Fitness Franchise Marketing: A Practical Guide to Growing Your Gym

The health and fitness industry is booming. It is estimated that global industry revenues will total $124.7 billion in 2024, and will reach over $300 billion over the next decade, growing at an average of almost 10% every year.

The fitness business is good business. But as a gym owner you can’t just sit back and wait for your revenue to grow. The fitness industry is ultra-competitive, so while the pie may be expanding, you’ll need to work hard to claim your slice.

Effective marketing campaigns play perhaps the most important role in getting business through the door. You just need a well thought out marketing plan - a playbook that you can use to increase awareness of your gym and get more members through the door.

Let’s dive into fitness franchise marketing strategy, to discover some practical, data-backed techniques and ideas that will help your gym franchise thrive.

Why Marketing Matters for Your Gym

With over 90,000 gyms, health and fitness clubs in the US alone, the fitness industry is incredibly competitive. And these direct competitors only tell part of the story, because your gym will also be pitted against indirect competitors: home workout apps, personal trainers, YouTube fitness gurus, and other options for a potential member to get their fitness fix.

Effective marketing is essential for fitness franchise owners. It is the key to getting your name out there and building brand awareness. It helps you attract new members and target new markets. It’s a means to differentiate yourself from your competitors by showcasing your unique offerings. A strong marketing strategy can also foster a sense of community, which then enhances member loyalty and engagement.

Effective marketing helps you stand out. It shows potential members why your gym is the place to be.

Know Your Audience

Now that we understand the ‘why’ of gym marketing, let’s look at the ‘how’.

Before you kick on with your gym marketing, you need to gain a deep understanding of the audience you’re trying to reach. You should aim to create a customer persona that you can market to: a detailed profile, built on market research and real data, that represents your ideal member. This profile should include demographics, goals, behaviors and pain points.

But where to begin? Let’s start with the basics. If you had to pick an age range for your ideal customer, what would it be? According to this 2021 report, gym members can be broken down by age as follows:

• 18-34 years: 33%
• 35-54 years: 41%
• 55+ years: 26%

From there you can ask yourself more specific questions about who you plan to target. Consider the following types of members:

• Busy professionals looking for quick, effective workouts
• Fitness enthusiasts who live for their daily gym session
• Newcomers who might be intimidated by a typical gym environment
• Older adults focusing on health and mobility

There doesn’t have to be a single answer to the question of your target audience - you can develop and market to multiple customer personas. Your choices might be guided by the size of the opportunity, and the markets that naturally align with your strengths and preferences as a gym.

By gaining a deeper understanding of your audience, you can more effectively tailor your marketing messages and reach the right people.

Marketing Strategies That Actually Work

As a franchisee looking to dominate the fitness market, you can lean on a few key marketing strategies to grow your brand and business.

1. Get Social (Media)

Social media marketing represents a huge opportunity for gyms. Fitness is almost built for content marketing, as gym photos and videos are very shareable.

From fitness inspo on Instagram to training tips on TikTok, your use of social media is limited only by your imagination. Top fitness content ideas include:

• Teaching proper form for popular exercises
• Posting healthy recipes that will help followers achieve their fitness and body goals
• Member testimonials and success stories (ask for permission to tag the member, as this makes the post more shareable).
• Going live with a quick group workout or fitness Q&A session
• Running fitness challenges or contests designed to boost engagement

Aim to post at least 3-5 times per week on each social media platform. Target the platforms where your target audience spends the most time; Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube are the obvious choices, but if you want to attract busy professionals you might post on LinkedIn too.

2. Local Marketing: Be Part of Your Community

Most gym franchises are distinctly local businesses that serve a specific geographic area. You should lean into the local nature of your business.

The first step is to establish a Google Business Profile, which ensures you come up as a result on Google Maps, and as part of the rich results when a potential member types “gym near me” into Google. This is critical, because no fewer than 46% of Google searches have local intent, and 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day. You should regularly update your Google Business Profile by adding pictures and actively soliciting reviews from your current members.

You should also work to be an active member of your local community. The following strategies can help you to build your reputation as a good neighbor:

• Partnering with complementary local businesses for cross-promotions (nutritionists and dietitians, healthy cafés and juice bars, sports apparel and equipment stores, physios and massage therapists.)
• Sponsoring local events and organizations, like a fun run or a sports team.
• Doing classes in public spaces, like local parks, to increase your visibility in the community (being sure to obtain any necessary permits from local authorities).
• Hosting nutrition workshops or fitness seminars.

3. Offer a Member App

Digital marketing is so much more effective when it’s personalized. Personalization is powered by data, and one effective way to generate more member insights is by giving your members an app to use.

A quality member app will help you with member engagement and retention. It will allow the member to track their progress towards their fitness goals, while giving you information on their fitness habits and preferences - insights that can help you to more effectively target them with marketing materials.

Your app can also enhance the member experience by letting them book classes, access your facility through Bluetooth, and renew or upgrade their membership. These features ensure that your members use the app, and that you gain the insights you were hoping to gain.

4. Capitalize on Word of Mouth Marketing

What’s the most powerful form of marketing for a gym? Word of mouth. People trust people, particularly loved ones: According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other type of advertising.

These recommendations are incredibly valuable, so you should encourage them as much as you can.

The first step is to create a member experience that people will want to tell others about. You should offer a range of fun classes, regularly update your equipment and facilities, and foster a sense of community through group events, from fitness challenges to social nights (which can be great for content creation too).

Once you’ve nailed the experience, you can then encourage referrals by offering a referral program. If a member brings another member on board, they earn a reward: a membership discount, free merch, whatever.

Encourage happy members to post reviews on Google and Facebook too, as this ‘social proof’ can be almost as valuable as personal recommendations from loved ones.

Measuring Your Success

Are your marketing efforts working? Could you be doing better? The only way to tell is by looking at the numbers.

In terms of social media, it’s important not to get caught up in ‘vanity metrics’ - how many views, likes, comments and shares a particular piece of content receives - as these numbers don’t have much of a direct impact on revenue.

A far clearer picture of marketing effectiveness can be gained from looking at the following key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Website traffic and conversion rates
• New member sign-ups
• Membership retention rates (The average gym retention rate is 71.4%)
• Revenue per member (The US average is $517 per member per year)

Track these numbers over time to see which direction they are heading. You can then use the resulting insights to refine and optimize your marketing strategies, and direct your efforts where they’ll generate the greatest rewards.

Wrapping Up

Marketing has the power to make or break your fitness franchise. Success demands a comprehensive marketing strategy, implemented using marketing best practices, and in a consistent way over the long term. Remember that you need to:

1. Know who you’re trying to reach
2. Use a mix of digital and local marketing strategies
3. Leverage technology to enhance the member experience
4. Focus on providing valuable, shareable experiences to your members

The right approach to marketing your fitness franchise can ensure that your gym business enjoys its share of the incredible growth that the fitness industry is expected to enjoy over the next decade and beyond.

By following this guide to fitness franchise marketing, you can get off on the right foot, and increase your chances of becoming the best, most successful fitness business you can be.