Have you ever been sitting during your self-designated office hours and come up with an amazing idea or product to create and then sell online? Super excited to see a boost in your income for the month and broaden the horizons of your income stream, only to find that you have spent a lot of time working on something that no one buys? or you make a measly $50 from?

This happens all the time with marketing and selling online services, it has actually happened to me a few times. I have had many ideas that I have spent a lot of time working on and promoting, only to find no one ends up buying.

How do we change this?

I have been lucky enough to learn from past mistakes regarding marketing online products and managed to get 60 people signed up for my latest “September 21 Day Slim Down Fitness Challenge”, which is all online and done with the help of my Trainerize app.

Who are these 60 people and how did they find me, you might ask. Let’s see:

• about 30% of these 60 people are actually current clients that attend personal training and group fitness classes at my studio.
• about 30% of these people are friends and family members of my current clients, who heard about me through my amazing clients that love to talk all about their success and transformations from training at my studio
• about 40% of these people are new customers who might have found me on any one of my social media outlets (mainly through Instagram and Facebook posts).

Others found me through Google search or from things like hearing a co-worker talk about “this fitness challenge they signed up for…” Did I pay for online advertising? Nope!

Here is how I got the interest of people:

1. Don’t always try to sell your audience something, they will get bored or annoyed.

A few weeks before I knew I was going to begin marketing my 21-day online fitness challenge (which includes online training programs and an “easy to follow” 21 day meal plan). I began posting more before and after pictures around my studio, on my website, and in my social media channels to get attention from others who might be looking for similar results. I sent out a congratulatory email out to all of my email subscribers about the past 21-day challenger winners along with their transformation picture. This will get their attention to your 21-Day Challenges (or whatever your are selling) without your subscribers feeling like they are being “sold” something.

2. Give yourself lots of time to market your product and build an interest or “buzz”.

Now it’s time to market and sell! People will not sign up for something right when they see it advertised, especially a commitment like a 21-day challenge or training plan. They will want to discuss this commitment with family members, friends, and co-workers, think about it a while before they commit. One trick I use is tell them there are only a certain number of people allowed and once it is full, it’s full!

Create a sense of urgency, as the “fear might missing out” complex might win in that case. Update every week and post things like “we only have 6 spots left, act now or you might miss out!”. I normally give myself 3 to 4 weeks to market a challenge and this seems to be the happy medium between too long and no long enough.

3. Straight up ask for help! Don’t be shy or ashamed to ask clients to share your online poster or article about your 21-day challenge.

Most clients won’t ask for anything in return and will be happy to help you out, as they are training with you for a reason – you have probably helped them change their lives for the better!

This will help expand your audience further. Overall the key to getting more people to sign up for your products is keeping it real and not coming across as “cheesy” or “fake” like a lot of the online programs out there. Be genuine and be sure to show your real life, your own training or eating regimen as well as success stories of current and past clients. This is what people wand to see and what will draw them in!

I hope this helps you create your next online product and sell a whole bunch! Remember Trainerize can be used in association with many other things, not just straight online training!