The fitness industry marketing is expected to reach $19.4 Billion by 2027. So, as a gym owner you understand the importance of staying competitive in a growing sector. And even if your gym is superb, it can be a challenge to keep a steady flow of customers coming in.
What’s the best way to stand out and attract new customers? Tactics that have been proven to produce results. Employing a marketing strategy that communicates the value of your gym helps draw in new clients, increase revenue and boost your bottom line. Sounds simple, but it takes a lot of work and planning. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
In this guide, we go over practical gym promotion ideas that will help you get more clients. We include some tried and true strategies, along with a few you probably never thought of. By the end of this article, you’ll be a gym marketing pro.
Without further ado…here are 15 ways to promote your gym and gain more clients.
1. Attract New Customers With a Free Gym Pass
People love free stuff—free samples, free t-shirts, free trials. So why not draw in potential customers with a complimentary 7-day membership teaser?
The purpose of a free sample is to let prospective clients test out your services and then decide whether they like to continue. Some people aren’t ready to commit to a new gym, so giving them a free trial will help break the ice.
During the free membership teaser, ensure you wow them with an impeccable experience. This means providing amazing customer service, fun classes, and a professional and clean environment.
Some people may abuse free trials by signing up more than once instead of paying for a membership.
So to prevent this, be sure to collect names, phone numbers, and email addresses with a CRM tool. Gleantap easily tracks past members and customers who have signed up for a complimentary gym pass.
2. Host a 6-Week Challenge
Fitness and challenges go hand-in-hand, so making challenges a part of your marketing strategy makes sense. For example, a six-week challenge is a fitness program that encourages people to transform themselves and meet their goals in six weeks.
Challenges benefit you and your potential clients. First, it draws in people who may have a fitness goal and are looking for a gym to help them achieve it. And a fitness challenge works for you because you can market it as a limited-time offer, boosting foot traffic.
The six weeks give members time to see a transformation in their bodies. When members see results from your gym, this encourages them to become regular customers and sign up for additional classes and services.
A fitness challenge works any time, but January and summer are the best times to introduce it. During these seasons, people are looking for ways to improve their physical appearance, so they’ll be more willing to join your fitness program.
Source: Noobgains
3. Offer Free Training Services
One thing that frustrates prospective gym members is not knowing what to do. An IHRSA survey found that about 50 percent of people avoid gyms because they feel out of place.
You can eliminate this intimidation by offering free one-on-one training services. This also breaks the ice and lets new members get acclimated to your gym. It also gives them fitness confidence, which increases their chances of being a repeat member. And if they have a great experience, they might even refer a friend.
4.Host a Giveaway
Giveaways and contests are an effective way to draw in customers. People like to compete for a chance to win free things.
Don’t know where to start? Here are some fun contest ideas:
Transformation Photo Contest
Weight loss transformation stories are inspirational and encourage people to push towards their fitness goals. In addition, you can host a weight loss transformation photo contest and ask people to enter for a chance to win prizes.
This contest is usually 60 to 90 days, so participants have enough time to document their results.
Gym Merchandise Giveaway
A quick giveaway is another way to engage potential customers. You opt to give away your merchandise or partner with another brand like GymShark or Adidas. And you aren’t limited to t-shirts and water bottles. Health products and supplements are also a great alternative to branded items.
5. Promote Friend/Partner Discount
Encourage current members to bring in a friend or partner with a special discount. For example, you can offer a referral program that gives customers a discount if they invite a guest. This is a genius way to increase your gym memberships.
Source: Pubmed
6. Host Community Events
Build relationships with your community by hosting events. The great thing about this idea is that fitness ties in with community events because it incorporates fun, family, and health.
You can start by offering free (healthy) food. For instance, you can partner with food trucks in your area and have people in your community to sample some goods. Health screenings, fitness boot camps, obstacle courses, and competitions are fantastic ideas that increase awareness of your brand.
7. Offer New and Trendy Classes
Incorporating specialty classes allows you to tap into various niches and audiences.
Not all gym members want to do the usual weights and treadmill. So look for ways to attract people who want fitness experiences that appeal to their interests. For instance, you can add classes like Zumba, yoga, kickboxing, gymnastics, and pole dancing.
Don’t forget to keep your eye out for new fitness crazes. Offering trendy classes encourages fitness enthusiasts to flock to your gym.
You can even take it a step further by promoting a 2-for-1 offer for your specialized classes to increase signups.
8. Provide Free Nutritional Planning Services
Offering nutritional and meal planning services establishes a unique selling value. It draws in people who want to make a total health transformation. An obstacle people face when approaching fitness is improper nutrition. And providing customers with tailored meal prepping will help them stick to their weight loss or fitness goals.
You can attract new customers by combining nutrition services with personal training. Or you can provide tailored meal prepping as a signup bonus. For instance, new members will receive free nutrition services.
Source: Jadon
9. Use Fitness Influencers
By now, you’ve probably heard of influencers. Many fitness brands and businesses are leveraging the influencer’s power— for a good reason. 89 percent of marketers say that ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to other tactics.
With influencer marketing, you pay them to post content about your gym, introducing your business to the influencers’ large social media following.
But before you go sending messages to fitness influencers, there are a few best practices to follow:
Do Your Research
Looks are deceiving on social media, and some accounts pose as fake influencers. Don’t get catfished by the phonies. Free audit tools help you spot accounts that use faux followers and likes.
You also want to do research on real influencers. Partnering with the wrong person with a less-than-stellar background can cause damage to your brand.
Set a Budget
Once you’ve found your perfect influencer match, you will need to decide how you’ll pay them for working out at your gym.
Some influencers may accept free membership and merch, and others may charge per post. Of course, the more followers the influencers have, the higher their post fee—so keep that in mind when calculating your budget.
10. Leverage Instagram Hashtags
Don’t underestimate the power of hashtags. They’re a valuable social media tool that helps your audience find your content. Using the right hashtags can increase your reach and boost awareness for your gym.
The key is to research hashtags in your niche with a low density or hashtags with less than 500,000 posts. This means that you’ll have less competition, and your posts have a higher chance of reaching your audience.
11. Take Advantage of Google Business
People are always searching for new gyms in their area. And when they perform a Google search, they get a list of gyms listed with Google Business.
If you don’t have a Google Business account, you could be missing out on gaining new members. It also allows users to find everything they need to know about your gym.
The great thing about Google Business is that it’s easy to create an account (plus, it’s free).
12. Use Customer Testimonial Videos
People look up information and reviews about a business before investing. In fact, 93 percent of consumers read online customers’ reviews before they purchase a new item.
Video testimonials serve as social proof that your gym produces real results. Therefore, adding videos to your website and social media pages will help drive memberships. Also, videos show that your brand values its customers and their personal fitness journey, attracting people to your gym.
13. Collaborate With a Health Brand
Is there another fitness brand in your area? Reach out to them for a cross-promotion opportunity.
For example, you can partner with a health food company and offer free snack samples at your gym. And in return, the health food brand can promote your gym on their website and social media pages, introducing your gym to their customers. This method is a nifty way to boost your brand awareness.
14. Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing tactics. Don’t believe us? Research shows that email can generate $42 for every $1 spent—which equals a 4,200 percent ROI. But how can you leverage email marketing to attract new customers to your gym?
Email campaigns are a sequence of text marketing messages that provide relevant information to build relationships with your audience.
For instance, you can automate an email to target people who’ve visited your website but haven’t signed up for a membership.
15. Start a Fitness Blog
Think blogs are irrelevant? Data says otherwise. According to research, 60 percent of internet users read blogs daily. So, it’s wise to make blogging a part of your customer acquisition strategy.
A blog on your website could attract new customers looking for fitness tips. And blogging establishes your brand as an authority in your industry, which adds to your credibility. In addition, publishing blogs is a great way to rank high on Google search results.
Simplify Your Customer Acquisition With Gleantap
Gym marketing is more than showing off strong people with killer abs, it’s about making a connection with your core audience. It’s also about delivering relevant messages to your audience at the right time.
Regardless of the size of your business, the main component you should focus on is building relationships with your target customer. Things like hosting community events, running giveaways, and sending timely marketing emails all help foster a bond with your ideal client.
The strategies we’ve gone over today will help accelerate your customer acquisition and boost customer satisfaction—which eventually improves profits.
Of course, your gym marketing ideas is nothing without the proper tools. Gleantap centralized customer data and helps streamline your marketing efforts—including email and SMS marketing. Contact us today to schedule a free demo.
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