Generating new leads is vital for independent gym owners. Without a steady influx of potential memberships, there is no way to grow as a business.
New leads mean new clients to impress and that can in even more traffic through word of mouth advertising and social media shares.
There is no doubt that the smart gym owner understands the importance of lead generation and brand development, but what online methods can you use to achieve this?
Make Them an Offer They Can’t Refuse
The offer what gets potential clients and mebers through the front door, so you can blow them away with your service. Offers that are relevant to the fitness industry could include the following:
- Trial memberships
- A week free access to personal training or gym classes
- An hour with a personal trainer during your first visit
- A heath and fitness consultation
- A free body scan and analysis
- Buy one month, get one free
These are offers that catch the eye of potential clients and make them want not only to get fit but to do it at your gym.
Making a smart offer is a marketing strategy proven to work. One small boxing studio that we worked with in Dublin pulled in 136 leads in just one month with a special offer. you can online resources like Facebook ads and social media promotions to get you’re offer in front of the right people.
Make Special Occasions Extra Special
Throw out extra offers to celebrate a special day like the gym anniversary or holidays. What better way to generate new members and celebrate at the same time than by offering a buy one, get one free pass. Consider some of the more promising paid offers, according to Evolution Nutrition:
- 20 percent off a lifetime membership
- 20 percent off for the first three months
- Six weeks to get fit challenge
Once you decide which offer to use, get the news out online to reach the most people. Facebook ads have the potential to reach a targeted group, so the right people are seeing the offer, too.
Start a Member Referral Program
Word of mouth is always going to be your best marketing asset, so put it to use. The trick to a successful membership referral program is ease of use. If you make it too complicated, your members will just ignore it. Allow current members to sign up via social media and the website then offer them a reason to bring friends to workout at the gym like a free month for the active member if their guest signs up. It’s a win-win strategy for everyone involved. You can sweeten the deal by offering the guest a discount plan, as well, like 20 percent off the first three months or no sign-up fee.
Target Potential Leads with Retargeting Ads
In marketing, retargeting refers to a type of online advertising that keeps your gym name in the forefront for people that go to the website but leave without signing up. It’s cookie-based technology that follows a visitor around the web reminding them that your gym is worth another look. One study found that 30 percent of people who use the Internet have a positive reaction to retargeting ads when they see them.
Retargeting ads allow you to effortlessly reach out to those potential leads more often and that has an impact. Eighty percent of conversions take place on the fifth contact.
Create a Blog Designed to Answer Member Questions
A big part of brand success is establishing yourself as an authority. That will draw traffic to the gym’s website and provide you with potential leads. A little Q & A via a blog improves the business’s Internet presence and increases SEO for better page rankings in local searches.
You can take blogging to the next step by doing videos that shows training techniques, provides nutritional and fitness information or simply answers questions. Fifty-one percent of marketing professionals state video offers the best return on their investment.
Take Advantage of Automation
Leads are only helpful if you can convert them. You can’t convert them, though, if they slip through the cracks because you are busy running your gym. That’s where automation gives you an advantage.
As soon as you get a response from an offer or someone visits the gym using a guest pass, it’s important to reach out and welcome them. That is the first step in an automated email drip campaign.
After a week goes by, a second email can ask them if they enjoyed their session or if they have scheduled their gym tour yet. You can add bonus offers to entice them to come back to the gym like a free session with a personal trainer if they respond within two days.
How does automation work? Customer relationship management (CRM) software allows you to set up automation programs that will do the work for you, so you can focus on other things.
Connect With the Community
Getting your brand name out into the community targets locals who are more likely to sign up. Tailor local events to give more people access to the gym like marathon training seminars or weight loss meetup groups and promote them with online ads, emails and posts. Sponsor regular events, as well, especially in the neighborhood. Maybe there is a yearly 5k run during the summer or a fitness festival. Even think outside the box by setting up tables at farmer’s markets for nutrition counseling and to offer supplements along with a free pass for a week of gym workouts if they sign up to your social media page.
All businesses rely heavily on marketing to survive. The right online marketing techniques will draw more people in and provide you with hundreds of leads.