Fitness Industry Branding: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before 2014

Branding opportunities are everywhere. We have been catapulted by the digital age into a world where your potential reach now extends far beyond the limits of your pocketbook. The image you project into that world is now largely one of your own creation. Whether it be through videos, websites, or social media – each message you send out says something about your brand and these days it’s all too easy to get off point. The lines between personal and professional blur as you seek to make a personal connection with your clients. Add to that the challenge many fitness professionals face of managing multiple professional careers and it’s easy to see how your brand message can become convoluted. (That’s all assuming you’ve sat down to identify your brand in the first place.) As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to stop and evaluate the story you’ve been telling your audience. Here are 4 questions from veteran fitness industry consultant, Mason Bendewald, on how to give your fitness brand an end-of-the-year check up.

What is my fitness brand?

If you’ve never written this down, it’s time. Post it on your computer or at your desk. It should be an underlying theme in every message you send out. Never thought about it? Here are some questions to get you started:

• What is my unique story? What do I offer the fitness industry that no one else does?
• How do I want my company to be perceived? What do I want to be known for?
• What are the core values of my business?

Has my message been consistent with my brand?

Take a detailed look at your professional websites, your videos, your social media outlets and your marketing materials. What messages have they been sending? Solicit an opinion from someone outside your team – ask them the first three things that come to mind when they think of your company or your services.

Is my voice consistent with my brand?

Examine whether or not the voice you’ve been using is consistent with your brand identity. Youthful, mature, familiar, sophisticated, refined, humble, strong, inspiring, irreverent… there are a multitude of choices and what you communicate through your voice can be as important as what you say. Always remember who your core audience is and define your voice accordingly.

Are my associations consistent with my brand message?

Your community can also speak volumes about your business. Seek out opportunities to network with other health and fitness organizations that share the core values of your brand.

 

 

 

Tags: 4 questions to ask yourself before 2014, end of the year check up, fitness industry 2014, fitness industry branding, fitness industry consultant, fitness video production, mason-bendewald