comments when you interact with their content.
- Free guides and follow-up helpful emails with tips and advice.
- Repeated visuals of your face and brand.
- Proof that you are a real, friendly fitness expert who is helping dozens of happy people achieve goals.
If they get all that, they’ll turn to you for help when they need it or they’ll be far more receptive when you offer it.
You’ll have better leads and you’ll make more sales. You’ll help more people, and you’ll generate more revenue.
The choice is yours: Use this organic-content plan to generate red-hot leads or sit idle in the sales office and complain that your leads are weak.
