Lately, it seems that most health clubs are dumping more and more of their advertising dollars into search engine marketing efforts. They've paid somebody to put up a website for them, and through internet marketing they hope to sell online gym memberships. The more ambitious fitness center owners have even started an email marketing campaign, typically using an electronic newsletter. Finally, those advanced in web site marketing techniques are doing some type of online advertising such as pay per click advertising or reciprocal linking.
While there's no doubt that internet advertising should have a role in your business marketing efforts, too many health club owners have forgotten that the best marketing and advertising ideas are the old tried-and-true time-bound promotions. In other words, while an internet marketing tool is surely beneficial, it's important to remember that your marketing plan must include actual promotions.
The best approach is to create an ad or promotional advertising idea, then build your marketing strategy around that idea. Utilize all local advertising techniques that have worked for you in the past (newspaper, signs, voice mail, direct mail marketing, etc.) and remember that the vast majority of potential clients will encounter your ad through these venues. Sure, it's also a good idea to communicate this marketing idea with web site advertising, but don't forget that the best results for your local gym will come from local direct marketing techniques.
In short, don't fall into the trap of thinking that online internet marketing will be the cure-all for your fitness center. Will it help? Sure! But it will never be the Holy Grail of selling health club memberships. Again, the best approach is to create an ad or promotional advertising idea, then build your marketing strategy around that idea.
So what advertising ideas do you have for direct selling this month? None? Fortunately, you're a super-intelligent gym owner that knows about the secret weapon for health club owners: www.cuecd.com! In this article we have enough marketing tips for June to build a powerful advertising campaign in any part of the country!
Cancer Survivor's Day, National (1st Sunday) www.ncsdf.org
The first Sunday in June is National Cancer Survivor's Day, which is a wonderful opportunity for a small business marketing program based upon cancer prevention. There are entire volumes of data and research proving that consistent exercise helps to prevent several forms of cancer, and even helps prevent a recurrence of breast cancer in women. This is powerful information, and as any advertising company will tell you, powerful information makes an effective marketing tool!
Although rarely mentioned in the major media, scientists are now realizing that perhaps the biggest cause of cancer in our society today is lack of exercise. As a matter of fact, it’s no understatement to say that the best cancer insurance you can purchase today is to invest in a gym membership.
“For the majority of Americans who do not smoke, eating a healthful diet and being physically active are the most important ways to reduce cancer risk” (Source: Dr. Tim Byers and Colleen Doyle, MS, RD of the American Cancer Society). Regular exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight, which is important for cancer prevention. Overweight or obese individuals have a higher risk of several cancers, including breast and colon cancer, esophageal cancer, and kidney cancers.
In your advertising promotion this month, you could educate the public about cancer and how exercise may help to prevent certain types of cancer. Consider giving all local cancer survivors a free guest pass for the entire month. An even better idea is to sponsor a team at the local Relay for Life, where you'll be helping a worthy cause while at the same time doing some great business advertising. In all of your marketing materials and print advertising this month, take the opportunity to reach out to those touched by cancer…..there are more of them than you think!
Career Nurse Assistants Day (2nd Thursday) www.cna-network.org
Career Nurses Assistants (CNA's) often go by different titles, such as Resident Assistant, Personal Care Assistant, Nursing Assistant, Home Care Assistant, Care Assistant, Caregiver, Geriatric Aide / Assistant, Resident Assistant or Restorative Aide. This is truly a group of dedicated, overworked and under-appreciated professionals!
You can show your respect for CNA's, and at the same time initiate a strategic marketing effort, by simply sending out a direct mail advertising piece to every CNA in your area. This short letter should thank them for their services, and in honor of Career Nurse Assistants Day offer them a free 1-month (or 2-week) pass to your gym. This is one advertising opportunity you cannot afford to pass up, because as health care professionals, CNA's are exactly the kind of people you want as health club members!
Home Safety Month www.homesafetycouncil.org
The goal of Home Safety Month is to make every home in America safe for the family. This all-encompassing task incorporates fire safety, carbon monoxide risks, lead paint issues, and so much more. In short, if it has to do with home safety, then it's being featured in June.
This is the perfect opportunity for you to do some really creative advertising and team up with some safety specialists in your community. Consider offering a four-week series of classes free to the community. For one class you could feature a guest speaker from the local fire department, and the focus would be on home fire safety. Another class could highlight home security, with a police officer or local alarm company guest speaking. Yet another class could be taught by a local home improvement store (such as Lowe's or Home Depot) and could be about lead paint or even asbestos removal.
There are literally hundreds of topics that could be addressed during Home Safety Month, and offering a series of free classes will be an advertising magnet for your gym! Invite all fitness center members, and ask them to bring a friend. Be sure to invite the public as well, announcing the classes through press releases to the local media. Of course, every non-member that shows up for a class will receive a complimentary tour and a 1-week free pass (gotta keep marketing, remember?).
Men’s Health Week, National (2nd Monday) www.menshealthweek.org
The purpose of Men's Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys, and this event should be an absolute slam-dunk selling strategy for circuit training gyms like The Blitz and Cuts For Men.
There's a ton of information and research out there about men and health. For example, overweight men are: 19% more likely to die of any cause, 50% more likely to develop heart disease, 250% more likely to develop diabetes, 16% more likely to die of a first heart attack (or have another one), 9% more likely to have a stroke, 70% more likely to develop high blood pressure, 58% more likely to have total cholesterol of 250 or greater, 120% more likely to develop stomach cancer, 5% more likely to die of prostate cancer, 35% more likely to develop kidney cancer, 590% more likely to develop esophageal cancer, 40% more likely to develop gallstones, 3,610% more likely to get passed over for a promotion, earning $4,000 less each year and 14% less attractive to women.
Compile the facts (like those above) and then utilize them in your promotional marketing throughout June. Facts and figures have selling power when they're presented along with a compelling message that YOU offer the solution.
National Men's Health Week coincides with Father's Day, so if your gym serves men then you simply cannot afford to miss this incredible event marketing opportunity. Use your marketing communications (advertisements) to educate men on the benefits of regular exercise. Father's Day should help you sell gift certificates, especially when bundled with a catchy advertising slogan like 'Give dad the gift of good health this year…..instead of another tie'.
Safety Month, National www.asse.org
The American Society of Safety Engineers sponsors this annual event, and the focus is primarily on workplace safety (think OSHA). Although the vast majority of the public may not care about National Safety Month, there's a good chance that local business owners care a great deal about workplace safety!
With this in mind, June would be a great month to approach local employers on the issue of workplace safety. Be sure to do some research regarding how 'fit' employees are much safer at work and can lower employer costs. Here's some information to help you get started:
1) According to a study published by the American Journal of Health Promotions, for every $1 spent on wellness programs, employers can expect a return of $2.30 to $10.10 through lower medical claims, reduced absenteeism, improved productivity and other factors.
2) Officials for Wilmington, Delaware based DuPont Co. cited a 47.5% drop in absenteeism for participants in their wellness program.
3) General Mills calculated that a reduction in absenteeism resulted in a payback of $3.10 to $3.90 for each dollar spent on its health promotion program in 1995-1996.
4) Everett, WA based Providence Health Systems showed a company savings of $1.5 million, with $4.24 saved for every $1 spent over three years, according to company officials.
5) A NASA study reported a 12.5% increase in productivity for exercisers vs. non-exercisers.
The best technique is to first approach the decision-makers in the company, offering them a free pass and eventually converting them to full paying members. Once they're believers in the power of regular exercise, it will be easier to sell similar packages to their employees. Ask to set up brochures, posters and displays in the company breakroom. Ask the company to attach 1-week free passes to employee paychecks. Ask, ask, ask…..and keep plugging the fact that healthy employees save money for the employer.
Sobriety Checkpoint Week, National www.madd.org
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a fantastic organization that has accomplished many good things. Although they sponsor many events nationwide, one of the more visible or well-known is the National Sobriety Checkpoint Week.
What does MADD have to do with your health club? Very little. What can you do for MADD? Quite a bit! Consider hosting a fund-raiser for your local MADD chapter. You could also use a cooperative advertising technique and split a newspaper ad with MADD, where the ad communicates the health problems that stem from over-consumption of alcohol and also encourages citizens to get involved with the local MADD chapter. It's a win-win situation your fitness center and the MADD organization.
Aligning yourself with MADD can make a difference with your customers, your community and your bottom line. It portrays you as a responsible member of your community that honestly, sincerely cares about health - and that's exactly what you are!
Summary:
Any advertising agency worth their marketing degree will tell you that linking your business to a larger national event is a great way to draw attention to yourself and bring in new customers. With so many national marketing promotions available this month, there's absolutely no reason why every health club shouldn't put together an exciting business marketing plan for June. Get started today!
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