marketing help for a womens only gym

[warwick]

Hi all
I'm after some help if possible... we have just taken over a womens only gym in the midlands (UK) a few months ago. The place has been ticking over but not many people are aware the place is even here, the last owner didn't invest in any advertising or promotions. We have around 170 members but need to hit 250/275 members to start making some money and start paying the investment back.
The gym is based on a 30 minute circuit workout but we have just invested in some Life Fitness treadmills, X trainer, rower etc. We also have a studio upstairs where we do classes such as zumba, yoga, boxercise, pilates etc. This is not a posers gym, its for all ages and there is a really good social vibe going on here, a lot of the members stay on after a workout for a coffee and a chat. We feel we offer a lot for only £30 per month.
I have done the new website myself (still needs a few bits doing to it but its 90% there), I have an A board outside on the road and a banner on the opposite side where the nice lady who lives there let me put it on the outside of her fencing! We also have quarter page ads running in the local weekly paper for January
What I'm looking for is some really good marketing ideas to get people though the door which don't cost a lot to do as we are on a really tight budget. All post will be massively appreciated!!!!

kind regards to you all
Warwick

[KristineS]

What about a referral program of some kind of people who already are members. Maybe a percentage off their next month's membership fee if they get someone else to join for a certain number of months?

[Haup9]

Your gym sounds similar to the "Curves" gyms here in the US. My wife was a member of a Curves gym for a while but we decided to join a 24 hour gym so that we could go together. As far as advertising goes, what about a mailer to the residents in the town you are in? If it is a big town then maybe just to a certain percentage or perhaps to just the single women in your town. I know there are companies here in the US where we can purchase mailing lists and specify some parameters (single women or a specific age group). I don't have any idea what the cost would be tho on something like that so it may be to expensive. Another thought is to have some brochures printed up and go to your local market to distribute them. Perhaps putting them under the wiper. Thought #3 - Is there a town fair or parade you could help to sponsor or participate in? Again based on the size of your town this could be costly.

[lucas.bowser]

Who are the big employers of women within a km of your building? I would run a first month free promotion membership drive for those businesses. The old fashioned "try before you buy". The advantage is you may get groups of women to join that already know each other (which fits with the coffee shop mentality you described) and you know that you are a convenient location for them.

Dove-tailing off of Kristine S, you could also try offering 1 free guest pass a month to each member. That way, if they have a class (Zumba, Pilates, etc...) that they are really enjoying they can bring a friend to try it out. You never know, that person might become their workout buddy, which again fits with the coffee shop vibe.

[huggytree]

i dont think newspaper ads are going to work at all for you...they do nothing for me

word of mouth is always best and i agree that you need to start giving a free months membership for any referral....maybe even 2 months free

signs are important ...let people know you exist...they need to see you.......

locally there's a small ice cream shop that opened up....they always cheaped out on signs.....the grand opening wasnt even noticable since it was just a small sign on the front lawn.......you have to spend time looking at the front of the building to even tell what they are selling..finally they got a neon ice cream cone for the front window(1/3RD the size i would have done)............i talk to the owner and he's always struggling.........no one knows he exists and he's in a high traffic area..they drive right by and never notice his business.....i dissagree with every thing he's done with signs....

have a new GRAND OPENING.....put flags and flashing lights out side the business.......make everyone driving by have to notice your there.......dont be like my local ice cream shop and do everything at 1/2 or 1/3rd size....bigger is always better w/ signs.....it almost cant be too bid

[Steve B]

A new Grand Opening or Under New Management celebration is a great idea. Anything to draw attention to the building for a couple weeks.

My gym offers 1 month free for a referral. Free passes for your current members to pass out is a great idea.

Direct mail will likely be outside of your budget. With our postage rates - it almost cost $1 per house by the time you factor in the printing, envelope, labor, and postage. That doesn't mean it won't work - but it would have to be a great piece and it may take a while to get your money back in monthly dues from the few that might join as a result.

Also - are there local business that you can do some cross promoting with? For instance, you hang one of their posters in the locker room and they do something similar for you.

[queenvictoria]

How about giving out your business cards to potential clients? Everywhere you go, there’s a possibility that you’ll meet new people. With your well-designed business cards, you are likely to get their attention, whether they are already gym goers or just beginning to entertain the idea of working out. Make sure it has all the details that the interested party would want to know about your business. It’s a great way not only to persuade your prospect to visit your establishment but also to spread the news of your existence.

[BiznessAsUsual]

You could use Meetup, join local organizations, etc to attract new business and network.

[businessSM]

Run a competition for a month's free membership and all entrants need to do is recommend 5 friends and answer a simple question. If you run this sort of thing via social media, it will get passed on extremely quickly. Make the competition very simple and easy to enter and it will get the name of your gym out there in no time.

[AlexMc]

Lots of great ideas here, most of which I was going to express myself.
The top ideas here are definitely
1. First month free promotion membership
2. A new Grand Opening or Under New Management celebration
3. Cross promoting with local business
4. Free guest passes for each member to invite a friend to
5. Brochures at public locations (such a super markets)
6. Facebook! I think Facebook would be a great social media option for you

Best of luck warwick!