No matter how great a workout and customer experience your studio or gym offers, people need to hear about you first in order for your business to grow. Investing in marketing efforts is your first step to spread the word and increase revenue -- but how do you know just how much to invest? Determining your marketing budget, whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for years, is often a balancing act. Spend too little, and you run the risk of going unnoticed in a competitive market. Spend too much? Well, you know what happens then.

Whether you're a seasoned fitness instructor or new to the scene, having a strong social media presence will undoubtedly help set you up for success. Whether you're just starting out or you've already found a studio that you call home, having an Instagram account where your students can follow your class schedule and see what you're up to each week keeps your class at the top of your member's minds -- plus, it helps strengthen the instructor to student bond even more.

When you work in fitness, you know how important it is to stay connected to people who share your passion—both in and out of the studio. And if you’re a marketer, you understand that one of the best ways to stay connected to existing and future studio clients is through email and social media. While both are important for any successful business, email is especially critical because getting someone’s email address is the first step towards figuring out who your customer is and establishing a long-term relationship.

Pick up any magazine, and it will become clear that people are thinking about something pretty frequently: weight loss. At the start of the new year, people sign up at gyms in droves with the hope that this will be the year they transform their bodies. So as the instructors and gyms responsible for those who come in looking to lose weight, how do we address those concerns in our messaging and our classes?

Social media is key to connecting with regular and potential clients alike and ultimately growing your business. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, 65 percent of American adults are on social networking sites. While corporations are able to have full staffs dedicated to their social media platforms, smaller independent businesses are often working with a leaner team of just a few employees or even one person. That said, even with a small team, you can still develop a strong, consistent message on your social platforms. Here, we offer up some tips on how to get there.