During the COVID-19 pandemic, the fitness industry was dealt with quite a heavy blow that nearly halved its total pre-pandemic market worth. However, we are fortunately leaving these days behind and the factors that once worked to the detriment of the fitness sector are now turning the tide in its favor.
Namely, the Millennials were already a generation obsessed with fitness and personal health. The global pandemic only gave them one more reason to invest more effort in their personal wellbeing and now that the gyms are opening again they are hurtling back.
So, the circumstances for starting a fitness business are more favorable than they were in years. Let us take a look then at a couple of marketing tips and strategies that will help you ride this tide and reach as many people as possible.
Engage in email marketing
People have time and again declared email extinct as a mainstream form of communication. And granted, the other faster and more streamlined communication channels did push this platform slightly into the background. However, email still represents the main pillar of corporate and more formal correspondence and represents a very fertile soil for any kind of publications and announcements. You also get a chance to reach out to a great number of prospective clients in just one template. As long as you use clever and attention-grabbing subjects you will be able to lure in quite a few people.
Use the power of SEO
Search engine optimization is one of the most critical digital marketing channels in existence – keeping in mind that as many as 93% of online experiences start with some of the search engines it is easy to see why. But, you get one additional perk here. The people interested in fitness were always very savvy researchers in constant pursuit of new workout techniques, nutrition programs, and other subjects that could help them reach their goals faster. Putting out quality content will tremendously boost your SEO efforts as well as make your brand authority in the industry and tap into a completely new audience.
Start a YouTube channel
This move follows the same general idea we described in the previous section – you need to offer an influx of quality content to allow people who show a general interest in fitness an opportunity to get to know your brand and hopefully join your ranks. This time, though, you will be able to focus on the more specific topics that are hard to tackle in the written form. For instance, you can do reviews of the latest gym equipment like quality CrossFit grips or break down the various workout techniques to the novices. Earning YouTube fame also opens up a new source of revenue which is something not to be neglected.
Develop a thorough social media strategy
These days, the average person spends 147 minutes a day or one-third of waking hours browsing social media. This gigantic role the social media platforms play in our lives gives you an excellent and already established public forum where you can freely reach out to new prospective clients. Also, unlike other channels we have covered above, this one allows you to engage in open, two-way communication, engage people with various calls-to-action and challenges and allow them to participate in building the brand image with their unique user-created content. These things are a genuine branding goldmine.
Nail down customer service and customer experience
Word of mouth was and always will be one of the most reliable marketing tools the brands could ever possibly hope to tap into. To put it simply, recent surveys say that 93% of people trust recommendations from their friends and family and they are ready to follow them through. These numbers can’t be made by any kind of purchase or direct investment. But they do come off as a result of tireless effort to make your members feel cared for and accommodated. So, be sure to do everything you can to give each client due attention, quickly respond to complaints, and make every moment in the gym memorable.
Perform a couple of guerilla stunts
Last but not least, we would like to quickly mention guerilla marketing – an excellent way to make a very strong impression and get tons of online buzz without breaking a bank. Also, it should be pointed out that fitness and guerilla marketing make an incredibly fortunate marriage so you can simply perform a couple of public workout sessions, invite people on the street the participate in various challenges to earn a gym membership or throw some kind of fitness-based treasure hunt around the city. If crafted carefully and publicized on social media these moves can produce a great response from the general public.
So, these were the top five marketing strategies that should help you put your gym on the radar and use the renewed interest in fitness we have been witnessing in previous months. Of course, you should look at these suggestions only as the framework you will use to put out your unique approaches and try out new things. But, they should put you in the right direction and from that point on, every step you make is a step forward.