Marketing a local gym can be challenging, especially in a crowded market. But with the right marketing strategies, a gym can effectively reach its target audience and attract new members. In this article, we’ll discuss the top 30 marketing tips used to promote a local gym in Melbourne, with examples from Australia.
-
Build a Strong Brand Identity
Building a strong brand identity is crucial to creating a strong gym marketing strategy. Your brand should be unique and appealing to your target audience. The branding should be consistent across all marketing channels and materials, including your website, social media profiles, signage, and promotional materials.
-
Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Utilising social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can prove to be an effective marketing strategy for local gyms. This method can help showcase your gym’s facilities, share fitness tips, and promote various events and programs.
Fitness First, which is one of Australia’s largest gym chains, effectively employs this tactic by leveraging their social media accounts to share workout inspiration and market their fitness classes and events.
-
Create a Website That Sells
Your gym’s website should be a reflection of your brand and offer a seamless user experience. It should be optimised for mobile devices, easy to navigate, and feature all the essential information about your gym, including membership options, class schedules, and contact details.
F45 Training, a popular fitness franchise in Australia, has a website that showcases its fitness programs and features an easy-to-use online booking system for its classes.
-
Host Events
Hosting events is an excellent way to promote your gym and engage with your community. You can organise fitness challenges, charity events, and workshops to showcase your gym’s offerings and build relationships with potential customers.
For example, Vision Personal Training in Sydney hosts a charity workout event every year to raise funds for various causes.
-
Offer Free Trials
Offering free trials to potential customers is a great way to get them through your gym’s doors. This gives them the opportunity to experience your facilities and programs firsthand, and hopefully, convert them into long-term members.
If you’re interested in checking out Virgin Active’s facilities and fitness programs, you can take advantage of their free trial offer, which lasts for 3 days at the time of this blog post. As a popular gym chain in Australia, Virgin Active wants to provide people with an opportunity to experience their services before committing to a membership.
-
Leverage Local Media
Getting featured in local media outlets can help you reach a broader audience and build credibility for your gym. You can pitch stories to local newspapers, TV stations, and online publications, or invite journalists to visit your gym to cover a story. If you need help in this area or any other part of your marketing strategy, then get in touch with one of our Melbourne marketing consultants.
Anytime Fitness, a global gym chain with locations in Australia, was featured in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald, which highlighted its innovative workout equipment.
-
Utilise Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing involves partnering with social media influencers to marketing your local gym. Influencers with a large following can help you reach a broader audience and showcase your gym’s offerings to their followers.
Fitness Playground, a boutique gym in Australia, partners with local fitness influencers to promote its gym on Instagram.
-
Offer Discounts and Promotions
Offering discounts and promotions can help incentivise people to join your gym. You can offer discounted membership rates, free personal training sessions, or gift cards to attract new members.
Fitness First offers a variety of discounts and promotions throughout the year, including discounted membership rates for students and military personnel.
-
Use Email Marketing
Staying in touch with your gym’s members and promoting your gym’s offerings is made easy through email marketing. You can use this platform to share fitness tips, announce upcoming events and promotions, and remind members about their expiring memberships.
Jetts Fitness, a gym chain in Australia, uses email marketing to keep its members informed about its latest fitness programs and gym updates.
-
Partner with Local Businesses
By partnering with nearby businesses, you can expand your reach and establish meaningful relationships with other enterprises in your community. Consider collaborating with local health food stores, sports teams, and wellness companies to create joint promotions and events that appeal to your shared customer base.
For example, Goodlife Health Clubs in Australia partnered with lululemon to host a yoga class in one of its locations.
-
Use Video Marketing
Video marketing is a powerful tool for promoting your gym. You can create videos that showcase your gym’s facilities, feature interviews with trainers and members, and highlight your gym’s fitness programs and events.
Fitness Playground uses video marketing on its website to showcase its gym’s facilities and classes.
-
Utilise Local SEO
Local SEO is essential for promoting a local gym. You can optimise your website and social media profiles for local keywords and phrases to help people find your gym when searching for fitness options in your area.
Plus Fitness, an Australian gym chain, uses local SEO to rank high in local search results for fitness-related keywords.
-
Create a Referral Program
Creating a referral program can help you attract new members and reward your current members for referring their friends and family. You can offer discounts or free memberships to members who refer new customers to your gym.
Fitness First offers a referral program that rewards members with a free month of membership for each new member they refer.
-
Use Google Ads to Market a Local Gym
Google Ads is a powerful tool for promoting a local gym. You can create targeted ads that appear in search results when people search for fitness-related keywords in your area.
Fitness Plus, a gym in Sydney, uses Google Ads to promote its gym’s offerings and attract new members.
-
Offer Personal Training
Offering personal training services can help you differentiate your gym from competitors and provide a personalised experience for your members. You can offer one-on-one training sessions or small group sessions for a more personalised approach.
Fitness First offers personal training services at all its locations, with certified trainers who can help members achieve their fitness goals.
-
Showcase Testimonials and Reviews
Showcasing testimonials and reviews from satisfied members can help build credibility for your gym and attract new members. You can feature reviews on your website and social media profiles or create video testimonials to showcase your gym’s offerings.
Plus Fitness features customer testimonials on its website, showcasing the positive experiences members have had at its gyms.
-
Host Workshops and Seminars
By hosting workshops and seminars, you can effectively demonstrate your gym’s expertise and draw in potential customers. Consider organising workshops covering various topics such as nutrition, weightlifting, or yoga, and invite guest speakers to share their insights with your members. This way, you can provide added value to your customers while showcasing your gym’s commitment to their health and fitness goals.
Fitness Playground hosts regular workshops and seminars on topics like mobility and strength training to help its members improve their fitness.
-
Create a Loyalty Program
By implementing a loyalty program, you can not only retain your current members but also reward them for their commitment. Free classes, merchandise discounts, and exclusive access to events are just a few examples of the perks you can offer to show your appreciation.
Jetts Fitness offers a loyalty program that rewards members with exclusive discounts and access to gym events.
-
Use Retargeting Ads
Retargeting ads can help you reach people who have already shown interest in your gym but haven’t yet become members. You can create targeted ads that appear on websites and social media platforms that people have visited in the past.
Anytime Fitness uses retargeting ads to promote its gym to people who have visited its website but haven’t yet joined.
-
Offer Corporate Memberships
Offering corporate memberships can help you reach a new audience and build relationships with local businesses. You can offer discounted rates to companies that sign up for memberships for their employees.
Fitness First offers corporate memberships to businesses of all sizes, with a range of options to fit the needs of different organisations.
-
Create Branded Merchandise
To increase your gym’s brand visibility and generate additional revenue, consider creating branded merchandise such as t-shirts, water bottles, and gym bags. You can offer these items as prizes or giveaways to members, and sell them both online and at your gym.
Fitness Playground sells branded merchandise on its website, including t-shirts, water bottles, and gym bags.
-
Utilise Social Media Advertising
By leveraging social media advertising, you can effectively broaden your gym’s reach and attract potential customers. With targeted ads on popular platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, you can tailor your messaging to specific demographics, such as age, gender, and location.
Virgin Active Australia uses social media advertising to promote its gym to potential customers, with targeted ads that showcase its facilities and services.
-
Host Community Events to Marketing Your Local Gym
Hosting community events can help build relationships with local residents and businesses, and promote your gym to potential customers. You can organise events like charity runs, outdoor yoga classes, or health and wellness fairs.
Fitness Plus hosts community events like outdoor boot camps and charity runs to promote its gym and build relationships with the local community.
-
Create a Mobile App
Creating a mobile app can help you provide a more personalised experience for your members and promote your gym’s offerings. You can create an app that offers workout tracking, nutrition advice, and class schedules.
Fitness First offers a mobile app that allows members to book classes, track their workouts, and access nutrition advice and recipes.
-
Utilise Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing can help you reach a wider audience and promote your gym to potential customers. You can partner with fitness influencers and bloggers to promote your gym on social media and other platforms.
F45 Training, a popular gym chain in Australia, has partnered with fitness influencers like Emily Skye to promote its gym and attract new members.
-
Create a Blog
Creating a blog can help you establish your gym as a thought leader in the fitness industry and attract potential customers. You can create blog posts that offer workout tips, nutrition advice, and other fitness-related content.
Fitness Playground has a blog on its website that offers fitness tips, workout advice, and nutrition guidance for its members.
-
Run a 6-8 Week Challenge
This program is designed to assist individuals in achieving their fitness objectives in six to eight weeks or less, making it an ideal way for people to transform their bodies.
The six-week challenge has a twofold effect: it draws in those who may have a fitness objective but are unsure how to achieve it or are looking to commit to a gym. Additionally, it benefits you as a gym owner by allowing you to promote it as a limited-time deal, which can increase foot traffic to your facility. Furthermore, contestants have enough time to see noticeable changes in their bodies within the six-week timeframe.
Celebrity Sam Wood offers an 8 week challenge where students can stay in it long enough to see results but short enough to keep their eye on the prize, with fantastic giveaways for students which make the best transformations.
-
Create a YouTube Channel
Creating a YouTube channel can help you reach a wider audience and showcase your gym’s offerings. You can create videos that offer workout tips, nutrition advice, and other fitness-related content.
Goodlife Health Clubs has a YouTube channel that offers workout tips, interviews with trainers and members, and other fitness-related content.
-
Host Member Appreciation Days
Hosting member appreciation days can help you show your members how much you value their business and build loyalty. You can offer special discounts, giveaways, and other perks to your members on these days.
Fitness First hosts member appreciation days at its locations, offering discounts on merchandise, free classes, and other perks to its members.
-
Offer Online Training
Offering online training can help you reach a wider audience and provide a convenient option for people who can’t make it to your gym. You can offer online training sessions, nutrition coaching, and other services through your website or a third-party platform.
Fitness Playground offers online training sessions and nutrition coaching to its members, allowing them to access fitness and wellness services from anywhere.
Conclusion
In conclusion, marketing a local gym requires a multifaceted approach that incorporates both online and offline strategies. To attract new members to your gym, employing a blend of tactics such as social media advertising, influencer marketing, community events, and more can help create brand awareness. Additionally, by offering personalised services like personal training, loyalty programs, and online training, you can create a positive experience for your members and build loyalty.
In Australia, many successful gym chains have utilised these marketing strategies to promote their gyms and attract new members. By examining their tactics and adapting them to fit your own gym’s unique offerings and target audience, you can create a marketing plan that works for you.
Remember, promoting a local gym is an ongoing process that requires dedication and consistency. By regularly evaluating your marketing strategies and making adjustments based on feedback from members and data analysis, you can continue to grow and thrive in a competitive industry. And if you ever need some great marketing ideas then you could always get in touch with the team at Melbourne’s leading marketing agency, Bright Owl Marketing.
