Complete Guide to Fitness(GYM) Branding and Marketing

When we today sit and discuss with our grandparents it is prevalent them saying things such as, “They breathed in the fresh air”. There was a lot of greenery, vegetables and fruits other eatables consumed were without pesticides. Hence these are things which made them stay fit and healthy those days. Today global warming, pollution, preservatives, and industrialization have poorly impacted on our immune system. We fall sick, fatigue and tired soon; hence, people are shifting towards a healthy lifestyle.

Living a healthy lifestyle includes more than merely healthy food habits. Choices also involving maintaining a level of fitness which will then help your body gain optimum levels of operations along with regular sleep and exercise. As you start changing your mindset about fitness and consider it as a lifestyle, you will become happier, smarter, and look healthy.

The fitness market is booming and is one of the innovative and forward-thinking industries in the world. The public has become more aware of their fitness and health. Hence, the challenge for gym centre branding and marketing department is increasing. If you want the brand to cut through the noise and generate exposure leading to gain in sales number. One has to have systematic gym marketing strategies and consider below points before indulging into this sector.

Fitness Branding FAQ’S

 

5 STEPS FORMULA FOR FITNESS CENTRE BRANDING:

1.LOCATION AND COMPETITION

Make sure the area of your fitness centre should not be an isolated place as this will fail to attract consumers due to long travelling time. If its health club then considers the calm and composed location. As people come there to relax and crowed surroundings should avoid.

There are health centers which are targeting high profile audience. Hence, their location should be at an expensive and classy area where the cream audience can reach out conveniently. What will be the square footage, leasehold cost should be finalized here. Prefer location with excellent visibility, access and parking space.

Competition of regional level should be surveyed, if they are chain based or individual owner based that should be studied. Competition pricing policies should be analyzed and consider tracking of their branding and marketing strategies. Plan considering future elements such as price wars, Can the proposed business gain enough clients to be profitable. Careful research and proper planning of a fitness hub can be a productive business. To initiate, and own, not to mention that it has the potential to be very profitable.

2.NICHE

Gym centres with niche have a task of creating their brand image in the market by strong positioning statements. Which they communicate with consumers through various campaigns and social media aspects.

Fitness, wellness and slimming are few types of niche a fitness health clubs are categorized. Gyms come in all sizes, shapes, and services. From big box gyms to small-town studios and travelling personal trainers specializing in “at-home” workouts. If you are interested in carving out your niche to offer unique and creative services to a specific audience.

3.PROCESS AND SYSTEMS

Consider and get involved update CRM and software systems which will track consumer and sales details. Regular maintenance of gyming types of equipment. Procedures in gym centre policies, management, fitness centre management, man-power, especially trainers and receptionist, should get organized.

Branding agency plays an essential part of gym branding, with increasing cut-throat competition. With brands such as purple fitness and classy looking boutique studios, your fitness centre might get lost. Hence this can be avoided by using right and corrective measures such as below:

       a.WHAT IS YOUR AUDIENCE

Is your target group is for weightlifters, slimming consumers, or a general fitness. Crowd type of audience will impact on the process and gym branding.

Conduct market research and study types of demographic and location of the gyming centre. Because if you stay in a rural area, the establishing urban brand is of no use.

If there is massive competition in one category, then it is better to focus and carve in a specific niche.

Example: Curves is a gym brand located in Delhi who is focusing its services as per its audience such as

• Make the body as secure as your spirit
• Strength training fights the loss of muscle in women
• Exercise your enthusiasm for life

         b.DEFINE BRAND VALUES

Brand values in any organization act as the foundation of a company. People create brand perceptions based on brand visual identity and brand communication. It is an internal part of the organization and flows from employees to the whole business. Mission, vision and brand values should be powerful as they are responsible for brands long term direction.

Example: Gold gym is a brand with core values: Integrity, Passion, Pride, Leadership and Excellence. If you share these values, enjoy working hard, we encourage you to apply for an opportunity to become a Gold’s Gym Professional. You will have a rewarding career with us in changing lives for the better.

       c.GENERATE STRONG VISUAL IDENTITY

As it Is said first impression is the last, it applies in case of the brand. People create a brand perception based on the way it is looking and hence make sure you excel at first expression.

There are various visual aspects through which a strong identity creates.

• Depending upon the type of fitness gym, get your custom logo design.

• Colours are a significant part to play brand personality, and its target audience will help to decide final brand colours

• Choose correct typography as few types don’t look professional

Example: Coca-Cola has created its unique colour RED, and with prominent typeface and logo, it knows in world-wide.

4.TELL YOUR BRAND STORY

Stories are the most exciting and entertaining part for everyone. The thrilling ending of the story will bind you with it. Brand voices allow you to understand the type of brand if it is cheerful, modern, young. Involve people when conveying a story to the audience; this will strengthen the sense of belongingness and faith. Motivate them with extraordinary story-telling and experience.

Gym owner inspiration journey towards weight loss, or his concern towards the obese generation of India. Any such story which will remember and shared. Word of mouth is faster here, and hence, consumers will be attracted to your gym centre.

Example: The gym naming little gym at Indiranagar Bangalore conducts story-telling sessions with existing consumers. Ones who have lost weight with sheer dedication and motivation.

Also Read: 11 Elements of Successful Digital Branding

5.LIVE WITH BRAND

The brand is forever, and one has to monitor its progress as nothing gets corrected at once continuously. Hence one has to work on the brand with new concepts maintain and upgrade it.

Check after every branding and marketing strategy if the audience is responding or not

Which digital activities worked best and resulted in maximum sales

Measure the emotional quotient of brand messages and communication

Example: Remember Coca Cola’s #Shareacoke campaign. That hashtag people added to all their responses is a useful and straightforward way to track the impact of the battle!

We have seen above, all about branding of the gym and how can it be done successfully. Let’s understand now about marketing, whether its small or large chain oriented gym marketing your fitness club is one of the most crucial parts of running a business. Marketing leads to gain in the role of word-of-mouth which can make up most of your member acquisition.

10 KILLER MARKETING IDEAS FOR FITNESS HUB

1.GOOGLE LOCAL LISTING

Google Local Listings define as the business listings in the map that you will usually see at the top or middle of Googles first page results. Gyms with such listing will generate more visibility and easy accessibility for the person who is searching for a gym near him or her. Such listings tend to show up when you search for a keyword accompanied by a specific city.

It will provide an online profile of gym centre which will consist of business logo, name, address and contact details, images of business, client reviews. so that prospect will gain a reference before joining that brand. It will also help with google mag directions and many such other details.

source: “perfectgym.com/en/blog/club-owners/fitness-marketing-how-to-market-your-gym”

2.BEAUTIFULL WEBSITE

Any person looking out for more information will visit the brand’s website as it acts as the online face of any company. Around 54% of people check out online for businesses as their first or second contact point.

Website for gym centres should be beautifully made, focusing more on practical and fact based. Successful stories, videos should be mentioned on the website section this will motivate people to get started.

The website design should be simple to navigate, informative about club location, facilities, hours and present on the search engine.

Once the website is ready and starts working, you can attach API to an existing client portal for new and existing gym members. To make payments, sign-up and book personal training, classes and facilities.

source: designcoral.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Does-Your-Fitness-Website-Build-Brand-Narrative.jpg

3.SOCIAL MEDIA POST

There are two platforms on which from kids to senior citizens are available, and those are Facebook and Instagram. These platforms are opportunities to get connected with individuals and start real conversations. Which can, in turn, develop potential new connections.

Google Ads and Facebook are the fastest and most powerful way to increase your membership base at a faster rate. Hence which will help to add 10 – 30 new members each month. The challenge many businesses run into is they can’t invest profitably into advertising. That’s why you need a solid lead generation strategy for your gym that can successfully attract new clients to your business. Instagram, Tik-Tok are other prominent platforms which will keep the audience engaged.

Post images of equipment, share emotional stories of weight loss stories. Gym hubs can also share healthy tips and recipes which will attract people who are living a healthy lifestyle on social media.

4.FITNESS CONTENT MARKETING

The fitness industry has always been ahead in the field of fitness content marketing. Let us understand three categories in which this field divides. Hence, content marketing surrounds these sections.

Divided into three distinct elements

1. Such as Fitness pros, athletes, and instructors
2. Average exerciser
3. Beginners

Well written articles through blogs are always appreciated as they educate, instruct and inspire people. The industry does an excellent job of distributing professionally written articles by fitness professionals to those who seek advice.

source: cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Marketing-fit.png.png

5.VIDEO CONTENT MARKETING

Get started with the top quality of videos focusing on educating, inspire and provide instructions.

Consumers check channels such as P-interest, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and other social networks for fitness. A lot of people search for tips and diet plans through videos.

Video content marketing also uses things like Facebook live-stream to display people who have liked your page and whats going on in your club in real-time.

Instagram helps to search location or hashtags to find workout plans, personal trainers and classes in particular areas.

Currently, Tik-Tok is in boom and used for promotion purpose:
• Develop your brands own channel and start uploading creative videos relevant to your business.
• Utilize the power of influencers which will help to reach the content towards well-targeted audience.

@gunjanshoutsFitness Motivation #edutok #fitness #tiktokindia #motivation #succsess #weightlossgoals #workout

♬ original sound – gunjanshouts

6.REFERRAL PROGRAMME

Referral programs for fitness businesses are a proven, low-cost way to bring invaluable new members. Referrals are known to deliver a higher lifetime value. People through referrals are known to be more friendly. Since they have selected your services by themselves or through recommendation.

It is a fact that 92% of people trust and believe in recommendations which comes from their friends and relatives.

15% of people trust social media posts which are conveyed by brands. While word of mouth marketing brings in 2 times more business than actually other paid advertisements.

The referral program is done with strong brand messaging. As without secure communication it’s very tough to reach the brand message to the audience

Example: In order to make referral program successful provide a discount on membership or free membership period, which will enhance sales.

 

7.NEWSLETTER

It is an informative platform which will keep the audience updated all about that particular fitness brand. People think gym newsletters are for existing members, but it is not valid. It is to nurture existing members and old leads which did not turn out buying membership. Few members who have cancelled their membership but are subscribed to your emails can reach out to promotions, offers, advice about fitness.

Example: Fitness club can feature a member of the club who has successfully achieved weight loss; this acts as rewards and keeps clients motivated.

8.DRIVE CAMPAIGN IN GYM, PARK AND STADIUMS

The idea behind these activities is to enhance drive in lots of people towards your brand.

Campaigns in gym, stadiums and parks will entice enough calls, leads and later memberships. These are places where people who value fitness is identified. In short, your target audience discovers and targeted.

Few campaigns and offers which are famous and proven to be successful as below:

• Free membership trial for a specified period.
• Discounts on membership packages
• Free trial sessions

source: melbournesportscentres.com.au/assets/images/news/msac-free-gym-trial.png

9.LOCAL INFLUENCERS

Influencers are just ordinary people who have become famous by using social media marketing to create loyal followers.

Workout gurus and yoga experts influencers are there in all corners of Instagram and everywhere on social media.

They engage the audience by producing creative and variety of content while their primary purpose is blogging or YouTube channel may be fitness inspiration. Consistent content is highly relevant to keep audiences interested, but those volumes can vary as per platform differ.

source: d27fp5ulgfd7w2.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/11091840/Screen-Shot-2017-10-24-at-5.37.59-PM.png

10.FEMALE AUDIENCE MARKETING

The female audience can act as a boom for gym and health centres. Women serve as strong influencers because they also encourage their husbands, boyfriends or male audience to join with them.Brands focus on woman audience with multiple marketing strategies such as a massive discount on membership for females, free trials, a free consultation is provided. By doing this, they are indirectly also targeting the male audience, where they are providing benefits if they joined the gym as a couple. Add colourful images of all the different areas and services offered at your gym so the women will be able to see what you have to offer and get motivated to join.

Examples: Yearly discounts, free trial sessions, an invitation to health seminars/conferences, couple membership.

CONCLUSION

As the Fitness Industry is gaining momentum and more health clubs, gyms are opening up worldwide. Hence the understanding motivation levels and consumers behaviours regarding Fitness Buffs becomes increasingly relevant and mandatory. To capture and sustain this affluent audience. Marketers should consider ways to cross-market between active outdoor lovers and gym rats. Focus on reaching out to more female fitness buffs who represent the largest gender demographic. Brands should also take note of Fitness addicts’ attachment to mobile devices and social media.

Some of the inspirational and creative images on gym branding and marketing are shared below:

source: “pinterest.com/pin/767019380270884987/”

source: “giangalang.com/”

source: “lifefitness.ru/news/sekciya-fitnes-novogo-formata”

source: “behance.net/gallery/714883/FitnessTime”

source: “behance.net/gallery/714883/FitnessTime”

source: “garage-gyms.com/garage-gyms-inspirations-gallery-9/”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/795518721663622438/”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/418201515386760546/”

source: “pricearchive.org/aliexpress.com/item/32874797240”

source: “behance.net/gallery/30712387/Gym-wall-design-Sir-Winston-Fitness”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/33425222215286584/”

source: “behance.net/gallery/26692095/Fitness-club-Titan-Gym-interior-design-and-3D”

source: “flickr.com/photos/protectivecomfortgroup/14461875501/in/set-72157644910995998”

source: “behance.net/gallery/26692095/Fitness-club-Titan-Gym-interior-design-and-3D”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/558798266251130359/”

source: “behance.net/gallery/58531721/GYM-Interior-Ernakulam”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/398779742001990608/”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/21955116912980278/”

source: “interiordesign.net/slideshows/detail/8786-ahead-of-the-pack/2/”

source: “instagram.com/p/BDbw_Cpoh78/”

source: “cladglobal.com/architecture_design_news?codeid=322957&ref=n”

source: “trendhunter.com/trends/dawoud-albader”

source: “pinterest.com/pin/288793394827613282/”

source: “lesliephelan.com”

source: “indiamart.com/proddetail/gym-branding-banner-19685348155.html”

source: “graphis.com/entry/b43b7467-be9a-4b41-8fb7-283eb9740f52/”

source: “showoffmedia.co.uk/project/gym-mirrors/”

source: “jfitzgeraldgroup.com/project/interior-gym-branding-volvo-construction-equipment/”

HEALTH SUPPLEMENT PACKAGING DESIGN

When we understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, we should also be aware of elements which are involved in the process of wellness. As the market is having various health and dietary supplements, protein bars which are no more carrying traditional and dull packaging design. Customers need informative yet attractive packaging designs to gain competitive advantage. Below are a few designs which will give a glimpse.

Author: Megha Malik

As a passionate entrepreneur and creative brand consultant with experience of 14 years in digital, branding and packaging industry, it is my honest effort to put my experiences and knowledge of industry towards readers. A chartered accountant by degree but a marketing personality in blood has motivated her to take in designing industry as a career. With her fun-loving personality and sharp branding skills, she is a great motivational speaker on her YouTube channel, an active member in various business channels offline as well as online. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.