“5 Fitness Marketing Tips That Will Lead You Into 2013”

When most people think of fitness marketing, they think of handing out flyers at a local 5k, direct mailers, or placing an add within a magazine or newspaper.  Now if these have worked for you, congratulations, but the bottom line is that they are very costly and often do not produce the return that we are all looking for.

Here are 5 fitness-marketing tips that you MUST apply in your preparation for 2013:

1.              Have a “carrot” for them.  This is something that I learned from the Martial Arts industry.  In Martial Arts, they use a belt system to determine a path for their members to follow.  I have never heard of anyone attending a martial arts academy that never wanted to become a Black Belt. 

Now your probably thinking that I am asking you to give your clients belts…NO!  What I am asking you to do is to offer your clients something that they can strive for.  Todd Durkin has developed his “Biggest Winner” Contest and Alwyn Cosgrove has developed their own “Jeans Challenge”.  It is contests like this that create a short-term deadline for your client to shoot for and achieve success that allows them to yearn for more.  

This is not the only way to create a carrot in your business, but it is a very smart way to start the New Year off with a BANG.

2.              Identify your client’s achievements.  If your client achieves even part of their fitness goals, recognize them for it.  Telling someone that you are proud of what they have done in a text, email, hand-written letter, announcement in front of the class, newsletter, etc., will create loyalty and loyalty is a tremendous part of a successful 2013.

3.              No better advertisement than you current clients.  Potential customers are tired of seeing the woman with the small waist and six pack abs or the guy that looks like he can bench the world.  They want to see real people with real results.  Start collecting testimonials, before/after pictures, and success stories from the clients and make sure that they are part of your website, blog, ads, and please do not forget to post them around your facility.

4.              Be an expert at something, not everything.  People want to work with an expert, not just any fitness professional.  If you clientele is made of mostly fat loss clients, than make sure that you educate yourself on fat loss and than you promote yourself as an exert in this field.  If I was looking to become better at boxing, than I wouldn’t hire a track coach.  Once you have a nitche, the rest is a piece of cake.

5.              Over Deliver.  You need to make sure that every time your clients come to your facility, that it is the best day of training that they have ever had.  You have to be energetic, motivating, and ready to leave all of your problems at the door.  Remember that you are not just delivering fitness, but you are also delivering an experience. 

Today is the day you set yourself apart and create a business that stands out from the rest.