As a gym owner, you see firsthand how vain people are. Constantly checking themselves out in the mirror, monitoring every little ripple of their musculatures… Any recreational athlete must admit to some of these silly little exercises in self-absorption. So when the weather starts heating up and people’s attention turns to the fact that they’ll soon be lying half-naked by the pool or ocean side, you have a unique opportunity to prey on, er, we mean take advantage of this unavoidable truth about human nature: people care what they look like, and they want desperately to be attractive. Additionally, people want to be fit and healthy for intrinsic reasons. If you want to win new customers to your gym, there are several ways you can exploit these wishes to gain customers from two different target audiences: Gym virgins and gym rats. Here’s how
• Design at Least Two Different Gym Marketing Campaigns
The things that appeal to the gym newbie are not going to be exactly the same things that will win the gym rats over to your facility. So in planning your print and web marketing campaigns, it can be helpful to separate your efforts into two distinct directions.
• For the Gym Virgin: Give a Welcoming, Judgment-Free Impression
Since you live in the fitness “world,” you may be a little out of touch with what would convince a person who has never yet set foot inside a gym to begin at your gym today. One of the main barriers people talk about when they give reasons why they DON’T join a gym is that they feel uncomfortable, awkward, and inexperienced next to the sculpted, sweaty, grunting gym rats they think will be populating your facility.
You can turn this around by making sure your marketing materials (brochures, flyers, E.D.D.M. postcards emphasize that your gym is a safe and welcoming place for people of all fitness levels. You may even want to showcase a “before” and “after” picture of a willing client who came into your gym in less than stellar form. Use welcoming language, and make it plain that your gym caters to first-timers. “We Welcome First-Time Gym Members,” or “We Offer Complete and Friendly Guidance for All Machines,” or “Free Personal Training Session for All Fitness Levels” are examples of good language to use. If you offer beginner-level classes, that is another fact you’ll want to highlight on your flyers.
Some successful gyms have taken this further, instituting and advertising strict “no meathead” policies (e.g., no dropping barbells, no grunting, etc.) so that inexperienced athletes will feel more at home. Whether you want to take your new member-friendliness to this level is of course up to you.
• For the Gym Rat: Make it Worth Their While
The only way to win gym rats over to your gym from other gyms is to show how your gym is better for their fitness and their wallets than the gym they’re currently at.
To convert these members, you can print flyers that detail your membership rates and fees, assuming that they are lower than competing gyms in your neighborhood. Give them a special incentive on the flyer, like no membership fee, or a free month if they join with a friend. If your gym is closer to a major residential area than a competing gym, that is another selling point that might win you clients from the competition. Use language like, “Why Waste Time Getting to and from the Gym? Sign up and Work Out in Your Back Yard.”
As you know, some gym rats thrive on classes. Design one flyer that offers a free class to people considering coming over to your gym and hand it out in a busy part of town or send it out via E.D.D.M. Boast about your packed and various class schedule. Or dangle your steam room and sauna in front of their faces.
Many gym-goers are very loyal people, but with the right offer and the right design, an ad can make all the difference. Complement your print advertisements with online marketing initiatives, and you’ll soon see a stream of new customers sweating it out on your gym floor.
About Jenny DixonJennifer has been apart of the EliteFlyers.com team for over 15 years. She brings a deep understanding of web marketing, thoughtful strategies, that she's able to design, manage, print, deliver multi-media campaigns to meet all client's goals. Her personal portfolio includes high-end design and printing of business cards, flyers, post cards for elite businesses and individuals from all over the world.
