Why the Internet Growth is Good for the Fitness Industry

The internet was created in Los Angeles, California, in 1983. Shortly after its public debut in 1991, it mounted an aggressive expansion on the world. Every minute of 2019, Americans alone generated 4.4 billion GB’s of internet data. This isn’t surprising given roughly 90% of all internet data has been produced in the past 2 years. There’s no surprise in saying this has massive implications for the global economy. The internet increasingly empowers communities and industries, giving way to new business models never seen before. Of all the industries that have benefited from the internet, the fitness industry is one that has benefited and continues to benefit every year. The growth of the internet seems to be synonymous with the growth of the fitness industry.

Global Expansion of the Internet

At its current rate, the fitness business is growing at 8% annually. 2020 is projected to hit $109 billion dollars globally. This is an 11% increase from 2019. That’s excluding other industries that complement fitness, such as, the rise of athletic clothing and wearable tech.

Before the internet, the fitness industry saw a boom in the 70s and 80s with growing popularity in yoga, jazzercise classes, and jogging. This was mainly due to the development of modern-day gym memberships. People had more access to more gyms that aren’t scary to go into and don’t come with a side of tetanus. That aside, exercising regularly provides other benefits, namely, a healthier lifestyle, and personal therapy. This all gave way to a larger market for a fitness professional to grow their businesses.

With the rise of the internet, now over half of the world has immediate access to the web. The same variables remain the same, they have just transcended to new levels never seen before. Now, fitness professionals can gain access to free and paid resources offering rewarding career paths. In 8-10 weeks, would-be fitness professionals can get certification online and start training clients. In addition to this, existing fitness professionals can continue their education while training clients. Specialization is no longer a matter of going to college and taking time off work. Now, you can take classes online and continue to build your client portfolio.

For those that aren’t fitness professionals, finding information on fitness is now easier than ever. With a couple of google searches, you can now transform your lifestyle for the better. This is just the first of many reasons on why the internet is good for the growth of the fitness industry.

The Birth and Growth of Digital Communities

Since the dawn of modern humans, we have organized and formed societies. In essence, human beings are extraordinarily social creatures and have used this to advance society. As we enter the modern digital age, humans continue to form new innovative social experiences. Thus, continuing to empower communities and individuals in these communities. 

If there’s one thing that remains consistent between human beings and the fitness industry, that’s the desire to be social. With increased advancements in digital technologies, people are flocking to the web to form new communities dedicated to fitness.

Now, you don’t have to go to the library and rent a book(s) to find more information on a yoga pose you’re interested in. Just go find a social media page on the topic you’re interested in, write a comment and get your answer quickly, sometimes in minutes.

Advancements in Apps and Mobile Technology

What if I told you that I could give you a mini super-computer that was capable of getting mankind to the moon? Many people wouldn’t bat an eyelash at this deal. Honestly, it sounds too good to be true! Here’s where it gets interesting. Now, what if I told you, you’d be taking a downgrade from the phone in your pocket every day? You heard that right, the average modern smartphone has 1 million times the RAM of the computer system for the Apollo programs and 7 million times the standard memory.

Since the first iPhone, the possibilities for smartphone capabilities have only continued to rise. Now, there’s a popular saying that has gone around: “there’s an app for that”. Which is completely true, especially for fitness professionals. Now, through apps like FitSW, you can virtually run your business from your smartphone (no pun intended). Features like custom in-app branding and managing payments are care aspects of running a business. That isn’t getting anyone to the moon, but it might seem like your bank account is heading there.

All jokes aside, there has never been a better time to be a fitness professional. The only real overhead for getting started is getting certified. Just skip your Starbucks frappe for three morning’s and you’re halfway there! Seriously, those things are starting to get ridiculous. Anyway, many programs offering accredited personal training certification also offer extra options that guarantee you employment within 90 days of finishing or you get your money back. The only caveat to that is this feature costs a little bit extra and you have to pass the program (duh). 

Free-to-use Platforms and Social Media

One of the greatest gifts the web has given the fitness industry is social media and other platforms that are free to use. While these platforms are a great place for people to learn, it’s also a great place to advertise your services for free. Some of the most common fitness household names got huge because they continued to use social media to their benefit. 

The idea of content marketing can be daunting. In-fact, a lot of people will say it’s “dead” because now social media is saturated with a bunch of “influencers”. 

Two things, the first, content marketing is not “dead”. The people who say so probably posted a bunch of selfies, poor quality posts, or irrelevant content on Instagram. Then they quit and complained about how it wasn’t working. What’s that saying about repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results? Eh, beats me. This leads me to the second point, you may have realized this – social media has evolved. Now, you have to push out content regularly, that’s consistent and up to par with your audience’s standards. In short, you need to be providing value to their lives. 

This takes time, which is why it’s important to research your posts ahead of time and develop a long term content framework. Once you’ve done the research, you can use one of many free social media scheduling tools.

In addition to social media, you can start blogging/vlogging about your business. In short, there are loads of strategies for gaining more followers and eventual customers by organically growing your social media following and learning the skills you need to know through the free resources and communities on the internet. That’s how I got this job, shhh don’t tell my boss.

Conclusion:

The internet is big and the internet is confusing. But, if you’re a fitness professional it doesn’t have to be. In fact, you can use it to scale your business like never before. 

This article should come as good news, there’s no better time to take advantage of the growth of the fitness industry and leverage digital strategies to grow your business, learn, and better yourself. There are loads of tools out there and if you use them right, you can pretty much run your business from your phone (with the help of FitSW of course).

FitSW Wants Your Feedback!

We highly value our community and take your feedback seriously. So, if you have any feedback or comments on how the internet is good for the growth of the fitness industry or anything else, reach out to us! You can do this by connecting with us on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or support page! Additionally, you can leave a comment on this blog article or on any other article on our blog! After that, we typically reply within a day or so!