Digital Marketing for Gyms: A Multi-Channel Approach To Gain and Retain Clients
If you’re running a gym, you probably fantasize about the following scenario:
- Your phone is constantly ringing off the hook with new members looking to join.
- Your website drives thousands of monthly local website visitors.
- You convert daily leads into year-long memberships.
- Nearly every elliptical, treadmill, and stair stepper is continuously occupied.
- Your gym is so busy you have to hire new staff.
- Your consistent onslaught of revenue allows you to buy the latest equipment.
- Your gym’s social media is blowing up with likes, favorites, and shares.
- You have 100% clarity and involvement in your digital marketing campaign and are seeing physical results.
But these scenarios don’t have to be just a pipe dream. The Houston Digital Marketing Agency can help you work out a digital marketing campaign for your gym that will yield actual results and keep your revenue pumping. Now, set your treadmill to low, put down the weights, and learn more about our highly defined process.
We’re a Marketing Agency That Specializes in Gyms
We understand the musculature of the market.
We know what works and what is a useless strain.
Like you, we help our clients achieve massive gains and maintain long-lasting results.
So let’s begin with a free consultation as a warm-up — no (ham)strings attached.
The Holistic Playbook for a High-Performing Gyms Digital Marketing Campaign
We are the top-performing Houston Digital Marketing Agency because our marketing processes are intuitive, innovative, heavily refined, and clear-cut.
Our marketing regimens focus on three critical components:
- Set up data analytics so you can track performance.
- Drive inbound traffic to your website.
- Convert that traffic into contracts and, hopefully, long-term clients.
Seems straightforward, right?
Well, like eating right and working out regularly, your results may not be very apparent if you aren’t tracking your macros and recording set and rep increases.
Ask yourself the following questions about the digital marketing campaign for your gym (if you can answer, you can graduate to the bottom of the page):
- What is your website’s conversion rate?
- How many organic visitors did your site get from Google last month?
- What is your cost per qualified lead from Google Ads?
If you found yourself musing the questions above 🠉 and, while trying to answer, looked like this below 🠋, do yourself a great favor and keep reading.
At Houston Marketing Agency, we are more than just a digital marketing agency — we’re also a data agency. This means we go above and beyond to create valuable digital marketing campaigns while also tracking performance indicators that give crucial insight into how your holistic campaign is progressing and yielding results. Let’s dive a little more into what we mean.Phase 1: Build Robust Data Analytics
All recommended approaches in digital marketing for health and wellness businesses, including gyms, begin with data. If you don’t have dependable and consistent tracking for your data analytics — or are making decisions based on a hunch — that’s an issue.
One essential key performance indicator (KPI) for a gym’s digital marketing campaign may be the number of free trials or tours potential patrons sign up for.
When someone is looking to invest their time and money into their fitness goals, they’re likely looking for a gym that meets their personal expectations, preferences, and needs. Everyone wants a gym that is welcoming and clean, but some people are looking for additional qualities and factors within a gym.
If your gym’s digital marketing campaign doesn’t make it easy for prospective gym goers to sign up for a free trial, you’re probably losing out on sign-ups and contracts. It’s hard for someone to see themselves achieving their fitness goals in a gym if they haven’t had a session to try it out.
Consider adding clickable buttons to your website, as in the example below, to allow users to sign up for a tour or a free trial with a few easy clicks.
Data Fidelity
Another important indicator that other digital marketing agencies lack insight into is data fidelity.
At The Houston Digital Marketing Agency, we have often inherited large campaigns from other agencies or freelancers. Sometimes, we dig into the data just to find many common issues with data fidelity, such as:
- Double counting conversions
- Failing to track every step of the funnel for a clear understanding of drop-offs and conversion rates
- Tracking irrelevant and unnecessary conversions, i.e., someone making a Google Maps “direction request” to your gym or current members checking your gym’s hours
Our digital marketing and data analytics firm strives for ideal data tracking with our perfected strategies and techniques. We guarantee that all the data our work provides will be valuable to your gym’s digital marketing campaign.
Phase 2: Maximize Affordable Inbound Traffic
For the sake of this section, let’s assume you run three different gym locations in the greater Houston area.
Before we get into the meat of it, we need to examine one vital piece of information.
Most folks will choose a gym within a 15-minute drive of where they either 1) live or 2) work. Think about your first gym. The quality of the gym may have mattered, but the main factor of preference was convenience.
This makes geo-targeting your digital adverts pretty easy when you have the right tools and apply the perfectly engineered strategy.
Let’s take a look at some of these tactics.
Google is so synonymous with the idea of searching for things on the internet that it’s become a verb. So, what do you think potential clients do when looking for a gym?
That’s right, they’re googling it.
It’s pretty obvious that Google should be your starting point with any form of digital marketing for gyms.
Let’s take a look at some keywords people probably use when they search for gyms on Google.
This keyword, “gyms near me,” yields over 3.5 million searches per month. That’s almost one million people looking for gyms with the search inquiry. If you consider how many build up over the year, you’re looking at an astounding 42 million people using this keyword to look for gyms.
And if you noticed there are almost 17,000 other variations of these keywords that people are using each month to find gyms.
For more exact results, some people prefer to search for gyms using city-specific keywords. As you can see in the above example, there are over 12,800 people per month using specific keywords related to gyms in Houston.
Why is this relevant to digital marketing for gyms?
Because if you’re not a key performer in both organic and paid traffic, you’re losing out on potential sign-ups from people searching either keyword.
Again, we should also pay attention to the other 829 variations of this keyword. The more opportunities there are to express them, the more unique your page will appear to users and Google.
Organic
In the SEO world, there are two places you can rank organically and locally on Google for keywords like “gyms near me.”
In the industry, we refer to the first as the Google Local Pack.
You’re probably thinking, “How can I get my gym to rank in the Google local pack?”
Well, local SEO is a bit complex. While there may be a lot that goes into it, the basic formula is:
- Have an optimized and heavily-reviewed Google Business Profile.
- Have plenty of localized content on your website.
- Feature keywords on your website that allow Google to recognize the services you provide and the areas you service so users can find what they’re looking for.
Take a look at the example of the Google Local pack for gyms in Houston on the search engine results page, and you’ll see organic results.
So, how can you increase your ranking so that you are in the top organic results?
If we were to sit down and talk about everything that goes into SEO, we would be talking for days. However, a few steps you can take towards optimizing your campaign to focus on increasing search engine results might include:
- Creating a robust, user-focused, and content-rich website
- Optimizing on-page SEO elements, such as title tags, meta descriptions, etc.
Paid
Not every paid platform and channel provides the same results. Outcomes may depend on factors like your target demographic, location, services provided, and more.
Consider these paid advertising opportunities you may want to factor into your gym’s digital marketing budget.
Google Ads
Now that we’ve given you a preview of how SEO operates on Google, let’s turn our attention to Google Ads, a paid option that can help you climb the ranks of the results page.
You have even seen a few sponsored links throughout the search results while searching for things on your own. They’re typically some of the first results at the top of the page and have a “Sponsored” tag above their meta title.
If you choose a quality digital marketing agency that will do your sponsored ads right, your gym will be the first result, leading prospective clients to click on your page and possibly leading to enrollment.
Reminder: There are different types of Google Ads you can use to test and measure your campaign’s performance, such as:
- Search
- Performance Max
- Display
- And more
YouTube Ads
YouTube Ads are another affordable, highly targeted, and visually engaging option for paid advertisements.
Potential clients who are ready to invest in their health and fitness and sign up for a gym are looking for one that:
- Is clean
- Is welcoming
- Is judgment-free
- Has a variety of machines and fitness tools
- Provides various amenities
- Provides classes and in-house fitness instructors and coaches
- And more
A high-quality, comprehensive video exhibiting your gym’s star qualities will generate excitement and hope amongst prospective patrons before they even step foot in your facility.
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok Ads
You’re probably aware of the gold mine of social media exposure within the fitness and wellness market. There’s no shortage of fitness gurus and fitness influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
And no matter the social media platform you choose to elevate your gym, you should be aware of the demographic differences between them all.
While there’s a chance to be some crossover between age groups among the various social media sites, you can mostly assume that:
- Facebook is the preferred platform for GenX and Boomers.
- Instagram is the preferred platform for GenX and Millennials.
- TikTok is the preferred platform for Millennials and Gen Z.
Depending on the type of gym you would like to run, you may be focused on attaining clients from a certain demographic and therefore will want to focus one platform over the others.
You may be thinking, “Well, you can drink more water if your jug is a gallon, rather than refilling a smaller water bottle or drinking out of cups over time.”
While that may be true for hydration, when it comes to digital marketing, here’s where we will tell you: you might be wrong.
Think about it this way:
- GenXers may be searching for a gym that offers more than just the standard. They’re likely looking to pay more for in-house fitness instructors and classes like yoga, pilates, cycling, kickboxing, etc.
- Boomers might be happy with the bare minimum, which could be anything from treadmills to weight machines.
- Millennials and Gen Z clients might be looking for gyms that have an inclusive environment with multiple amenities and incentives like discounts for students.
- Gymfluencers of all ages might find your gym aesthetically pleasing and high-caliber enough to inadvertently advertise your gym with their content.
Instead of pouring all of your efforts into one platform, The Houston Digital Marketing Agency can help you weaponize your digital marketing campaign to target them all and convert prospective leads into sign-ups and long-term contracts.
Meaning, your business will be drinking in more revenue by extending the reach of your demographic through various social media platforms.
Phase 3: Increase Conversion Rates
Everything mentioned above was focused on allowing users to find your website and getting them on your page. That is the first step, but not where it ends.
The main modus operandi of your website is gaining and retaining your gym sign-ups and contracts.
You want to drive web traffic to your site in the hopes of getting those users to convert — meaning you get people to sign up for your gym. Let’s peer into a few practical ways to make this happen.
Use CRO Best Practices
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) includes a plethora of best practices, including:
- Having a mobile-friendly, easily accessible website
- Ensuring your featured images and videos are high-quality and engaging
- Adding reviews and testimonials from happy patrons
We won’t go into every possible angle and strategy here, but these are some we recommend to really help you exercise effectiveness.
Split Test Landing Pages
Running split tests is the quickest way to understand if your website’s content, design, or other on-page elements are leading to increasing conversion rates or causing users to move on to your competitors.
Here’s how it works:
- Landing Page A is the baseline page.
- Landing Page B is the sample page. For this, you take Landing Page A and modify one component.
- For example, you may change the call to action buttons on the page from reading “Have a Work Out on Us” to “Complimentary Day Pass.”
After comparing your control page to your test page, you may be able to zero in on which components will draw in more users. By applying consistency with these tactics, you can increase conversions and garner sign-ups.
Clear CTAs
When prospective gymgoers visit your gym’s website, they should immediately see clear CTAs—or Calls to Action—throughout the page.
You don’t want to make signing up for the gym even harder than it might be for some people.
By making it clear and easy, they can sign up before they begin to second-guess their decision to make a change.
These may look like:
- Receive your free day pass
- Sign up here
- Schedule a tour
- And more
However you direct users to go down the path to conversion, the process should be simple, like a squat. Not complex, like a non-routine crane lift.
Optimizing the Funnel
There are steps your website visitors must take as they go from someone looking to finally achieve their New Year’s resolutions to actively signing up for the gym, and you might get lots of drop-offs along the way as they decide “maybe next year” and decide not to take that next step.
You can utilize your digital marketing campaign to take advantage of these shifts if you:
- Find clarity on where the drop-off points are
- Optimize drop-off points through data-driven tests
- Monitor performance
- Continue testing
Increase LTV on Autopilot
Once a client has signed up for your gym, that doesn’t mean your work is finished.
Your biggest profit likely comes from the lifetime value (LTV) of your lead conversions. Having three people enroll in your gym for one year isn’t as valuable as one patron who will keep renewing their contract year after year.
With local gyms, it can be hard to compete with chains. But unlike those gyms, you can be more flexible in the ways you generate LTV from first-time sign-ups.
Yearly Contracts Renewing
Once clients sign a yearly contract for your gym, you need them to keep going and renewing their contract to increase their LTV.
For instance, if you’re a local gym and someone signs up for a year-long plan, your goal is for them to renew their contract and continue using your gym for years.
Some ways to do this may include:
- Making efforts to offer robust amenities and classes
- Offering services and access to the equipment so they won’t get anywhere else
- Creating incentives to keep gymgoers attending, such as rewards
- Cultivating an environment that will make anyone want to get up and go to the gym
- And more
Rewards and Bonuses for Referrals and Customer Loyalty
We all need a little incentivizing when it comes to getting up and hitting the gym.
While you probably can’t bait your clients into signing up and going by telling them they can occasionally skip leg day in lieu of some light cardio, you can incentivize them with rewards and bonuses for customer loyalty.
Consider offering your clients:
- A point system that tracks how much they attend classes or regular check-ins and rewards them based on frequency
- Offering specials and discounts on higher tiers of memberships based on commitment
- Providing little bonuses or small discounts for clients that refer new sign-ups
You can get creative with it. Hold fitness goal contests, feature top point earners on your social media, offer giveaways on Instagram, etc. The world is your open leg press. Maximize your gains by trying out different angles and seeing what works best.
The more engaged you keep your clients, the more involved they will be with your center, elongating their commitment to your gym and increasing their LTV.
Digital Marketing for Gyms Doesn’t Have to Be an Exhausting Workout
At The Houston Digital Marketing Agency, we help local and national brands and organizations yield SEO and key data insights to predictably increase leads and sales throughout countless industries.
We understand how to work the market and help you best represent yourself to clients and, even more importantly, Google.
We’d love to help you increase your sign-ups and revenue with our digital marketing for gyms. Like you, we love to see our clients get results, so we offer a 100% reimbursement guarantee if we do not deliver.
Contact us today to learn how to get started.