Opening a fitness center or gym is exciting at first. Soon that excitement gives way to the reality that you need to find and keep members at your establishment. Here’s 10 fitness promotion ideas and examples that we recommend.
1. Thank your members for new referrals
For a gym, fitness center, or spa referral marketing is can be a great and highly effective ways to getting some viable leads. For those members who love your facility and appreciate what you have to offer and the helpfulness of your staff, create some rewards that would motivate them to go out of their way to recommend you to others. Perhaps you can have a quarterly drawing or one month’s free membership as the prize? Get creative and think of what they would want not what you can afford to give them.
2. Find and get referrals from trusted area doctors
Do you have a close relationship with any doctors in the area? What about members of your families or close family friends? Ask him or her to consider checking out your gym. Explain the equipment and classes that you offer and how your facility can help people get to and maintain a healthy weight. Having referrals from a trusted area doctor is one of our many effective fitness promotion ideas.
3. Create text coupon codes
FitnessTexter is an application that is made specifically for gyms and fitness centers. They specialize in turning coupons and specials into text codes. Once your code is generated post everywhere – on flyers at the gym, on your website, on your Facebook page, wherever you are advertising your fitness center.
4. Create and advertise a special event
Is your gym celebrating its anniversary soon? Consider running a special event complete with discounts for new members, contests and prizes, maybe even free classes and fitness seminars, or LIVE music from a DJ or local radio station. Make the event fun! This will not only boost morale with your current staff, but also help get more people into the door for potential leads.
5. Make payments easier
An online membership payment option for your members is truly a win-win when it comes to fitness promotion ideas. This makes it quicker and easier for them to pay their monthly membership dues and requires less work and effort. For busy professionals and families, this one is a no brainer.
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6. Offer holiday and seasonal specials
Many people are much more motivated to hit the gym around summertime or around the holiday and New Year. Offer special deals for new members where they can win a free monthly or yearly membership. Perhaps even free classes or a cash prize to the person who losses the most weight during the promotion.
7. Promote flexible hours
Once a person is motivated to visit a gym, one of the things that often holds them back is not having a facility that is open when they want to expertise. One of our best fitness promotion ideas is to promote your gym as place that is there for them and is open when they want to exercise. Have 24/7 hours or are you open late? Advertise and highlight that as part of a marketing campaign.
8. Create and promote a fitness blog
If you haven’t already, create and promote a fitness blog. Have members of your staff take turns writing articles, especially your certified trainers. Talk about those topics that would most resonate with your members and offer tutorials, videos, healthy recipes and more. Create unique content that can increase your online SEO and can be shared on your social media networks.
9. Create or participate in local health fairs
Does your area have local health fairs? What about some of the larger employers in the areas? If there are local health fairs that you can participate in, they are one of our top fitness promotion ideas. People can learn about your gym, your membership rates and more. Offer new members a tour of the facility and a free class with a personal trainer when they visit to entice them to come to your establishment. Then once the person visits, offer them discounts and coupons if they become a member.
10. Offer a weight loss challenge with a cash prize for the winner
People have seen weight loss challenges on social media. These contests often are so successful in terms of fitness promotion ideas because it works. People like winning money. They like the idea of losing weight and a cash prize is often a strong motivator. Create flyers and post them at your gym and by the door. Heavily promote it on your website, in email campaigns, and definitely on social media. Ask people to invite their friends and family to participate. These contests can often generate strong leads.
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What fitness promotion ideas have worked best and what hasn’t in your area? Do you have any examples to share our audience? Share your feedback in the comments below!