It’s a gold rush for gyms and fitness studios as the pandemic winds down and consumers begin looking for their next in-person class or membership. With multiple gyms in cities across the country, the competition for clientele can be fierce. If it seems like your gym marketing efforts are falling flat and membership rates have stagnated, these six problems could be the cause. 

#1 – You Haven’t Committed to Digital Marketing

A 2021 survey conducted by Upswell Marketing found that 80% of consumers are open to going back to the gym as opposed to continuing their fitness programs at home. What’s more, 81% of those consumers turn to the internet to research their options before making their choice. If your gym marketing hasn’t entered the digital space, you are missing a huge opportunity to influence those consumers. Digital marketing is the best way to reach your target audience and promote your gym, so if you haven’t created an online presence for your brand, now is the time to start. 

A recent survey conducted by Expert Market found that a staggering 98% of small business owners had websites. If your business is one of the 2% that doesn’t, you are doing yourself a disservice. If you hope to compete with other gyms in your area, it’s vital that you start building a website today. 

#2 – You’re Advertising in the Wrong Channels

If you already have a website, you’re running gym marketing campaigns, and you’re still struggling to compete, you may be advertising in the wrong channels. To determine which channels are best for your business, determine who your gym caters to, then ask yourself where they spend 

When you have the answer to this question, ask yourself where your target audience is most likely to spend their time online. Busy parents often use Facebook to stay connected with their friends and family. People who tend to feel uncomfortable going to the gym may rely on YouTube or TikTok for their fitness education and workouts. Make sure you are advertising in the right channels to attract the right audience. 

#3 – You’ve Neglected Your SEO

Your website serves as your gym marketing hub and gives people all the information they need about your facility, but if no one can find your website, no one will visit it, and this will negatively affect your memberships. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is crucial for attracting people to your website. It involves optimizing your website content, social media posts, blogs, and more in ways that satisfy search engines’ algorithms and improves your search engine rankings. With time, SEO will help you generate organic traffic, which is vital to the overall success of your gym. 

This is just an example of how people search for gyms using Google’s keyword tool.

Here’s a client we did some simple onpage SEO which led to big gain in Google rankings. #gains

#4 – You’re Not Using High-Quality Photos & Videos

In today’s digital marketing landscape, photos and videos play a critical role in the overall success of your website. Per information from The Learning People, 60% of consumers using online search indicated that they prefer to reach out to companies who use imagery in their listings. According to the same source, articles with images garner 94% more views than articles without any images at all. 

Not just any photography will do, however. You can absolutely use images and videos of your own gym, but make sure you hire a professional photographer to capture them. Lighting, angles, and even color saturation can have a significant impact on a consumer’s perception of your gym. If you opt to use stock photography, make sure you choose high-resolution images and videos that accurately represent the context of the content. 

#5 – Your Website is Behind the Times

Consumers are immediately dissuaded by outdated websites, so if it has been several years since yours was last updated, it could be having a negative impact on your gym marketing efforts. It leaves a negative first impression, and because older websites don’t display properly on most phones, it eliminates your entire mobile customer base. Depending on how old it is, it may cause consumers to question the overall quality of the services your gym provides. Worse still, Google penalizes out-of-date websites because they tend to provide poor experiences for searchers. A refreshed website complete with options to buy memberships or schedule classes in a few clicks will have a significant impact on your gym marketing results. 

Your website absolutely needs to be up on the times when it comes to design. Here are some really great examples:

Equinox

We get it, Equinox is a big gym with a big marketing budget. Guess what, you don’t have to break the bank to have a beautiful website like this.

Chuze Fitness

Great looking site with lots of videos and imagery of the gym. Folks, great images and even videos do not cost as much as you think.

Pure Gym

Great website, with great use of spacing, and great imagery. Win, win, win.

#6 – You Don’t Have a Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a completely free business listing service that you can use to provide the public with valuable information about your gym. At the most basic level, Google Business Profile captures your gym’s location, products and services, and hours of operation, but you can also include photos of your business and other information that you believe is useful to consumers. You can even update your listing with current offers and frequent posts. Better still, when you provide your physical address, consumers can tap the Google Maps button to get immediate directions right to your door. It’s free, it’s simple, and it’s effective. 

When you have a well running Google Business Profile listing your business shows up in the Google 3-pack below when potential members are searching for a gym.

People are searching for a gym just like yours, and your gym marketing campaign should help them find it. For a complete digital marketing overhaul, reach out to Brandignity today. We have years of experience in building and optimizing websites, creating compelling Google Business Profiles, and even maximizing your paid advertising budget in a way that drives traffic and boosts memberships.