Beachbody is a Marketing Powerhouse: Why they Rule the Fitness World

I had, before two years with the Peace Corps, done a pretty darn good job of staying in shape for as long as I could remember. Two years of potatoes, onions, sheep fat, and mutton did quite a number on what I considered to be my normal level of fitness. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me to get back to normal when I came back to the U.S. I found myself wanting to check out Beachbody’s fitness program P90X. A friend lent me the DVDs so I could check it out.

The fitness program helped me jumpstart getting back in shape. It worked well. Fast-forward to today and it has been two years since I came back to the states. Now I find myself thinking about how this whole P90X and Beachbody thing seemingly blew-up in America while I was gone. Everyone and their mother has heard about Beachbody and its programs or they’ve at least seen an infomercial on TV or the internet.

Fitness websites all Peddle the same boring stuff.

Let’s face it, a lot of us would like to be in better shape. We’ll take some time to search the internet and find out how we can lose some pounds. It’s inevitable that you’re met with a bunch of people trying to sell their workouts and their ways of getting fit to you. Lots of big pictures of a trainer with muscles doing something most people flat out can’t do. They’ve got the secret; just hand over some money and you’ll know it too! There isn’t much out there that approaches fitness honestly while looking inviting and welcoming.

Beachbody provides something for everyone.

Beachbody has taken an approach that really demonstrates a well-rounded marketing effort combined with skilled branding. Head to their website and you’ll see a site full of information, but not overwhelmingly so. They portray themselves as a resource, their fitness programs give you the tools and information you need to get fit. Something not for you? Don’t worry, they’ve got a wide variety of programs and one of them will work for you. Just stick with it and we’ll help you succeed. That’s their message. Their site is a great resource to turn to if you are looking to improve your website.

Beachbody wants you to feel like you need not look anywhere else for your fitness goals. They back this up with a wide variety of programs and nutrition packages, and resources available without purchase. Competitors often showcase their special workout, or a special diet—not the entire package. But the real secret to Beachbody’s success comes when you end up purchasing or looking to purchase one of their pricier programs, after checking out their content.

Joining the Club means success for Beachbody.

This is where Beachbody really stands above the rest of competitors in the fitness world that simply provide a workout or a diet plan; some that come to mind are iFit, WorkoutBox, JillianMichaels.com, and TapOutXT. These probably are great fitness programs, but they don’t offer as much as Beachbody does, and Beachbody knows it. With every one of their products they offer their customers the opportunity to join a team of people just like themselves. Beachbody turned home fitness into a social experience with the internet and social media. Who would have thought that was possible?

Coaches and Customers Turned Marketers = a Happy Beachbody.

On TeamBeachbody.com you’re met with message boards, success stories, meet the trainers videos, and more. Beachbody isn’t just providing a fitness program, they are providing a social network of support that in turn promotes its products. You join a community; the transaction is more than monetary.

Beachbody even allows anyone to become a Beachbody Coach (for a fee, of course). Coaches are encouraged, through blog writing, to spread Beachbody products and ideals. They get a small cut in return. This furthers their branding and marketing abilities because it turns people into almost-free content writers. More importantly it creates evangelists and it arms them, as fellow CEM contributor Jason covered extremely well in August.

Beachbody exposes itself Everywhere.

Beachbody has some solid products, and they are extremely successful because they get their name out there. Every single trainer, product, and program has its own informative website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. Their website is a big hub which targeted internet ads lead you to. Turn on the TV and within a few hours you’re likely to see an infomercial for at least one of their programs. Flip open a magazine and I guarantee if it’s remotely related to fitness you’ll see an ad for a Beachbody product.

This didn’t just happen out of the blue.

Beachbody came out with these newer programs like P90X with a plan. They didn’t stumble upon social media and internet advertising. They created a good, solid, and original program and marketed the hell out of it (excuse my French) from the beginning. Now they have an army of blog writing coaches and content writers behind their brand. Customers, fans, and coaches are almost doing all of their marketing work for them.

You don’t have to be a big multi-million dollar company to learn from Beachbody’s experience though. You have equal access to Twitter, Facebook, and the web. If you or your business has quality content or products, you can scale your efforts and benefit from a strategy similar to Beachbody. If you impress customers with your content, services, and product, you can turn them into valuable brand advocates. It’s also relatively risk-free and a lot cheaper than traditional marketing!

Do you utilize some of the strategies that Beachbody uses to be successful?