Feb 16, 2022

 by Josh E.

Creating and implementing a well-designed and professional marketing plan is essential for growing your gym.

However, most gym owners overlook this crucial planning step and opt for haphazardly running Facebook or Instagram ads.

Or even worse, they hire an ad agency that promises a steady stream of leads only to get frustrated with the lack of return on ad spend.

In this article we will show you how to create a marketing plan from scratch specific to your gym.

Planning Your Marketing Strategy

Your gym marketing plan should always include these 5 fundamental sections…

• Goal
• Objectives
• Strategy
• Channels
• Measurement

Goal

Most gyms have an overall goal related to revenue. Knowing exactly what you are trying to achieve helps to guide you as you move through each section as it keeps you focused on the end result.

Having a goal is also necessary to be able to define your objectives.

Objectives

Once you have identified the goal, break it down into 1-3 smaller objectives. These objectives are the things that will allow you to accomplish your overall goal.

For example, if your goal is to increase revenue by $10,000 by the end of Q2, then one of your objectives might be to sell 50 new memberships.

Strategy

Next you’ll identify what you will do to achieve these objectives. These are your strategies.

Some common strategies are increasing lead generation through strategic partnerships, improving closing rates, or building a customer journey (funnel).

Think high-level in this section. You will get more granular in the next section, so keep your strategies more broad.

Channels

Now that you know your goal, objectives, and strategies, you need to get specific on the tactics you will employ to achieve these.

There are 5 main channels that your gym can access to generate leads and accomplish your goals.

1. Referrals. This should be your most productive marketing channel for your business.  You should be asking for referrals at the point of sale as well as at periodic times throughout their membership.

      Different ways to get referrals:

• Bring a Friend - invite your client/member to bring a friend to a workout
• Host an Event - invite your client/member to bring a friend to ae event
• Referral Incentive - offer a discount or gift for referrals
• Referral Drive - offer a special prize for the member who refers the most

2. Website/SEO. Having a website is not enough, It should be optimized to make sure your prospects complete the call to actions you want them to.  Having CTA buttons in various places, offering an opt-in lead magnet, and keeping the layout easy to navigate are the best ways to make sure you get the most from your site.

3. Email. Collecting email addresses is worthless if you are not using them to connect with prospective clients.  You should have a series of emails that go out once someone opts-in to a lead magnet or requests information. In addition, having a continuous email campaign that goes out for a period of time (6-12 months) as a long term nurture is important.

4. Organic Social Media. Maintaining an active social media profile is an easy way to market your services. However, it is not something that needs to take over all your time.  The key is to be consistent with your      posts.  Create content that you use across multiple channels (Facebook, Instagram, Email, Twitter, etc).

5. Paid Ads. This should be your last channel that you set up and focus on, and only after you have mastered the other channels.  Facebook, Instagram, and Google ads take some time to learn how to be effective and can be costly.  Like everything else, make sure the copy you write speaks directly to you dream client.

Measurement

Lastly, you will need to identify how you will measure the success of your efforts. Thai will allow you to objectively assess how well each of your tactics are working, and where you may need to make adjustments.

Make sure your measurements tie back directly to your objectives, and avoid focusing on metrics that really don't have anything to do with your overall goals.

For example, if lead generation is an objective, then tracking the number of leads each month, as well as where they came from, is important.

Gym Marketing Plan PDF Template

So, now you know exactly how to create an effective gym marketing plan. Including the five elements above will ensure your marketing contributes to your business goals and actually gets you results.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a gym marketing plan PDF template that you can download to save time. Download a FREE Marketing Planner Template

Download