You’ve stocked your gym with top-of-the-line equipment and designed a class schedule that’s to die for. But that doesn’t mean your gym will always be full of clients.

Even with advanced tools and a packed calendar, gym membership rates can ebb and flow – which is totally normal. The solution to gaining more customers lies in gym marketing: spreading the word about your business and why it's the best, both online and offline. 

If you need to elevate your fitness brand ASAP, try these advertising ideas. Plus, we'll tell you why marketing is worth it – and it's not just to gain new members. 

What Is a Gym Marketing Strategy? 

A gym marketing strategy is a long-term plan to attract new clients to your business. This means zeroing in on what sets you apart – which could be anything from advanced gym equipment to unique classes – and communicating that to potential customers.  

A marketing strategy typically contains the following elements:  

• Unique selling proposition (USP), which explains how your services are better than competitors'
• Overall messaging
• Target customer demographic
• Marketing goals, like increasing brand awareness, boosting membership numbers, or expanding a social media following
• The methods and techniques you plan on using, like email marketing or special events

The easiest way to communicate a marketing strategy is with a short sentence or two describing your plan. This is your foundation. It gives you direction, clarity, and a clear path toward achieving your goals. 

Here's an example of a marketing strategy summary for a boutique fitness studio: 

Good Gym wants to use paid social media ads to promote our unique yoga high-intensity interval training (HIIT) hybrid classes to potential members aged 25–40. Our goal is to increase attendance at these classes.

A marketing strategy helps identify a goal and overarching marketing ideas but it doesn’t dive into the actual steps to take to accomplish your goal. That’s where a marketing plan comes in. It’s all about execution, detailing the specific actions, channels, and timelines you’ll use to achieve your goals. While the strategy gives you the "what" and "why," the plan gives you the "how" and "when."

A marketing plan is typically a comprehensive document that outlines what you need to do to execute the strategy. For example, if your goal is to increase attendance at your gym’s classes by 15% over six months, your plan might include the following:

• Run paid ads on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, emphasizing limited-time discounts for new memberships
• Organize open house events with free class trials to attract new members
• Feature these free class trials prominently on your gym’s website
• Send engaging text messages to keep current members engaged and informed about new classes

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3 Reasons To Build a Gym Marketing Strategy

Creative campaigns and gym advertising ideas can grow your fitness business. Here’s how:

1. Attract New Members and Retain Existing Ones 

A solid gym marketing strategy attracts potential members and retains the ones you already have. You could launch a bring-a-friend referral program that lets current members bring a loved one to their favorite class for free. The friend experiences your gym's unique offerings (and might just get their own membership), and the existing member feels valued by being part of your growth. 

2. Build Trust in Your Brand 

Establishing trust is crucial for attracting and retaining gym members. When potential clients consistently see valuable content from you – whether it’s on social media, on your website, or through advertisements in the gym – they start to view your business as reputable and trustworthy.

Social proof is a popular marketing strategy involving sharing valuable content like client testimonials and success stories online, highlighting your clients’ real-life results and experiences. If a client leaves you a review on Yelp or accomplishes one of their fitness goals, blast it out to your social media audience. This builds credibility, shows people exactly what you do, and solidifies your USP. 

3. Boost Revenue 

You may have opened a gym out of a passion for fitness, but it needs money to keep the ball rolling. When your marketing strategy brings in new members, it increases your profit margin and gives you the cash you need to keep going. 

For example, special promotions like a free first month attract new sign-ups, and upselling add-on services like one-on-one personal training and nutrition counseling can encourage active members to give you more business every month. These both boost your income.

Sign up for a 14-day free trial with GlossGenius!     

How To Market a Gym: 5 Fitness Marketing Ideas 

Boost your brand with these five promotion ideas just for gym owners and personal trainers: 

1. Use Social Media Platforms 

The fitness industry is all about showing up and working out. Use social media to show what that process looks like for you. Promote your gym’s offerings on social media networks like TikTok, Instagram, and even YouTube. You could post videos of personal training sessions (with clients’ permission, of course), offer gym machinery tips and tricks, or show a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to run the business. Fun pop culture references and memes also never hurt. 

Social media is an affordable advertising option because creating a profile and posting is free. All it takes is a little time and effort. Even taking a few minutes a day to post an Instagram Story can make a difference. 

But if you do have more funds, consider running paid social media ads. Paid Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook ads help you reach a targeted demographic who might not otherwise find your content. For example, on Instagram, you can specify location, age range, gender, lifestyle, interests – the list goes on. According to Hootsuite, the average cost per thousand impressions (CPM), which is when 1,000 people see your ad, was $6.06 in 2023.

2. Organize Fitness Challenges and Events 

Hosting activities creates a sense of community and excitement around your gym. Drive sales with fun fitness challenges and open houses, and promote upcoming events by posting on social media or distributing marketing materials like flyers.  

The best part about hosting events is that you can tailor them exactly to your brand and goals. If you want consistent attendees, host a 30-day fitness challenge with a prize for anyone who shows up every day. If you’re going for new signups, offer themed discounted classes to get people interested, like a Taylor Swift-themed spin class or Pride month strength workout. You can even ask people to dress according to the theme if they want to go all out.

3. Use Email Marketing

Don’t underestimate the power of emails. While they might seem old-school, email marketing brings news about your business straight to people’s inboxes so you stay top of mind. 

To do it yourself, sign up for an email marketing platform or an all-in-one software like GlossGenius. The email service is free with a GlossGenius plan, and you can set it up to automatically add attendees to your email list so they get all the latest news about your gym.

When done right, email marketing is more than just a quick and easy way to share updates – it strengthens the relationship between your gym and its members. Sending out a monthly newsletter with fun updates, member spotlights, or a sneak peek into next month's class schedule makes members feel like they're part of an exclusive community. You can also offer training and help tips to go above and beyond. And if they ever forget to sign up for their next class, the email reminds them.

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4. Send Promotional SMS Messages 

Like emails, text message marketing is a fast way to update members about special deals and new services. Almost everyone has a smartphone, and this tactic is a direct way to reach customers directly – even when they’re on the go.

GlossGenius' SMS Marketing features let you send mass texts with ease and even personalize them to help clients feel special. Announce a new personal training package, blast a flash sale on gym memberships, and even send birthday messages every year. With GlossGenius, you can also send targeted messages. For example, only text people who haven’t booked a personal training session in the last 3 months with your promo. This reminds clients that your trainers are still ready and waiting for you back in the gym, with a little extra nudge.

5. Partner With Fitness Influencers 

To really expand your reach online, collaborate with local fitness influencers. These online content creators inspire their followers’ fitness journeys and often partner with brands to advertise products and services. When you pay an influencer to promote your gym, you get access to their whole following – people who are excited to work out and already want to learn more.

You can use influencer-specific platforms to find people to work with, but it never hurts to do the work yourself. Manually search relevant hashtags and people who follow you and your competitors. Once you find one who fits, you could ask them to create an Instagram Reel about your gym, invite them to host a special class and share their experience, or even post a quick Story tagging your account.

Keep in mind that the more followers someone has, the more you likely have to pay them. It’s more than okay to want to pay less and choose a creator with a smaller audience – in fact, 10,000 followers might even be more engaged than 1 million. Expect to pay between $100 and $5,000+ per post, depending on the situation. 

Transform Your Gym's Success With GlossGenius 

Take your gym's customer relationship management to the next level with marketing strategies that supercharge your business growth. With the above promotion ideas, you're on track to a bustling fitness club filled with new (and old) members.   

Sign up for a 14-day free trial with GlossGenius!     

GlossGenius is here to help. The ultimate all-in-one scheduling platform for fitness professionals, we offer everything from Client Management and Online Booking to Loans, Payments, and Finance Management. Our software is a one-stop shop for simplifying and streamlining your business operations.  

Start your 14-day free trial today to experience the GlossGenius difference.