The health and fitness industry is all about results. After all, that’s what you ultimately sell. And, as you tell your clients, results are only possible when you adhere to a plan. That plan requires more than a diet and exercise routine — it requires the consistent implementation of both.
The same is true with your messaging. Nothing is more important than establishing your brand’s identity — its unique selling proposition (USP) — and then sticking to it. It’s the only way to ensure noticeable results.
That said, many businesses — gyms included — overlook the importance of their USP despite the fact that leveraging your USP can mean the difference between lackluster sales and the opening of a new location. Perhaps you’re a gym for families, maybe you offer amenities that can’t be found anywhere else or maybe you’re a fitness center that only employs the best certified trainers around. Whatever it may be, it’s what makes what you offer different from what your competitors offer. And that USP has to be incorporated into your messaging and deployed consistently in order for your target audience to associate your gym with that message.
That’s because you’re competing for attention. Between product packaging, TV, radio, outdoor boards and the Internet, the average American — and that includes your potential customers — is exposed to nearly 10,000 advertising messages each day. If you aren’t telling people what makes you different, they’ll have no compelling reason to choose you over some other gym. Sure, you can push an offer and hope price alone will drive business, but relying strictly on price can be risky unless you’re fully committed to being the low-cost option in your market.
The good thing about your USP is that it can be — and should be — featured in all your touchpoints with prospective customers. From your website and print ads to your email campaigns and digital advertising, your USP should be easily discernible. If you do that on a consistent basis, you’ll reach your goals, which means you’ll find your business has more customers trying to reach theirs too.
Josh Loewer is the director of new business for andDonovan and can be reached at jloewer@anddonovan.com.
