The digital age we live in provides such a wealth of options for keeping your business connected, and there are many options for marketing your gym that utilise these digital opportunities.
One of your largest target audiences spends a lot of time on digital platforms that are just as accessible to you as they are to them; using social media to reach out to potential new members with offers and promotions will yield results. But despite your audience being so easy to reach, knowing what to present to them is another ball game. So how and what are you going to pitch to them, to pique their interest?
What you market to new members will not be the same as what you market to current members, and likewise, different categories of gym user are looking to achieve different goals, so your marketing has to suit them.
To help you get some ideas for your gym, we have complied below 10 digital fitness marketing ideas…
1 ‘New Year’s Fitness Resolution’ Facebook Promotion
Fitness and wellbeing are hot topics this year, and the 1st of January will have brought about a vast number of New Year’s resolutions to get in shape in time for summer. With motivation at its highest at the beginning of the year, now is the time to attract new members to get into ‘summer shape’. Promote a gym program that offers weight loss and body toning starting in the new year and finishing at the beginning of summer. This special program can offer membership for a 6-month reduced rate, and access to a selection of feature classes designed for the purpose. Once these new members are enjoying their workouts and results they will continue with membership after the end of the program.
2 Gym Anniversary Specials
Maximise on the opportunity for a bit of extra publicity and interest and offer an anniversary promotion on your gym’s ‘birthday’. This could be something like a special price for a class, program or membership for the first 20 non-members that sign up. What you offer will depend largely on what type of gym you have; evaluate your memberships and offer something you think will appeal to the type of people you are trying to get through the door.
3 Corporate Challenges
If your gym offers corporate membership or programs you could run an organisational challenge, encouraging local business to compete against each other to achieve something as a team.
The competition has to be something that suits your gym and the type of businesses that would be competing and will need to be clear cut and time restricted. But the stakes don’t have to be high, it’s just for fun! Perhaps a trophy and some free products will do the trick. You could a run a month long competition at the same time every year, and have a winners board in reception that gets updated with the results. This will encourage the winners to come back each year to defend their title, and the others to have another crack at the top spot.
4 Weight Loss Challenge
Weight loss is always going to be a key reason people visit the gym. Whether they are current, new or potential members, a weight loss challenge is going to be a marketing campaign that will attract attention. How and what you offer specifically is up to you, you can open the challenge to members and non-members for a fee, with a discounted rate for members. This will attract new membership as well as include your current clientele.
5 Free Training Day
Encourage non-members to register for a newsletter or similar, by offering a freebie when they do. Registration can be done via your website or using Twitter or Facebook. You can offer a free one to one session or a number of free trials of a class, and now you have their details you can provide them with more information of other classes and programs to tempt them to return after they have claimed their freebie.
6 Member of the Month
Run a feature every month, using your website and social media accounts, on a member of your gym. Select someone that is showing exceptions achievement with their goals and applaud their efforts digitally. It’s not just about finding new leads, but taking care of the clients you have, so make current members feel special. The fact that their progress is being noticed will not only make them happy but encourage them to continue to support your gym.
7 Blog Posts
Blogging is a great way to keep people interested and following your business, but it is also a good way of answering those frequently asked questions. You could also create short videos that answer FAQs and post them on YouTube. This would be great where technical workouts are better demonstrated than explained! Technical content is not just helpful to your existing members, but all help your website in the search engine rankings.
8 Check-Ins and Tags
For a limited time, use a social media platform to promote a reward, like a free week pass, to anyone that uses ‘checks-in’ of the Facebook app or @ your gym on Instagram or twitter. Promote your offer through your social media page. Try and find a way to obtain their details so you can continue to market to them after their free week.
9 Reviews
In a similar theme, offer a freebie for a google review. In this instance the reward will have to be a bit more substantial, perhaps a free month of membership, but not only do the reviews help promote your gym to internet searchers, it will help your business rankings in local search engine optimisation. The more reviews you have, the higher your website will show in google results. The free month can be an offered for current members to claim for themselves, or you could restrict it; perhaps it’s an offer for the current member to give away to a friend, resulting in new traffic through your doors.
10 Meal Planning
We all know that loosing weight and getting in shape is down to a blend of exercise and healthy eating. You know your clientele are getting access to the first, but how are they getting on with the latter? Nutrition is a constant battle in today’s society, people are working long hours and fast food is too easy! A lot of people also just don’t know what to avoid and what to stock up on, so give them a helping hand with some meal plans that they can get their heads around. This may not be strictly marketing for your gym but providing extra content to your website or newsletter that gives people what they want to see will keep your currently members happy with your service and draw in new clients. Make sure if you provide information like this to non-members that there is some exchange – have them sign up to receive it so you have their details to continue marketing your gym to them.