As a health club operator, you know it’s important to market your business. But what channels should you use? What platforms should you have a presence on? What should your frequency be? There are tons of variables to consider.
This is where a marketing or advertising agency can help, by working with you to determine an optimal marketing strategy, in addition to the execution of that strategy.
Here, Sarah Harvey, the marketing manager for Chuze Fitness, shares how to get the most out of a partnership with a marketing agency, and what activities you should keep in-house.
CS: What do you look for in a marketing partner? What services are beneficial?
SH: We look for partners that are innovative, fun to work with, and that are willing to try and accommodate our off-the-wall requests. We are a fitness company, but more importantly, we are in the business of customer service. Therefore, we do not run or operate our business like most other fitness companies in the industry.
A partnership we rely heavily on is Power Digital Marketing. Digital marketing trends (SEO, PPC, etc.) can sometimes feel like they’re moving at lightning speed, and it can be difficult to keep up. We rely on their industry knowledge to ensure we’re staying relevant and up-to-speed in the digital world.
CS: When you have a lot of locations like Chuze Fitness does, do marketing partners help you have a consistent message? Is it important to have a consistent voice and tone across all mediums?
SH: It is so important to have a consistent tone across all of our marketing channels. The fitness industry is becoming so saturated, and it can be difficult to set yourself apart from the competition. Fortunately, we have found our unique voice and our niche, and we use that to our advantage in every aspect of our marketing efforts.
CS: What else should clubs keep in mind when working with partners like Power Digital Marketing, Epsilon or Zettist?
SH: Make sure the partner you work with gets to know you and makes you feel taken care of. Do your due diligence before making a decision to partner with an agency.
CS: Are there any marketing activities clubs should keep in-house?
SH: We have found that having an in-house graphic designer is such a key component to our marketing success. There’s nothing better than having that face-to-face interaction and collaboration when it comes to creating your marketing materials.
In general, I find that keeping all of your creative and branding efforts in-house as much as possible is so important. As mentioned previously, keeping your voice consistent throughout all of your marketing efforts can be challenging, and when you start dividing up the creative responsibility between multiple partners, it can get messy. Therefore, creative decisions should be made in-house, and then communicated to your vendors for execution.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
