6 Ways To Grow Your Fitness Business

As a gym owner, your biggest thought is to get customers through the door. As people are emerging out of Covid and going into gyms, it is more important than ever to have a presence in as many places as possible to encourage new people to join your gym. There are a few tried and true methods that work time and time again that you should be able to incorporate into your marketing tactics to get more customers to come to your gym.

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1. Offer a free class or event monthly.

Hosting a free class or event every month is a great way to get new people through the door who are interested in trying out your gym. This type of promotion will draw in people who are otherwise not familiar with your brand and make them more likely to join after seeing what you have to offer. Choose a popular class or activity to host and then offer the class for free to people who come to sign up at your gym during the event. This will also expand your community, letting new potential members engage with your group.

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2. Run a referral program.

Running a referral program is a good way to get new customers in the door who hear about your gym through word-of-mouth from existing members. Tell your current members that they can earn free sessions, workout gear, or other incentives for referring their friends and family to your gym and encourage them to spread the word on social media and other channels. This is a great way to get more people to sign up since current members are already familiar with the culture and atmosphere of your gym, which makes it more likely that they will be a good fit and bring friends with them who are also interested in joining.

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3. Partner with local businesses.

Partnering with other local businesses is a great way to expand your reach and get more potential customers through the door. Ask your local coffee shop, grocery store, or another local business if they would be willing to partner with you and offer promotions for their customers that mention the name of your gym and encourage the businesses’ customers to come and sign up at your gym. This is a great way to extend your reach to new potential customers outside of your immediate neighborhood who may not be aware of your gym but would be interested in signing up if they were made aware of your services by a local business they regularly patronized.

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4. Sponsor a local event.

Sponsoring a local event is a great way to get your gym’s name out in the community and raise awareness about your business and the services you offer. Choose a popular event in your area that your potential customers are likely to be interested in attending and run a promotion at the event that includes a discount on membership or a free month for people who sign up during the event. Be sure to publicize the event well in advance so that people know to expect a promotional offer when they arrive and so that they are aware of the deal when they sign up so that they can take advantage of it.

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5. Use social media to promote your gym.

Social media is an excellent marketing tool that can help you attract new customers and build brand awareness for your business. Be sure to use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to post regular updates about your workout classes, fitness classes, new class offerings, upcoming promotions, and more. Include links to your website in your posts to direct people back to your site where they can learn more about your gym and join. You can even run competitions using social media that encourage your followers to share photos of themselves working out at your facility for a chance to win a free month’s membership! Social media is a cost-effective and easy tool that you can use to help promote your business and increase your customer base.

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6. Have a strong online presence, including your own website.

Building a website for your gym can help you attract new customers online and help grow your brand. Your website should include information about all of your workout classes, fitness programs, and other services offered by your gym as well as information about the products and services offered by your company. You should also include information about your facility such as business hours, location, and contact information so that people can easily get in touch with you to find out more information about your gym and sign up for memberships. Having a well-designed website will help you improve your visibility online and help attract more customers to your gym.

Popular tools to create your website:

• Fitscovery: our service helps you create your website quickly and easily. Everything is fully integrated (including your class schedule and online payments). Get your site up and running in just 30 minutes for free!
• Mindbody: this is probably the biggest fitness software provider in the world. They are popular especially in USA and Europe with their integrated booking system. You will however, need to create your own website on services such as Wix or Wordpress.
• Glofox: this is another big software provider around the world. Similar to Mindbody, you will need to create your own website and then integrate their booking system in.

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As a gym owner or fitness trainer, new customers are always on the top of your mind. However, bringing in new business can be a challenge. That is why it is important to build a solid marketing campaign that can help you promote your business and attract new customers to your gym. If you're looking for more, let us know! We are happy to provide additional free resources or join one of our free bootcamps for business marketing training (focused on the fitness industry). Email us at hello@fitscovery.com :)

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