Why Competitors Need to Invest in Social Media and Social Media Advisors

Let's face it, people. We are in the age of social media, and this is going beyond the internet and making your own website. More and more people are using smartphones to keep up with news and posting their own news. Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Google Plus, Youtube...it's crazy how far social media has become over a short span of time. Crazy...but at the same time, not too surprising. It's quick, easy, and in many cases, FREE to use.

As you might have heard over and over and over (if you're a competitor reading this), just competing isn't good enough for you to get yourself notice. You need to get yourself out there and show off your brand. Bottom line, that's what it's come down to in order to make people see you as someone other than "that girl". There are too many of those in the industry as is.  You wonder why Monica Brant, Ava Cowan, Dana Linn Bailey, Erin Stern, and Nicole Wilkins (among others) as well are as big of names as they are? They do more than just compete, they put their "brand" out there for the world to see. They make others CARE about them. Jennifer Nicole Lee, Jamie Eason, and Brittany Beede don't compete, but they use social media to further advance their brand and are among the biggest names in fitness today, and a lot of it has to do with the power of social media.

But, some of you are probably wondering, "Uhh...I don't have the time to mess with that stuff". And quite frankly, most of you don't. You are too busy getting ready for competition and taking care of your own lives, which is very understanable. That why I suggest you find someone you can trust and enlist in getting a social media advisor, someone who can overlook your social media outlets while you go and do your thing. FitGems is currently working with IFBB Pro Christine Pomponio-Pate in furthering her brand by working on her Facebook fan page, Twitter account, and Youtube page.

Don't get this post twisted about social media awareness meaning the same thing as competition success, because it DOESN'T. You can have the most followers on Twitter, the most "likes" on Facebook, the most views on Youtube, etc, that doesn't mean squat when it comes to competition. All that matters then is what you bring to the stage ON THAT DAY (or that weekend). Social media just helps get your name around and will help you in your career, not guarantee you a title or in the top 5 of a contest. That's not happening. Keep that in mind.

If you are thinking about doing SOME form of social media (setting up a Facebook fan page, Twitter account, Youtube channel, blog, Tumblr, etc.), but need some assistance, email me at admin@fitgemsnation.net and I will help you out however I can.

FitGems Radio...Coming Soon!

Here's the major news I promised you all:

After much deliberation and discussion, I've decided to take another step in the FitGems Network and create a late morning weekly radio show called FitGems Radio. The show will only 30 minutes long, but I plan to cover a lot in those 30 minutes each week.

Each week, I will talk about one specific topic about the industry from my own personal point of view for the first half of the show or a bit more (15-20 minutes) the remaining half of the show will be questions from listeners from over the globe. If a show is going on that weekend (for example, the Arnold, Olympia, Jr. USAs,Nationals, or even local shows you want promoted), then I would promote that and talk about some of the competitors, basically give a preview to the show.

If someone wants to do an interview through the show, then rather than talk about a specific subject, the entire time will be dedicated to the guest. We do an interview and take calls and emails from you all.

The first show is set for next Friday, February 10 at 11am Eastern/10am Central. We will be discussing social media in the fitness industry (message boards, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) If you would like to submit a question to me about social media, please email them to me at admin@fitgemsnation.net (Put FITGEMS RADIO in the subject line) prior to the show, or call us at (949) 203-4835 DURING the last half of our show. Deadline to email questions will be next Thursday at Noon.

Catch the first show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fitgemsnation/2011/02/11/fitgems-radio-episode-1. Should this be successful, this might expand a bit. Baby steps for now, though. Hope you enjoy this latest addition to the FitGems Network! :)

A Fitting Review-"Iron Bizz"

For those that know me, you probably know about my friendship with the man that people know as dallas3. Some of you know who dallas3 is by his real name, but let me give you an insight on the type of guy he is. He's a cool dude who respects this business and the ladies involve. Most people probably know him via his involvement in female muscle boards such as Siouxcountry, Muscular Development, and RxMuscle, among others. He's been at the Arnold and Olympia a few times and is respected by many of the female (as well as male) athletes. I'm very blessed to call him one of my first true friends of this industry.

He runs a blog called Iron Bizz (formerly called Fit Stop Central), which is aimed at talking about the financial aspect of this sport. In his words, Iron Bizz "provides resources for female physique athletes who want to make a career in the bodybuilding and fitness industry" As we all know, the fitness industry is not a cheap one by any means. What he does is point out some of the tips that competitors have used to stay financially active in this industry. Over time, you will see the blog take a slightly different approach by putting more focus on the sponsored athletes, and not just the ones who are at the top of the heap, either. If you have not bookmarked Iron Bizz yet, I HIGHLY recommend you do so ASAP. You'll be glad you did.

Visit Iron Bizz at http://ironbizz.wordpress.com.

Iron Bizz: Body Tight, Career Right.

Brittany Beede: Fitness's Next Breakout Diva

Fitness industry...meet Brittany Beede!
Photo credit: WWE.com

A couple of weeks ago, Jamie Keyes was eliminated from WWE's show NXT. This week, she was given her pink slip from the entire company altogether. Needless to say, this struck a nerve with quite a few people, including yours truly. So what's a girl to do after seeing her dreams of becoming a WWE Diva crumble before her eyes? Simply...pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go forward. Jamie is doing more than just going forward, folks. She's aiming to create a fitness empire!

Fresh off her WWE venture, she's hopping right into the fitness world full-steam with a campaign unlike anything I've seen from one individual. She's launched a Youtube channel, a Google profile page, and an official Facebook fan page, not to mentioning changing her Twitter name to better suit her current and future fans, and that's just within a mere few hours! Imagine how things are going to be for here when everything starts to take off! THIS is what is going to set her apart from many in the fitness industry. She's aiming to become someone in the industry, not just a name or a face in the crowd. It's pretty clear she doesn't need the WWE to succeed (Trust me, they need her a hell of a lot more than she needs them), but I wouldn't rule out a possible return somewhere down the line. But for now, look for Brittany to make an huge and lasting impact on the fitness industry. There's a possible chance that you might see her at the 2011 Arnold "hint..hint". Just like when FitGems Nation supported Brittany during her days as a WWE Diva, we will continue to support Brittany during her journey to becoming fitness's next breakout diva. Good luck, Brittany!! :)

Here are the links to follow Brittany on her quest to becoming the next fitness icon:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrittanyBeede
Official Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Beede-Jamie-Keyes-WWE/151485664892299
Google profile page: http://www.google.com/profiles/britter1231
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/britter1231
And of course, her fansite that was created prior to becoming a star in WWE: http://www.jamiekeyes.com

EDIT: For all fans of Brittany, I've created a fan page called the Brittany Brigade, to help keep up with all things Brittany, from the beginning of her career until now. You can join it by clicking here.

"M2-NRG" with Jenny Worth; SAT SEPT 18th @ 10:00AM (and also every Wednesday and Saturday)

For those in the California area, if you want to get a great workout in with a top IFBB legend, come down to Long Beach tomorrow for a new workout class called M2-NRG, by M2 Fitness Pros. Below is the description:

RESERVE YOUR SPOTS!! Come kick up the HEAT with Fitness Champ Jenny Worth in this HEART PUMPING, super Fat Blasting, High NRG... A TOTAL Strengthening Body Weight & Core conditioning workout that will leave you SUPERCHARGED... it's 100% effective and 100% Kick-ass... AND it's on us!!!

And for those that want to do this every week, you can join Jenny and FEEL THE HEAT with "M2-NRG"
every Wednesday morning at 5AM and Saturday morning at 10am @ the M2 Studio in Downtown's LB. For more info, go to http://www.m2fitnesspros.com/events/event/show?id=3114248%3AEvent%3A2190.

Join legendary IFBB star Jenny Worth in SoCal for an awesome workout
brought to you by M2 Fitness Pros!

New Site Alert: Fit Stop Central

Hey everyone! I've been informed of a great new blog side dedicated to the business side of being a female competitor. The site is called Fit Stop Central. FSC provides information that can help those that are full-time or part-time in the bodybuilding industry. In these economic times, competitors need all the help they can get. This just might be one of the most informative sites you'll ever need. It just opened today, but trust me, this is one blog you will want to bookmark right away.

Fit Stop Central is run by one of my best internet friends, dallas3. If you're part of Siouxcountry, RxMuscle, or FitGems, you know this guy quite well. :) If not, let me tell you a little about him. Like me, he's one of the young guns taking a stand and willing to go above and beyond to give respect back to the female muscle industry and all of the competitors. You won't find many people quite like dallas3; I promise you that.

Here's the link to his site:
http://fitstopcentral.wordpress.com

I HIGHLY recommend you bookmark this site. 

If you have any questions, please contact dallas3 on Siouxcountry, FitGems Nation, or RxMuscle.

July Poll Results and New Poll for August

Hey everyone!

Just thought I'd let you know that the FitGems Nation site has gotten somewhat of an uplift, and will be redone a tad over the days ahead. Hope you enjoy the changes!

http://www.fitgemsnation.net

Also, thanks to everyone that voted on the July Poll of the Month. I asked last month Which form of publicity do you feel is the best in the female muscle industry? 58% of you said that it was the Internet, which in this day and age came as no surprise. 33% said magazines, and only 8% said television. OUCH!

Now...onto what may be my most nerve-hitting question yet: For this month, the poll of the month is...After seeing the NPC bikini contests so far, in terms of the entire package, do you see a real difference in bikini and figure?

This is a touchy subject on a few boards I'm a part of, so I'm interesting to hearing what you have to say about it. Let me make...this...point...clear: I've yet to see a show except for pictures, so that's all I can judge by. My words mean NOTHING on this subject!

In the span of a month, the Fitness AND Figure Olympia is looking to be more and more interesting by the day. I'll speak on the implications of these events sometime this week, as well as the relationships between the Internet and this sport that might just interest you.

FitGem of the Week and Photo of the Week

On the main site, we're going to honor a competitor/model from any federation in any division each week with a special page for them. This page will be called "FitGem of the Week" and will honor the great athletes in the female physique world. They can either be competing now, have competed in the past, or will be competing in the future. This is especially good for up-and-coming competitors. They can come from any federation and division.

She will be featured on the site for a week beginning on Sunday and will go the rest of the week, with a new one chosen the following Sunday, unless noted. If you would like to be nominated or if you like to nominate someone, send me an email with the following information:

• Name
• Recent Photo
• Website (if one is available)
• MySpace/Facebook page (if one is available)
• Mini-Biography about Nominee
• Length of Career
• Contest History
• Favorite Competitor(s)
• Best Lifts
• One Unknown Fact about Nominee
• Best Accomplishment So Far
• Future Goals
  

You can view how your page will look here. She's the first (and right now, only) FitGem of the Week.

In addition to this, you can also submit a photo to be featured as the FitGems Photo of the Week. Send me an email with the photo and your photo might be posted on the front page! It can be any competitor, including yourself, but I do ask for no nudity or porn, or anything that might be viewed as offensive.

Anyone can submit a nomination or a photo: competitors, fans, promoters, photographers, industry experts...whoever! Keep supporting the great athletes of this sport, and to all the ladies involved, keep up the good work! We are all proud of you and support you in your journeys!

The Female Bodybuilding Directory

The Female Bodybuilders Directory (fbblinks.com) is a new site to promote the sport of female bodybuilding, figure and fitness.

As we all know, it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and focus to be a bodybuilder; particularly at competition level. Although bodybuilding itself has moved into the main-stream, female bodybuilding is still some way behind in terms of public acceptance and support.

To help change this, the Female Bodybuilders Directory has been set up as a central hub of all things related to the sport. It has listings of the home pages of female bodybuilders, figure and fitness competitors (as well as information on other female muscle related sites) and works hard to promote the sport in an honest and favorable light. The site helps raise awareness of the sport and provides web-traffic and exposure to the individuals themselves.

fbblinks is young and growing faster every day, so if you are a female bodybuilder, figure or fitness competitor, own a site that is directly related to female bodybuilding or you are an aspiring competitor with a web presence, please get in contact with the site and they'll be only too happy to help promote you by listing your own website in the directory.

If you own a blog or participate in bodybuilding forums and are reading this, you can do your own bit to help promote the sport by writing about the Female Bodybuilders Directory and linking back to them - we can all do our part, so get to work: every little bit helps!

Go beyond a competitor...Become your own brand!!

You know how entrepreneurs talk about location, location, and location being the difference maker between having a successful business and a big old failure? Well…that same concept applies to each and every woman in the female muscle industry. But instead of location, location, location, it’s more like promotion, promotion, promotion. You’re probably going, “What in the hell is this dumbass talking about?” I’m talking about selling yourself to the masses (NO…THIS DOES NOT MEAN DOING AN ESCORT SERVICE OR HAVING A ONE NIGHT STAND FOR A FEW BUCKS!). I’m referring to making your own “brand”; setting yourself apart from the typical standard of a particular category. Female bodybuilders flex on and off the stage, fitness competitors have high-energy routines and built physiques, and figure competitors have healthy, athletic looking bodies with well-done make-up and hair. But…what makes certain others “better” that the rest? Not much, except they have perfected the art of promotion. Monica Brant and Timea Majorova are two of the most popular competitors in the world, not just by their physiques alone, but by how they were able to market themselves. Don’t believe me? I’ll point out some of the elite and tell you what they have such big fanbases:

Julie-Shipley Childs has a huge fanbase due to her days competing at the Fitness America Pageant when they were shown on ESPN back in the day (when they actually had more things to watch other then Sportscenter). Yes, female muscle has a regular place on television, but Not only that, but she decided to elevate her game and compete in the NPC, which wasn’t long as she earned her pro card and has become a member of the fitness elite ever since. Another one that have followed the TV competition path is Kim Lyons, who went on to become a top celebrity personality as a trainer on NBC's hit show, The Biggest Loser.

World Wrestling Entertainment was the platform for fitness models/champions Joanie Laurer (Chyna), Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson, and Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria). All four of these ladies have went on to become household names and have been instrumental in showing women that you don’t have to be a size negative 10 to be attractive. Both Chyna and Torrie have among the highest selling Playboy magazines by WWE Divas in history…while the issues that had the cookie-cutter types have been duds compared to the Ninth Wonder of the World and the self-proclaimed Covergirl. Victoria has been regarded as one of the toughest and most respected Divas in the world by many fans. And don’t even get me started on Trish Stratus. Long story short, this is her world, and we’re just living in it.

Jennifer Gates has become arguably one of the top figure competitors today, and her rookie year was nothing short of legendary. But among her first exposures was paysites like FTVideo, HerBiceps, Femflex, and TomNine. That was when I first saw her. Needless to say, she became a major fan favorite and one of IFBB’s top figure pros after that. Paysites are great if you know where to go and who to trust. Ask around in order to find the best ones out there.

Recently, the world of politics got a touch of female muscle as Collete Nelson made a huge splash in 2008 when she campaigned for the McCain campaign, as she portrayed a She-Hulk for McCain, rivaling Obama Girl.

I can tell you other things that others have done to make names for them, some that are very innovative, and some…well, less that ideal, but that would take way too long. Bottom line, you can compete and compete and compete, but to make a name for yourself you must be able to become a brand. Experiment with all the options out there (as well as create and find your own promotional tool) and find out what works best for you, and then…tell the world, “Ready or not, here I come!”

Top Five Female Muscle Community Sites (Just My Opinion)

Issac Hinds wrote an awesome post on his blog Hardbody News (http://www.hardbody.com/news) about why competitor need to use YouTube as a promoting tool for themselves. I encourage you all to read this in your spare time (http://www.hardbody.com/news/2008/11/19/hardbody-marketing-getting-noticed-on-youtube)

I took his advice and made a quick YouTube video highlighting the top five community sites that I personally think are the ones that each female competitor needs to check out at some point in time. I also plugged in my sites as well.

Over the course of the weekend, there have been (as of this posting) over 900 views. Personally, I consider that an accomplishment.