Like almost any other business, industry, or sector, competition can be fierce in the fitness world. With new gyms and fitness centers popping up every day, there is stiff competition for new clients.
Not a lot has changed in the world of cardio or free weights in the last several years, so fitness classes are an excellent way for gyms and fitness centers to set themselves apart from the rest. Just offering a great new fitness class doesn't do you a whole lot of good, however, without proper marketing.
Sure, you can count on some word-of-mouth promotion. But, if you want to get the most bang for your buck, you need to invest some time and energy in promoting it yourself first. Here are five creative ways to promote your new fitness class.
1. Offer short instructional videos
People love to try new things, although they also have a healthy fear of the unknown.
There are always a few people willing to venture into the complete unknown all on their own. Still, most people like to try new things with someone who has already done them or venture into new places with the help of a guide of some kind.
You can help introduce new people to your class and alleviate some of their doubts by creating short instructional videos. Showcase your new equipment, new moves, poses, or other elements of your course that might be new and unique.
You can post these on YouTube and send out links, post them on other social media pages you might be active on or send them out via email.
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2. Take your class on the road
In the 1980s, aerobics became an actual competitive sport. Many people who grew up in that time may remember presentations or even regional competitions taking place in malls across America, which in turn created a lot of excitement and buzz around aerobics and specific fitness centers.
While you don't have to put on a full presentation at a mall, that doesn't mean that you can't take a page from the '80s playbook.
There are probably several businesses in your area that would be happy to have you come in for a few minutes and allow their employees to get up and move a bit.
You don't have to do anything too strenuous or challenging, but unless your fitness class is a spin or water class, you can teach a few new moves without requiring people to break a sweat.
If they have fun and a good time doing it, there's an excellent chance they might want to come and try a full class.
3. Offer a free session
One of the primary fears people have about trying something new is making a significant investment only to discover they don't like it. This is why so many businesses and companies offer either free samples or money-back guarantees.
The first step is to get the word out about your class and create buzz around it. The next step is to create a risk-free way for people to try it.
The more you can minimize the risk or investment in trying something for the first time, the more likely you are to get new participants coming in droves. One of the other benefits of offering a free session is that it gives you a perfect opportunity to collect vital information that can help you conduct good follow-up.
4. Conduct follow-up
Good follow-up may be one of the most overlooked aspects of good marketing. Not everyone is going to find the right fit for them the first time they walk in the door, but just getting them in the door is a huge accomplishment.
If you get them in the door and then let them walk away without doing any follow-up, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Here are a few opportunities you create when you follow up.
- While they may not have liked the class, it doesn't mean they don't know someone who might. You can encourage them to tell their friends about it, even if it was not to their particular liking. If they did like the class, you stand an even better chance of having them tell their friends about it.
- Teaching a class can be difficult because you often have people of very different fitness and experience levels participating. No one class is ever going to be right for everyone. Some tweaking might be enough to make it the best fit for most people. Getting good feedback is critical to making this tweaking happen. You can't fix what you don't even know is broke.
- Just because they may not have liked the specific class they took doesn't mean there might not be a better fit out there. Doing follow-up allows you to get feedback about what they didn't like or why they didn't like a specific class, which allows you to direct them towards something they may find to be a better fit. Without follow-up, you may lose a potential client. With good follow-up, you may gain a new client.
5. Use good SEO
Whether you are posting on social media, posting videos on YouTube, or tweeting about your class, using the right keywords and SEO tools is critical.
In the digital age, more people than ever before are starting their search online for everything from houses to cars to a new blender.
While you may be able to reach a broad audience through your own outgoing marketing efforts, you will still miss a significant chunk of people who may be looking for exactly what you are offering. By using the right SEO tools, you can help those that you don't reach find you instead.
In Summary
Promoting your fitness class may be easier than ever, thanks to the availability of digital tools.
That doesn't mean it doesn't still require some effort.
Even the most successful brands and companies on the planet still invest heavily in promoting and marketing their new products. If you want to experience any measure of the same success they do, always look out for new and creative opportunities to market your business and listen to your customers.
