In the news

Malaysia Today (2006)

Men's Health Malaysia (September 09)

Personal Money (July 09)

Men's Health Malaysia (July 09)

August Man Magazine (August)

Other articles and interviews coming: The Star (national newspaper publication) and Men's Health Malaysia November 09

Word The success of any gym depends as much on the coach's personality and what the brand (gym name) says to its potential clients. It's been a few years on the block now (counting to 11 years), and getting the word out about KDT Academy and its services is a full time occupation. In addition to printing out pamphlets, having a web presence, business cards and so on, the most dynamic communication tools remain in print (for now). The power of the internet via social networking platforms like Facebook, Blogger, Twitter are also powerful tools to have in your arsenal. If you're not already using them to get the word out about your service or product, you're missing out on a potential 20 million user market (for free at that!). Getting the word out about your product or service As noted marketing guru, Seth Godin, writes, make what you do remarkable, stand out from the crowd and be a Purple Cow! The risk is to be a "me too" product or service provider. KDT Academy is remarkable as we pioneered many unique fitness and combat sports programs, use a simple, client-friendly administrative system and offer a variety of programs that are affordable, fun and challenging. With programs like Fizfit Workouts, Kettlebell workouts, Crazy Monkey Defense and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, KDT Academy made its mark on the local fitness and combat sports scene by offering these on a full-time basis at a time when most, if not all others operated out of government middle schools or annexed to existing fitness centres, KDT Academy was in its' own dedicated, facility. The gym also set a benchmark for it innovation to management standards and steadily saw its programs grow consistently over time via word of mouth recommendations. This snowball effect resulted in the "problem" of having to turn-away clients as the gym did not have enough capacity for those numbers. How did we get all those people on the mats? It was a combination of program uniqueness (my Purple Cow), gym location (upper middle to upper class area), marketing message (English medium) and I made the classes individually unique every time (read: physically challenging)! I have had a number of full page, full colour national newspaper spreads, multi-page coverage in health and fitness magazines featuring my clients, trainers, myself or my coaches and in this post I'd like to share some ideas on how you can get the same done. Steady, aim, fire! Like a good journalist your message aimed at your target market must include the following categories: What, Where, When, How, Who. Of course it will be a tremendous help to have the skills of a professional write, journalist or copy writer to assist in your project, failing which you will need to take time to carefully craft the exact verbal picture you want to be read. In most cases, the publication will send its own photographer to your interview or to take a "few shots" of you and your activities. In this post I'll just talk about print media (hardcopy) like magazines and newspapers. There are the paid type and "free" type. Most of you I assume will be interested in the "free" category. The breakdown: Approaching the publication Some of my clients in the gym are freelance professional writers while others are indentured with many years experience. This is called "leveraging" the assets you have in your gym. Look around in your membership and see what talents your members bring in. Are they happy to help you promote the gym? Will it be a win-win situation for all involved? This is probably the most crucial point; selecting which publication you want to appear in for many reasons. You will most likely attract the type of readers so be careful. The magazines I selected are targeted at males, 25-45, married, professional, dual-income, educated with at least a university degree and computer literate (it's becoming increasingly harder to find those who aren't nowadays), concerned about personal health, fitness, diet, nutrition, grooming, personal safety, and are looking for personal challenges as well as for personal growth. It's no surprise that most of my clients fit those demographics. Maybe traditional marketing and soft selling does still work :) We have contact... I was fortunate to have the magazine and their staff writers or freelancers approach me about articles or that I proposed an interview opportunity with a personality. I was asked my opinion as a personal fitness trainer about the applications of gym shoes which opened up the opportunity to pursue more ideas and articles as I already made contact with two of the staff writers and sub-editor. Usually the editors will come up with the theme or purpose of the article that goes in hand with the theme they have for that months' publication. Newspapers may be a lot less focused than a lifestyle magazine so make adjustments here and there. Be the subject matter expert There's no short cuts to this one. Know what you are going to talk or write about and write/talk about what you know. In this case many interviewers or publications can only base your credibility on first hand recommendation or certification that you carry. Most organizations provide such credentials (colleges, established vocational schools, industry-specific organizations, etc.) while others do not (CMD for example). With or without a paper credential reference, the most important thing about establishing your credibility about being regarded as an expert in your field is YOU! You need not "walk the talk" but of course it will be a tremendous help to know what you are talking about having experienced it first hand. E.g. If you plan to talk about a recipe for a dish, you best do to have some cooking experience. The article may require you to elaborate on your background, your training, which organizations you are affiliated with and which organizations accredit your programs. Focus on one to two (maximum) topics in the article to educate the reader precisely what it is that you do and offer and why they should or could also participate in. Sometimes the wording may not be up to you (the editor holds the final say) so offering lead-in offers to invite the reader for free trials may not be possible or legal in your country so please check. Cyberly yours... More often than not, I use my website as a reference point to information and photos that may be used in the articles. I always try to use pictures of people from the gym. Not only do folks enjoy seeing themselves in the articles but they also get their friends and colleagues to see the same, thereby virally spreading the word about your gym and services. It's de rigeur to have your web domain clearly marked out. So here are the few ideas to get you started out on. The rest (if there is sufficient interest from readers) and time (from my schedule) I'll continue with more bits of info. Happy training! More details: http://kdta.com/trainers.html Aut viam inveniam aut faciam "I will either find a way or make one" http://www.yuni.com/library/latin.html