Social media and the fitness industry have created a relationship with each other that seems to have taken over social sites such as Instagram. Before social media, fitness was a thing considered solely for the gym, that people could choose to ignore if they wanted to.
However, the fitness industry has become one of the most flourishing areas on social media with photos and videos of people working out and drinking protein smoothies uploaded daily on at least one of the social platforms users interact with. There are many accounts dedicated to the following of fitness, some are solely focused on diets and others post homemade ab exercise content.
Insta-fit
It’s almost impossible to scroll down your Facebook news feed and not see a video of someone working out. It’s become the norm to open Facebook or Instagram and see videos of mothers working out with their children, couples leaping in the gym together and fruits being blended together to make healthy smoothies. Fitness videos really took off on Youtube with users posting exercise regimes and yoga workouts every week. However, it is Instagram that has really pushed these working out posts.
With many Instagram hashtags dedicated to the theme of fitness, such as ‘#TransformationTuesday’ you can click through and see people’s progress in their journey to getting fit. It’s a big push for users to show their commitment to being healthy and how successful they’ve been so far.
Alongside pictures of bulging biceps and sculptured quadriceps, are also motivational quotes that receive a lot of engagement due to their inspiring words. You can also read and share recipes that are healthy, meaning there’s a lot of content that can be conjured up from the the theme of fitness too!
Influence and Conquer
Instagram has somewhat created a community for people who are struggling to work out and gym users who find it hard to stay motivated. On social media you can see the meals people have prepped, see beadles of sweat on gym-goers’ foreheads and watch individuals squat with huge weights. With the more publicity a user gets on their fitness posts, the more likely a brand will pick them up through social media. It’s a great way to market to people, as a company can use everyday individuals who have achieved their goals and make the whole ‘getting fit’ process more realistic to those wanting to try an exercise regime.
Brands are promoting their services and products through Instagram influencers – a market that was born through social media. It is difficult to keep track of fitness companies selling gym wear, protein shakes, nutrient bars and personal training as more and more surface daily. However, these kinds of posts are hard to ignore if at least one of the people you follow on Instagram has engaged with the content.
With influencer marketing, the worry of the buyer not knowing what the product does or how it will look is emitted as a potential customer can see how gym equipment works.
Apps for Abs
There are also a lot of apps that help you train and keep track of your progress. Apps like Nike+ Training even have their own feed and an inbox, meaning networks are created that allow friends to share their progress so far.
Engaging with social media is as part of routine as going to the gym is, so the two work well in complimenting each other’s habit and with a study in 2016 showing 57.25 million people with gym memberships in the U.S. alone, there’s a lot of individuals to engage with globally.
