People’s fitness and wellness habits have significantly evolved. According to a recent study, 42% of the respondents consider wellness a top priority. This means there will always be clients and businesses looking for marketing tips for your fitness center.

However, there’s stiff competition as more entrepreneurs venture into the fitness and wellness industry. So, how can you beat the competition to attract and retain more clients to your fitness center? The secret lies in effective marketing.

Wondering how to market your fitness center in 2024? Here are some tried-and-true marketing tips for you.

1. Create and build brand awareness

Do you know why some people call themselves “Nike people,” “Coca-Cola people,” or Apple people?” It’s because they recognize those brands. And this is what brand awareness can do to your fitness center. 

When you invest in brand awareness, clients will often pick your fitness center even without considering other options. In fact, 46% of consumers will pay more for a brand they trust.

But you can’t increase brand awareness if you don’t have a brand. So, the first step to brand awareness is brand building. Some key elements to consider include;

  • Brand voice
  • Brand aesthetic
  • Brand values
  • Logo and tagline

Brand awareness offers a competitive edge. So, if you create a recognizable brand, more people will likely get attracted to and stick to it. This also builds trust and loyalty.

2. Establish a solid online presence

If people can’t find your fitness center online, you’re missing out on many opportunities and leads. According to PR Newswire, 76% of consumers will look at your online presence before physically visiting your fitness center. 

Moreover, a huge number of consumers begin their product or service search online. Therefore, a robust online presence is crucial for any business. The big question is, how do you establish a solid online presence for your fitness center in 2024? There are many ways.

First, create a professional website for your business. Your site should showcase your classes, facilities, trainers, and services, among other essential information. Your business website should be well-optimized for every device. Remember, people use different devices to search for your services online. 

Additionally, you must optimize your website for search engines, commonly termed search engine optimization. SEO allows internet users to easily find your website when searching for fitness centers in your area.

3. Leverage the power of social media

The global social media usage has soared significantly in recent years. Currently, more than 60% of the world’s population uses social media. Facebook tops the list as the most popular channels with over 3 billion users.

In addition to your business website, you should have a page on the various social media channels. That’s not all. You also need to actively engage with your audience on social media. And one of the effective ways to do so is by creating and posting engaging content on your social media pages.

Before creating social media content, try to understand your audience, including the type of content they are interested in. Your content should include eye-catching videos or images to make it engaging and memorable.

Additionally, keep your posts short because social media users often have short attention spans. Hashtags will also help your content reach more people. Therefore, research and use relevant and popular hashtags in the fitness industry.

4. Use targeted ads

Ads are an effective marketing strategy when used the right way. Ads can help you reach more people in your target audience. But instead of showing ads to everyone online, you want to ensure your ads only show to your target audience. 

For this to work, you’ll need some data about your ideal customer, including;

  • Demographic information
  • Age
  • Website interaction
  • Browsing history
  • Interests

Additionally, you’ll need to create relevant and compelling ads. Clearly communicate the value of your fitness services by utilizing eye-catching visuals and a strong call to action.

Also, don’t forget to measure the performance of your ads. Remember, targeted ads are paid for. Therefore, you want to ensure your investment pays off.

5. Offer membership incentives

Membership incentives can be an effective marketing strategy for attracting new members to your fitness center as well as retaining existing ones, and boosting overall engagements.

Before someone signs up for membership at your fitness center, they want to know what’s in for them. So, you have to offer them compelling incentives.

These include;

  • Discounts and promotions for new members
  • Free trials or classes
  • Bundle packages including additional services or perks like nutritional consultations
  • Loyalty programs to reward commitment

If you offer membership incentives, communicate them effectively through your marketing channels. Additionally, regularly evaluate the success of your membership incentives and adjust your strategy based on performance, member feedback, and market trends for long-term effectiveness.

6. Point-of-sale marketing

Just because your customer has signed up for your fitness classes doesn’t mean you should stop advertising to them. And this is where point-of-sale marketing comes into play.

How do your potential customers feel when they walk into your fitness center? First, your fitness center must be clean. No one wants to work out in an untidy environment.

Additionally, make good use of interactive displays, especially at the checkout counter. These can showcase success stories, workout tips, or information about upcoming events and promotions. Interactive displays help create an engaging and informative experience for members.

You may also display fitness merchandise such as branded apparel, water bottles, and accessories. This helps increase brand visibility while offering an opportunity for impulse purchases.

7. Celebrity and influencer endorsements

Endorsements can help increase offline visibility for your brand. Influencers or celebrities often have a huge number of followers. And in many cases, these followers will want to live a life like that of their celebrity. 

So, if, for instance, the celebrity works out at your gym, even once, how many people do you think will show up in that fitness center?

Also, consider organizing an event and inviting a celebrity of your choice. Many people will want to come to your fitness center to connect with the celebrity.

Remember, for this to work, you must choose the right celebrity. For instance, choosing someone with a poor reputation can negatively affect your business. Look at how Nike’s bullet ad with Pistorius backfired.

8. Host community events

Most of your customers will likely come from your community. Therefore, you should build solid relationships with your community to attract customers to your fitness center: and one way to do so is to host and sponsor local events.

Some of these events include;

  • Fitness boot camps
  • Health screenings
  • Sponsor local sports teams or races

These events will not only increase brand awareness but also attract multiple clients to your fitness center.

Final thoughts on tried-and-true marketing tips for your fitness center

There’s no one-size-fits-all marketing solution. What works for another fitness center might not work for yours. Therefore, you must take the time to understand your business and audience. Then, find an effective marketing strategy to connect the two.Online marketing efforts can be daunting. Seek help from a digital marketing agency to make the process easier. Here’s to a successful 2024.