Posts Tagged ‘club marketing’

5 Elements of a Successful Health Club Website

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Hey,

Joshua here, and I have a very special post for you today.

See, I’m so busy helping health clubs nationwide with their marketing, that I have to hire outside help for marketing my own business! To do this, I looked no further than expert marketers Louisa (Lou) Levit and David Tendrich.

They are complete experts when it comes to making your website a profitable, client-grabbing machine. And they’ve agreed to share some of their secrets right here.

Make sure you read to the end for a special free offer from them (it’s really cool)…

So, without further interruption, here they are:

Hey there,

We’re Lou Levit and David Tendrich, and we’re here today to talk to you about 5 key things that make a website successful. And by successful we mean that it brings you clients day and night – even when you’re on vacation. Pretty cool, right?

*Note: the word ‘copy’ is used quite a bit throughout this article. If you’re not familiar with copywriting, here’s a definition for you: it’s the art of writing words that make people want to take action. So copy is what copywriters write.

So let’s get started…

1. Research

Knowing what to put on your website isn’t guesswork. It comes down to finding out what your customers want, and giving it to them.

Talk to your ideal customers (you know, the kind you want more of) and find out in their own words what they’re getting out of being a member, why they joined,  what problems they’ve resolves, and how this impacts various areas of their lives (work, personal, etc.). Also find out what objections or fears they had before joining.

Write down or record everything they tell you. These are gold mines. When you write copy for your site, include the most common points you’ve gathered from all the conversations and use the same phrases and terms your members used. It only makes sense that to get more people like your ideal customers you’d use the same language they use when they speak.

When you do your research, also pay attention to your clients’ personalities. Are they mostly girly girls? Athletes? Moms?  Ask them what colors they like, what kind of things appeal to them, etc. Copy and design for house moms, for example, will be very different from copy and design for male athletes. Take these things into consideration when deciding what your site will look like and what you say on it.

Remember – find out what your customers want, and give it to them.

2. Clear focus / message

A lot of sites fall short because they have so much going on. Keep it simple – decide on one clear goal for your site, and make sure every page you add contributes to that goal. For health clubs that goal is usually to get more customers.

Take, for example, the about page. Prospects don’t want to know that you’ve been in business for 30 years – they want to know what they will get out of that. They don’t want to know how many certifications you have – they want to know why that benefits them.

If you mainly offer one service, we’ve found that, especially for fitness professionals, long copy sales pages work significantly better than regular websites. If you’re not familiar with what a long copy sales page is, you can take a look at one here. Basically, they’re those long pages, without navigation, that keep you scrolling down until you reach an ‘add to cart’ button or sign up option at the bottom.

Now, you may be thinking “who’s going to read all that?” – but when done right, these pages are extremely powerful since they draw the reader in, without distractions, and lead them to signing up.

To sum it up – always keep your goal in mind.

3. Attention grabbing headlines

When someone first opens your home page, you want to capture their attention and start making the sale right away. The most powerful way to do this is with an attention-grabbing headline that shows them the benefits they’ll get from joining your club, and tell them what makes your club so unique.

To make sure it gets noticed write it in big, bold letters at the top of your home page, and infuse it with benefits, excitement, and personality.

Here are a few examples to get you started:

“How this New York health club is helping people lose up to 12 pounds every month!”

“How this Atlanta health club can help you instantly boost your energy so you’re awake and alert all day long…”

“It’s not just the incredible fat loss you’ll get that makes this Detroit health club so powerful…”

As you can see, all three headlines describe the benefits someone will get from joining in an excited and energetic way. They really get your prospects pumped up about the changes they can start seeing in their lives, and give you a perfect lead-in to talk about all of the awesome features of your club like your equipment, supportive staff, friendly members who encourage each other and become friends, etc.

4. Testimonials

Testimonials are an absolute requirement. It’s good to have them on a testimonials page, but also make sure you include them on other areas of your site. The home page is a great place for that, since it’s your first contact with your prospects, and it’s where you make that first impression.

If you look on our website you’ll see that we have testimonials practically on every page. That’s because when people read what our clients took upon themselves to write about us, they’re much more likely to want to do business with us.

You want to feature testimonials that:

  • Show quantity (i.e. lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks).
  • Describe the environment. (i.e. everyone was supportive and friendly)
  • Counter objections (i.e. I never thought I could lose the weight, but… I never thought a gym environment was for me, but…)
  • Validate the price (i.e. this was a great deal considering how much it changed my life)

If you don’t have any testimonials yet, getting great ones is as easy as asking your favorite customers. You can also offer a free training session or a free month of membership, give something else away, or enter them in a raffle in exchange.

5. Call to Action

Earlier in this post we talked about having a single, clear focus/goal for your site, and making sure all of your copy and design lead to that goal. Your call to action is the last thing between you and your visitors - this is the goal your entire website is building up to.

A call to action is extremely simple to write. That’s probably why it’s so often done wrong! All you need to do is tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do next – in clear, concise language. That’s it.

For example… a lot of people will just have their phone number placed throughout their site, or say “call now 1.800.111.2222”. But we want to get a bit more specific. We want to give people a good reason to call too.
Here’s an example:

“Call 1.800.222.3344 right now to start your completely FREE week at Awesome Bodies Health Club!”

As you can see there’s a free offer in that call to action. If you don’t already, we highly recommend having a free trial period for your club: it lowers the barrier of entry into doing business with you. You want to make it as easy as possible for prospects to become members, so ask yourself this question: what makes joining this health club a no-brainer? Free or one dollar trials definitely answer that question.
Now, here’s another cool tip…

Take your call to action a step further. For example, tell people what will happen when they call you. See, sometimes people subconsciously fear what will happen when they call. In the back of their heads they think that somehow they’ll be charged for something, sold something, dragged into a long conversation.. etc. By letting them know what will happen you dissolve this fear.

For example:

“Call 1.800.222.3344 right now to start your completely FREE week at Awesome Bodies Health Club!

“Our wonderful receptionist, Martha, will answer the phone, take down your name, and set up a time for you to get a tour of the club.

“Then you can come on in, and start getting in shape as early as today!”

See how inviting and approachable that is? It completely takes the mystery out of the picture. People know what to expect – so they feel safer about calling.

So there you have it!

We hope these tips help bring you even more business, and see even greater success. Feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Lou and David are the founders of an advertising and marketing firm in Atlanta, GA called Unexpected Ways LLC. In the past year they’ve helped literally dozens of fitness professionals all over the world achieve results they once thought impossible – both in online and offline marketing.

You can find out more about them, and get in touch with them personally, by visiting their website: http://www.unexpectedways.net.

One more thing!

Lou and David have been kind enough to offer a FREE 10 min. website critique for the first 10 people who contact them at support@unexpectedways.net.

Make sure you mention my blog to get your FREE critique.

Have a great one,

Joshua

PS. I have a GREAT new tool that I will be telling you about on the next post so make sure you opt-in to receive my “Sales Sniper Newsletter NOW“

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Posted in Health Club Managment, Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | 1 Comment »

The building blocks of a good Fitness Marketing Plan

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

091019_r18925_p233Fitness Centers are tightening their budgets and many of them are cutting their marketing budget. I understand that these times are tough and I know that many Health Clubs are even laying off employees, but it is important to understand that cutting your marketing budget can often cause more harm to the growth of your Health Club than you realize.
Studies have shown that Fitness Centers that continue to market during tough economic times often see growth during those times, where businesses that cut their marketing budget will often see a decrease in sales.
It’s not time to cut the marketing budget, it’s time to re-evaluate your marketing and analyze what is working and what’s not. Take time to explore new options of marketing that cost less, but can still deliver the results you are looking for.
We cannot ignore these financial difficulties that our country is facing, but today I want to help you understand the importance of marketing during the recession. Learn how to set a marketing budget that you can work with, and explore popular no cost to low-cost marketing tips that you can begin implementing today.
Every health club owner should develop a written guideline that sets forth the club’s marketing strategy. This document is used to judge the appropriateness of each action that the business takes. If a fitness center has to take an action that is off-strategy, it may indicate a temporary emergency action prompted by competition or other factors beyond normal management control. Or it may indicate the need to change or revise the club’s marketing strategy.

A good marketing strategy provides specific goals and can include:
• a description of the key target buyer/end user
• competitive market segments the fitness center will compete in
• distribution channels
• the unique positioning of the club and its products versus the competition
• the reasons why it is unique or compelling to buyers
• price strategy versus competition
• marketing spending strategy with advertising and promotion
• possible research and development
• market research expenditure strategies.

An overall fitness marketing strategy should also:
• define the fitness center
• position the club as a leader, challenger, follower, or niche player in the category
• define the brand or club personality or image that is desired in the minds of buyers and end users
• define life cycle influences, if applicable

Strategy statement tests. If the statements in your strategy are measurable and actionable and work to differentiate your company and products apart from the competition, congratulations! If they are not measurable and actionable and do not differentiate your company from the competition, revise them until they are.

A good working marketing strategy should not be changed every year. It should not be revised until company objectives (financial, marketing, and overall company goals) have been achieved or the competitive situation has changed significantly, e.g., a new competitor comes into the category or significantly different or new products emerge from existing competitors.
While a comprehensive marketing plan can be a vital component to any business plan, it’s often neglected by small business owners, online business owners and webmasters, and independent or creative professionals, for a few reasons:

• They simply don’t want to put the effort into writing a full marketing plan.
• They’re too short on time to write a comprehensive marketing plan.
• They don’t know how to write a marketing plan, and are flustered by the process.

A one page marketing plan can, in these cases, be a viable alternative to a full marketing plan, while still touching on important marketing strategy areas. This sample includes a variety of marketing areas that should be addressed.

A one page marketing plan can, in these cases, be a viable alternative to a full marketing plan, while still touching on important marketing strategy areas. This sample includes a variety of marketing areas that should be addressed. Use the following guide to help you fill out your one page marketing plan:

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Posted in Health Club Managment, Profit Centers For Health Clubs, Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | No Comments »

Health Club Management – Coaching your Team towards a Goal

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Health Club Management

Over the past few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of consulting with club owners in regards to club management. This is one in particular that I’m very passionate about, mainly because that’s where I got my start in the fitness industry. It really drives me bananas when I walk into a health club and there are no systems in place. I can only imagine how aggravating it must be for the members and employees to be part of a chaotic environment. So that being said let me stop venting and give you a couple of tips that will help you on the road to developing in house marketing, sales and management systems.

First things first, let’s look at marketing.

A few rules to remember when marketing for new gym members.

1. Sale Solutions – When a member joins a fitness center they could care less about how fancy your equipment is. Planet Fitness has proved this. If you walk into any Planet Fitness you will find the same boring cookie cutter equipment. So why are they so successful? The answer is because they are selling a solution. The solution is an environment that anybody can feel comfortable in. That’s there brand and that’s the secret to their success. A good marketing piece we’ll sale a solution. Here are a few examples of the solutions people are looking for when they buy a gym membership: low price, weight loss, risk free money back guarantee, great social scene, no pressure environment, etc.

2. Go Big or Go Home – A fitness center’s marketing budget should be a minimum of 10% of your current draft per month. You may be asking yourself, “How can I afford to spend that much on marketing every month?” A better question would be, “How can you not afford to spend that much money on marketing?” I know some great and inexpensive ways to market your health club that I will go into in a different post. The main thing I want to get in your head is that you have to spend money to make money. And your marketing should be both proactive and reactive.

3. Budget, Budget, Budget – Setting up a marketing budget is the key to successful marketing campaigns. So you ask, how should I go about setting up a marketing budget? Well, I already gave you one key: spend at least 10% of your monthly draft on marketing. There’s a lot more to creating a marketing budget for your gym, so feel free to shoot me an e-mail or give us a call and I can give you a few more free tips.

Next we’ll look at sales.

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Health Club Madness

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

insanity in health clubs

WARNING!- I would like you to read the following paragraphs with the utmost care. What I’m about to say is not only a warning, but is also a friendly suggestion from a fellow professional in the health club industry.

If you need help, don’t wait, call today!

I have talked with several club owners in the past few months that are on the verge of destruction. The one thing that these health club owners have in common is a fear of change. The gym business as we know it is changing. Gone are the days of beating the competition by having the best instructor in town or the new Hammer Strength equipment. There is no such thing as “better” in the gym business, there is just “different.”

Let me explain what I am talking about. If you think your club is better because your equipment is new – you’re wrong! If you think your club is better because you have great group fitness instructors – you’re wrong! If you think you have the best health club in town because you have the cheapest memberships - you’re wrong! If you think that infrared sauna that your so proud of is the reason that you’re the best club in town – you’re wrong! Remember there is no such thing as “better,” only “different.”

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Posted in Health Club Managment, Personal Training Solutions, Profit Centers For Health Clubs, Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | No Comments »

Stephanie - Contours Express

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

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What Makes For a Good Health Club Business Plan?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Sucess With Health Clubs

Sucess With Health Clubs

The fundamentals of goal settings will involve deciding what you actually wish to do with your private life and what short term and long term goals you must attain it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and controllable targets that you have to complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.

So having a Health Club Business Plan is a no brainer.

Lets talk about a few key point to writing a Health Club Business Plan.

What makes for a good country club business plan is the same things that make for any good business plan, which just a few differences. The most significant thing to keep in mind in any plan, though, is that having A plan is far better than having NO plan at all, even if the plan is a little misty, to start. This can always be corrected down the road. What’s a fact, though, is that enterprises that begin with no written plan regularly go down to beat inside their first 3 years. Health Club Business Plan reveal your weakness.

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Posted in Health Club Managment, Profit Centers For Health Clubs, Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | 6 Comments »

Health Club Owners Bait the Baby Boomers

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

fishing-cartoonEver thought of making money in a sector with a massive market demand, unique expansion potential and giant revenue possibilities? How would you like to position yourself strategically and take advantage of one of the biggest trends in the history of mankind? Look no further. This book will exhibit to you how the HEALTH and WELLNESS industry holds the key to any budding businessman on how to realize a profit on a rising trend.

Note :
Remember health club marketing is more than just direct mail and lead boxes. You must go after the right shoppers for your well-being club and market to them. Gyms that try to be everything to everybody end up being nobodies to everybody. Fitness marketing is health club marketing companies main goal.
Now, think back :

What trends were the most up to date at their time?

‘ The Microwave
‘ The VCR
‘ The computers and the web

What next?

Imagine if you were there and you started it. Or what if Bill Gates was to form Microsoft in the beginning and was trying to find investors and investors, what would you be doing?

Would you be telling your grandkids how you cashed in and made a fortune? Or would you tell them how missed it and how others are making theirs?

In this book you’ll learn all about how

‘ Baby-boomers in America modified the markets in the world forever
‘ What are this up-trends and downtrends yesterday, today and tomorrow
‘ What a multi-billion dollar demand will look like in a few years time
‘ How network selling companies are cashing in on the wave
‘ How YOU or Anyone can link into this market and make a fortune!

Read on to unlock the secret

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Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures - Health Club Marketing Is Not Begging For Sales

Friday, August 14th, 2009
Dont beg for a gym membership!

Dont beg for a gym membership!

The homeless that are begging on the streets in cities around the world have nothing on business owners-or do they? In these tough times, it can seem like an appealing solution to beg, plead, and do whatever it takes to get the sales that you need, but standing on the street rattling your tin cup probably isn’t the way to draw a crowd to your gym or health club.

Every business has their sales promotions. The homeless aren’t the only ones begging on the street, these days, either. Other businesses just do it in a much more tactful manner. Have you ever driven down the street and seen a man in a pizza suit or a hot dog costume? Or perhaps you’ve gotten phone call after phone call from car dealers that you’ve talked to, practically offering to give you a car for nothing, just for the business. Today’s businesses are doing everything that they can to increase sales. However, when it comes to health club marketing, a giant protein shake or dumbbell standing out in front of your business probably isn’t what you had in mind.

When it comes to health club marketing in these tough times, there are some things that you CAN do, though. It’s hard to own a gym or a health club right now, because people are cutting unnecessary expenses like crazy. It’s not like people are saying ‘Forget the electric bill, it can wait. I’ve got to get a gym membership!’ It would be nice for your business if this was the way that people thought, but until you can acquire the tools and skills to brainwash the general public into this type of thinking, you’ll have to come up with a better way to promote your business.

Sales, promotions, and print ads can be a much more effective means of communicating your need for business. Try to present professional advertisements with realistic offers that people will be able to enjoy. If you give them too much or act too desperate, they probably aren’t going to look twice. Wooing your customers is a lot like dating. You have to be confident, interested in their needs and desires, and not too desperate. The confident guys always get the girls, and the confident business will always get the clients. There are plenty of health club marketing solutions out there, no matter what type of gym or health club you’re running. So please, get up off the sidewalk, give your cup to someone who needs it and look into promotional health club marketing to see how you can increase your sales with confidence, not desperation.

To you Success…

PS. Maybe one our Health Club Promotions is what your club is needing right now. We are now booking promotions  for the months of October and November.

Space is limited so fill the FREE club profile TODAY to see if your health club qualifies and we will give you a call to discuss the details.

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Posted in Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | 1 Comment »

Shut & Listen…. A 10 Step Plan To Get The Sale

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

bid-easyAttention Health Club Owners!!

I have a friend in the health club industry who never gets tired of talking. And in most conversations, she is the only one who seems to be interested in the things she has to say. So all of our other friends tend to avoid the circles whenever she’s around, and she doesn’t notice how she has become socially handicapped - gradually affecting the people in her environment.

One key to self improvement is to LISTEN and TALK to a trusted friend. In the health club industry listening and talking can be your two greatest strengths or weaknesses. Find someone whom you find comfort in opening up with, even the most personal topics you want to discuss. Ask questions like:
“Do you think I am ill-mannered?”
“Do I always sound so argumentative?”
“Do I talk too loud?”
“Does my breath smell?”
“Do I ever bore you when we’re together?”
In this way, the other person will obviously know that you are interested in the process of self improvement. Lend him/her your ears for comments and criticisms and don’t give him/her answers like, “Don’t exaggerate! That’s just the way I am!” Open up your mind and heart as well. In return, you may want to help your friend with constructive criticism that will also help him/her improve him/her self. As a result your health club marketing will be communicated in the most positive way possible.

One of Whitney Houston’s songs says, “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” True enough. In order to love others, you must love yourself. Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.

Before telling other people some ways on how to improve themselves, let them see that you yourself are a representation and a product of self improvement. Self improvement makes us better people. We then inspire other people, and then the rest of the world will follow.

Stop thinking of yourselves as second-rate beings. Forget the repetitive thought of “If only I was richer… if only I was thinner” and so on. Accepting your true self is the first step to self improvement. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others only to find out at the end that we’ve got 10 more reasons to envy them. Remember, you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God Himself. You have everything you need to be successful in the health club industry in you right now. You just need to learn how to draw it out of yourself.

We all have our insecurities. Nobody is perfect. We always wish we had better things, better features, better body parts, etc. Life does not need to be perfect for people to be happy about themselves. Self improvement and loving yourself is not a matter of shouting to the whole world that you are perfect and you are the best. It’s the virtue of acceptance and contentment. When we begin to improve ourselves, we then begin to feel content and happy.

After years in the fitness industry and selling tens of thousands of health club memberships, I’ve learned many tactics that can secure a sale. None are more valuable than the one I am now going to share with you. So take notes!!

When I meet with a potential member and they are avoiding making a commitment that day it’s for one of four reasons:
1. They are lazy.
2. They are afraid of commitment.
3. They need time to think about it.
4. All of the above.
I’m going to tell you how you can get over the most difficult objection of them all. The, “I need to think about it” objection. There are ten questions that this potential member needs answers to before having the comfort level needed to make a decision that day. If I can answer these ten questions in a positive manner, then I have overcome the objection.

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