Fitness Marketing: How to Attract and Retain Loyal Gym Members
The fitness industry is more competitive than ever before. With boutique studios on every corner and digital fitness apps letting people work out from home, traditional gyms must improve their marketing game to attract and retain members.
Simply offering equipment and classes is no longer enough. Gyms need to get strategic with their messaging and branding to stand out. They must make potential members feel something when they see their ads or walk through their doors.
This article will explore top fitness marketing strategies to win over new gym goers and keep them returning.
Table of Contents
It's Not About the Sweat, It's About the Feels
The most critical mindset shift is recognising that you’re not selling treadmills or Zumba classes. You’re selling an experience and identity. You want people to feel like your gym is essential to their self-image.
For example, CrossFit exploded in popularity because it gave people more than just a workout. It gave them a sense of community and elite athletic identity. Members felt part of a tribe by using the gym’s unique terminology (WODs, AMDAP, etc.) and pushing their bodies to the limit together.
So before designing any marketing campaigns, get crystal clear on the emotions and identity your gym creates. Here are some examples:
- Community: A welcoming, tight-knit environment where members make friends
- Self-Improvement: A judgement-free space for people to better themselves
- Affordability: A cost-effective way for everyone to get healthy
- Eliteness: An intense training ground for serious athletes
- Innovation: Cutting-edge equipment and classes you can’t find anywhere else
Now, determine your gym's core emotional selling point and infuse this feeling into every part of your messaging and visual branding.
Craft a Magnetic Brand Identity
With your ideal emotional connection defined, craft a brand identity that draws people in.
Your logo, colour scheme, fonts, images, and voice must all work together to project the vibe you want members to feel.
For example, if you want an edgy, urban feel, you may use graffiti-style fonts, brick walls, and black and grey colours. You may use playful logos, bright colours, and lots of smiley people for a family-friendly community vibe.
Make sure your brand identity is cohesive across your:
- Website
- Social media
- Print/digital ads
- Email newsletters
- Signage and displays in your facility
- Staff uniforms
- Equipment and facility decor
Every touchpoint with your gym must hit people with a singular, magnetic vibe. This builds brand recognition and loyalty.
- Miller, Donald (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 208 Pages – 03/02/2021 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins Leadership (Publisher)
Showcase the Transformation
One of the most potent ways to market a gym is by showing actual members who have transformed their bodies and lives through your facility.
Before-and-after photos, testimonials, and transformation stories inspire potential members by showing concrete results they can expect. And it builds trust by highlighting real people instead of models. This strategy is effective for personal trainer marketing, especially if trainers run their own business.
Ways to showcase transformations:
- Before-and-after photos: Take member photos in the same outfits/poses at the beginning and after a few months of working out. Only do this with their consent.
- Testimonial videos: Film members discuss how the gym has impacted their health and fitness goals.
- Transformation features: Write blog posts and social media spotlights on specific members who have lost weight, get stronger, run faster, etc.
- Case studies: Track detailed stats like weight loss, body fat reduction, strength gains, etc., for members over their journey. Turn these into polished marketing collateral.
- Reviews: Prompt happy members to leave detailed reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook, highlighting their transformation. Respond to/thank members for leaving reviews.
The more you can put real faces and personal stories to the transformation promise, the more new customers will believe in your gym’s ability to change their bodies and lives.
Promote a Sense of Exclusivity
Humans inherently value things that feel exclusive, prestigious, and hard to obtain. So position your gym as an elite space to which only some get access.
Some ways to build exclusivity:
- Limited class sizes: Don’t overpack classes. Keep them small enough that members feel unique to get in.
- Membership caps: Consider capping total members so current members know the gym won’t get crowded.
- Premium pricing: Avoid discounting. Keep pricing slightly above competitors to seem high-end.
- Secret menus: Offer speciality services, equipment, or classes only to VIP members.
- Waitlists: If the gym hits capacity, start a waitlist so people feel excited to get let in finally.
- Strict standards: Enforce rules and etiquette standards to maintain a professional vibe.
- Elite-focused branding: Use imagery/language that makes members feel like serious athletes.
Exclusivity builds demand. Don’t be afraid to turn some people away to make your gym feel coveted and unique for those who do join.
- Hardcover Book
- Godin, Seth (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 288 Pages – 11/13/2018 (Publication Date) – Portfolio (Publisher)
Lead With Value, Not Price
The biggest mistake gyms make is slashing prices to attract members in the short term. But this creates an unsustainable spiral of constant discounting that kills profits over time.
Instead, make value your North Star, not price. Some ways to do this:
- Avoid price-led advertising: Don’t plaster prices everywhere. Focus ads on transformation results, community, etc.
- Justify premium pricing: Educate how specialised equipment and small group training justify higher (but fair) rates.
- Highlight member outcomes: Show how higher prices drive better results like 1-on-1 coaching attention.
- Bundle services: Provide packages with built-in value like meal plans, speciality classes, or fitness assessments.
- Offer financing: Allow members to finance their membership over time to make the total price more affordable.
- Drive referrals: Encourage happy members to refer friends to sign up. These new members already perceive the value.
- Limit discounts: Avoid Groupon-type discounts that anchor value to long-term lower price points.
Make members feel they get 3X the value for 2X the price relative to low-cost gyms. The higher lifetime value will outweigh short-term discount chasers.
Invest in Retention Marketing
It costs five times more to attract a new member than to keep an existing one. Yet most gyms focus nearly all their marketing dollars on recent customer acquisition.
This is a huge mistake. You should invest significantly in retention marketing to current members, such as:
- Onboarding: Check in frequently with new members in their first 90 days to answer questions and build habits.
- Win-back offers: If someone cancels, incentivise them to return with a special offer.
- Loyalty programs: Provide discounts or free services after 12- or 24-month membership milestones.
- Appreciation events: Host special member events like cookouts, parties, contests, etc.
- Surprise perks: Randomly surprise loyal members with free personal training sessions, gear, or month-long freezes.
- Milestone celebration: Congratulate and feature members who hit milestones like weight loss goals.
- Social media groups: Create Facebook/WhatsApp groups for members to connect and motivate each other.
- Mobile app: Have an app that makes it easy to book classes, track progress, contact staff, etc., anytime.
- Feedback surveys: Ask members for feedback on their experience and implement suggestions.
- Cancellation surveys: If someone does cancel, survey them on why and how you can improve.
Retention marketing creates brand evangelists who refer others. Calculate your gym's lifetime customer value and invest accordingly.
Cultivate Referral Networks
Speaking of referrals, they should be a cornerstone of your marketing strategy.
Referred members have higher lifetime value. They already trust your gym before even walking in the door because of the social proof of friends and family.
So, put referral marketing systems in place:
- Referral codes: Give members codes to share that give discounts to friends who sign up.
- Member stories: Have happy members share their transformation stories on social media to drive referrals organically.
- Partner programs: Form referral partnerships with local businesses, doctors, schools, etc., in exchange for discounts.
- Hashtag campaign: Create a hashtag for members to show pride in your gym on social media.
- Bring-a-friend days: Allow members to bring friends as free guests to experience the gym.
- Internal referrals: Train staff to actively refer existing members to specialised services, classes, etc., to meet their goals.
- Reviews: Train staff to proactively ask happy members to leave online reviews to build social proof. Reply to all reviews.
- Alum network: Keep alum members engaged through occasional check-ins and referrals to friends/family. Their old memories create new sign-ups.
A referral marketing mentality should run through everything you do. Make it easy for members to share and be your best spokespeople.
Infuse Your Mission Into Marketing
The most potent marketing draws people who align with your vision and mission, not just those who want to lose weight.
So, infuse a sense of purpose into your messaging beyond fitness or profits.
For example, CrossFit adopts an intense, gritty vibe aligned with pushing human limits. Yoga studios embrace holistic wellness and spiritual balance. UFC Gyms prize intensity and toughness.
Some ways to bake in purpose:
- Highlight a cause: Support a related cause financially/physically and promote this partnership.
- Organise charity events: Hold fundraisers or donation drives for causes your members care about.
- Hire carefully: Select staff who model your culture so members feel the mission.
- Tell founder stories: Share your origin story and what drives your passion for the work.
- Create rituals: Have opening/closing rituals, workshops, etc., that cement your ethos.
- Give back: Offer free classes or services to underprivileged groups aligned to your purpose.
- Weave into messaging: Include your mission throughout all marketing copy and staff training.
When members feel connected to a purpose beyond themselves, this drives longer-term retention and advocacy.
- Dib, Allan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 232 Pages – 05/05/2018 (Publication Date) – Page Two (Publisher)
Launch a Gym-Specific App
Consumers expect services to offer robust mobile apps in today's digital era. This includes gyms.
A customised branded app can provide convenience and build loyalty. Ideal features include:
- Class booking/tracking: Book classes and track which one's members have done.
- Progress updates: Share photos, stats, milestones, and transformation progress.
- Notifications: Send invites, announcements, specials, and reminders.
- Workout guides: Provide training programs and video instruction members can access anywhere.
- Order accessories: Enable online purchases of workout gear from your pro shop.
- Quizzes/education: Deliver fitness education and assessments to support goals.
- In-app support: Provide direct access to staff to request help or resolve issues.
- Gamification: Allow special rewards, status levels, and recognition for app usage milestones.
- Integration with wearables: Sync with devices to track workouts, heart rate, etc., automatically.
The app becomes the ultimate retention and loyalty tool when designed specifically around your offerings, culture, and community.
Specialise Services and Messaging
Most gyms take a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. However, customising your messaging and services to different niches and demographics can boost conversions.
Some strategies to specialise:
- Tailor by gender: Feature mostly women in marketing to female prospects and highlight strength for men.
- Personalise age brackets: Address priorities like rehabilitation for seniors and childcare for parents.
- Target families: Offer family packages and emphasise a family-friendly vibe in visuals.
- Spotlight speciality programs: Like youth athletics, pre/post-natal, corporate wellness, etc.
- Highlight different goals: Messaging around building strength vs. losing weight vs. rehabilitation.
- Feel their pain points: Address how you can solve frustrations like intimidation, injuries, or complexity for beginners.
- Leverage identities: Connect marketing to identities like former college athletes who miss the competition.
- Use their terminology: Include niche terms, like “WODs” for CrossFitters, instead of just “classes.”
- Feature people like them: Highlight member testimonials and imagery of people from each target niche.
Get inside the hearts and minds of different targets. Speak in their language and solve their unique problems.
Conclusion
The fitness marketing game has changed. Simply touting equipment and amenities alone won't cut it anymore.
Gyms must craft an irresistible brand identity and experience that members want to participate in. They need to make working out about more than just burning calories – it needs to improve how people feel about themselves and their lives.
The gyms winning today know how to attract members through emotion rather than logic, retention over acquisition, community instead of commodification, and transformation instead of transactions.
Use the strategies in this guide to think differently about your marketing. If you make potential members feel something when they engage with your brand, you’ll earn their loyalty for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some excellent fitness marketing strategies?
Some top fitness marketing strategies include showcasing member transformations, cultivating referrals, using niche-specific messaging, building a community vibe, launching a custom app, and crafting a solid emotional brand identity that makes members feel a certain way.
How much should gyms spend on marketing?
Industry benchmarks suggest gyms should dedicate around 10% of revenue specifically to sales and marketing activities. They should allocate 60-70% to retention marketing to current members and 30-40% to acquisition marketing to get new members.
How can gyms do more retention marketing?
Smart gyms invest heavily in retention marketing to current members through strategies like onboarding programs, loyalty programs, member events, appreciation perks, milestone celebrations, feedback surveys, mobile apps, referral networks, and consistent check-ins.
Should gyms offer discounts and deals?
Most fitness experts advise against discounting, as it anchors the perceived value to lower price points over time. Instead, gyms should justify their premium pricing through messaging about results, community, and the overall experience that members gain.
How vital are gym reviews?
Online reviews are critical for gyms to build social proof and trust with potential members. Gyms should proactively ask happy members to leave detailed reviews on various sites and consistently respond to positive and negative reviews. This level of care leads to higher conversions.
Last update on 2024-05-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
