Gym Promotion Ideas That Work!

Are you stuck for ideas around Gym Promotions that work? With Gyms, PT Studios and Health Centre’s popping up on every corner, the Fitness Industry sure can be a competitive one. Marketing the old-fashioned way with a few post letterbox drops and a bring a friend week just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore.

If you want to be heard in a noisy marketplace then a regular calendar of Gym Promotions will ensure you raise awareness amongst prospective audiences, and also maintain interest amongst existing members too.

So what kind of Gym Promotions could you implement at your Gym or PT Studio?… here’s some simple and budget-friendly ideas to get you started:

Gym Promotion Idea 1 – Charity Events

A well organised Charity Event is an excellent way to get new leads in front of your business, bring your current community closer together and of course support a worthy cause. Charity Events should be promoted internally through all available member channels, and externally through paid advertising. We recommend a promoted Facebook Event where people can register online to come alone.

Make sure you incentivise attendance with some free food, drink and prizes….and pick a charity that will resonate with your target audience. There are some great tax benefits to being charitable….and it makes us feel pretty damn good about ourselves too. Who doesn’t want to help those less fortunate! Don’t forget to take advantage of 1:1 contact with prospective leads, and make sure you have systems in place to try and convert them into a member of your community.

Gym Promotion Idea 2 – Challenge Time

Yes, Gyms everywhere have officially killed the word Challenge…but with good reason…..they still work. For a prospective lead, the challenge idea is attractive because it gives them a lot of value upfront (this is key – make sure you highlight the benefits and inclusions of the challenge), they only have to commit for a short period, they love the idea of quick results, and can try out your gym/studio before committing long-term. For current members, Challenges are a great way to up-sell them into paying additional fees, and it keeps them engaged whilst pushing them toward fast results.

Since the word Challenge is overused, you might like to also try giving your Challenge another name instead like a program, an initiative, a game etc. Just make sure you highlight the period, the value and the incentive upfront in your marketing.

Gym Promotion Idea 3 – Train for Free Week

Attracting interest in your gym or PT studio is normally the easy part and getting people through the doors and in a 1:1 environment to make the sale is where things can start to fall short. If you have a lot of old leads that haven’t been in for a consult or haven’t answered your calls then promoting a week where anyone can come in and train for free is a great way to get an influx of people to experience everything you have to offer.

Ensure you have the systems in place to support this week, so once you have the people through the doors you can offer them the best possible experience…and of course, convince them that their life will fall apart if they don’t sign up on a long-term membership. Incentivising the membership so they take swift action is the way to go.

Gym Promotion Idea 4 – Referrals

This one seems obvious, but you will be surprised at how many gym owners simply hope their members refer them to others. You should have multiple promotions scheduled for this throughout the year. Incentivise and reward! Here are a few ideas – ‘bring a friend’ in-house party, a points-based system across a set time so how much the member refers determines what prize they win, family challenges, Facebook check-in/picture competitions, local business partnerships.

Gym Promotion Idea 5- Time-Relevant Gym Promotions

Sit down at a calendar and map out the most obvious times to run a promotion. Here’s how it goes:

• Summer Slim Down
• Valentine’s Bring a Loved One
• Post-Easter Chocoholic Recovery Program
• Mothers Day/Fathers – Value Packed Joining Offer
• Winter Weight Buster
• Spring into Fitness
• Train for Free December
• School’s Back – Mum Time
• Black Friday/Boxing Day/Cyber Monday Sales

Gym Promotion Idea 6 – Surprise & Delight

Have you been eyeing off a few big corporate businesses down the road and wishing you could get inside with a megaphone to sign up new members? Well here’s an idea….send the receptionist something for the business that is sure to impress. Think fruit platters, nutritional shakes, protein balls, giant balloons, t-shirts, boxing gloves…whatever it takes to get noticed. Accompany it with some special joining offer flyers and you’ve just infiltrated the doors and successfully won over the hearts of those inside.

There are endless ideas for your Gym Promotions to populate your Gym Marketing Strategy. Here’s what you want to keep in mind:

• Keep note of what works and what doesn’t and roll with whatever is going to be worth the effort for you
• Don’t sell yourself short – try to promote the value you offer as a business as opposed to discounting your pricing so low that you make nothing on a sale
• Innovate! If you want to stand out then you have to be different

More Gym Members helps savvy Fitness Business Owners to grow their business through Quality Coaching, Education and Done For You Digital Marketing. If you would like to know how to add 35-70 clients to your business each month then book a 15-minute strategy call here.