If you’ve finally invested in your life-long dream of opening your studio, the next and most difficult step of the process is to promote and get people to come to your gym. Sure, you’ll get advanced athletes, beginners, or transitioning athletes coming in and out of your gym every day, but to really boost the numbers up can be quite a task.
Fortunately for trainers, affiliates are growing at a rapid speed worldwide and more people are transitioning to training programs every day.
However, this does involve a ton more competition. So, how can you make your functional studio a real eye-catcher? Here are some fool-proof methods and strategies that can make your gym the number one priority out of all others.
Creating your merchandise
Before you invest in any machines that companies swear by, starting little is more feasible. Manufacturing your merchandise is a very cheap and efficient way to advertise that your gym is open for business. Offering your current members at least one piece of free merch will increase your gym’s visibility by significant numbers. Members are usually loyal to their gym and often sport the merchandise multiple times a week. This could lead to friends, or even strangers, asking your current members about your box if they see your logo on their shirt.
Is your gym suitable for athletes or beginners? Or both?
Clarifying your gym’s identity is also very important. It should be clear whether you cater to more advanced athletes, to beginners, or both. Whatever it is, catering to each group should be divided based on how much attention each group requires. For example, beginners need more attention than advanced athletes. So, putting clear guidelines for one group or the other, or both, is a great way to show members you’re organised.
Advertising your gym through social media
Another great way to spread the word and promote your gym is, of course, social media. A well-managed Instagram account can make a load of difference in terms of aesthetics and visibility. Encourage your members to share, tweet and post their accomplishments. Remaining active and posting about your gym will make it relevant in people’s lives. Tagging your current members, with their permission, in posts etc. also causes your gym’s posts to appear in other people’s newsfeeds.
Building your gym’s profile on different social media platforms helps it cater to different age groups as well. Young adolescents prefer Instagram, while late adults are into Twitter and Facebook. Investing in Twitter Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads has proven to be worth it.
But you can also build a community with software. For example, having your own app where members can book classes, have class reminders, automated payments en a online community.
Wondering what else this software can do for your gym? Check it out now!
Also, any latest modern business has a website, so your gym should too. The website should be efficient and easy to use, solving any concerns or issues any members might have. It’s also a great place for people to leave reviews and good reviews have a huge impact on reputation. The better the gym’s reputation, the more people it will attract.
Creating exciting new incentives
New and original incentives are the way to kick-start the progress of your gym. Offering your members exciting new offers and programs keeps things fresh and also attracts other people by word of mouth. For example, introducing trial months for newbies has proven to work in many different businesses. These people get the taste of what it’s like to come to the gym every day, reap its benefits, and not pay a single dime.
Ultimately, after they get used to the daily routine, they’re bound to sign up. Similarly, introducing a “bring a friend to the gym” week or offering discounts on their memberships and coupons for members who have reached their goals can be a fun way to recruit new members and motivate the current ones to work harder.
Investing in the appearance and location of your gym
The appearance and location of your gym matter far more than you know. Your programs may be good, your trainers may be excellent and the membership may be worth it, but if the gym appears shabby or difficult to locate, many people would rather opt for another one. So, making sure that the gym is in a well-known and populated place is important.
The outward and inward appearance should be up-to-date with all the latest equipment and machines. Hiring an interior designer for your gym might pay off. While it has its gritty roots, your walls are your blank canvas to say something inspiring to your members. It could be a graffiti wall, your logo or an inspirational phrase. This creates motivation and inspiration among members and it’ll be a great place for photo opportunities to track progress.
Tracking progress leads to posting on social media where the member’s audience also have an opportunity to look at the gym and consider starting their own transformation journey as well.
Trying out these helpful tips and strategies is definitely worth a shot. But, it’s always important to remember that building a strong, bonded community will take time and trial and error. Some things might work out and other things won’t so it is vital that you view this journey positively and as a challenge.
