For fitness venue managers it is not always easy finding time to market and publicise their gym. However, this is as important or more so than actually running the place.

In an increasingly competitive market, you have to show the public what makes your service stand out from the rest and why they should join your community.

Is advertising your gym worthwhile?

Have you noticed that despite many sports facilities opening, not a lot of them stay in business for many years? This is often down to the lack of investment in marketing the venue.

Even when a gym has a large quantity of customers, nothing guarantees they will stay for a long time. Attracting, retaining and breeding loyalty among your sportsmen and women is the result of a an ongoing effort.

Today, society in general understands the importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle. However, beyond the studio, the CrossFit box or the gym itself, sports lovers seek positive and difference-making experiences.

This article lists 6 digital marketing tips to help boost your gym.

6 Marketing tips for promoting your gym

1. Find out and work on your target audience

You do not have to be everything to everybody, especially when it comes to digital marketing! If your sports venue was created with a specific sport or physical activity in mind, this should be reflected in your marketing.

It is important to decide how you want your brand to be viewed. That will give you a better idea about how to communicate with your customers. Furthermore, look for topics and interests that your existing customers share and define your “target audience”.

The content you create and share will have a bigger impact if you have well-defined goals and targets. This research will allow you to maintain your current users, while attracting new members that will easily mix in with your community.

2. Take good photographs of the venue

Whether you opt for online or offline publicity, having good photographs of your venue is an essential marketing tool. Make sure you pay attention to details such as cleanliness and lighting to obtain good images.

Invest in the creation of aesthetically attractive areas in your gym. You can use artificial grass or different rubber flooring to separate different training areas and give a more modern look to the venue.

Taking photos and videos of the gym users is also an excellent way to show the environment and captivate people. Whether during the training or in leisure moments, it is important to show the dynamics of the venue, enticing people to become part of the community.

When collecting the images, make sure the sportsmen and women are comfortable and consent to being photographed.

3. Listen to and build a relationship with your customers

Invest in customer care, starting by speaking to them on first-name terms. It is also important to find out what has motivated them to work out and their training goals, and to keep track of their progress.

By speaking to your members, you will get to know what they want and can create new lessons and activities to increase their satisfaction and the enlarge the community.

Train your staff to ensure they are all in tune with this customer care philosophy. The objective is to make each one of your customers feel special when attending your gym, from the moment they enter until the moment they leave.

You can also create a dynamic contact system through e-mail or text messages. This can be important to flag up special dates or send notifications or important information about your gym.

4. Invest in the digital world

Digital platforms are today crucial communication channels for any business. Setting up a website or accounts on the social networks is the first step. You can then use these channels to disseminate and grow your brand, keep up a relationship with your customers and reach new segments of the public.

A good marketing tip for any gym is to have a blog on its website, creating articles related to the topics of sport, fitness and living a healthy lifestyle.

Social networks are a good way to share photographs of your training facility, the activities you organise or even the professionals who work there.

You should also create your own database and work on it by sharing interesting content.

5. Create useful and high-quality content

After defining which are the most appropriate communication channels for your gym, you should decide what you will share with your followers. Publishing content only sporadically and which is unrelated to your business area is not a good option.

Supply content that truly interests your target audience and share it regularly. If you think the latest fitness trend is about weight loss, tackle topics related to the importance of having a healthy diet, for example.

This is a marketing tip that can lead to good results for your gym. Always try and create original content and use credible sources of information.

6. Organise promotions and discounts

To attract new users to your gym, create campaigns or bonus schemes:

  • Offer free lessons to invite people to find out about the venue;
  • Give a one-month discount to customers who pay an annual membership;
  • Create a “bring a friend” campaign to encourage your current customers to attract new ones;
  • Offer free training/nutrition monitoring for 6 months.

Promotions are a good way of attracting customers to your gym and can also help publicise the venue.

Implementing the marketing tips we suggest will certainly bring positive results for your gym and help increase the level of satisfaction among your members.