Social Media Marketing: Why it should be included in your Gym’s Marketing Strategy
By Kelsey Smyth
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social Media marking involves using social media platforms and
networks to promote and market a business’s products and services. In 2021, there
were over 4.2 billion Social Media users across the global. I know… 4.2 BILLION
sounds crazy right? That is over half the world’s population using social media
platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using Social
Media Marketing for your Gym.
Increase
Brand Awareness and Brand Loyalty
Establishing brand awareness is one of the most important
marking goals for any company. People prefer purchasing from brands they are
familiar with, for gyms goers moving to a new area they might look to join a
gym from a franchise such as FlyFit over a gym they have never heard of. Thankfully
social media makes brand building simple and effective. Putting the time and
effort into your gym’s social media by sharing content and encouraging user
generated content can maximise your reach to a broader audience and drive
value.
Establish Authority
Your Social Media strategy can help establish and build on
your gyms’ authority. You can do this with coherent visual branding, messaging
and brand tone by providing useful content in your social media posts or lives,
highlighting your expertise in the fitness industry. By doing this you are
showing potential new customers why they should choose your gym to help them
reach their fitness goals.
Drive Traffic
Your business’s social media profile is the doorway to your
website. By using social media in conjunction with your larger marketing plan
can drive traffic to your website which may lead to conversions such as purchasing
of gym memberships or signing up to your gym’s newsletter.
Building Lasting Relationships
Gyms can build a positive brand experience with exceptional
customer service through engaging with customers through social media channels
by answering any questions and comments. People often look on social media for
information. By engaging with your audience, leaves individuals with a positive
experience. Customers who are pleased with your services are more likely to spread
the word and will often use social media to do so. Therefore, the customers who
enjoy using the gym and the services you provide will do the advertising for
you!
Cost
Social media marketing can be a very cost-effective element of
your gym’s overall marketing strategy. Setting up a social platform for your gym
is free and any paid promotions you may choose to do are rather inexpensive
compared to other marketing tactics.
The cost-effective nature of social media marketing is very
beneficial as it enables you to see a higher return on investment while
retaining a larger budget for other marketing expenses for your gym.
These are just a few reasons why you should start including
social media marketing as part of your gyms marketing strategy, there are many
more but that is for another day!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more tips and tricks on
how to get your gym hitting those marketing goals!
Amazing article. Didn't realise just how huge social media has become!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kelsey! An easy to follow point by point post on the main benefits of social media marketing. A brilliant way to build up trust, create a following, establish yourself as a leader in your area but main thing for small gym owners is that this is free. Granted paid ads can have a wider reach but a social media presence is better than no social media presence. As you also mention in the article, social media creates lasting relationships but also it creates word of mouth - how many times have we ourselves said "Oh hey do you follow such and such on IG" for example. It works. No doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteDon’t you just love free. With the margins being so tight for so many businesses at the moment after suffering closures and limited capacity during the pandemic using social media to drive sales is essential at present. It offers so many opportunities as you outlined, with the scale of reach and impact of user generated content. A business can really focus on telling their story of who they are as a business and building long lasting relationships with their customers. This not only results in loyal customers but referrals. Great insights into why all the fitness industry business need to build their presence online.
ReplyDeleteHelen said it best above - "Don’t you just love free." Great blog post, Kelsey! You've really covered all the key points for why social media marketing should be in any fitness company's marketing strategy - this will be a great resource for any small businesses thinking about skilling up on social media marketing. I really do struggle to think of any cons for this type of marketing. As you said, it's cost effective (who wouldn't love this?), you can easily build brand loyalty and awareness, drive traffic to your website and nourish those lasting relationships with customers.
ReplyDeleteIt’s incredible to think half of the world’s population are on one or many social media platforms. I agree, user-generated content has become so important for fitness businesses. Once viewers can see visible results from other members who attend the same fitness class they’re considering joining, it might be the decision-maker for them to attend. I also mentioned under Ciara’s blog, building customer loyalty can easily be done through social media. Engaging with customers by replying to their comments, can create a positive experience for them and it will only take 1 or 2 minutes out of your day to reply. Great blog post Kelsey!
ReplyDelete