4 Next-Gen Tips for Gym Marketing

Over the past decade, gym memberships have grown by nearly 20%. Needless to say, it's a great time to be in the fitness industry.

People aren't only desiring to look better -- they want to feel better as well. We can thank the health craze for this. But this is no surprise, given that 70% of Americans over 20 are either overweight or obese.

Folks are looking to get into shape and are willing to spend the money to do so. Just take the millennials, for example -- they're willing to pay $3,000/yr for a combination of boutique fitness classes and access to gym equipment.

However, if you want to take advantage of the booming market, then you need to put your gym on the map. Here are several tips you can use to build a winning gym marketing plan.

First: A Look at Gym Trends for 2020

Knowing what's trending can help you to jump aboard early and reap the benefits. Here's a quick rundown of the trends we expect to see in 2020:

• All-in-one fitness (consider hiring nutritionists, doctors, dieticians, physical therapists, etc.)
• On-the-go wellness (build an app to help your members stay on task)
• Community-driven fitness (host more classes indoors and outdoors and promote fitness pals/groups)
• Virtual trainers (you don't have to be physically present to offer fitness training)
• Rowing classes (rowing is in -- consider buying more of these machines)

Are you already using some of these techniques? If not, consider adding one or more at your location, then promote it in your gym marketing to attract new members.

Prepare Your Gym Marketing for Visual Search

When people are searching for help with a fitness problem, what do they look for? In many cases, they're seeking a solution, such as a fitness trainer or gym.

But there can be dozens of options to choose from, especially in larger cities. So to help them decide, they look for proof of successful results.

In other words -- they want to see the outcomes of the fitness training offered by the trainer or gym.

This is where photos come in. Having images of your clients' before and afters on your site will allow them to show up on Google Images. This way, when someone does a visual search, they will find the remarkable results your members obtain.

You can even put social media to work for you by creating a board on Pinterest. Just be sure your images are professional (or at least high-quality) and optimized (local keywords in the alt tags).

Add Influencers to Your Gym Marketing Strategy

Being a gym owner puts you in a great position because getting social proof is rather simple. But sometimes, the proof is worth more when it comes from a social figure with a higher status.

For example, an influencer.

The key is finding an influencer in your area who can help promote your gym. Consider reaching out to several and offering free memberships for three or so months so they can advertise their results.

The influencers you partner with should create content that's fitness related, so you know for sure their audience will be interested in your gym.

Be prepared to pay a fee -- the more followers and engagement they have, the higher the price.

However, the potential boost in conversions can far outweigh whatever price you paid.

Offer Real-Time Messaging to Members and Prospects

No, this doesn't mean you have to hire a full-time staff to man your messenger. Instead, you can use a combination of a chatbot and customer service/sales rep.

During work hours, an employee can answer questions from members and prospects. Then after hours, a chatbot will take over.

This way, your customers and prospects are always taken care of. It's a gym marketing strategy that works for you around the clock (and calendar).

You can use GoSite's Messenger tool for live chats.

Enhance Your Gym Marketing Strategy with Local SEO

There are several ways your audience is looking for fitness solutions. They're looking on Google, Google Maps and social media -- all of which are conducted using a mobile device.

We even find that 30% of all mobile searches are location-based. And another 76% of mobile users who are looking for local businesses tend to visit within 24 hours. The question now is:

How do you make your business visible, so mobile users are visiting your local gym?

The answer lies with local SEO.

You can begin by building a simple but functional website using best website builder for small business. Then you can optimize it with local keywords (your city + gym, for example).

From there, you can claim or create a business listing in directories, such as Google My Business. There are dozens of other directories you should also list with (i.e., Yelp, Yahoo Local, Bing, etc.).

What's great about Google My Business is that it can get you to the first page of Google quickly. The key is to:

• Fill out your profile completely
• Include a description, hours, phone numbers, addresses and photos of your exterior/interior
• Have your business name, number and address the same as your website
• Ask gym members for reviews (the higher your ratings, the higher your ranking)

If you can make it to the top three, you'll be seen over the #1 spot on Google!

To make the process simpler, you can use GoSite's Placement tool, which allows you to create/edit listings across 70+ directories in a single dashboard.

Prepare Your Gym Marketing for Next-Gen Tactics

The shift towards mobile is a big deal. So having a website that's optimized for mobile users will become increasingly essential going forward.

It's also important to not overlook the impact online reviews have on your potential sales. You'll need to manage your reviews to ensure you're getting plenty of positive feedback.

Then when a negative review rears its ugly head, you can address it before it tarnishes your reputation.

With the right tools and methods, you can ensure your gym marketing strategy is always on point.