In this gym marketing guide, you will learn about 8 fun and engaging gym marketing ideas to implement in your marketing strategy. From video marketing to tips on calls-to-action, we have tips on how to attract and retain new members.
Gym Marketing: How do you Attract New Members While Maintaining Current Members Engaged?
This is the number one challenge of any business. What is the secret to attracting prospective customers? The good news is that getting in front of your ideal customer has never been easier.  However, you first need to determine which type of content your customers may be seeking and how they are searching for that content. In order to accomplish that, you start with a goal.
Just like when you are working out, you always need a goal. Are you looking to increase gym members? Develop a brand awareness? Or engage and retain your current customer? Setting goals for your campaign will help you define the scope of the campaign and the target audience.
With that understanding, check out these tips below and think about how they will help you to work toward your marketing goals. Need some ideas for goals? Some of the goals that we typically define with our gym clients include attracting new members, differentiating the gym from competitors (think about what makes your gym culture different), and current member retention.
Here are 8 marketing tips, including video marketing ideas, to help you get started:
1. Video: Workout of The Week
It is the perfect way to engage those customers who are looking for fun workouts. Start this campaign at the beginning of the year, when fitness resolutions are at their highest. Then give your audience a timeline and goals with each video to motivate them to keep watching. If this campaign is set up to attract new members to your gym, then the videos in this series should be hosted by one of your instructors in order to establish his or her credibility with the audience. By interacting with these videos, future customers get a preview of the level of competence of the coaching staff as well as the overall cultural tone of the gym.Â
2. Tips To Improve Fitness
We all had to start somewhere. One of the secrets to retaining members is focusing on education. Share the secret sauce. You gain nothing by keeping your vast fitness knowledge to yourself. The most valuable application of that knowledge is to freely share it with your members in order to ensure they get the most out of each visit.
For instance, create videos that demonstrate proper form for each exercise. Get new members jump started by offering tips and workout programs to keep them motivated.  This campaign will aim to improve your check-ins, and grow your memberships. Â
3. Membership Sale and Specials
Run a promotion for the first 25 people that visit the gym that day. The promotion depends on your monthly membership cost and the special you decide to run. For example, you can run 40% off memberships for the first month, or a particular dollar discount on a membership, classes, or gear (if you sell gear in a house). Evaluate your membership cost and provide a unique offer that will get people in the door. While we understand that cutting into your already tight margins is a difficult decision, the goal of this is to create new members. Once you have them in your system, you can focus on retaining them at full price.
4. Free Technique Workshop Once a Month
Use your website to create a landing page where non-members can sign in with their email to gain access to a free video with one of your instructors teaching a particular exercise. While you at first at seems you are giving away free instruction, you have the visitors’ contact information (especially email) to continue to nurture the relationship over time. It will provide you with a nice segmented list of customers who are interested in learning more.
These customers have entered the buyer’s journey within your sales funnel. They are in the “Awareness Stage.” You need to provide them with the answers to the questions that first brought them to your site. From there, you provide content that moves the buyer through each of the stages to the “Decision Stage” where they become a customer.
First, they have to feel like they fit in to your community. Second, they need to understand the type of workouts your members perform. Finally, they need to know what makes your gym different. Â This effort might seem like a lot of work for the gym, but it makes the difference between customers that are generally interested in fitness and wanting to sign up on the spot (by continuing these efforts you create advocates that send endless referrals your way). If they do not sign up right away, do not worry. You simply need to continue nurturing the relationship and stay consistent (without harassing or being annoying).
5. Offer a free class for new check-ins via Yelp or Facebook
According to Time.com, Americans check their mobile phones around 46 times per day, so why not take advantage of that and provide a free pass to new check-ins on Facebook and Yelp.  Promoting this offer on Facebook via an ad that targets mobile users will work to drive them down the sales funnel, ideally converting to become a member. Most people feel motivated and excited to workout at the end of a fitness class, and will be ready to take action right then. Moreover, you are able to get all of the referral traffic from that user’s network as her check-in will show to all of her friends and family.
6. Free guest passes for a Google or Yelp Review
Google reviews look good when people are searching for a gym, and they also help your business rank higher in local SEO!  Even further, it influences the customer’s decision to join. If you are short on Google or Yelp reviews, encourage your members to leave you reviews by providing them with a free 5-day guest pass for a friend.  This campaign will attract new business to your gym by giving new customers a taste of the culture and expertise of your staff.
7. Feature a Gym member
Featuring a member who works hard to reach their goals will inspire the rest of your members to maintain their efforts and work toward their goals.  A monthly or weekly member feature will serve as a motivation to keep guests checking into the gym. This campaign can also be featured on the website, and all social media profiles. Members will be encouraged, and happy to be part of a community that motivates them to do better.
Gym marketing strategies are not only about attracting new members but retaining current members as well. Customer retention is less expensive than acquiring new members, and more profitable over time.
8. FAQ and Unique Content Via Live Video Or Blog Post
Answer frequently asked questions on your website or through live streaming on your social media channels. Not only will these posts help with current members by reinforcing your expertise and educational culture, but it will also create a resource for your members to turn to for information. You can also create short videos answering these questions and post them on channels like Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram. This is especially ideal for gyms that have a lot of technical workouts and machines where precise movements are essential to complete the workout.
FAQs are not the only questions to answer. You can also do research on keywords and most searched questions online, and answer them via a blog posts and video to attract more traffic to your website.  Members and non-members will have a resource of information that will help them take full advantage of the gym. This type of content also helps your website to rank for more keywords. Providing consistent, valuable content that is SEO-optimized will get more people to your site and in your doors.
Bonus Tips For Gym Marketing
- Do not forget to include a call-to-action at the end of these videos and blog posts to capture information and use it to build an email list. This email list can be used to send valuable content via email and transform non-members to members.
- An important to remember not try to sell, rather provide value, in order to help your audience reach their goals.  This approach will set you apart from your competition who do nothing but promote.