Best Ideas To Market Your Gym And Retain Members

As technology makes our life easier, we realize it also restricts our movements, which eventually causes severe health issues. To tackle this issue, people have started prioritizing workouts and going to the gym. Over recent years, gyms have gained immense popularity. One of the reasons is because our lifestyle witnessed a healthy transformation in the form of exercise.

Need For Gym Marketing

As more and more people realize the potential of the market, the competition is growing. So what can you do to ensure your gym outlasts your competitors and attracts followers? One valid path is through proper healthcare marketing. It will assist you in reaching more audiences and pulling in new members if you can do it right. In the era of social media, marketing will allow you to promote your business and attract the ideal audience for your business.

It is as Gregory Ciotti said, “Marketing is the enthusiasm transferred to the customer.” This article will cover some of the tried and tested ideas you can use to promote your gym.

6 Ideas To Market Your Gym 

Without further ado, let’s get started with the journey to boost your business:

1. Show Them The Trailer Of Your Movie

The idea of allowing your potential customers to enjoy the facilities of your Gym for limited days without any fee. This will show them a glimpse of what they can have. This idea is as ancient and effective as one thought can be.

It allows them to understand what they achieve and gives them a reason to trust, especially if they are newcomers who have never joined gyms before.

The ideal time can be anywhere between 3 days to a week, depending on your preference. This period will help these potential customers experience your services, the facilities, and your gym’s environment. If things seem positive, it can compel them to choose your service and hence boost your business.

However, some people try to abuse the free gym passes by signing up for multiple gyms to use the facilities for free. Ensure that your staff keeps the records of who enrolled for the trial period to avoid any repeat offenders.

2. Challenge Your Customers

Challenge your customers by introducing fitness programs. You are already aware that fitness is a continuous process, and it takes a little time before one can notice a particular change in their bodies.

The ideal period for a fitness challenge can be around 42 days or six weeks to 50 days. This gives your members enough time to notice the transformation and for you to capture some loyal members.

Moreover, marketing such as fitness programs on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will increase your gym’s footfall. It will also allow customers who are hesitant for long-term commitments like three months or six months of subscriptions to try out a much flexible plan.

The duration is short enough to show them an effective change in their body and long enough to develop trust in your brand. These fitness programs have shown to increase word-of-mouth marketing, which is known as the best and most reliable form of marketing.

The most important thing behind a successful fitness program is the timing. Therefore it is crucial to understand when to introduce it. January has the maximum number of gym sign-ups. Yes, the magic of New Year’s resolutions! So that is a great time to introduce such plans which can yield maximum benefits.

3. Personal Training Sessions 

Based on research by IHRSA, it was found that around 20% of people who want to but don’t join a gym because they are afraid of being judged and might feel out of place. When you consider this for the first-timers, it is natural for them to feel uncomfortable in such a new environment. Most of the time, they are clueless, and this gets frustrating.

Therefore, you need to break the ice, guide, and motivate them. This can be done best through one on one personal training sessions. It will give them a whole idea of how to go about things and will make them mix up with the environment.

The first two weeks or one month when new customers join is the most effective time to conduct one on one training sessions. This will give them confidence and time to get familiarized with your gym and the environment. Once they start enjoying the training, you will also see considerable growth in their performance.

4. Host Contests And Giveaways 

According to Easy Promo, more than 32% of the companies arrange a giveaway at least once a month. Moreover, 28% of the brands organise numerous contests throughout the year.

These contests will infuse a feeling of healthy competition, which will push your members to improve their skills. Some ideas for your contests –

• Transformation Photos – The most effective way to attract customers is to put up transformation photos for your members. It’s a win-win state for all the people involved. It will boost the confidence of the member whose picture you’re posting and make them feel appreciated. It will give the potential audience assurance that if someone else can, they can too try. Ultimately, it will promote your brand without you directly saying it.

• Product Giveaways – As effective as transformation is, it also takes time. Therefore, while your member grills hard to work on their body, why not use it to organise gym product giveaways. It can be as necessary as gloves, dumbbells, or other essentials. You can also collaborate with a fitness brand for the giveaway.

5. Social Media Ads 

The classic never fades away. Social media remains the most popular form of promotion. Instagram is already considered the best marketing tool, along with Facebook and YouTube. You can use all of them based on their advantages.

You can create tutorials and promo video for your Youtube channel. Continuous work and popularity on the video-sharing platform will allow you to earn revenues as well as gain the audience. You can also create workshops and courses where you can teach about fitness online. Due to the pandemic, the online sector has observed a massive hike. So, now might be an excellent time to build your online customer base.

Through Instagram and Facebook, you can show the stories of your members and staff. You can upload testimonial videos and how they feel about your brand. These videos can help the viewers to connect with your brand and hence boost your business.

6. Communication 

Your members are your most significant support and most essential critiques. Therefore have a policy of having customer feedback every two weeks or a month. This will allow you to understand your user base. It will also empower you to enhance your facilities and eventually grow your members.

When your customers are aware that you’re listening to their queries and continuously working on the feedback, they will themselves promote your brand without even realizing it. That’s what brand loyalty and word of mouth means.

Conclusion

These were our six ideas that can help you market your gym and enhance your customer base. Always remember, it is essential to have a good company culture. What your customers see in your gym is how they will tell their friends, so make sure it is on a positive note. As mentioned earlier, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most reliable forms of marketing.

Marketing is a continuous process, like fitness. It will take time to build, and it will demand continuous work from you. But isn’t that how fitness works too. So, keep working and stop not until your goal is reached!