Beachbody, Social Marketing Gone Wrong

I’m sure everyone in the fitness blogging or tweeting world has heard of P90X and Beachbody. Heck anyone who’s turned on the TV after 11:00pm or before 9:00am and channel surfed a bit has seen their endless infomercials. It’s advertised as the “Extreme Home Fitness”. I’m also certain that if you’ve ever been interested in trying it out and shared said interest on say Twitter you were immediately inundated with Beachbody coaches trying to not only sell the programs but get you to signup under them. It’s pyramid guerrilla marketing as only the fitness community can do.

First and foremost I want to say up front that I’m not a Beachbody (BB) coach though I did almost sign up to be one. I almost got caught up in the hype and I hadn’t even bought anything yet. It’s kinda like Amway in it’s addicting potential.

All you have to do is make all of your friends & family ridiculously uncomfortable guilting them into buying your wares and then transform your blog into an infomercial device to sell the BB products. Top that off with an endless back-patting verbal splattering on Twitter and other social networks like Facebook and you’d be rich in weeks … right?

Well maybe you don’t have to do all of those things but it certainly felt like that was what a number of the coaches were prescribing. I had no less than 7 of them telling me my website was already perfect to sell the products and all I had to do was add links to my store and it would fly off the e-shelves. When I’d ask them any minor details about my site or me they knew nothing. When I asked them details about the BB workout programs they were selling few knew anything other than how awesome they were. When I asked them about the shakes and how they compared to Myoplex or FullStrength I got nothing.

How can someone possibly think they’d know what I should use my blog for if they don’t even know where I’ve been and how I got there? Why would I suggest a workout program, or a shake for that matter, if I haven’t used them for some extended time period myself and actually seen a benefit above what I already do? It’s just crazy to me their perspective and approach to selling all things BB.

The last thing I want to do on my blog is endlessly pitch or sell something to all my users, especially if I’ve never used it. Do I have links to Amazon for things I use like DVD’s or equipment, yes of course. It’s one thing to suggest things that I 100% know have worked well for me and quite another to turn my site into a BB marketing war zone for something I’ve never even tried.

My site is about my journey to a fitter and healthier me. It’s about what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, what’s working, what isn’t, the challenges, joys, and sorrows of my journey. It’s not a commercial, it’s just me communicating via the written word my turbulent journey.

If I were to try a BB program, which I am planning to do as I want to try P90X because I love circuit training and it does look solid, I would post about my personal usage of it from the perspective of a heavy guy trying to keep up and get healthy. I’d post what worked, what didn’t, and anything that might help other overweight people be better prepared for it if they chose to try it. You might have already seen similar informative postings from Tyson and Amy Mac. Like them, I won’t convert into a commercial to drive sales and create followers to grow the BB pyramid bigger. Instead I’d do it to share whether the program worked for me, not because I wanted to sell more programs for BB.

To all of the BB coaches who spam Twitter or the web or maybe think I’m just wrong, if you really want to make a difference (and not just sales) I challenge you. I challenge you to actually add to the community, create something new and interesting and then share it. Don’t just tweet about a sale, a new diamond tier follower, a free shake, the latest marketing promotion, or tag lines to get new people in your pyramid. Actually add to the fitness conversation and create something new and original.

Maybe you share your journey to becoming fit and healthy? Maybe you actually post something critical and informative about the lessons you’ve learned with the programs your selling. You have actually used them all right? I don’t care what you do just be original and add value instead of noise.

In an already confusing health and fitness market the last thing we need is more marketing hype and people shoving the wrong solution down peoples throat as a one size fits all answer. If your not a part of the community solution then you are the problem.

Definition of community — a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists

Have you or others you know had similar experiences with Beachbody or other fitness programs / trainers?

• I’ve Never Tried This Before, Can You Help Me?
• What I’m Looking To Gain And Give To Fitbloggin
• Fitness Gadget Giveaway, An EA Active 2
• Computers are like bicycles for our minds
• My #Fitbloggin Uber Giant Recap Spectacular