As any club owner can tell you, the pre-sale process can be an arduous one. From selecting and securing the right real estate, to designing the gym layout, to choosing which equipment you’ll be offering, there are a million things to consider. With so much going on, it’s easy to lose sight of a key component for any newly opening club: marketing.
Making sure as many people as possible know about your soon-to-be club is one of the most critical drivers of success, and the best way to do that is to advertise ad nauseam. There are two ways to advertise for your club: paid media and organic word-of-mouth.
For paid advertising, web, TV and radio ads are the most popular avenues, as are mainstays like paper signage and billboards. But they all come at a cost and are difficult to measure.
Organic advertising, on the other hand, has long been a luck of the draw situation based largely on foot traffic and happenstance.
Social media is the medium that bridges the gap between the two.
Social media has become the fastest, most targeted and most cost-effective form of paid advertising. The most common way to execute a paid social media advertising campaign is through targeted Facebook ads. With over 2.32 billion users worldwide, the reach, ease of targeting and low pay-per-click cost make it a no-brainer to include in any traditional marketing campaign.
When it comes to creating and leveraging organic, user-generated content, Instagram sets itself apart. Instagram is not only one of the most popular social networks in existence, boasting over 1 billion monthly users worldwide, but as a photo-sharing platform, it is designed to turn your average Joe into a content creating machine.
The key is to make sure they are sharing content about your club, especially when you’re trying to maximize exposure during pre-sale and have new members share posts while they are in your physical pre-sale office.
Every time a new member shares, they’re spreading your messaging and branding to all of their followers. While they may not be The Rock or Kim Kardashian, you are reaching a highly targeted and relevant audience of neighbors, friends and colleagues. As a bonus, those same photos are often shared back to a user’s Facebook profile, reaching two huge, yet relevant, audiences at the same time.
Now, how can you make it interesting? There are a few different ways to make it as easy as protein powder:
- Utilizing a step and repeat: Maximizing exposure for your brand is critical. What better way than to plaster your logo all over the background of your members’ photos?
- Providing props: Cardboard cutouts of weights, kettlebells and picture frames for people to pose with always encourage interaction and having fun.
- Running contests: Incentivize your new members with a contest. For example, run a ‘Share a photo for a chance to win’ promotion. Prizes can range from a free T-shirt to a free month off their membership. After all, who doesn’t love free gear?
Austin Smith is the director of enterprise accounts at UPshow, a consumer engagement platform built for fitness clubs. He can be reached at austin@upshow.tv or visit UPshow.tv.
