In this article, you will learn how to attract new and old clients
Since gyms, pilates, and yoga studios’ owners are trying everything to save their business from the pandemic aftermath, we gathered the best tips to help you achieve it. Now that some fitness centres are reopening, while others are closing again, there seems to be a never-ending loop of closing and reopening businesses. Inevitably, we must face a challenge: bringing back old clients and attracting new ones.
As people are becoming more concerned about their health, the coronavirus pandemic has made digital marketing strategies extremely crucial to complement excellent face-to-face service.
A lead is a potential customer, and today, people have too many options to choose from. So, how can you get their attention? You should not only be focused on attracting new customers, but also on establishing lasting and good quality relationships so they can stick around in the long term. To build customer loyalty, we first need to understand what do gym clients want during and after the pandemic?
Reinvent Your Business Model
Needless to say, the fitness industry has changed a lot since the coronavirus virus crisis began, and so have gym customers too. According to a recent survey, 46.67% of gyms around the world will not open ever again. Although it’s sad, for you that is great news if you’re planning to stick around as it means less competition.
On the flip side, 52% of women and 46% of men have decided to not return to the gym. Home workouts have gained massive popularity over the last few months. It’s less intimidating and cheaper. A way to mitigate this issue is to cater to online coaching and classes for our ex gym members to stick around and teach them how to train from home. As well as developing equipment renting business for those who miss the weights and the gym equipment. You can rent dumbbells, elastic bands, kettlebells, barbells, and plates.
27% of people who did not perform any type of physical activity previous to the pandemic say they would now join a gym. Due to the lockdowns people have gained weight and want to get back into shape. This is something you should emphasize on and inform your followers about the benefits of physical activity. Finding new gym members means marketing. And luckily, having a hybrid style of home and gym membership will help jumpstart your new online marketing strategy after closing.
Content is king, make sure to create valuable content in your social media and webpage. This is the best way to attract interest and organic reach, so more people know about the existence of your gym and how it operates! Show them how much you and your staff know and what measures you are taking to keep clients safe.
A blog has the potential to attract clients who are interested in your content. For example, a gym based in Northern Quarter, Manchester could write blog posts about the protocols that gyms in that area are applying. You could also make a blog post about how to get back on track with your fitness routine in the Northern Quarter area after the lockdown, healthy recipes, etc. That way you’re adding important keywords and search terms that will get eyeballs on your gym.
On the other hand, make sure your web page is optimized, with relevant keywords, search terms and good content. Surely you may have wondered why when you search something on Google some results appear on the first page, while others don’t. This is due to the positioning of your website. The better the content and the more optimized your site is, the higher you’ll be able to rank your page. And the higher you rank it, the higher the chances are for interested leads to find your gym!
Ultimately, improving your social media presence and staying active on Instagram, Facebook and even Tiktok will be a great strategy! And, in the end, you can always run ads for your specific location, so you can attract nearby customers who will show up to your door!
Email marketing is a great strategy to extend promos, benefits and special offers, to attract both new customers and old ones! Just don’t be spammy: do not send more than 2 emails per month and make sure to save your juiciest offers for your email marketing campaign. Additionally, email communication can be very effective during this time, as you can also announce new classes, offer free guides and ebooks, offer personal trainers’ services remotely, etc. The sky's the limit!
Find fitness micro-influencers in your area to promote your gym in exchange for money, a free month at your gym or a discount! Influencers are a great way to attract new and even loyal customers. You could even invite a fitness influencer to your gym to give an online masterclass or live workout and motivate your current clients while becoming visible to their followers.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Let this be the chance to make your fitness centre stand out from the rest! And the last advice we have to offer is to always show your existing customers how much you care about them and their wellbeing. So, we have created a playlist you can play at your gym that will make you stand out. Want more tips to keep growing your gym and attracting new and old customers? Make sure to read our latest blog post here.
It is clear that a better workout experience leads to higher retention. Hospitality is a great example. The hospitality industry is all about experiences that keep retention high. They think about all the aspects of the customers’ journey, including the smell of the shampoo and the music in the lobby. Have you thought about your music as well? It's quite important.
Marketing is most of the time focused outside the gym, and most of the budget is spent on member acquisition. And I totally understand why, you need to hit the new members' KPIs. But acquisition is just the beginning of the funnel, not the end, and some of the budget should be spent on engagement and retention.
It’s almost January and your gym will be flooded with new members again. You’ll probably experience a flow of different groups with different characters, your music should change to fit the group(s) currently in your gym.
