As a gym owner, you’re constantly balancing spending money with losing money. One of the hardest decisions is always — where to invest your marketing dollars. Although that’s a complex question, it might be easier to start at a very basic idea. From how far away will someone drive to exercise at your gym? Most industry experts say about four miles. Gym goers will trek twice that distance, or between six and eight miles, if they can expect a high-end, exclusive club experience. 

There are exceptions, of course, but we can safely assume the best way to survive – and thrive as a gym — is to target the people who live closest to your health club. 

How can you do this?

Take a good look around your neighborhood. 

Go old school and pull up a map. Determine the four-mile circumference encircling your business. Pinpoint competitors, affiliate businesses and housing located within that radius of impact.

Identify your ideal customer. 

This person is probably just like someone already in your gym. Who are they? List their characteristics: income, location, home owner or renter, marital status, age, etc.

Register your business with Google through their Google My Business service. An account on this site will ensure your company populates the internet feed of people searching for your services near your community. Additionally, it makes it easier for internet searchers to view your business on Google Maps, meaning that along with the local McDonald’s and dry cleaner, they’ll see your fitness center. 

Google business results show up before organic search results, so this can work very well for a small company. Caution, though – Google cannot correct bad information. The information in your account is what Google pulls from for its posts. Because of this, it’s super important to make sure you stay on top of any company changes, such as opening or closing times, phone number changes, whatever information a person would expect to need to visit your health club. 

Send out postcards

Highly targeted to your ideal customer, a well-designed postcard campaign with a strong offer can reinforce your online presence, drive business to your website, and build name recognition. 

Target new neighbors

Buy a marketing list of new homeowners, renters, or subdivisions. Take advantage of the change in lifestyles to help cement your gym as their first choice in fitness. These are usually available through a marketing company.

Community networking – be where your customers are

Reach out to local businesses whose clienteles complement yours – chiropractors, physical therapy groups, supplement stores, smoothie shops, specialty grocery stores. Share social media space, advertising campaigns, or Saturday morning events – there’s power in teaming up with like-minded business owners. Together, you can make an impact that a single shop might not. 

Gym Insight 

At Gym Insight, our gym membership software provides a clear, transparent picture into your company’s financials, and offers a platform from which to run your business effectively. Our software is built in-house, by fitness club owners. There are no cumbersome third-party plug-ins or complicated protocols, and it’s available for a single, low monthly subscription price — no hidden fees, no links to your payment processor. Call us today for a free demonstration on how we can lower your software management costs and free up time and capital.