Three years ago, if you were to ask any millennial about Instagram, you would have a very different answer than you would today. That’s because Instagram was just beginning to set itself out as a market leader for what we are now seeing to be a platform for expression and entrepreneurship on an entirely new playing field. It’s a one-stop-shop resource for distributing, reading, watching, and picking up new information within a 60-120 second time-frame, especially with respect to health and wellness.
Instagram has played host to a plethora of self-made entrepreneurs, fitness junkies, food enthusiasts, and other inspirational figures. However, when it comes to health and personal fitness, it would seem that the new way to be seen is by providing real content that the community can benefit from. In this case, actual videos and ‘how-to’s.’
Does Your Online Fitness Program Need a Health Check?
Paying mindful attention to not only how your community is reacting to your content, but how they are reacting to your competition’s, is extremely important in ensuring you are setting yourself apart.
Many online businesses believe that pushing competitors aside is the way to go, but in actuality, it couldn’t be more of a mistake. Grit Daily spoke with Paola Marquez, a Venezuelan native and a certified personal trainer and fitness style blogger, who emphasizes the necessity of working with competition to help both parties.
When we first spoke with her, we never would have guessed that this fitness-oriented personality holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in addition to her certification as a personal trainer. We wanted to know how she went from the corporate engineering world to the online world of fitness and daily lifestyle coaching.
401K and Chill
Source: Paola Marquez | Instagram: @paosfitworldBack in 2012, Marquez and her husband, Andy, had just gotten married, with very demanding careers. Health and fitness were the last things on their minds. Seven years ago, they moved to the United States from Venezuela, leaving the corporate world behind them.
Why? To pursue Paola’s passion for fitness and healthy living.
While this was a tough discussion to have in the beginning, both agreed to take a chance and take Paola’s love for fitness and transform it from a hobby into an online business. And that’s what she did—three years ago, taking it to the next level and exposing herself to the fitness world under the business moniker, Paos Fit World.
With the little business reputation and little financial backing to get her dream off the ground, in less than six months, Paola and her brand have scaled the business to six-figures, now mentoring other fitness coaches and a range of over 6,000 clients across the world—all online.
Paola’s biggest strength is that she’s a female fitness personality. Targeting females aged 25 years to 45 years old, her demographic is extremely diverse—with clients from all over the world such as Europe, Asia, and Latin America. However, the majority of her clients reside within the United States.
“You’ve probably tried your fair share of fitness programs and most of them probably included some of what you will hear from me, but nobody else gives you 120-HD videos combined with pairing custom macros that are specifically calculated for your goals,” Marquez emphasized to us.
Paola’s emphasis on how she curates content only highlights the importance of content curation in today’s digital age. Regardless of the industry you are in, you just have to assume that the content you are pushing out there isn’t resonating with your community unless you’re doing something nobody else is.
At the end of the day, content curation is key to online visibility in the world of Instagram.
And as she emphasized to us, no matter how “good” a program is, it’s not going to “do” itself—it requires a secret ingredient—YOU!
Her key to success lies within her three pillars, contained within her copy-written program, according to The NY Weekly.
Online Fitness Is An Over-saturated Market
Indeed, when it comes to entering into the online world of health and fitness, instructors and coaches need to find a niche that really sets them apart.
One of the biggest challenges right now, according to Paola is market saturation.
“There are many people promising and offering so many results, and unfortunately, they just haven’t walked the walk,” Andy explained to us.
“Right now, we have a very good copyrighting program and great utilization of Facebook Ads. You can do some damage here. But, for us, people come back to Paola, because she takes care of her clients. She doesn’t just provide information and send them on their way—it’s a personalized approach and a very in-depth relationship that works for both parties. It’s not something many people do these days unless you’re connected to the right people.”
They referenced to me that in the past, business competitors would be willing to help one another. No longer is that the case.
“Now, everyone wants to be their own star—refusing to share or collaborate. It’s the wrong way to do business. If we help each other, we all grow together, which is a win-win for everyone. It’s very competitive in an unhealthy way.”
