Thinking in Public
A personal trainer came to my Thursday table. He is leaving the gym to work on his own and is hunting for customers.
If you're a personal trainer, find a way to niche down. There are way too many personal trainers out there. Your only way to get customers is through relationships, referrals or becoming known for something.
Find niches that pay:
A niche names one person with one problem. Take the list above. Picture a 70-year-old who worries about her bones. A trainer whose page says "bone strength in seniors" is speaking to her. A trainer whose page says "personal training" is speaking to nobody in particular.
A niche also gives other people something to say about you. I think a physiotherapist is more likely to send a patient to the trainer known for functional mobility after injury than to a general trainer. I researched one of these groups in the menopause market.
Start with the people you already know and the problem you could solve for them. Write one sentence: "I help [who] with [what]." Put it at the top of your page and say it every time someone asks what you do.
A niche is the only way to attract customers, otherwise you'll have to hunt them.