The well-known saying “if you build it, they will come” is not necessarily true in this industry. Building a nice gym just isn’t enough. The big question is how do you get them in the door?
When you focus on demographics you can tailor your marketing message to whomever you want and make sure it matches their needs. You want to market to that stay-at-home mother? Make sure she knows you offer childcare. Want that person that feels too self-conscious to even ask to sign-up for a membership? Let them know they can sign up online! There are so many options to explore when going after a certain demographic.
Finding prospects
“Proximity is 90 percent of the battle,” KT Remus, the vice president of marketing for Urban Active said.
Remus continued to explain that the days of plenty are behind us and so clubs have to focus on the members in their own backyard. Urban Active has shied away from generic branding and is focusing on the people that drive by their gym everyday, and of course member referrals. “If someone comes to us and is inspired by a doctor, or a family member or Oprah, it’s better for [Urban Active] if all the little pieces of [the member’s] life get them here,” Remus said.
Nancy Terry, the senior vice president of marketing for Sport & Health in Washington, D.C., uses Advecor, a company that works with data management, demographic analysis and customer service for their prospecting. They take a membership list and map it demographically three to five miles around the club to search for prospects. “It’s under the premise that ‘birds of a feather flock together,’’’ Terry said.
The Maryland Athletic Club also usesa mapping software program, Microsoft MapPoint, that allows them to target zip codes within a certain drive time of their facilities, said Sharon Ehasz, vice president of marketing for the Maryland club.
Varying your marketing message
Prospective members will become jaded to the same direct mailing or signage that they pass everyday on the way to work. Adding new features, programs and incentives for your members is key to attracting new attention.
MAC has had great success with a unique program called “Healthy Start,” a supervised program designed for beginning exercisers or those who have been away from exercise for a while. Originally thought to bring in the older demographic, they found that “new exercisers” brought in everyone across the demographic spectrum. “The program has become a wonderful tool for reaching out to prospects that might otherwise never see themselves as ‘health club members,’” she said.
The program is successful in drawing in the more “difficult member” — one who might be intimidated or simply doesn’t see themselves fitting into a health club, Ehasz said. The program utilizes an “ask your doctor for a prescription to exercise approach.” It is marketed as a 60-day, highly supervised program to get someone started, without the pressure to become a member. “Our Healthy Start participants become so comfortable with our nurturing staff and with the results they achieve in a short period of time, that so far we are enjoying a conversion rate to membership of nearly 75 percent,” Ehasz said. The program was actually first launched by Legacy Management out of Virginia, but marketed solely as a physician referred program.
Changing marketing ideas with the seasons is a good way to mix up messages.
Matt York from Premiere Fitness Marketing advises keeping your club on the consumers mind. “Most clubs tend to spend most of their marketing dollars during the ‘peak membership’ months of the year when in fact clubs should market year round,” he said. A summertime mailer had success at Sport & Health, Terry said. They distributed a mailer in the suburban markets telling families what was available to them throughout the summer like pools, summer camps and tennis.
Companies like Vitabot and dotFIT who offer interactive nutrition programs, can offer your members something that they want, but maybe can’t get elsewhere. “What clubs have been missing is nutrition,” said Michael Graves of Vitabot, an online nutrition program. “Nutrition is 70 percent of the goal.” With programs like these there is also marketing assistance available to help you reach more potential members.
“dotFIT not only offers a holistic solution, but also a complete marketing console for club operators to draw from to help market their solution,” said Christie Renick of dotFIT referring to their customized program that combines online fitness with nutritional guidance.
Giving your members new goals to strive for is another way to vary your marketing message. With Polar Electro, a company that specializes in heart rate monitoring and fitness assessment technology, you can help your members track their heart rate. “Polar technology is compatible with approximately 95 percent of current commercial cardio equipment,” said Jesse Harper, the director of sales, education and health clubs. “Clubs must educate members on the value of heart rate training, so they can take advantage of available technology.”
These kinds of companies are willing to work with clubs to market the new product at your club. Polar Electro can work with a club to develop materials including signage or they can even create a special event or challenge for members to encourage attendance and the use of heart rate monitors.
Premier Fitness Marketing provides consulting, sales training and turnkey marketing campaigns including the sales staff to handle enrolling new members, York said. Vitabot and dotFIT both offer online marketing tools as well.
Using the Internet and Social Media
The Internet offers an endless amount of possibilities. Terry said her clubs have had great success with its social site and she loves social media. The social site has struck a cord with group fitness instructors and its users “We use it for a lot of things and we are getting a good response from our community,” Terry said. “ Our group exercise instructors kind of lead the way and members post.” The social site is used for a lot of different things. There are announcements posted, trainers share tips, or how people can train and participate in various charities and events. Their Facebook page has a nice variety of members, trainers and group fitness instructors interacting as well, Terry said. Marketing posts their events, open houses, charity fundraisers, member success stories and any special promotional offers to join that month as well.
Social marketing has started to take more of a role in MAC’s strategic marketing this year, Ehasz said. “Social marketing will become a critical component in our marketing going forward. There is no better way to build brand loyalty than to engage in positive communication with members and prospective members.” Their Facebook page has over 1,000 fans in just six months. Types of posts include all kinds of group exercise classes, events like member guest parties, health fairs, wellness events, bring a friend as a guest, etc. People enjoy sharing their opinions on the classes, Ehasz said. It’s not just the younger generation that’s on the Internet anymore either. According to Ehasz, the largest growing demographic on Facebook is those 35 and older. Most of the people commenting on MAC’s wall are in their 30s and 40s. But even an 88-year-old woman posts occasionally. “Social media truly allows for two-way communication with your member and/or prospective member,” Ehasz said.
Just Remember
Just like with everything else, trying to market to new members can be a trial and error process. Everything you try may not work out the first time; then it’s time to go back to the drawing board and see what you can improve on.
It’s important to remember to always stay consistent with your message, Terry said. “Making sure your message is consistent across the different vehicles and is relevant to your market,” she said. For Ehasz, she’s a big believer in investing in your brand; knowing who you are and making sure your message reflects that in everything you do. “Make sure everyone on your team understands the brand, knows how to sell it and understands that delivering on the brand inside your walls is as important, if not more important than your external message.”
Sometimes, you have to humble yourself and remember the demographic you’re targeting to be a successful club. The biggest lesson Remus says is proximity. “Sure you want to be on NBC and CBS and on American Idol as a big club, but it’s a pride issue,” she said. What matters most is that you are taking the extra time and work to send out that mailer or thinking of ways to get the people surrounding your club inside. -CS
