Having 5,000 Instagram followers is great for your business page. But the people looking for what you offer have their eyes elsewhere.
When someone decides it’s time to get back into shape, it’s usually at 8pm on a Sunday night after an indulgent weekend. They don’t start by scrolling on Facebook and Instagram or searching for complicated terms like ‘functional fitness’. They simply type ‘personal trainer near me’ or ‘gym in {city name}’ into Google.
Whether or not your gym in Manchester shows up when someone searches for ‘gym in Manchester’ depends on a number of things. But it all starts with your Google Business Profile.
You know when you’re searching for something locally and a little map pops up with the top 3 businesses related to what you’re looking for? Well, that’s the 3-pack, and you want to be in it. The click-through rate of the top-ranking business is between 30% and 40%, whereas for 10th place it’s less than 2%.
Having good, genuine Google reviews is one of the main factors influencing where a business ranks in search results. It’s better to have fewer, higher-star reviews than lots of low or average reviews.
Reviews and your Google Business Profile sit at the heart of local visibility, the day-to-day work of a fitness SEO agency.
It’s also really important that you reply to every review you get, yes – even the bad ones. Replying to 5-star reviews is the easy bit: thank them for their custom and their review and give yourself a pat on the back.
With bad reviews, however, it can be tricky to know how to respond, particularly if the review is fake, which can happen.
The best way to approach negative reviews is with a friendly, measured response addressing what went wrong and explaining how you’re willing to put it right. People looking at your reviews will see that you are a business that cares about its customers and good service.
Reviews that contain photos get 35% more clicks compared to text-only reviews. If someone leaves you a great 5-star review, it can be worth contacting them and asking them to add a photo. Reviews with photos tend to stay at the top longer than those without, too.
How Can I Get More Reviews?
The best way to get more reviews is to make it as easy as possible for your customers to do so. Ask them face-to-face after a great session. They’ll be much more inclined to help you straight after you’ve helped them.
If you can’t ask face-to-face, send them a text message with a direct link to your Google reviews page. The open rate of text messages is much higher than that of email.
Let’s think about your Instagram followers again for a second. If someone sees your ad while scrolling, they’re either interested or they’re not. They’re either ready to buy or they’re not. If they are ready, the next thing they will do is type your business name into Google to look at your reviews and your website. If what they find is an inactive Google Business Profile with no reviews, no photos and little information, they will likely look at the other businesses in the area.
The key thing there is if someone sees your ad while scrolling. Six years ago it was easier: post, get seen, get followers, get traffic. Now, thanks to constant Meta algorithm changes and iOS updates, it’s harder than ever to get your social content in front of your target audience. Even if you can get it in front of the right people, most of them are just scrolling to kill time. They’re not shopping.
Understanding the Importance of Instagram Followers
The average organic reach for Instagram business accounts is around 5% of your total following. So if you have 5,000 followers, only 250 are going to see your latest post. And of those, you’re going to have existing clients, friends, family and people who followed you years ago and now can’t remember why.
But if 5,000 people searched Google for a gym in your area, chances are they’re all going to see your reviews. So, would you rather have 5,000 Instagram followers or 50 five-star Google reviews for all to see?
None of this is to say Instagram followers don’t matter or that everyone should stop using Facebook tomorrow. Because that’s not the case.
When used together with a solid Google Business Profile and a lead-generating website, social media can be a force for good. A small monthly ad spend for local visibility. Social content linking back to your website.
Turning that visibility into booked sessions is where a gym lead generation agency comes in.
The key is visibility. Making sure the right people can find your business online, and ensuring that when they do, it speaks directly to them. Your audience would much rather read 10 reviews from people like them than a generic social media graphic.
How many Google reviews does your business have? Why not ask two clients today for a review? And then another two tomorrow. It builds quickly.
