And how you can channel her in your digital marketing strategy.
by jam alcantara and kim sanchez
Digital marketing can be a tricky and confusing thing to navigate. But many have stood successful in managing this landscape and one of them is the fitness YouTube guru, Chloe Ting. Last year, we witnessed the world shift into the digital landscape overnight. As people had extra time in their hands, a lot of us channeled our energy in healthy outlets, including fitness.
And one fitness personality stood out from the rest and won the Internet: Chloe Ting.
Who is Chloe Ting?
Chloe Ting is an Australian lifestyle vlogger known for her full programs of fitness videos on Youtube. She has inspired thousands of people to get fit with her famous #chloetingchallenge. And this challenge went viral especially at the start of quarantine, March 2020.
To date, she has garnered 20.5 million subscribers in her YouTube channel. This placed her in the top 10 of Fastest Growing Youtubers in 2020, the only fitness channel to do so. Her most popular video titled “Get Abs in 2 Weeks” currently sits at over 359 million views. The massive growth of her YouTube channel is beyond doubt hard to achieve in a competitive fitness niche.
One can argue that this fitness star was just at the right place at the right time. One can argue that she simply gives free workouts at a time where everyone has nothing better to do. And that all these are what gave her unprecedented growth over the years. However, in a sea of fitness gurus in the digital landscape, why her?
People choosing you out of all the free content on the internet cannot be based on pure luck. You may not realize it in front of beautifully shot exercise videos and appetizing healthy meal vlogs, but you’ll see how much of a digital marketing genius Chloe Ting is. Additionally, you will see how you can channel her and her approach in your social media marketing strategy.
How did Chloe Ting become so popular?
Here are 8 ways on how Chloe Ting effectively created a digital marketing strategy to build her fitness empire.
She puts herself out there: SEO Optimization
When you type the word “workout” in the YouTube search bar, you will see Chloe’s best performing video on the top results. In our current culture, getting abs signals good health and wellness (and yes, fine, they look good too). And Chloe leveraged that knowledge to rank in the search results.
In her description box, she notes that all her videos are titled according to SEO’s best practices for content discoverability. She makes an effort on knowing what her audience are searching for. And she makes sure that the way she names her content answers to what the audience wants.
You can replicate this in your digital marketing strategy by studying your desired niche and what your audience is looking for. Check into what is being talked about in related articles and niche topics. Create content around what your audience seeks. That would help you get discovered by the people you truly want to reach. And this will help you grow your brand organically.
She understands you: Target Market and Buyer Persona
Before knowing what the audience looks for, Chloe has a great understanding of who looks to her for fitness guidance. She knows that her content is applicable to women around 16-25 years old who do DIY workouts. And she makes content around that. For example, Chloe has no-jumping exercise videos to cater to a significant part of her subscribers who live with other people and can’t make a lot of noise.
Her audience of mostly women also found her content to be refreshing in the world of fitness. Ting “focuses on the way people feel, rather than how they look”, as praised by a psychologist with expertise on body dysmorphic disorder. This is especially great considering her audience over at Tik Tok who do and post her challenges are teenage girls. This segment are most likely attracted to the way her videos make them feel — happy, challenged, and healthy.
Capturing a segment of the market through digital marketing means knowing first what ails that market. And in a long-standing and quite saturated one, giving them a refreshing antidote might just draw them to your brand. In understanding your target market, craft a buyer persona and walk in their shoes. Chloe certainly has, knowing women and teenage girls would like to feel good in their journey to be healthy rather than being taunted and “motivated” with the numbers around their body. So remember to ask — if you befriend your target market, what would they be like?
Her friends are cool too: Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing has been around and on the rise since the boom of apps like YouTube and Instagram. And many brands have already tapped into this market. Like some few other influencers, Chloe turns down a lot of sponsorships and only collaborates with brands she trusts. Influencers like her are who audiences usually trust the most. They navigate to people like her because they know they are not merely being sold to.
Ryan Detert, the CEO of Influential (an AI platform that effectively matches influencers with brands), talks about the rise of micro-influencers, or those with relatively less followers who are considered niche audiences. He explains that there is simply a better “ROI” when the audience readily looks into influencers they follow that they know they can trust and engage with. But the center of the Venn diagram among all these is that the influencers must be relatable, authentic, and trustworthy.
For your brand, look into potential ambassadors who are like friends to their audiences. These are the influencers who have good intentions for their followers who in return consider their opinions. The best we can do with how influencer marketing is set up right now is to try to make it a good space for word-of-mouth recommendations for audiences’ consideration best we can. If the influencer genuinely believes in what you offer, and you genuinely believe in your offer, and their followers know them for only collaborating with brands that they themselves trust, it will show. And these ambassadors can and will be your friends, too.
She is Authentic: Meme Marketing and Relatability
She speaks the internet’s language — MEMES.
Outside her fitness content, she gives her audience sit-down vlogs, reaction videos to subscribers comments, as well as memes & workout progress. But she’s not trying to win you over with jargons and fitness certifications. She only does what she does best: being herself. This makes Chloe ting very personable and her relatable sense of humor makes her videos outside the fitness mat still interesting to watch.
As mentioned, authenticity in marketing is very important. 70% of consumers say they trust the opinions of influencers as much or more than their real-world friends. People can easily notice and pick up on this trait especially overtime. This genuine connection shows when you enthusiastically support what it is you are creating content around.
Be true to what you say and make sure your words align your actions. These will help in building that trust between you and your audience. Be consistent with your purpose. Do not say one thing and then do the other. That simple. Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle can help you get started with dealing with authenticity online.
She is Consistent: Content Optimization
Chloe Ting started Youtube in 2011 but only started building her fitness channel since 2017. Even now that she has millions of subscribers, she never stopped uploading content every week on her YouTube channel. She is now in her third year of giving free fitness programs with new ones every month this year.
When crafting your digital marketing strategy, do not expect results from the get go. Going viral on your first few posts is definitely an outlier. It’s the people who stick around and produce quality and relevant posts frequently and consistently who will reap results further in their journey.
When talking about consistency, it is also important that you have your branding consistent in all channels. This means consistency in the following:
Logo, Color Palette, Tone and Voice, Purpose, Mission etc.
The fitness community know Chloe Ting for her minimalist themed workouts and aesthetic. She advocates for enjoying the process of maintaining good health and wellness. And her audience surely recognizes her brand every time they consume her content. Remember, marketing is building trust with your consumers. And it takes time to consistently send the same message to the right people.
To know more about solidifying your identity, check this ultimate guide to branding by Hubspot.
She is a giver: Content Marketing
Chloe definitely had the edge over a lot of other sources of fitness guidance. Not only does she give free workouts as is her videos on YouTube, she also gives free meal plans. In fact, she even details the recipes of some healthy meals over at her website.
The accounts most valued by consumers on the internet are those that provide value and engage their followers. These are those who engage in content marketing or who offer their followers more than the commerce product they’re advertising. Remember that people hate hard selling. Now that you have their attention and following, make it worth their while. Consider your business or product type. If you are in the area of workouts in the world of fitness like Chloe, why not offer them some information about healthy eating? Whether that value you can offer is through information, tips, templates and downloadables, and even meaningful entertainment, it doesn’t matter. The important thing in digital marketing is to prioritize quality over quantity.
She is not Perfect: Credibility
To address the elephant in the room, Chloe Ting is not a professional fitness trainer. Along with her massive growth last year, there was also a lot of flak over her credentials and misinformation such as her wrong use of some technical jargons in sports science.
Maybe, like Chloe Ting, you are not yet a thought leader in your niche. Well, this is a reminder for you that you don’t have to be the biggest expert at what you talk about. Focus on giving value to your consumers. And your longevity and reliability will be enough to build your credibility in the digital landscape.
But, at the end of the day, she just makes you want to be a better person: Engagement and Community
Chloe might not be your regular fitness instructor, but her mission is really just to help people be healthier and better. She created the #chloetingchallenge that features free workout programs. Some of these programs target specific body parts while some are just for general fitness. With these challenges, she has created a positive community that motivates each other. This was especially helpful during the onset of the pandemic when everyone is quarantined within their homes and communities are just very essential and sought out by everyone. A 19 year-old from Miami, as interviewed by Elle Magazine on Chloe’s workouts, says that she has “found this whole community [that Chloe has created over at Tik Tok] to be extremely inspiring, motivating, and uplifting.” This building of community likewise helped Chloe in the virality of her challenge, spreading far and wide over at Tik Tok. For the consumers and the brand, it can be a two-way street.
What does this mean for your brand? Chronicle Republic Communications, a marketing consultancy in Australia explains that the best method to “market” to your consumers in digital marketing lies in “focus[ing] on building long-term relationships, cultivating trust and nurturing the audience.” They further explain that “social media content marketing is really about building your tribe or your community” — and this community can rally for your brand.
Build Your Own Community
The Homebuddies Facebook group based in the Philippines is a great example. Homebuddies is a community where real people share their good finds, recommendations, and genuine reviews. These members participate in the community to help each other build better homes. And they do that by sharing the good deals they had the good luck of finding online. A community impressed by your product will spread the word, be your brand’s personal voucher, and be a supportive consumer. The key to starting and sustaining? Genuine engagement. Be of actual value to your followers in your industry and build a supportive and nurturing community with them.
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