Do you manage/own an awesome gym or health club, which is ready to see a dramatic increase in members? As you’ve landed on this blog, I’m presuming you’re proactively searching for an effective marketing strategy to aid this increase. Over the years Mr Flyer has helped dozens of businesses just like yours to dramatically increase their members, and we have complied our most effective strategies into this dedicated blog so that you can benefit too.
What Does Print Marketing Encompass?
Print marketing covers everything from the design and print of brochures inside your gym, loyalty cards, referral schemes, the sales process, up-selling, showing appreciation to members, and much more. The most successful print marketing strategy for gyms and health clubs is door to door flyer distribution. From inception (planning and targeting) through to execution (print and distribution). It’s far more than just posting some flyers and hoping for the best!
Gift Marketing Strategy
Consider, when you receive a birthday present from your spouse, you appreciate it despite knowing they were obliged to give it! Yet when they present you with a gift out of the blue, you appreciate it so much more, right? This is the same with marketing, especially in your industry. When you give a gift as part of your flyer campaign (ideally one with no direct cost to you), it will have a profound effect on your response rate, and enable you to track your responses. This is known as the gift marketing principle.
Implementing a Flyer Distribution Campaign
To clarify, the purpose of delivering flyers is to entice the receiver to respond, and to do so promptly. It is the gift which acts as the catalyst. Try avoid a discounted 12 month membership as people won’t necessarily want to feel tied down (especially if they haven’t heard of your gym before), and the discount eats into your margins. Instead, a no obligation 7 day free pass is proven to be very effective. Here’s a few reasons why:
- People loves gifts and receiving things for free
- There’s no commitment needed from them, so no barrier
- It enables them to experience how great your gym is
- Upon experiencing your gym they are no longer a cold sell, so converting onto a long term membership is then much easier
- It’s not cost your business anything to provide the gift
- An expiry date can encourage a prompt response
- It’s a GDPR compliant way to acquire their data (7 day pass subject to them providing their name and email)
- You can track response rate based on the amount of 7 day pass flyers received
The Flyer Design
The design of your flyer has a profound impact on your response. Take a look at the example below and all that is included to ensure success. In a nutshell, the three keys to a successful flyer are:
- A bold headline. This is posed as a question, relevant to your target audience. E.g. ‘Want to get in shape for free this summer?’ This can then be followed with a sub-headline, ‘Now you can with a 7-day FREE PASS’.
- An eye-catching image. Not the outside of your building (it’s likely not going to inspire them!), but either a before and after, or an inspirational man and woman on gym equipment.
- A call to action. Based on the above, it would reiterate your 7-day pass gift. It should also highlight a prompt expiry, so you see a quick return on your investment.
The Need to Repeat
Just like those training in your gym, when someone starts in their first week they may see some initial change (sore muscles!), but it’s only through regular, sustained training performed correctly, that they will really experience the benefits of exercise. This is the same with marketing and is known as the drip effect marketing principle. People are much more likely to respond to your flyer when they regularly receive it, so repeat to the same audience every 4-8 weeks at least 3 times before evaluating results.
What's Next?
There are many more tactics we can implement for you, which will further enhance your return on investment. If you would like to build your business and your brand through our tried and tested print marketing strategies, please do get in touch with us today.
