4 Advertising Ideas for Increasing Memberships at Your Local Fitness Facility

When your fitness class sign-ups dwindle and the weight room looks like a ghost town, it’s time to take action. Posting causal updates to your business page on Facebook just isn’t enough. You need an advertising strategy so the health buffs in your community know where to find you and how your business will help them reach their fitness goals. Take the first steps to implement one or more of these ideas ASAP, especially with warmer weather approaching!

TARGET CROWDS AT FITNESS-RELATED EVENTS

Meet your target audience where they are hanging out. During warm weather, it’s likely a 5K race, “tough mudder,” endurance challenge or fun run. Reach out to the event organizers and ask how you can partner together and get your gym’s logo on their T-shirts, television ads, event programs and race bibs.

You might be asked to fill out forms to become an event sponsor or to chip in on the advertising campaign to get your name involved. Once you establish this relationship, add the event to your annual budget and gym promotions list so you can attract new people who are already interested in fitness to your business regularly.

Behavioral targeting can lead to establishing relationships with other fitness-minded folks in your area. As you nurture these relationships, you might meet other fitness-focused business owners who can help elevate your status in the community.

TEAM UP WITH LIKE-MINDED BUSINESSES

We rise by lifting one another up in the business world. Think about your core business values and how they complement other businesses in your region. Several aspects of the health and wellness community can play off one another to create a greater impact on an audience. Identify these connections, then work together to create a cohesive message and share the cost of a few television ads or display ads online.

For example, a yoga studio could partner with a health food market to promote workout-recovery foods to enjoy after classes. A weight-lifting center can feature glowing testimonials from customers who use protein powders and supplements sold at a nearby nutrition store. A sports apparel shop can share airtime with an all-purpose gym to cross-promote clothing to wear for various activities available at the gym including swimwear, sneakers and running tights.

RESEARCH RETARGETING OPTIONS

Does your gym have a website and social media accounts, but things are a little stagnant? Consider the idea of retargeting based on what your readers are already looking for online. It’s like bringing them back to your virtual front door for another chance at inviting them in.

What words were they putting in your search boxes? Maybe you offer the features they desire, but just haven’t been promoting them. For example, if the search term “pool” or “water aerobics” pops up often it’s time to create an ad focused on the aquatic facilities and classes at your gym and strategically place them on your audience’s social media feeds and organically within your website pages. These gym advertisements will encourage those viewers to think about your services again but with a clearer focus, or retarget, to their interests.