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Effective Fitness Facility Advertising Should be in the Context of the Club Offering
Successfully Blending Advertising, Marketing and Honesty to Dominate the Marketplace
by Geoff Hampton |
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As the weather turns colder, the timing is right for surgical advertising to bring in prospects when they are most apt to receive the message. Advertising is an investment that can either bring in enormous returns of lifetime members, or be precious cash down the drain. Fear not, advertising in concert with a well laid club assessment and attention to detail will yield the former and not the later.
Should a facility should advertise for response (for example, making a special offer) or for image?
One of the most frequently asked questions about advertising and marketing in the fitness industry is whether a facility should advertise for response (for example, making a special offer) or for image.
This industry historically has used response-based advertising to generate new business because the day-to-day bottom-line struggle dictated it. As the industry has evolved, more facilities have turned to image marketing, which is effective for long-term market awareness.
Now the time has come to blend these two concepts with community-based grassroots initiatives that will ultimately result in marketplace dominance.
Business Assessment
Before setting up an external advertising campaign, make sure that your facility and program offerings are what they should be. To establish a solid business plan that can truly dominate a market, sincerity must be the centerpiece of every component of the plan.
Non-traditional thought processes must also be embraced to successfully attract the markets who are not joining gyms. The following guidelines can help to ensure that your facility has a strong foundation for future advertising and marketing.
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Advertising can be effective. First think carefully about your offering and your target audience. The ad above will not work if you are trying to attract middle-aged boomers.
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1. Say what you mean and mean what you say
There are still plenty of unscrupulous, dishonest operators out there polluting the landscape. As more and more wellness/fitness operators offer real opportunities for success to individuals who want and need what our industry offers, the independently operated abominations will simply be swept away by the winds of change.
2. Offer programs that are based in lifestyle modification.
Offer these programs enthusiastically with sincere, motivated staff.
3. Offer facilities and amenities that are visually and physically non-threatening to first-time exercisers.
4. Have a strong set of membership rules of member conduct and enforce them with professional zeal.
5. Create a social environment in which members feel truly welcome.
It is important that they make your facility the centerpiece for their lifestyle modification.
Countering Industry Ineptness
The individuals who your advertising are going to impact will not be attracted to your facility by advertisements with a scantily clad hot-bodied female or male seductively beckoning to them.
Furthermore, as pointed out by FitLinxx co-founder Andy Greenberg, "There are currently more former members of clubs than current members in our nation today." The obvious conclusion is that, as an industry, we have been inept and have failed miserably to deliver what our advertising and sales approaches promised. Ineptness is usually a sign of self-focused operation.
True success lies in passionately caring about who you attract to your facility and why you decided to attract them in the first place. The following steps will help to make sure that your facility delivers on what your advertising promises.
1. Formulate a quantifiable plan for all new members to receive introductory programming in as many areas as is possible. Make each introduction via a written appointment. This technique is professional and dramatically increases new member shows. 2. Follow up to be certain that the new member attends most, if not all, introductory programs. Be vigilant in your follow-up for first-time no-shows. A no-show is an obvious indication that the sales interaction was weak as it related to the particular individual. All sales interactions must be motivational and inspirational. A failure to show is an early warning sign of a lost member. Your facility promised to deliver certain services or results - so deliver.
Truth In Business
Many operators run their facility as though certain lies are acceptable. The simple fact is that truth is an absolute for service-driven businesses. Lying is inextricably intertwined in attrition-driven businesses. It is one of the easiest parameters to accurately judge the type of business that one is in.
Once all of these considerations have been addressed, your actual marketing and promotional campaign can be designed. The campaign should include response components based on trial programs, as opposed to membership programs with price deadlines.
Your advertising campaign should also include image components, as the target market needs to see a difference between their perception of our industry's historical ineptness and the truth of the wellness protocol that will drive our future. Additionally, a comprehensive campaign needs to include specific components designed for different target groups within the overall market. It should also include educational outreach programs designed to motivate and educate individuals as to the importance of lifestyle modification.
About Geoff Hampton:
Go to About Geoff Hampton for more of his articles and his bio.
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