Best Practices & Ideas for Growth

Once you become certified in the 4th Trimester Fitness Method, you can start teaching classes in your community. But after you leave Instructor training, you may think, “What do I do now?  How am I going to get moms to sign up for my classes?”

As a general rule, this is our Company’s approach to marketing: 

4th Trimester Fitness® Method supports your classes with national and international publicity to generate brand awareness, but instructors are responsible for promoting and marketing their individual classes. 

No. 1 Factor in Success - HUSTLE and DELIVER

This business of perinatal group fitness is like any other business (childbirth ed, doula work, personal training, pilates, self-pay physical therapy -- even investment banking! Emily sat next to a realtor and a banker on the plane and they both were talking about how hard it is to get a following and the hustle it takes to make it in business). It takes HUSTLE and Self-Motivation. 

4TFM gives you the tools for success but the instructor MUST get out there and implement those tools in their community. 

Tools: The curriculum and training, ongoing mentoring, marketing materials, website visibility, swag (bag, clothing, hats, etc), peer support, one-on-one mentoring with the leadership team, and more!

Hustle:  Get the word out in your community. Be Consistent with your class offerings. That is the ONLY way to fill your classes. Network, Network, Network! 

Get a Schedule and Be Consistent

There are no restrictions on where you can teach or how often you teach - that is up to you! However it helps to make a schedule that is consistent and frequent, i.e. teach the clinics monthly, and start a new PPR series every 2nd month.  This helps class participants know what to expect, and makes it easy for them to refer their friends to you. If you only teach twice a year, you won’t remain in the forefront of people’s minds.

The More Instructors in Your Area, the Better!

It may seem counter-intuitive to think that the more instructors there are in your area, the better off you’ll all be!  But it actually helps to have more instructors in a geographic area because it becomes “the thing to do” if you’re a new mom in that area. There are tens of thousands of pregnancies and births in all of our locations, so there is a lot of room to grow!

Meet with Practitioners

Start meeting and talking to OBs, midwives, lactation consultants and doulas in your area.  Especially the midwives! Bring them pamphlets and brochures.  Be short and sweet when you talk with them.  Let them know you are solving a problem for them - you are making their lives easier by being a trusted place they can refer their patients with these types of questions and needs!

Meet with Studio and Crossfit Owners

Retention is a huge concern for gym owners. Their pregnant members workout right up until they have a baby and then disappear for weeks or months on end -- or just never come back. Postpartum Recovery® Fitness is the perfect bridge for the owners to offer to their participants. Proposing this benefit to the box owner (instead of losing their members) in exchange for free or reduced rent.

Meet with Moms Groups in Your Area

Mops, Mom-Meet-ups, church groups, lactation groups, if two or more are gathered - ask if you can share a snippet of what your class offers. Group leaders are always looking for a “free” speaker. That’s YOU! A 15 minute talk on Pelvic Health and a Diastasis Check is all you need to do to begin to get a following of those moms. Be ready to give the registration link and let moms sign up that very day for your class.  

Use Promo Codes to Invite Practitioners

If there is a practitioner that is pregnant or has just had a baby, invite them to one of your classes!  Fill out a request here.

Ask Social Media Influencers to take your Classes

Seek out influencers that have large followings of new moms. Follow them, and when they are pregnant or recently postpartum, invite them to take your class in exchange for several posts and stories. 

Ask for Testimonials

At the end of your classes, ask participants to do a quick 30-second video on how they feel about the class, and share it on social media!

Use Social Media

Post frequently and consistently. Use the 4TFM marketing materials. Set up Facebook pages for each class for interaction with your class participants. This way, they will get to know you - and one another - better! 

Start a #WalkWorkoutCoffee in your Neighborhood

We have developed this community program to help 4TFM Instructors to get out into the community and get to know new moms!  Be consistent and encourage moms to invite their friends!  They will get to know you, and they will think of you when it’s time to tell their friends about your classes!

This is just the start of ideas. We hope that you will share your successful ideas with other 4TFM instructors, too.