You might think that your small gym isnt newsworthy. Think again! Do something to help others, and you in turn will reap rewards. Your health club marketing opportunities are only limited by your own imagination.
1. Establish a food drive
Free Enrollment when you bring in 5 canned foods! You can partner with your local soup kitchen or Salvation Army, and then tell the newspapers and news stations about the partnership...they eat that stuff up! (And of course, youre also helping those in need, which always feels good)
2. Submit articles to your local newspaper
Does your local paper have a weekly fitness editorial? Write one for them! Contact your local paper(s) and let them know you would like to write a weekly fitness tip/article for them. The worst they will say is no. What other publications are distributed in your area. Community newsletters? Free newsstand periodicals? What about online resources? Are there websites catering to your area? Write articles for them. If you cant write, have one of your staff members write.
3. Partner with your local radio station
You can have a radio station sponsor your 8-week weight loss contest. Get a DJ as your advocate. They can announce the contest to the listeners, have them submit applications, maybe even get teams set up between two DJs. All participants can have a free membership during the contest in exchange for lots of plugs for your club over the 8 weeks. Be sure to get contact info for anyone whose application wasn't accepted so you can give them a short term trial membership as well.
4. Run a contest for charity
Always remember that the media is always in need of positive news topics. If you set up a charitable event at your club, they will run a story. You can have your members get their friends to pledge money for every mile you walk or every pound you lift. And don't worry if there aren't many people who participate, anything charitable, even on a small scale, is newsworthy.
5. Host fitness seminars
At your local community center or chamber of commerce you will find a listing of presentations put on by local experts and hobbyists. From soccer skills to business planning, you will find a little bit of everything. They will be presented by experts and those who simply avid enthusiasts. Keep in mind that if someone is already on the schedule to promote fitness, find out specifically what their topic is and choose a different fitness related topic. There are so many different things you could present. And their organization does all of the promotional campaigning for the presentations, but it would be a good idea to do a little marketing for your fitness business as well.
6. Promote one of your members as local hero
Give the media what they want...Positive stories! Ask your members to submit applications to be in the "Local Hero" contest. They can discuss how your health club has provided the support to help them reach their goals and be a local hero. Once a winner is selected, write a press release and send it to all local media groups. It can say "Local citizen earns hero recognition", or something similar. Don't forget to give a prize to all applicants, and maybe even put their success stories on a "Wall of Fame" to show prospects when the visit your health club. This is a very powerful health club marketing strategy!
Add a little creativity to your health club marketing and you will find that these 7 strategies are only a small sampling of all of the marketing opportunities available for your health club. Everyone loves free press...be creative and you'll get lots of it. - 16069
1. Establish a food drive
Free Enrollment when you bring in 5 canned foods! You can partner with your local soup kitchen or Salvation Army, and then tell the newspapers and news stations about the partnership...they eat that stuff up! (And of course, youre also helping those in need, which always feels good)
2. Submit articles to your local newspaper
Does your local paper have a weekly fitness editorial? Write one for them! Contact your local paper(s) and let them know you would like to write a weekly fitness tip/article for them. The worst they will say is no. What other publications are distributed in your area. Community newsletters? Free newsstand periodicals? What about online resources? Are there websites catering to your area? Write articles for them. If you cant write, have one of your staff members write.
3. Partner with your local radio station
You can have a radio station sponsor your 8-week weight loss contest. Get a DJ as your advocate. They can announce the contest to the listeners, have them submit applications, maybe even get teams set up between two DJs. All participants can have a free membership during the contest in exchange for lots of plugs for your club over the 8 weeks. Be sure to get contact info for anyone whose application wasn't accepted so you can give them a short term trial membership as well.
4. Run a contest for charity
Always remember that the media is always in need of positive news topics. If you set up a charitable event at your club, they will run a story. You can have your members get their friends to pledge money for every mile you walk or every pound you lift. And don't worry if there aren't many people who participate, anything charitable, even on a small scale, is newsworthy.
5. Host fitness seminars
At your local community center or chamber of commerce you will find a listing of presentations put on by local experts and hobbyists. From soccer skills to business planning, you will find a little bit of everything. They will be presented by experts and those who simply avid enthusiasts. Keep in mind that if someone is already on the schedule to promote fitness, find out specifically what their topic is and choose a different fitness related topic. There are so many different things you could present. And their organization does all of the promotional campaigning for the presentations, but it would be a good idea to do a little marketing for your fitness business as well.
6. Promote one of your members as local hero
Give the media what they want...Positive stories! Ask your members to submit applications to be in the "Local Hero" contest. They can discuss how your health club has provided the support to help them reach their goals and be a local hero. Once a winner is selected, write a press release and send it to all local media groups. It can say "Local citizen earns hero recognition", or something similar. Don't forget to give a prize to all applicants, and maybe even put their success stories on a "Wall of Fame" to show prospects when the visit your health club. This is a very powerful health club marketing strategy!
Add a little creativity to your health club marketing and you will find that these 7 strategies are only a small sampling of all of the marketing opportunities available for your health club. Everyone loves free press...be creative and you'll get lots of it. - 16069
About the Author:
Curtis Mock has quickly become the go to person for gym marketing advice. You can sign up for his gym marketing tip of the week and be sure to take advantage of your trial membership to the powerful gym marketing resource site created specifically for fitness center operators.
