A Simple Social Media Strategy On Facebook | Local Social Media Marketing At Its Finest
As a social media manager, I get asked how to increase Facebook exposure ALL THE TIME. And with the ever-changing algorithms, it’s honestly a hard thing to do today unless you’re willing to throw some money at sponsored posts. So, when I see a business killing it with their social media strategy, and especially their Facebook strategy, I have to learn more about what they’re doing! That’s what happened in the beginning of 2016 with my friend Josh Stanton and his business, Generation Fitness.
The Gist…
Josh had been asked time and time again for a weight loss challenge by his members. While they do other challenges year round, he finally decided to do a weight loss challenge at the start of 2016. He broke the boot camp up into eight teams who competed over a two month period for points and weight loss percentages.
Teams could earn points by attending bootcamp, doing outside activities or workouts, and for winning or placing in a weigh in. However, in order for the point to count, members had to post a picture or check in on Facebook. This led to a ton of check ins at Generation Fitness, the Castle Rock Rec Center, and other local fitness venues (on off days)! Josh said that most people even started tagging him personally in all of their posts because they wanted to be extra sure that he saw their post.
As a spectator, I watched daily as Josh was tagged constantly by people I know and people I didn’t know. His classes and roster was completely maxed out and individuals were showing up consistently for workouts like never before. In a time where people are trying to solidify new, better habits, the two month challenge gave them a great framework to do so.
Key Takeaways
It’s not a social media strategy. It’s a COMMUNITY strategy. What I love about Josh’s approach is that he built community and he truly “gets it” when it comes to what social media is all about. Remember, people are drawn to social media to interact with people. Josh’s challenge built unity within his own fitness community as a whole, and it also built community for the individual teams. Not only that, he interacted back, which brought the community to the public arena on Facebook.
Josh told me that this group is his family, and I believe it. They’re the ones who bring meals when kids were born. They’re the ones who help out when someone needs help moving. They’re the ones that work hard together to break new fitness goals. That comes out in how he talks about his bootcamp members and how they talk about the program in return.
He actually got the CHECK INS! We all know that local, geo-based advertising is huge and so many businesses struggle to get people to actually check in. The common check in signs at the front desk only do so much. Josh’s challenge forced them to check in, and in doing so, brought great exposure to Generation Fitness.
He has raving fans. Social media is a great avenue for digital word of mouth, and this challenge’s rules encouraged bootcamp members to give subtle word of mouth endorsements of his fitness program to their own audiences every time they posted.
This Is The Norm. I’ve been friends with Josh and some of his bootcamp members for a while now and it’s not unusual for me to see a few video demonstrations, photos, and mentions for Generation Fitness show up on my news feed. This challenge increased that tenfold, but it’s not something I hadn’t seen before.
I love that Josh has a social-minded perspective in the way he does business. It’s normal for him to use social media to build community and build awareness for his brand. The brands that succeed the most on Facebook – and break the Facebook algorithm rules – are the ones that are willing to be personal with their audience.
Crazy to believe this started with me jotting down a biz plan on paper while living in a hotel room many years ago. My faith in Christ made me realize that this is my calling and the supportive atmosphere and friendships created at Generation Fitness far exceed just physical benefits. Thanks everyone for your friendship, support, and for making us the #1 rated boot camp in Colorado.
Looking to get healthier with a legit community backing you? Perhaps Generation Fitness is the place for you. They have six different boot camp classes happening each week at their Castle Rock/Franktown location. You can check them out on Facebook for the insider look at what goes on, or get all the general info on their website!
