Have you ever stopped to ponder about the volume of digital marketing service options that are available to small and medium-sized businesses, regardless of the industry you belong you? Together, every day, we feel an increase in people’s concern for health, well-being, and of course, fitness. Combining market trends, creating digital marketing strategies for gyms is the right formula to win customers and increase the loyalty rate of their students.

What actions should you develop? Where to start? How to improve the results you already have with the digital marketing strategies for gyms that you already apply?

Some factors are important, among them:

• Identify your personas
• Know your market
• Define your strategies
• Measure your results

Below, we present 5 digital marketing techniques for gyms that should be in your performance and expansion plan to grow your website.

Digital Marketing Services for Gyms: 5 Techniques to Attract & Retain Customers

1. Use Google My Business

To be found by those who search for “gym in [your city]” is the dream of any fitness company and for that, you have a shorter and cheaper route than you can imagine: Google My Business.

Google My Business is a free platform on which you register your company and become a result option for local searches, carried out by Google.

With this registration, you have control over the information that is displayed about you, such as opening hours and addresses, and have access to Google services, such as Google Maps.

Being present on Google My Business makes the search platform understand that your company is a relevant result for research related to your industry. See the example below:

The area marked in red is the place dedicated to companies that are part of Google My Business. Take the test and research the gyms in your region. By clicking on each result you will realize that you have access to the most complete information for each company.

Being among the top results of Google, without spending anything for it, is undoubtedly the first item that you must comply with within your list of digital marketing strategies for gyms.

Go to the Google My Business website and get started!

2. Marketing on social networks

You probably already have an Instagram profile and a Facebook page, but how you manage your social networks is the most important thing.

What kind of content do you publish? How is your relationship built with your customers?

Nobody wants to follow a page that only discloses their promotional package prices.

Make your channels interesting by using your social media marketing strategy:

• Quality images about your space, professionals, and students
• Use videos to achieve more reach, view, and engagement
• On Instagram, be sure to take advantage of Stories to share what’s happening right now on your site
• Health tips and new exercise options that are relevant to your network. Don’t just talk about yourself

Do promotions and campaigns that engage your followers, for example, “30 days of abdominals”. Each day you can post a type of abdominal workout that the follower can do at home and encourage him to share the experience with you. This type of campaign/challenge is also an excellent option to engage the internal audience and make your students talk about you on their digital channels.

3. Consider creating actions with digital influencers

Since we are talking about social networks, we cannot leave out the new celebrities of today: digital influencers.

There are several types of digital influencers, both national and international.  Some influencers work with big companies and gigantic brands. Local influencers can do a lot for digital marketing for gyms.

In the image below, Júlia Horta, Miss Brazil 2019, discloses her training image and tags Bodytech, the gym where she trains. Yes, Miss Brazil is an international personality and Bodytech is a company with national operations. Notice how the two profiles “talk” between them.

Analyze your profile and the profile of the influencer, to find the perfect partnership.

If your work is regional, find an influencer who has the same profile and the same radius of coverage as you.

The example above, however, is an inspiration for natural ways to use social media to publicize your company and services.

4. Create a blog

If your company’s positioning in Google results for relevant searches is important to you, creating an inbound and content marketing strategy should be within the scope of your digital marketing strategy.

Also, consider the sales funnel to create articles that address every step of the customer journey.

5. Use email marketing to nurture your contacts

Email is a direct channel of communication with your customer. In addition, email marketing is the strategy with the highest return on investment among communication tactics; it currently stands at $38 for every $1 invested.

However, it is not enough to send generic emails to your customers and wait for all these returns. Through automation tools, it is possible to segment customers and leads to offer each of them the best possible communication, with greater chances of conversion.

For example, for a leader who is already a monthly paid customer at the academy, you can send emails that encourage them to switch to an annual plan, indicating how much they will save each month.

Another option is to present other sports offered at your gym, listing the benefits of each and offering an experimental class. All of this to increase the average ticket per customer.

Another segmentation option is to divide your students according to the objective of each one and create automation flows to send relevant information that will help them in that objective.  Examples include post-workout feeding tips, the number of times they should go to the gym per week, which exercises to combine with weight training, etc.

For leads that are not yet customers you can send emails:

• Inviting them to the experimental class
• Indicating new modalities
• Promotional packages
• Publicizing events open to the public and free of charge
• Presenting the day-to-day of the academy, so that they want to be a part of all of it

The Final Verdict

It is recommended to use digital marketing techniques that will help form a competitive advantage and ensure the creation of a permanent customer base.

You can place different offers for your audience, such as a month of free work with a personal instructor, as a bonus when purchasing an annual subscription. This option works in two ways; it attracts regular customers and encourages them to further pay for individual training.

Loyalty programs and discounts for regular customers are beneficial for them not only materially, but also ethically, as it allows them to feel attention and care.

The gym as a business is very popular, so you need to struggle to make clients stick. This requires useful digital marketing techniques to capture the potential audience.

Have you used any of the digital marketing techniques mentioned above to grow your gym website? Connect with us and let us know if we can help.