Tag : crossfit

Social Media Marketing Solutions: Fitness Studios

082918 Blog Social Media Marketing Solutions_ Fitness Studios
29Aug

For the rest of the summer, the Go! Agency blog will focus on the social media habits of different industries. For each week in August, our first blog will explain common mistakes made by an industry; our second blog will explain how to fix those mistakes.  

As we discussed in our previous blog, the fitness industry has some work to do when it comes to social media marketing. Thankfully, the common issues have easy fixes. Let’s take a look at one fitness studio that needs some more coaching on their marketing techniques! (Note: The following example is a hypothetical case study that combines features from several different situations. Names, locations, and other details have been changed to protect the privacy and anonymity of source examples.)

Ferris Fitness is a small boutique fitness studio that specializes in spinning and pilates. CEO Carol Ferris wants her studio to be a space where people can feel comfortable and get healthy. She is busy enough with the day to day operations (and keeping head trainer Hal from throttling Guy, a spin instructor), so she leaves the social media operations to Kyle, the receptionist and de facto office manager. Kyle likes that this duty enables him to flex his creative muscles (his degree is in graphic design), but he doesn’t know a lot about marketing.

Bad Visuals
Carol wants to show off their gorgeous layout, so she’s taken lots of pictures of the studio. Always when it’s empty, of course–why would you want people in the way? Pilates teachers Jessica and Simon will frequently snap candid pics during workouts, and sometimes even take (admittedly shaky) videos of group classes. 

Solution: Polish your image. 
We’re not saying that you need to make your trainers wear full make up so that you can take pictures of the class, but you need to look polished. Pay attention to lighting and composition of your shots. Take time to actually set up your photos. And enough with those sad pictures of empty gyms: people won’t be impressed by the space, they’ll be confused by your lack of clients.

Too Perfect
Spin instructor John wants to take before and after photos of clients, but Carol worries that asking would offend or embarrass them. Right now, their photos are mostly shots of the trainers during their own workouts. 

Solution: Embrace reality! 
You need to show the “before” picture if you want the “after” picture to have any impact. People want to see what your gym could do for them, and the best way to do that is to show a person who is at the beginning of his/her fitness journey. More than that, people want to to relate to others. Ask your clients if any of them would be comfortable sharing before and after photos. Ideally, you should present a mixture of all different ages, sizes, and body types.

Strictly Business
Ferris Fitness has an eclectic bunch of employees. Guy volunteers with the Special Olympics. Jess and Simon co-emcee a popular karaoke night at a nearby bar. The staff includes two retired veterans: Hal (USAF) and John (USMC). Sadly, no one would know any of this by looking at any of the gym’s social media channels.

Solution: Get personal.
Show off your staff! No one who’s seen Guy yelling at cyclists in his lunchtime spin class would ever think that he’d be great with children, much less children with special needs. Jess is so quiet during classes, but she’s effervescent on stage. Happy-go-lucky karaoke night Simon likewise bears little resemblance to stern trainer Simon. Hal and John don’t like to flaunt their military service, but they wouldn’t mind being mentioned on Veterans’ Day. By showing the human side of your trainers, you allow your audience to connect.

Ferris Fitness has one advantage that too many businesses lack: an owner who was willing to learn. After Kyle mentioned their social media issues, Carol did some research on her own. She had thought that her fitness studio was average in terms of social media, but she quickly saw how much she was missing. Carol decided to contact a small social media management firm. She felt doing so would be the best for herself and her staff–and the results have been great!

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Social Media Marketing Evaluation: Fitness Studios

082718 Blog Social Media Marketing Evaluation_ Fitness Studios
27Aug

For the rest of the summer, the Go! Agency blog will focus on the social media habits of  some of our favorite industries. Every week, our first blog will explain common mistakes made by an industry; followed by a second blog that will explain how to fix them. Think of this series as What Not to Wear for social media marketing!

Fitness studios are booming right now, notably spinning, pilates, Crossfit, and other so-called “boutique fitness” specialities. According to an industry survey by American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journalhigh intensity training and group training are the two biggest fitness trends in 2018. Unfortunately, many of the smaller studios need help with social media marketing. Here are a few of the biggest mistakes we’ve noticed among fitness studios. 

1. Bad Visuals
Every industry makes this mistake, so we cannot stress it enough: level up your visual game. Do not post bad pictures. Poor lighting and composition can make a brand new studio look like the inside of an abandoned warehouse. Speaking of abandoned, don’t post pictures of empty rooms or equipment. Spinning studios are major offenders here: stop using photos of empty bicycles. You may think you’re showing off your state of the art equipment, but viewers will see a studio with no members.

2. Just Too Perfect 
Speaking of overused images, too many fitness studios post pictures of perfect people. It’s great to post pics of your staff (more on that below) or other fitness professionals, but you need to connect to your audience. While your audience will undoubtedly have a good number of fitness buffs, it will also include people who want to improve themselves. You need to appeal to customers who don’t look perfect. And what about expanding your client base? With the incoming Silver Tsunami, many fitness pros have found success by appealing to the older demographic. Finally, think of this as an opportunity to prove the value of your services by taking photos of clients throughout their fitness journey. You need to show the “before” if you want the “after” picture to have any impact.

3. Strictly Business
While personal trainers can take a more personal approach with their social media profiles, fitness studios need to be a bit more business-oriented. Unfortunately, a lot of these studios take that to extremes and show no personality whatsoever. Staff is almost anonymous; the brand itself has no personality. As we discussed in our blog on restaurant solutions, you need to mix up your content if you want to keep your audience’s attention.

4.  Little to No Engagement
Connecting to your audience is the point of social media. You must respond to each comment and question. You should participate in challenges on social media platforms, or follow fitness-specific hashtags. Finally, consider using your social media accounts for giveaways or promotions that would not be available elsewhere.

5. All or Nothing Approach to Marketing
Far too many fitness studios fall into one of two camps: 24/7 sales pitches or radio silence. As any competent social media marketer will tell you, neither is a winning strategy. Consider the previous entries and vary your content. Don’t bore your followers, and don’t forget to educate them. Your social media channels are an opportunity to give your potential customers a taste of what you have to offer.

Remember: there are no such things as rest days when it comes to your social media marketing strategy! Check out our next blog for solutions to these common problems.

Has your marketing strategy hit a plateau? We can help you achieve your goals! Contact us today for your free consultation!

 

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