Posts Tagged ‘health Club marketing’

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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 »

Are You Ready For The Next Level Of Fitness Marketing & Health Club Management?

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Hey guys, I hope everyone is having a great week. I just got done teaching a fitness boot camp. Yea, that’s right, I’m a certified personal trainer and a fitness business owner myself. Although I haven’t talked much about it, being an owner myself, I understand the frustrations and challenges that health club owners face in this type of economy. I specialize in marketing and management systems for the health club industry, yet with all my knowledge and 18 years experience in the fitness industry, I can tell you it has never been harder than it is right now to earn a living in the fitness industry. I mean it used to be like shooting fish in a barrel…do some direct mail, have a fancy promotion and you could simply sit back and fill your gym up with happy, high paying members. Life was great! But all of that has changed. Now the fish shoot back!

shooting-fish-barrel-big using Fitness Marketing

In this new era of the fitness industry, it’s not good enough to have new equipment and freshly painted walls, and you can forget about things being like they used to be. So what do we do as fitness business owners? How do we stay afloat, or better yet, how do we flourish in an atmosphere that is hostile to the growth of a fitness business?

Well …. we have been busy finding the solutions you need. Over the next few weeks and months, we are going to be doing a complete redesign of this website, our business model and our approach to helping fitness business owners like you. If your not part of our Sales Sniper Newsletter, Click Here to enroll to receive future updates.

Here are a few topics that we will be discussing in the coming weeks and months:

1. We will be revealing our “Membership Dominator” program – This program is a done for you marketing and promotion service that will drive in a ton of new members, increase your draft, give you thousands in new cash deposits, and supply your club with up to $30,000 in free advertising. All with no risk and no out of pocket expense for you. Plus, while our staff is on site running our “Membership Dominator” program, we will train your staff to be membership sales experts, just like we are.

2. We will be revealing our “Club Boss” program– This is the solution that successful gym owners have been looking for. If you have been trying to figure out how you can work less hours, make more money, reduce expenses and headaches, all without having to pay a butt load of money out for general manager salaries, and consulting firms, then “Club Boss” is your solution. We will give you an experienced management team, complete management, marketing, sales systems manuals, designs, and much more. We will take you from being a successful club to being the strongest gym in your area. All while giving you, the owner, less responsibilities and more free time.

3. We will be revealing our “Low Price Ninja” program – Fact: if a low price model club opens in your area, i.e. a Planet Fitness or similar type of model, it’s only a matter of time before your club and all the other clubs in your area begin to struggle, go out of business and fail. With our “Low Price Ninja” program, you can now convert your club to the low price model without any fear of it affecting your future business in a negative way. If you would like to add 200-500 new members month after month, year after year, reduce monthly expenses and grow your draft beyond your wildest dreams, than the “Low Price Ninja” is your solution. If you have been considering paying $25,000 to get a Planet Fitness franchise to compete in the highly competitive fitness industry…DON’T! If you have been thinking about simply lowering your price and calling yourself a low price club….DON’T…it’s more complicated than that. Fitness360 is the only company in the industry today offering a program like this. So we will only be opening this program up to a select number of clubs per year and the clubs we do accept into the program, have to meet certain qualifications. If this program is something you’re interested in getting more information about, stay tuned to our site updates for more information or contact us at 888-434-8360.

4. We will be revealing our done for you fitness consulting programs, built around diet and nutrition, ladies only gyms, group fitness programs, fitness boot camps, personal training studios, and many others.

As you can see we have a lot of things we have been working on and I can not wait to reveal to you, our clients, all the new tactics and strategies we have been developing. So if your not part of our Sales Sniper Newsletter, join now by Clicking Here.

And as always, feel free to contact us at 888-434-8360 for any questions about our products or services.

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Big News!

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

Hey Guys and Gals!

I am sorry I haven’t made a post in so long.

Nevertheless I will be starting back up helping fitness professionals all over the USA.

We have a ton of great advise that will be released so we need as mush feed back as possible to help us deliver the goods.

Keep your eye out for our next wave of helpful info.

Your in health and fitness!

Joshua

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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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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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Going Old School in Fitness Center Sales across America - Muscle Trap Gym makes $16,000 in 14 days with Fitness360 Marketing!

Saturday, November 28th, 2009


If I told you that Fitness360 can help your gym I would be telling you the truth. But when it comes to marketing fitness centers & gyms the proof is in pudding. They say,”A picture is worth a 1000 words.” I say a phone call could be worth $1,000’s.

Fitness Sales systems by Fitness360 brings the thunder!

Fill out a “club profile” or call 888.4.Fit360 right now!

We may be able to help you in your time of need.

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Posted in Health Club Managment, Personal Training Solutions, Profit Centers For Health Clubs, Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | 2 Comments »

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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A Contours Express Testimonial About A Fitness360 Health Club Promotion

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

See what a customer has to say after we completed a health club promotion for Contours Express in St. Louis.

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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 »

How to Sell a Gym Membership - How to Increase Gym Membership Sales Using Common Sense.

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Do you spend a lot of time wondering how to sell a gym membership to more people? Are you a gym owner that would like to increase the number of gym members you have? Do you wonder how to sell a gym membership to people who never come to the gym? There are several key factors which help gyms like yours get new members. The best new member is a long term member, not just a short term ‘trial’ member. Residual business is the only way to ensure your business has longevity. With that in mind let’s look at the ways how to sell a gym membership that lasts.

Statistics show the average person needs to see a business name seven times before changing from consumer to patron. The key to how to sell a gym membership is to get your gym’s name in the news, both in print and on the local radio. When you are working out how to sell a gym membership, consider holding events at your gym and having these events published as community announcements. Other methods of how to sell a gym membership include putting ads on billboards or the sides of buses. Small “giveaway” items such as key-chains and bumper stickers get a surprisingly large amount of eye contact – and it’s even better in the hands of an existing gym member where it adds endorsement to the name. Get your gym’s name into public spaces and the question of how to sell a gym membership will become moot.

One of your best assets is existing membership when it comes to how to sell a gym membership. These members are already sold. So, offer a free month to any existing member who brings in a new member. Give your personal trainers a bonus if they sign up new members. Personal Trainers are second best asset. Another great way how to sell a gym membership is to offer the choice of yearly contracts or a onetime annual fee (which is lower than the combined monthly payment).You achieve the same thing, immediate cash, but get a long term member. The key to how to sell a gym membership is to think outside the box.

How to sell a gym membership comes down to getting you name into the minds of new customers and removing the barriers that keep them from joining. Remember, the focus should be not just on selling, but on how to sell a gym membership that lasts.

I hope this was helpful in some way. Remember to stay positive and trust in the fact that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

Joshua Fleming

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Posted in Health Club Managment, Sales Sniper - Fitness Sales, The Fitness360 System | 17 Comments »

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