The Pros and Cons of Being an Online-Only Personal Trainer

Since the start of the Coronavirus lockdown in the UK, many businesses have turned to the internet and have switched to providing online services to keep running.

As the country now begins to move out of lockdown and into something resembling what we knew before, the future is still somewhat unclear for personal trainers who, according to the current government guidelines, can only train outdoors and with no more than six clients from different households while maintaining a 2-metre distance.

So, it makes sense that many personal trainers, who have been able to run online classes and training sessions during the lockdown are opting to make the transition to online-only personal training a permanent one.

But, is this a good choice for your personal training business? To help you decide, we’ve put together this guide to the pros and cons of being an online-only personal trainer.

Pros

  • Fewer overheads – Working from home means that you no longer need to rent gym or studio space. You’ll also save on travel costs.
  • Less travel time equals more time for clients which also means more money in your pocket.
  • Now that you have less outgoing costs and more time on your hands, you could consider offering a more affordable PT solution to allow you to reach a wider client base; especially those struggling financially due to Covid-19.
  • As your PT business is no longer bound by location, you can use social media advertising to target and reach a broader range of clients.  
  • Weather is no longer an issue, and so the chance of cancelled sessions is greatly reduced.
  • You can run group sessions to increase your income while also abiding by social distancing guidelines.
  • You have the option to expand your business by offering products (i.e. branded clothing) or online services/courses that continue to generate revenue after they’ve been released.

Cons

  • Some clients can be harder to motivate when you’re not face-to-face, and once they become unmotivated, they’re much easier to lose.
  • Many clients will prefer face-to-face sessions and won’t be satisfied with online-only training.
  • It may take some time to transition clients to online training, especially those who don’t have space at home or equipment of their own.
  • You’ll need to invest in personal trainer software to ensure that you and your clients are on-track and can communicate effectively. 
  • A dedicated space and audio/visual equipment to ensure that your sessions are good enough quality for your clients are imperative. You’ll need to buy these if you don’t have them already.
  • With the increase in online personal trainers it’s inevitable that there will also be a rise in competition, which may make it more difficult for you to stand out from the crowd and secure more clients.

Now it’s your turn to decide whether an online-only approach would make the most sense for your fitness business and your clients, or if in-person personal training is still the right option. You should also consider whether embracing a combination of the two could open your business up to more earning potential, and more clients.

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