You know that you need to establish your brand name and image in the fitness industry, but how will you do that? Giving excellent customer service and providing state-of-the-art gym equipment and facilities are just some of the initial steps. You also need to create some buzz about your gym and appeal to the public at large. While we strive to get creative promotion ideas, we tend to overlook one of the simplest and most effective promotion technique – giving out promotional products.

Using branded promotional products are one of the sure-fire ways to increase brand visibility and ensure member loyalty. When you have products out there with your gym name and logo, you know for sure that at least one more person is going to notice your brand. You also know that at least one existing member is going to feel appreciated when they receive personalized fitness products from your gym. After all, who doesn’t love free stuff?

Here are a few tips to ensure optimum success in promoting your brand through gym brand products:

1) Choose the right products

While free products appeal to many consumers, you can improve your chances of earning a better brand reputation by offering high-quality products instead of generic items. Investing in high-quality products makes your gym more appealing to both prospective and existing clients. It also helps you establish a strong and reliable brand image. The promotional products you choose to use for your marketing ventures can show the public what kind of brand you are and how you operate as a business.

When you use products that are of high quality, you get to express yourself as a serious and dedicated brand and exclusive. Make sure you use products that people will find convenient for everyday use. Some examples of good gym products include tee-shirts, baseball caps, muscle shirts, duffel bags, workout towels, yoga mats, terry sport wrist bands, sports bottles, and yes, even the occasional coffee mug.

2) Choose the right medium

Instead of simply giving out the products, you can further your brand marketing venture by publicizing the giveaway as much as possible. For instance, you could make use of social media and get your fans or followers to promote your gym along the way. Try holding a contest of sort and give the products as rewards to those who shared or liked your posts the most. You could also hold a limited period offer for small giveaway items with every new subscription to your monthly newsletter.

Using a lottery pick method to give away these products is also a good idea. You could use them as rewards to members who visited the gym the maximum number of times in the past month. The winner would need to enter their name and dates of visit on the ticket. For the verification process, you could greatly benefit from a reliable gym membership software. This helps build member loyalty, as it keeps them involved and shows them that they are an important part of the gym.

3) Celebrate new memberships

If you had recently signed up for a gym membership and it’s your first time working out in that particular gym, what would be your expectations? You would like to see come kind of welcome gesture, wouldn’t you? Everyone likes it when someone makes them feel important and appreciated. You could get your new members to feel this way by making a new member appreciation gesture with a free gift bag. This can help you make a good first impression and get a better chance at earning the member’s loyalty in the long-run.

Use a tote bag with an imprint of your brand name and logo as your welcome gift bag. Fill it with useful fitness-related freebies like a gym towel, a water bottle, and a protein bar/powder. Include a "get started" workout guide for starter exercises that can come in handy for them during their first gym visit. Make sure you also include a welcome letter that expresses your appreciation for them.

Over to you…

Do you use your own branded products to promote your health club business?

How do you show new member appreciation?