Like-Gating: Is it the Precipice of Social Media Glory or A Great Big Speed Bump?

Let’s start with the basics here. Like-gating is when a company requires Facebook users to “like” its Facebook page before allowing them to access exclusive content. It is usually done by way of a welcome tab that a visitor sees when they first visit a Facebook page. Really, like-gate can happen with any tab on a page and isn’t limited to just the welcome tab. There’s some debate as to the actual merit of Like-gating so let’s take a look at a few of the pros and cons, shall we?

Pros of Like-gating:

• Like-Gating may encourage users to like your page, who may otherwise not have done so. New followers means increasing your brand awareness and branding to more people.
• It provides a call-to-action for people coming to your Facebook Page.
• It means that you can tailor content for new users, allowing you to highlight certain marketing messages that don’t need to be shown to your current fans. How does that work? Well, under a Welcome Tab you could like-gate a few extra details and exclusive content.

Cons of Like-gating:

• Here’s the thing, Like-gating may create a false sense of community. Big numbers, not as much engagement. Your fans have been “encouraged” to like you, rather than seeking you out or following you on Facebook for your awesome content.
• One like doesn’t ensure retention. People who like your page because of a Like-gate can just as easily unlike it once they have gotten the content they want. It’s up to us and creative content to keep them engaged.
• It may just be a big ole road block for some folks. Any amount of friction can cause certain users to bail on your page altogether, leaving a missed opportunity to reach them on any level. Plus, if you’re using a Like-gate on any of your lead generation forms, the friction may be enough to decrease your Facebook leads.
•  Last, but not least. Like-gating may leave you too focused on your total number of likes. A small group of engaged fans is way better for your overall visibility than a large group that doesn’t interact with your brand. Like-gating does nothing for engagement.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend Like-gating an entire page. You’re on social media to be social, to be seen. Don’t be shy about sharing your basic information and all of the cool things your brand has to offer.  If you’re working to raise brand awareness a Like-Gate is not the way to do it. Develop awesome relationships with your members and your online tribe and if you want to add a Like-Gate to a tab here or there to boost your numbers remember to keep it simple and stay visible.

Collaboration is Key

Lead generation comes from building relationships and becoming a trusted source. One of the best ways to do that is through collaboration with other business owners and trusted sources. Collaboration is the future of social. By creating networks that are working towards a common goal you can offer your customers more than ever before and reach a wider demographic of prospective members.

As a gym owner you’re most concerned with lead generation in a fifteen mile radius around your club because that is where many of your new members are coming from. Now, unless they are friends and family of members or you’re advertising heavily they might not have any connection with you. The key is finding a way to get in front of them that is both natural and positive.

This is where collaboration really makes its mark. Take a look at the businesses in your area and reach out to those who have health and fitness as a common goal. Share information and promotion. Whether it’s a healthy restaurant, a sporting goods or equipment rental store, or even a few event planners  make contact and get creative! A great support system makes getting results much easier. A network has so much to offer your gym and your members, and you have so much to offer in return.

Not only will this diversify your audience of potential members, but it’s also a great way to further connect and interact with your community. Collaboration is key. It’s a great way to add value to your members and get your community more actively involved in your business through events, groups, and discussions.

Put the You in YouTube

So we’ve talked about the fact that YouTube is the second largest search engine right now. Today let’s focus on the ways that you can embrace your brand, promote your brand, and succeed using video. There are two real questions to focus on so I’m going to bust out a couple of answers for each. What sort of content deserves a video champion and how will you champion that message?

Choosing Creative Video Content

1. Put an Emphasis on Applicable Info

You’ve got some clout. You’re health and fitness industry experts and how better to connect with your members and potential members, by sharing a quirky slice of life with a fitness hack that they can take and apply in their own lives. Interval sprints while walking the family dog? We’d watch that. Weekly meal prep with the secrets to healthy snacking? Check. That looks good too.

2. Power Up your Pro Tips

Take all of the awesome information you give to your members on a regular basis and take a social media and in house poll to skim off your tribe favorites. All of that crunchy fitness goodness needs a shiny new home and what better place for it than YouTube. Work with your members and your staff to demonstrate effective and awesome fundamentals of your brand message.

There’s Power in Production

1. Create short, high-quality videos.

Keep it short and sweet. We’re not making movies, we’re adding brand value and creating content. Two to three minutes is the maximum length you should be looking at. Shorter videos shot with high-quality camera footage result in the most views, links, and comments. Don’t forget to choose a high-resolution thumbnail image to brand your video in the search results.

2. Place keywords in your video’s title and description.

Search engines don’t have the ability to read video content, so it is up to you to tell the engines (and the viewers) what is contained in your video. Write a short, precise description of your video using keywords and then promote your videos on all of your social media platforms using the same keywords

Embrace your inner superstar and let your brand videos generate a little love along with some leads. Personality pays off and you’re all so lovable. Get creative, charge up your marketing, and win.

Champion that Conversation

Social media is a conversation, not a monologue. It easy to get caught up in the idea that you have to build awareness of your product and talk about your gym 24/7. The trick to doing that, however, is creating a meaningful dialogue with your tribe.

 

Social Media is great for lead generation, but it can be equally beneficial in researching trends and discussing the needs of your members with, well, you members. The most effective companies use social media to interact with customers by creating online customer groups and monitoring trends.They want to know how to cater to their demographic and make the user experience broader and more meaningful in a way that generates business. Smart idea, right?

These stellar examples of social media using businesses were twice as likely to use their platforms to research new products. And they met their customers where they already were, by facilitating discussion and interacting on four or more social media channels.

 

By using strong content that is unique to your business and sparking discussions on various social media platforms you’ll find way more than just lead generation. Try including multi-media sharing, connecting on discussion forums, and blogs. It’s not just lead generation that will make your dreams a reality, it’s your tribe. Use social media to listen to and engage?

Less Is More

In this day and age we all love information, but in the world of social media sometimes the acronym “TMI” still applies. The key to a great social media campaign, much like the key to leading a healthy and active lifestyle is consistency. Say it with me, lather, rinse, repeat. Great now stick with it.

The key to keeping your strong and consistent system in place is to not overwhelm yourself on every platform under the sun on a daily basis. Pick your battles and choose the time and money you spend wisely according to the leads and the revenue that each platform can generate for you. Don’t over post. Instead make the posts you add matter.

Run some smart ad campaigns, but don’t bombard your online tribe with content that always feels like a sales pitch. Photo and video content is king. Keep your tribe in the know, keep things exciting, and when less is more, boost the posts that you really want them to see!

It can be a challenge to find the right balance between all of the information you have and the genuine connections that you’re making. To do this keep your posts short and sweet overall. Sometimes the occasion will arise to add longer posts  and it should be done sparingly to give your tribe helpful information that they want and can put into practice. Pair down and go big!

Resolve, Respond, and Rule the Social Media World

Your gym and your online tribe is awesome! You have excellent engagement and great lead generation. But even when you’re at the top your game, occasionally negative social mentions happen or response time expectations get confused. It’s how you deal with those communication hiccups that will give you new opportunities to shine online.

We know you love your tribe both on and off line. Show them you care by responding to their posts quickly to keep them connected. It’s been said that most folks expect a thirty minute social media response time. They’re connected and they want you to be too. There is no written rule, but keep in mind that the more important each member of your tribe feels the more engaged they’ll be. Good engagement is good mojo all the way around.

You rock, there’s no doubt about it. Still, no matter how well oiled your machine is, occasionally negative social mentions happen. When they do, it gives you and your staff a chance to shine by connecting in a positive light to resolve any issues and putting the world right side up again. There’s no need to ignore or delete a post when you can turn that frown upside down instead. Don’t be shy to show you’re tribe how much you care. Offer your sincerest apologies, troubleshoot and explain what went wrong, and resolve any issues by taking action to either compensate the offended customer or ensure the issue doesn’t happen again in the future.

The moral of the story? Be real, be connected, and expediently respond to your tribe in a way that shows them how important they are. Now venture forth and rule the social media stratosphere!

Banishing the Social Media Blues

At first glance Social Media seems miraculous, a bright beautiful world of endless possibilities and motivated individuals rabid for change. The people out in internet land want to get healthy, they want to get fit, they want to find themselves, and they want to change their lives…ASAP. They do. We know this. Fur sure. And hey, we want to help them because that’s what we do. That’s how we make a difference and it’s how we make a living. It is with those high hopes and that shiny glowing innocence we forge forward into the yawning digital abyss on a quest to seek those who are seeking us. Concurrently we are also seeking answer to every problem ever introduced to the world of marketing.

It’s not until we immerse ourselves into said digital abyss that we begin to comprehend its size. The Matrix is waaaaaaay bigger than we expected…and murky, the path to getting real world results from this sucker is murky as hell without a system. You start to accumulate questions about everything from the best times to post, to what to post and where. It’s easy to long for the days of direct mailing because life seemed so much simpler then and you still have a business to run. The truth is that these days direct mailing costs more and the return dwindles with each year that passes. We’re all on social media and the average person spends at least five hours per day in front of a screen of some sort. That’s what we call a built in audience.

The magic happens when you can bridge the gap between your social media presence and the real world solutions that help drive new leads. That means your community both online and in the real world isn’t meant just for your members. Branch out, get a good system going, get some consistency, and get social. You’re reaching out your virtual hand and where is it going? Into a new friend’s hand, that’s where. Open up events and interactions to non-members and share that new found connection on your social media platforms. Post daily, and ask for social media interaction face to face from your staff and from your members. Tag your potential members in posts that relate to them.

Social media allows you the opportunity to be seen more often and because of that, connection is king. How you bridge the gap between the real world and the virtual one will drive your results and put the magic back into your digital platform. The people out in internet land want to get healthy, they want to get fit, and most of all they want to connect. Create the experience and show them what it means to be a part of your culture online and in person. Welcome to the real Matrix. Don’t worry, the blue pill goes down easy.