Like any business owners, you need your marketing dollars to stretch as far as possible. That means identifying what kind of clientele you attract and which clientele you want to continue to attract. Your health club marketing strategy has to focus on investing in the customers that provide the greatest return to your business.
Know your current clientele
Start out by identifying your most profitable customers. Look through your records to identify the top 20% of revenue generating members. Now get to know them by talking to them as often as you can.
You’re looking for patterns that make sense. How old are they? How often to they come to the gym? Why do they come to the gym? What do they care about, both in terms of the gym, and in their everday life? How did they first hear about your gym? To really know your customers, you have to talk to them.
You can even send out a simple online survey to get basic demographic information. SurveyMonkey.com offers a free survey tool that’s really simple to use.
Find out both how your most profitable members currently use the gym and ask them for suggestions for what they’d like to see in the future. Would they like programs, classes, or introductory one-on-one training sessions?
Now get more people like them
Once you have a good idea of who your most profitable customers are, you have to figure out how to get more people just like them. The best advertising you can ask for are members who love your gym so much that they bring their friends. This is a win-win: not only do you get more members, but you also get members who are similar to your ideal clientele.
Double-down on programs that your most profitable members love. Take their suggestions seriously. And make it easy for them to refer friends.
As part of your health club marketing, create programs that your members will want to tell their friends about. You can provide a guest pass program, a training session where members can bring a friend, or some other perk that would encourage word-of-mouth buzz.
Create exciting programs
The more exciting your gym’s programs are, the more likely your members are to share them with their friends. Classes, question-and-answer sessions with trainers, and guest passes are all good strategies. You can also hold weight loss challenges and provide motivation for your members.
These kinds of social motivation strategies fit well with health club marketing. Invest more money in customers that are loyal and likely to bring in new business, particularly as they fit your “ideal client” persona, and they won’t be the only ones seeing results.