In the fitness industry, successful marketing is all about selling an outcome rather than the product or service itself. How well you communicate the outcome or transformation your target clients will achieve after engaging with your fitness service determines the success of your marketing efforts.
You need to position your fitness brand strategically and craft your marketing message slightly differently than other personal trainers to gain a competitive advantage and flourish. There are several marketing strategies to help you with this.
In this article, we discuss the top seven marketing strategies that work well for fitness businesses and show you how to capitalize on each strategy to sign more customers and run a successful business.
What Is Fitness Marketing?
Fitness marketing refers to all the techniques fitness business owners use to promote and sell their services. It’s essential to your success in the fitness industry, which is becoming more competitive as the digital fitness world experiences a consistent growth rate of 33.10% annually according to Gitnux's Market Data Report.
When done correctly, fitness marketing allows you to differentiate yourself from competitors and stand out. In doing so, you get to:
- Build brand identity
- Increase brand awareness
- Attract new customers
- Keep existing customers
- Increase revenue
7 Types Of Marketing To Use In The Fitness Industry
Several marketing strategies can contribute to your fitness business growth, but their ROI differs. Some fitness marketing strategies offer higher returns than others.
As a fitness brand owner, you want to focus on the marketing techniques that will give you the highest ROI and, at the same time, set you up for ongoing success. Some of these include:
As a fitness brand owner, you want to focus on the marketing techniques that will give you the highest ROI and, at the same time, set you up for ongoing success. Some of these include:
1. Content Marketing
Content marketing helps you connect and build lasting relationships with your target customers. It’s a powerful fitness marketing strategy for enhancing brand loyalty. You share your brand’s story and provide helpful information to help your target customers along their fitness journey.
In the process, you earn your target audience’s loyalty and create a community of loyal customers likely to recommend your services to their friends and family.
For your content marketing strategy to work, you must understand your target audience and create engaging content with compelling offers around their needs and wants. There are several types of content you can use to market your gym or fitness studio and services.
In the process, you earn your target audience’s loyalty and create a community of loyal customers likely to recommend your services to their friends and family.
For your content marketing strategy to work, you must understand your target audience and create engaging content with compelling offers around their needs and wants. There are several types of content you can use to market your gym or fitness studio and services.
Blog Posts
Creating attention-grabbing and valuable fitness articles on various health and lifestyle topics keeps your target customers glued to your fitness website. The longer they stay on your website, the more likely they'll become new customers.
Valuable blog posts also keep existing customers engaged. They can share their concerns, opinions, experiences, and feedback on your services through the comment section. This allows you to nurture your relationship with them as you respond to their concerns. The feedback you get can also help you customize your fitness services to meet their needs.
Video Content
Video marketing is a powerful fitness marketing strategy because it allows people to see the results they can achieve if they choose your services. This is especially true if you create engaging social proof video content showcasing the transformation existing or previous customers have gone through.
Other types of video content that can help you get through to your potential customers include - sales videos, where you discuss your products’ benefits, and videos offering helpful workout tips to help build your authority online.
2. Social Media Marketing
Successful fitness studios and wellness centers leverage social media platforms to generate leads and build a massive following around their fitness businesses. You can do the same. Social media marketing is an effective marketing strategy for building brand awareness and positioning your gym or fitness club as the go-to for matters concerning health and fitness.
The key to succeeding in your social media marketing efforts is conducting market research. There are several social media platforms. You want to identify the spaces your potential clients are in and the language they use in these spaces to create the right strategy to reach them.
Your research should also focus on identifying your unique selling proposition (USP). Why should your potential clients follow your gym or health club in a space where there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other similar fitness brands?
To find an answer that will help you define your USP and create an effective marketing strategy, assess how other brands communicate their brand values. What are the top fitness centers on different social media platforms doing (or not) to demonstrate their brand identity and values?
3. Influencer Marketing
As a gym marketing strategy, influencer marketing works well if you can find partners who are the right fit for your fitness business. You want to work with influencers whose values align with yours.
Say you advocate for plant-based living. It would be best if the influencers you work with to enhance your digital marketing efforts support the same so their marketing messages remain aligned with your values. Otherwise, you risk losing the trust of your clients.
The best approach to successful influencer marketing in the fitness industry is working with micro-influencers with a relatively small but committed following in your local area. You’ll get more new clients from such a partnership than working with top-tier influencers with a large following.
Say you advocate for plant-based living. It would be best if the influencers you work with to enhance your digital marketing efforts support the same so their marketing messages remain aligned with your values. Otherwise, you risk losing the trust of your clients.
The best approach to successful influencer marketing in the fitness industry is working with micro-influencers with a relatively small but committed following in your local area. You’ll get more new clients from such a partnership than working with top-tier influencers with a large following.
4. Email Marketing
Email marketing lets you connect with your potential customers directly. It’s an effective fitness marketing strategy, more so for personal trainers. You can create compelling offers tailored to specific customers or customer segment’s needs.
Consider using email marketing software to create customer segments and automate sending targeted offers. It will streamline and simplify your email marketing activities.
Consider using email marketing software to create customer segments and automate sending targeted offers. It will streamline and simplify your email marketing activities.
Such software also makes it easy to implement upselling and cross-selling techniques to sell more services and make more money. For example, you can send customers who’ve bought a 1-month home routine a discounted offer on a customized 1-month meal plan to go with their purchase and make more sales.
5. Referral Programs
Creating a gym referral program in a highly competitive market like the fitness industry will ensure you have a constant stream of new clients. They help you promote word-of-mouth marketing as your clients encourage their family, friends, and colleagues to try your services.
If the incentives or rewards you offer to the referrers and potential customers are irresistible, the ROI of this type of fitness marketing is often high. Ensure you market your referral program through various online and offline marketing channels so your clients know the program exists.
If the incentives or rewards you offer to the referrers and potential customers are irresistible, the ROI of this type of fitness marketing is often high. Ensure you market your referral program through various online and offline marketing channels so your clients know the program exists.
6. Event And Community-Based Marketing
Sponsoring local events helps you stand out from other local businesses. Community members notice your brand and get curious to check out your fitness club. You can build your authority as the best health and fitness brand in your locality this way. This is also true if you host community events, especially health workshops, where you educate the masses on various fitness topics.
7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is about positioning your website to rank high on search engines. If you have a user-friendly website, this form of digital marketing is more or less compulsory to increase your website traffic.
You’ll have to perform keyword research to identify the terms your potential customers type when looking for gyms or fitness clubs online. Then include these keywords strategically on your site’s content so search engines, like Google, can rank you highly.
We’ve discussed this at length in our other guides on SEO for personal trainers and SEO tricks. You may want to check them out to learn more. You may also want to know about local SEO for increasing your gym’s walk-in traffic.
Final Thoughts
Setting yourself up for success as a fitness business owner requires a solid marketing plan. The best marketing plan should combine different types of digital marketing and offline marketing techniques.
Consider your marketing objectives and general business goals when creating your marketing plan. In the long run, all your marketing campaigns and activities should help you achieve your overall business goals.
Also, ensure your marketing materials reflect your brand’s values. If you believe in the cause, embrace diversity and inclusivity in your offline and digital marketing campaigns. It will enhance your online customer experience and customer loyalty as clients become part of a greater mission.
Consider your marketing objectives and general business goals when creating your marketing plan. In the long run, all your marketing campaigns and activities should help you achieve your overall business goals.
Also, ensure your marketing materials reflect your brand’s values. If you believe in the cause, embrace diversity and inclusivity in your offline and digital marketing campaigns. It will enhance your online customer experience and customer loyalty as clients become part of a greater mission.
