Simple but effective ways to make your gym ‘famous’ in the local area
If your ‘primary’ marketing channel ceased to exist tomorrow, would your marketing base be stable enough to keep a stream of leads without too much disruption to the business?
If the answer is ‘no’, you might be using an omni-channel lead generation approach – and risking your lead source(s) drying up if something changes in the world of social media or the wider digital landscape.
A strong, future-proofed business has a 360-degree marketing framework, covering four main ‘buckets’: internal and external marketing; and online and offline marketing. Most of us pour all our energy into external, online marketing, and forget the rest. A properly-executed offline marketing strategy helps us build a solid, credible, and evergreen reputation in our local area (that’s based on more than just Facebook ads).
Here are seven offline lead gen strategies to add to your marketing framework:
1. Leaflet drops
Like any offline lead gen tool, these aren’t going to give us an immediate and precisely measurable influx of leads. But we may see a gradual increase in walk-ins, or phone-in enquiries, over the course of a leaflet campaign consisting of fortnightly drops for six weeks. Volume is key here, as is a strategic approach which involves multiple ‘waves’ of drops. Use QR codes and a specialist leaflet delivery outfit to make this approach cost-effective and impactful.
2. Billboards, signs, and banners
You have to shop around to get the best ROI when it comes to this form of offline lead gen. Billboards can be expensive and yield uncertain return, so be sure of the opportunity cost of investing in them (they shouldn’t be a marketing staple, but can add a level to your brand visibility campaign). Banners and signs can be strategically placed in high footfall areas, and it’s worth thinking outside the box when it comes to locations – rather than a dedicated advertising slot, you could approach a local business owner or landlord and negotiate a lower-cost deal to get your image displayed.
3. Advertorial
Whether it’s a local paper or a glossy circular, advertorial is another potentially powerful avenue for your offline strategy. Make sure you understand the demographic profile of the publication’s audience before you place an ad.
4. Local outreach
Sometimes pounding the payment and showing your face in your area is what it takes to build meaningful connections. Drop into local businesses and introduce yourself and the business – see if there’s a ‘you scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours’ relationship you can develop. Consider offering value upfront (a free trial or a free body-comp workshop, for example) and bring along some fliers in case they’re happy to distribute to their own clients. Look into local sports clubs, youth associations, and schools that you could sponsor or offer support to in the form of education, training or coaching.
5. Pop-up marketing
Setting up a colourful stand in a high-footfall area in your nearest town is a good way to get eyes on your brand and start a conversation with prospects. Have a presence at events like wellness fairs, farmers’ markets, 10k race meets…or simply set up shop in the local precinct and offer something of value (avoid the hard sell – think about making connections).
6. Corporate outreach
Businesses looking for ways to support their workforce with health and fitness are another good source of offline engagement. You could offer ‘lunch and learns’ as a loss leader – or for a nominal fee – to get the relationship going, then develop your offering to the business once you have your foot in the door. Crucially, whatever you decide to do must fit into your business plan and financial forecast. It’s no use offering a 10% discount to a large business, then realise that the reduced yield delivers a crippling hit to your revenue; or offering a monthly chalk and talk if you’re a single man band, and finding out they can only facilitate you at peak times – impacting on your existing client service.
7. Go ‘guerilla’
How can you create a stir locally? How can you stand out from the crowd and draw the attention of the community? Guerrilla marketing means thinking outside the ‘normal’ marketing channels to do something eye-catching and unusual to get eyes on your brand. Think getting your branding on local city bicycles, distributing funky beer mats with QR codes, creating attention-grabbing street art or installations, executing a high visibility PR stunt, or creating a public experience to give people a taste of your product without coming into the gym.
Looking for one-on-one support with your marketing and sales strategy?
JC Vacassin is offering a limited number of standalone coaching calls to give targeted guidance to independent operators.
Drop us an email on holly@jcv.inc to find out more.