If someone had mentioned the word “CrossFit” a few years ago, most people would’ve been left puzzled. What is CrossFit? Well, for starters, CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes all around the globe.

This specific type of fitness prescription is the performing of functional movements that are constantly varied at high intensity. It is a core strength and conditioning program that is designed to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. Crossfit is a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in stamina, strength, power, speed, coordination, and so many other fitness domains.

Now that we have a better understanding of this “CrossFit,” let’s delve into its relation to content marketing. Currently, this exercise craze, or “cult” as some refer to it, is sweeping the globe. Much like CrossFit, content marketing has proceeded past its “craze” stage and is forming into a discipline that many have accepted will be here for the long haul. However, there are many other similarities that the two very different “globe sweepers” share.

Let’s flex our content muscles and understand that the basics of both CrossFit and content marketing share a common ground. Who would’ve thought?

It’s functional.

In CrossFit, the exercises that you perform are designed to complement the movements you do in your daily life. For example, when you deadlift, you bend over, with a straight back and poised shoulders to pick up the barbell. Every day we pick things up, and sometimes, we pull muscles in our backs due to lifting with the back rather than loading up the hamstrings first.

Content must be functional to help the creator understand what the audience is expecting. Once you discover what it is that your audience needs, you can figure out how your service or product can fit their life.

It’s scalable.

Test before you train is a concept that the CrossFit industry does very well. Every exercise beings with a run through of movement basics to measure if people are comfortable. Too easy? Scale up. Too difficult? Scale down.

It seems as though that there is a misconception that content marketing is all or nothing. This is not the case. If your business can only commit to a monthly newsletter and a few blog posts a month, that’s fine. As you embark farther on your content marketing journey, you will be able to flourish and grow. Once you’re comfortable, you can experiment with various forms of content for different audiences.

It’s constantly varied.

CrossFit can become so engaging because it’s always different. Aside from the benchmark workouts, the programing always involves different movements. You’ll rarely do the same exact workout twice.

In the same way, content marketing must always consist of fresh and engaging content. This will not only keep your audience engaged for longer periods of time, but it will also mimic Google’s ever increasing focus on original content.

It’s all about the community.

The rise of the CrossFit cult finds much of its power in the audience. Most competitors find their fuel within the crowd and people in which they are surrounded by on a daily basis.

Most of content marketing finds success in a very similar way. Knowing where your audience lives, how old they are, and what income bracket they fall in, provides very little insight into their daily lives, their interests, and how your business can provide what they need. Your buyers know exactly why they purchase your product and what need your business fills in their lives. This data will start to shape an image of your ideal audience. Then you can figure out what specific type of content will appeal to them.

It’s ALWAYS measured.

Who doesn’t like a little friendly competition? You will NEVER walk out of a CrossFit box without having your time, weight, or calories documented in order to improve next time. Bragging rights are always nice too.

Though the form of measuring may be up for debate, you should start with what it is exactly you’re measuring. When you discover that, it will lead you to how to measure. The key to measuring content lies in the way in which you interpret your data. Then, take your statistics and findings and translate them into a plan of action.

As it turns out, CrossFit and content marketing have much more in common than you’d think. Now, flex your content muscles and show Google what you’ve got!

About the Author

PCG Digital Marketing is an award winning digital agency headquartered in Eatontown, NJ. We help our clients get found online through innovative search, social and online advertising campaigns.