I love everything about it.  One of my favorite things to do on a sunny Saturday morning is to get some fresh-squeezed lemonade, grab a seat on the dock and people watch.

Enough About Lemonade…

Mary Shelley

But enough about that.  Lets get on to what this post is all about – what fitness business owners can learn from a 59 year old wood carver.

Mary is the wood carver’s name.  She’s at the market every weekend.  Her booth holds her wood carvings for sale.  The cool thing about Mary though… is while people are admiring her work… she’s actually creating her next piece of work right there in the booth!

So you can watch her work – which is absolutely amazing.  There’s a video of her down the page, but it doesn’t give justice to seeing this woman carve and slice her way through a piece of wood.

Mary Restored My Hope Because She “Got It”…

So I stopped by to admire her work and watch her carve away.  She noticed I was there and said hello.  And then she said something that made me grin from ear to ear.  Her exact words were “Please take my business card or you can just Google ‘Mary Woodcarver Ithaca’ or better yet sign up here and I’ll friend you through Facebook.”

Mary's Website

I am always talking about building a community of raving fans through your website, blog and social networks.  But honestly… sometimes I think people think I am crazy in asking them to push their fitness business to the next level by using technology.

But then this little 59 year old woodcarver restores all my hope.  If Mary has a solid website and Facebook page, don’t you think your fitness business should have them as well?  In all honesty, people are more likely to search for fitness related information than a local woodcarver.

YouTube, E-Newsletter, Happy Buyers…

Mary does a wonderful job with everything she does.  She shows how intricate her work is by actually doing it right there in front of you, she has a YouTube video of her working on her website, she has an e-newsletter, she has a Facebook page, she ranks on the first page of Google, and she even has a page called “Happy Buyers” which has quotes from her customers.  Think Success Stories for your fitness business.

She has all the information someone would need to know about her, her works and her services right on her website.  I’d make some tweaks and changes to things, but the over all thought to grasp is Mary’s ability to draw the prospect in… educate them about her work and then when they’re ready to buy… they will.

What About Your Fitness Business?

Is your fitness business utilizing technology?  Do you have a website and blog that draws targeted visitors?  Engages them?  Pre-sells them?

If not, what is stopping you?  In today’s business world it is critical to have an online presence that uses video, audio, images, conversational pieces (blog) and more.  It may seem overwhelming, but don’t let it be.

We make it super simple to get started.  Check out InControl Websites for more information.  There’s no reason to not utilize technology.  Even Mary the woodcarver agrees!

More About Mary Michael Shelley…

Here’s a video from Mary and her website: http://www.maryshelleyfolkart.com

When you’re developing a squeeze page or an opt in page, a simple layout is key to success.  Here’s some pretty cool proof:

Motley Fool, a widely popular investing info website, is launching a new membership program soon.  Would you like to see the squeeze page of a multi-million dollar company that built it’s roots and foundation through the Internet?  Here it is – Click Me to Find Out

Was it what you expected?

Most people think that flashy colors, tons of images and all sorts of banners are key to success.  More often than not… they are the key to failure.

When you are developing your fitness website squeeze pages, keep a few things in mind:

1) Keep the rif-raff to zero.  Only include what’s absolutely needed to get someone to give you their name and email address.

2) Use the power of video.  People LOVE video.  It interests them and more often than not… your video will be watched.  You should be warm , inviting and professional in your videos.  This pre-sells your services even more.  And always include your MWR (most wanted response) at the end of your video (which for a fitness squeeze page it would be to fill in the form below, etc).

3) Keep the form on the initial opt in page short.  Just ask for the necessities like name and primary email.  Include your privacy statement or link to it.  Including a short privacy statement is preferred.

4) Your font should be arial and large enough for easy reading.  We use arial 15px.

5) Text is limited only to a few lines or bullet points.  The less people need to read… the better.  Keep your copy short, to the point and benefit rich.

6) Your background image should be a light color or white.  Flashy design detracts from your MWR.  I know it’s pretty and cool… but direct response marketers and uber-successful online businesses know that simple layout and design is key to success.

As you think about your fitness website design and layout, remember that your website is often the first impression a potential client has of your business.  Having a professional fitness website design and layout is critical to increasing opt in’s and delivering your MWR.