Fitness Studio Marketing 101: Crafting a Conversation
Do you have a to-do list a mile long—and don’t know where to start?
In conversations with my clients, one item is always hovering somewhere near the top of the list is how they can uplevel (or even just start) their fitness studio marketing.
The problem is, confusing terms like “cost per click” and “conversion tracking” make many of us want to give up before we even begin.
If that’s you, you’re not alone!
The good news is it doesn’t need to be that complicated.
Great fitness studio marketing can be pretty simple, and it starts with focusing on your people. It’s about being thoughtful about reaching out to them and making their interactions with you easy and real.
Yes, there will be a time later on for tracking engagements and looking at analytics… but that’s secondary.
At its foundation, digital marketing is all about crafting a thoughtful customer journey. Your business is about people, and your fitness studio marketing isn’t any different. There are potential customers out there who have a lot to gain from your services. If you can find them — and have the right conversation — everyone wins.
The simplest way to get your fitness studio marketing started is to break down your efforts into the three parts of your ideal customer’s journey:
#1. Attraction: Making your studio interesting and visible to potential clients.
#2. Conversion: Making it compelling and easy to become a customer.
#3. Retention: Being supportive and helpful to keep people coming back.
““90% of marketing doesn’t work because it doesn’t get done.””
Your fitness studio marketing strategy needs to pay attention to all three pieces, BUT that doesn’t mean you need to focus on all three right now. That’s a surefire way to become overwhelmed as a small business.
Here’s what you’re going to do: start by taking stock of your business, as it is right now.
What’s working well for your business already? Give yourself a little credit here…celebrate what you’re doing well! Once someone tries a class, do they love it and stay for more? Do your customers stay for years?
Now, look at the area that you feel is your biggest weakness. That is the area you want to focus on first. Don’t be distracted by other areas, at least for now. Fitness studio marketing is a never-ending process—you can come back to the others!
In order to accurately pinpoint what your marketing priority should be next, let’s dive a little deeper into the 3 areas of fitness studio marketing.
Customer Journey Step 1: Attract
You need new clients. All businesses do, but boutique fitness and wellness businesses are particularly in tune with this need. With client retention rates averaging around 30%, businesses need to always be on the lookout for ways to replace lapsed or lost customers.
There are lots of ways to leverage fitness studio marketing strategies and draw new clients to your business. Here are some of the basics:
1. Google search (organic)
Google My Business (GMB) listing: Claim your listing, then keep it updated and respond to reviews.
Page optimizations: Get your main keywords (location + services) on your website in the right spots.
Content marketing and link building: Do a few simple fixes to improve SEO.
2. Social media (organic)
Optimize profiles: Include location & intro offer in your profiles.
Content marketing: Offer value to potential clients with your content.
Engagement: Respond to comments, follow other businesses, and interact online.
3. Google ads (paid)
Consider paid ads if you aren’t where you want to be organically and your competitors are running ads.
Keep your budget focused on your most important keywords + location.
4. Social media ads (paid)
Consider social media ads for finding people who know they want your services.
Make retargeting a part of your strategy.
Think about getting in-house training to make this strategy worthwhile.
As you can see, each one of these areas has a lot of potential. While some of these are one-time tasks, others (like content marketing, engagement, and paid ads) are going to be ongoing efforts.
When you map out your fitness studio marketing strategy and plan your time and resources, make sure you get the foundations in place first. If you’re pressed for time or support, start with steps that don’t need a lot of ongoing time or effort. You can always layer in other things later as you have more resources.
Important note! This is the first step in the customer’s journey, but it may not be the first thing YOU want to focus on as the business owner! You’re ready to focus on attracting new prospects when, and only when:
a) Your website communicates what you do and the value of your offer well.
b) Your website checkout is as streamlined as possible.
c) You have a sales plan once someone makes that first purchase (intentional touch points to make a second sale).
If that’s not you yet, try focusing on one of these following phases FIRST!
Customer Journey Step 2: Convert
“Users often leave web pages in 10-20 seconds, but pages with a clear value proposition can hold people’s attention for much longer.”
Your website matters— how it looks, what it says, AND how it works. If a customer visits your website, they’re already interested in your services. But if they can’t find an easy path to purchase, that interest will dwindle quickly and you’ve lost a valuable opportunity to connect with that person.
Your website, generally, is your best chance of converting visitors into customers, which is why your fitness studio marketing strategy should include a well-designed website.
With that in mind, here are some specific things you can do to better convert casual website visitors to paid clients:
1. Pass the “blink test”
The blink test is simply asking the question: “Is your studio’s value proposition communicated within a few seconds of landing on your website?” Put yourself in the shoes of a website visitor and ask yourself: Do I know I’m in the right place? Does this hold my interest?
Without scrolling, and within a few seconds, can you tell who you are, what you offer, and where you’re located? That’s the bare minimum.
2. Feature your intro offer
Create a landing page for your intro offer, including all the details, a buy button, some frequently asked questions for beginners, testimonials (also from beginners), and a little bit of sales copy to explain the benefits of that particular offer.
Link to your intro offer page from multiple places on your site, on social media accounts, and in your emails. Having a website page dedicated to your intro offer will make it easy for you to invite people to get started.
You may feel like you’re repeating yourself, but new people should never be more than one click away from finding your intro offer. It’s like their home base - what they’re contemplating as they browse to learn more about your business. Keep it front and center.
3. Add logical calls-to-action on each page
A call-to-action is a button or link inviting your website visitor to the next logical place they’d like to go. It keeps your visitors from getting lost on your site, clicking around aimlessly. It’s also an ideal way for you to guide them on a path to becoming a client.
For example, if someone’s gotten to the bottom of your classes page, the logical call-to-action would be to “book a class.” After reading your instructor bios, you may want them to “Learn more about teacher training.”
Not sure what a page’s call to action should be? When in doubt, link to your intro offer.
4. Design for mobile
You’ve probably heard this statistic: Upwards of 60% of your website visitors are visiting your website on a mobile device… and mobile these days means endless variations of screen sizes. This means your website should be responsive, with the content adjusting automatically for all screen sizes.
In addition to making your core website responsive, you’ll want to avoid linking to checkout pages that aren’t responsive or including unresponsive pop-ups or widgets.
5. Have a pricing page
Aside from the home and schedule pages, the pricing page is typically the most visited page on a studio website. Clear and transparent pricing is a key part of the purchasing decision for prospects. Make sure they can find it!
This doesn’t mean you have to list every last one of your available pricing options. But you should have your most popular packages clearly explained and available for purchase right on your website. Anytime you mention an offer, there should be a clickable option close by where they can quickly and easily purchase it.
6. Reduce required checkout fields to the absolute minimum
Studies show that the longer the form (ie. the more information you ask) the less likely someone is to complete it. It’s just human nature. We get distracted, we get uncomfortable putting so much personal info online, or maybe we’re just feeling lazy that day.
Whatever the case may be, if someone is buying an intro package, you probably only need their name, email, and credit card info. You can collect everything else in the studio when they come for the first class or session. Make it as easy as possible for them to make that initial purchase.
As a bonus, it’ll give your desk staff an excuse to connect with a new client when they arrive, alleviating that awkward newbie feeling in the lobby.
If you can accomplish these things on your site, visitors will easily turn into customers. You won’t have to worry about losing the potential clients you worked so hard to attract to your website in the first place, and you can leverage various fitness studio marketing strategies to ensure they stay engaged on your site.
Customer Journey Step 3: Retain
Earlier, we talked about the need to attract new clients to your business to make up for lost or lapsed customers. But here’s the flip side to that: it’s easier to keep customers than it is to find new ones.
Think about it—these are people that want your services, know about your business, and have shown they’re willing to pay for your packages. All you have to do is keep them happy and engaged.
What does that mean from a fitness studio marketing standpoint? Here are some specific things you can do to better retain clients in your studio business:
1. Automate personalized emails
Email newsletters still have their uses, but far fewer people open these types of emails compared to individual emails based on clients’ participation or purchases. Consider automating these emails to nurture current clients and make them feel connected to your studio.
2. Follow up after their first class
Whether it’s an automated email, personal text, or a staff member making a point to strike up a conversation with a new client, have an intentionally planned (but casual and genuinely caring) touchpoint within a day or two after their first class.
3. Follow up towards the end of their intro period
While getting people to sign up for your intro offer is huge, the second sale is the important one. Pay attention to clients during the introductory period and look for opportunities to connect with them.
4. Use your on-demand video product
One of the biggest benefits of having a video-on-demand product is its positive impact on retention. The workout-at-home option may encourage your clients to keep their memberships when they would normally cancel (like in the summer or a busy season at work).
Continually sharing what’s new in your video library and reminding your clients it’s an option will help your overall retention strategy. You’ve likely put a lot of work into developing your video-on-demand library… now put it to work for you!
Your Fitness Studio Marketing Plan is Ongoing
While there are plenty of things you can do to start prioritizing your fitness studio marketing, there’s no secret formula. It’s an ongoing process for businesses of all types and sizes.
Keep asking yourself questions about the people who come into your community. How can you take better care of them? How can you nurture them and engage in conversation?
Asking these questions will boost your business and help your clients feel more seen, nurtured, and a part of your community. Craft that experience for them with care, and your business will reap the benefits.
