Are you looking for gym marketing ideas to grow your fitness club? Gym marketing is a key part of success within any fitness business. Attracting new customers and setting yourself apart can be difficult. With an effective gym marketing strategy, you can focus on building a strong brand and identify new opportunities to bring in and engage potential customers! Learn these 15 gym marketing strategies to pump up your revenue!
- Add a Google My Business Listing
- Create Branded Merchandise
- Run Social Media Campaigns
- Host Fitness Seminars
- Attend Local Community Events
- Build a Referral Program
- Send out Email Newsletters
- Run Holiday Promotions
- Start a Fitness Blog
- Get Member Testimonials and Reviews
- Start Fitness Challenges
- Share Member Spotlight Stories
- Create Influencer Partnerships
- Post your Workout of the Day (WOD)
- Partner with Local Businesses
Why is Gym Marketing Important?
The basis of gym marketing is getting the right message to the right people at the right time. When you connect these three elements, you’re on the pathway to success. As more and more people normalize attending the gym regularly, it’s crucial to stay on top of strategies to market your fitness business effectively. With a fresh gym marketing approach, you can:
- Stay ahead of the competition
Gyms are no longer just about exercise – they have transformed into wellness destinations with a great sense of community! New creative gym marketing strategies can distinguish your brand and set you apart in a crowded market. In an industry where there are some false narratives, being real and sticking to it will take you far!
- Appeal to a new generation of customers
Many people prefer a full fitness experience, especially Millennial and Gen-Z customers. Modern gym marketing tactics can highlight your unique offerings and capture the attention of certain demographics.
- Leverage technology and social
From wearable technology to fitness social media accounts, technology and social media have revolutionized the fitness industry! So why not take full advantage of this? Embracing these tools and platforms can expand your audience reach, increase engagement, and boost your gym’s online visibility! Be consistent with social media and aim for that viral moment that could attract new excited members!
1. Google My Business Listing Marketing Strategy
Google My Business is the first thing your fitness facility must set up! It is the “ultimate” gym marketing tool!
Google My Business is a free tool from Google that helps you manage how your business appears in Google search. Once you’ve claimed your profile, you’ll be able to send review requests, respond to reviews and update your business information like address and hours of operation.
Through your Google My Business profile, you can engage with customers by responding to reviews, answering questions, and enabling direct messaging. You can even use the platform to publish posts, much like you would on traditional social media platforms. On the account dashboard, you can provide hours of operation, a link to your website, products and pricing, and more! Gain key insights on your audience and local search performance. In the analytics tab, you can see the queries customers are using to find your profile, a breakdown of actions taken on your listing, and how your photos are performing compared to other fitness businesses.
2. Branded Merchandise Marketing Idea
Branded merchandise makes your members happy and is one of the cheapest gym marketing strategies. When people walk around wearing your brand name and logo, they are actually advertising your gym without even knowing!
Selling merchandise also adds another revenue stream to your business. You don’t need a huge amount of investment or space to create a product store in your facility or online. Start small and go from there. Make your brand known and market your items in a way that is hard to resist!
When you sell unique fitness merchandise, it helps in converting your first-time customers into loyal ones. It does more than just add to the bottom line at your gym. It inspires and motivates your members to look good and feel good! Good gym merch increases confidence and wearing branded apparel makes them feel like they’re “part of the club” with their fellow gym-goers.
The options are endless. You can sell t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, hats, water bottles, and beyond! Start selling and marketing your gym in no time.
3. Social Media Marketing Campaign
At the heart of any successful fitness brand lies a compelling story. Whether it’s the journey of a member achieving their personal best, a trainer sharing expert advice, or the transformative atmosphere of a group class, these gym marketing tactics have the power to motivate, inspire, and engage! Social media marketing goes far beyond just posting captivating content. It involves a strategic approach that aligns with the brand’s identity, audience preferences, and business objectives. Social media marketing for gyms is a dynamic, ongoing process that requires creativity, flexibility, and a focus on evolving trends!
A great and effective way to stay organized and grab the attention of current and potential members, is to run social media campaigns. Whether it is a three-day, one week, or one-month long campaign, the sky’s the limit! Here is an example of a week-long campaign to get your followers interested:
- Day 1: Motivational Monday: Start the week off with an inspirational quote to motivate your followers.
- Day 2: Trainer Tip Tuesday: Share a valuable training tip from either yourself or one of your trainers. Offering advice helps establish your gym as a trusted resource in the fitness community.
- Day 3: Wellness Wednesday: Health goes far beyond working out. Share wellness tips focusing on aspects like hydration, sleep, and mental health. This will likely appear to a wider audience beyond just fitness enthusiasts.
- Day 4: Throwback Thursday: Post a throwback photo highlighting your gym’s history or a member’s transformation.
- Day 5: Fitness Fact Friday: Share an interesting fitness fact or debunk a common myth. Educational content can establish your authority and engage followers.
- Day 6: Success Story Saturday: Feature a client success story to inspire your audience! Real-life transformations can motivate others and strengthen your gym’s community.
- Day 7: Sunday Stretch: Post a yoga session or stretching routine for your followers. Stretching is just as important as the workout, and this content promotes recovery and flexibility.
4. Fitness Seminars Marketing Idea
A fitness seminar is an event that provides information and inspiration on health and fitness topics. Seminars could provide an enormous boost to your fitness business and attract the attention of potential members! When it comes to gym marketing, you want to find key ways to benefit your current and potential members. Fitness seminars are the perfect way to do so!
Depending on your business profile, you may want to focus on a variety of subjects for your seminars. Whether these educational seminars are about muscle and weight gain, losing weight, recovery and stretching, or healthy dieting, it’s completely up to you! Well organized and prepared seminars can become a great start for building community around your facility. Below are a few things to consider when planning a fitness seminar:
- Develop a gym marketing strategy: People need to know that the seminar is happening. Be sure to inform your community and those outside that might be interested in attending. Word of mouth, emails, and social media posts are a few of the successful methods you may use. Don’t forget to be creative!
- Develop a gym marketing strategy: People need to know that the seminar is happening. Be sure to inform your community and those outside that might be interested in attending. Word of mouth, emails, and social media posts are a few of the successful methods you may use. Don’t forget to be creative!
- Set a realistic timeline: Your budget and your marketing strategy should be tied to a timeframe. When a time and date is set, begin advertising no less than a month in advance.
5. Local Fitness Community Events
Gym marketing goes far beyond its existing members. If you’re not engaging with your community, you are missing out on a major opportunity! One of the great things about the fitness business is you are offering a service that everybody needs. Therefore, everyone in the community is a potential member.
Hosting a local event can get many people coming through the front door. Whether you’re hosting the event indoors or outdoors, the more members of the public that get involved, the more members your gym will end up with! Show off your fitness facility by setting up a powerlifting event, fitness trainer workshop, 5K, or a martial arts competition. This will not only give you an opportunity bring in new foot traffic, but this also rewards your current members for their hard work and loyalty. Hosting a fitness event allows both members and nonmembers the opportunity to highlight their skill sets, compete in a fun environment, and network with fellow athletes!
Community events offer more than just a workout; they bring something new that members can’t usually get. With the potential to boost sales and engagement, events are a no-brainer gym marketing idea!
6. Gym Referral Programs
A gym referral program is a digital rewards program that incentivizes your current facility members to refer their friends and colleagues to join your gym. Referral marketing is one of the most effective gym marketing strategies for fitness businesses, as data shows that referred clients have almost a 40% higher retention rate than non-referred clients.
With a gym referral program, you offer rewards or incentives to your members for each successful referral they bring in, such as discounts, free classes, merchandise, or other perks! This motivates your current members to act as advocates for your business and help you acquire new members through word-of-mouth gym marketing. Beyond word-of-mouth, here are 3 effective ways to implement your referral program:
- Email campaigns and SMS messaging: Leverage the power of gym marketing automation to set up communication channels. Create a strategy that targets existing members explaining what your small business referral campaign is and highlight the amazing benefits!
- Advertising and signage: Strategically place posters and other signage in your gym and around the community in high-traffic areas.
- Social media: Use social media platforms to spread the word! Members can like, comment, and share posts about the program to help raise awareness and increase referral numbers.
7. Fitness Newsletters
Your fitness business strives to empower each member to lead a healthy and fulfilling lifecycle. This can be accomplished not only through encouragement in the gym, but also through the content you provide in targeted email campaigns. Creating a fitness newsletter for your business can keep members engaged and attract new clients.
Not sending out newsletters means you might be missing out on an extra pile of cash for your fitness business. When done right, fitness newsletters have the power to nurture leads into paying customers, upsell your current members, and re-engage lapsed members.
An email newsletter also helps you build a brand personality and familiarity, making you instantly noticeable in a crowded inbox! By creating and sending regular newsletters, you’re building a relationship that other brands aren’t.
6 topics to include in your email newsletter:
- Class schedule
- Special events
- New products/updates
- Fitness and nutrition tips
- Success stories
- Staff member profiles
8. Holiday Promotions
Promotion is a great gym marketing technique to reach more prospective clients. The more you promote your fitness business, the more your brand will grow and the more distinguished you will be from your rivals. So, why not take full advantage of this during the holiday season?
The holidays are a great time to think about the gift-givers in the crowd! Offering a holiday discount is a great gym marketing strategy because it will get people thinking about your fitness business as the perfect gift. Offer a limited time holiday membership price, “bring a friend” promo, or half off merchandise throughout the season!
In addition, a holiday promotion could entice people who are off work enjoying some free time, to come in and check out your gym. Along with gift-giving, consider a group personal training discount throughout the holidays. Use the holiday season to your advantage! When members and potential clients see your holiday promotion offers, they won’t want to miss out!
9. Fitness Blog
As a fitness expert, you have a lot of knowledge to share. Fitness blogging provides a simple way to share your knowledge and connect with a wider audience.
Gyms need to make themselves known and heard to attract new members. Blogging is one of the best ways to introduce your fitness business to new members, reinforce your relationship with existing members, and share anything and everything that relates to your gym. For years, blogging has been an effective marketing tool, and it is only growing!
So, how might you use a blog to grow your fitness business? There are many ways, but the overall goal is to convert readers into customers. In today’s digital landscape, businesses need to leverage every tool available to attract customers, reinforce relationships with existing customers, and stay competitive! A well-maintained blog offers many benefits and new gym marketing opportunities. Start your first blog today and elevate your fitness business in no time!
Don’t know what to write about? Below are 10 fitness blog ideas that you can use for your gym. Keep in mind that your goal is to not only educate the reader, but to convince them to take action!
- 10 workouts for beginners
- The best workout plan for women
- 5 exercise routines that can be completed at home
- 10 healthy recipes to lose weight
- 5 nutritional tips to stay fit all year
- 10 exercises to strengthen your core
- 15 muscle building workouts
- Best fat burning workouts
- 5 bicep workouts for men
- Good workouts to lose belly fat
10. Member Testimonials and Reviews
One of the most cost-effective marketing tactics to increase credibility and brand awareness for your gym is to get reviews from your members. Asking for a client testimonial is a great way to highlight their positive experiences. A client testimonial is an endorsement of your product or service from a satisfied customer. Ultimately, client testimonials provide feedback on the positive aspects of your gym. Members love to share their great gym experience, and you’ll love showing off what others have to say about your fitness business! It’s truly a win-win. Make sure to share them on Google and your social media platforms!
Positive gym reviews have a direct impact on the number of new members, brand reputation, and your revenue. So how do you get a successful review system started at your gym? Here are 6 easy ways to ask for gym reviews:
- In-person
- Gym posters
- Website
- Emails
- Text messages
- Gym software
11. Fitness Challenges
What better way to attract and motivate potential members than by challenging them with some healthy competition? Fitness challenges give your members a new goal that is achievable, has a clear timeline, and a plan to follow. Challenges can also bring your members together. With a healthy sense of competition, your members will feel a deeper connection to their unique gym community!
Fitness challenges add new energy to your gym’s environment, turning it into a hub of enthusiasm and commitment. Whether it’s a weight loss challenge, a strength-building competition, or a group fitness marathon, fitness challenges are an effective gym marketing idea!
When creating a fitness challenge, you should consider the fitness levels and abilities of your members. You want to create a challenge that is fun and challenging for everyone. If you need to add beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels to your challenges you can do that as well. Get everyone involved including members, staff, and friends! Everyone will be pumped to get involved and this could lead to many new members.
12. Member Spotlight Series
Share member success stories and highlight certain members! Pick a member to highlight each month and include the spotlight in your newsletter, on your social media, and even throughout your gym! Success stories are a gym marketing tactic that provides a more in-depth exploration of a client’s journey, focusing on their personal challenges, progress, and outcomes. They provide members and potential customers with powerful insight into the client’s experience, showing emotions and building trust. They illustrate to readers what is possible and encourage them to embark on their own fitness journey… using your very own facility and services!
Not only do member spotlight stories help in acquiring new clients, but they also create a solid brand image. With quality member success stories, you will be able to showcase your unique brand, services, and why your gym is the ultimate choice.
13. Influencer Partnerships
Influencer gym marketing has become a major force in the digital marketing landscape! The rise of fitness influencer marketing in digital marketing involves collaborations between brands and fitness influencers who have built credibility on social media platforms. These influencers create engaging content such as workout videos and product reviews, featuring your brand’s products or service! By leveraging the trust and authority of influencers, you can effectively reach and engage a targeted audience.
Fitness influencers attract followers from a wide range of age groups, genders, and fitness levels. That means that gyms can find influencers who align with their target audience and create gym marketing content that resonates with them.
When researching and selecting fitness influencers to partner with, it’s essential to consider a few key factors. Firstly, their values and messaging should align with those of your gym. It’s vital to choose influencers who genuinely believe in the mission of your gym and can authentically promote its offerings. Additionally, consider the size and engagement of their following. While it’s tempting to aim for influencers with millions of followers, sometimes micro-influencers (those with smaller but highly engaged following) can have a more significant impact.
14. Workout of the Day (WOD)
People love trying new workouts! Every day, share a unique workout to your social media, email list, and even the walls of your gym. This is the perfect way to share new fun workouts and motivate people to get a quick workout in! Because a workout of the day (WOD) can vary from one location to the next, there could be thousands of different WODs going on at gyms or other fitness facilities. Although WOD’s are known for being quite intense, make sure to include some easier workouts. No matter if members are just starting their fitness journey or have been working out for years, you want to grab the attention of as many clients as possible!
Members will look forward to completing your daily workouts and will likely want to share them with others! This is an impactful gym marketing idea that is exciting, engaging, and effective! Below are a few WOD examples:
- Body weight WODs
- Burpee WODs
- Countdown WODs
- Jump rope and dumbbell WODs
- Squat sets WODs
15. Partner with Local Businesses
When it comes to growing your business, it’s easy to focus on in-house gym marketing strategies like referrals, promotions, and social media. But the importance of creating real relationships and partnerships shouldn’t be overlooked! Networking and cultivating genuine relationships can set you apart. In various ways, a gym partnership can increase your members, improve retention, and generate revenue. Plus, you will likely get some fun perks and discounts along the way!
Introduce your fitness business to your local community leaders by partnering with other small local businesses. By doing so, you can gain a better understanding of your business community and connect with other savvy business owners.
This is a great way to market your business and collaborate with other business leaders on new ideas. It is a perfect opportunity to make mutually beneficial partnerships with others in the health and fitness industry. Below are five types of gym partnerships to consider:
- Sports recovery
- Meal delivery services
- Smoothie chains
- Local restaurants
- Yoga studios
Download our Free Website Traffic Guide for Gyms!
Learn how to increase website traffic for your gym! Our free website guide includes tips and strategies on how to properly optimize your website to increase traffic and ultimately gain more members.
Our free guide includes:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips
- How to use social media to increase website traffic
- Types of social media marketing campaigns
- How to create a fitness blog
- Email marketing strategies
10 Explosive Bicep Exercises
Are you looking for the best bicep exercises when training at your gym? If you’re like most fitness junkies, you probably love the feeling of
Become the 5 Star King of Gym Reviews and Success Stories
In the fitness world, your credibility is king! Would you trust an inexperienced or unqualified personal trainer to make daily health recommendations? Or a gym
Local SEO | 7 Tips to Increase your Gym SEO
Are you looking for a way to drive new online traffic to your gym’s website? Tired of being outranked in the google search results? Rhinofit
