5 Winning Tips for Your Athletic Club Social Media Strategy

The number of Americans with gym memberships has been steadily increasing since at least 2000. In 2017, about 60.87 million Americans had memberships. Attracting new members often means investing in expensive exercise equipment, so athletic clubs need to make sure they earn a strong ROI by getting more people in their doors. Having a useful athletic club social media strategy makes it easier to boost memberships so your business can afford to invest in the latest equipment and services.

[RELATED: See what the Arena Club did to attract more members!]

Follow these tips to grow your audience and get more members into your gym.

Make Your Social Media Posts Visual

People are 10 times more likely to engage with social media posts that include images. Grab your audience’s attention with videos and images that:

• Show people before and after they try your workout plan.
• Highlight specific classes that people will want to join.
• Teach people how to perform specific exercises.
• Display your newest exercise equipment.

Try to include images in all of your posts. When possible, use photos taken at your gym. If you need a more generic image, use free sources like Unsplash and Creative Commons.

Above all, use images that make coming to your gym look fun and rewarding!

Provide Healthful Tips for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss

Use social media to establish your athletic club as a fitness authority. Post advice from your personal trainers and nutritionists to show current and potential members that your gym knows how to help them reach their fitness goals.

Crunch Gym has accumulated more than 31,500 followers by posting instructional videos to Instagram. The brand frequently posts videos that show members how to perform exercises like suspended lunges and medicine ball slams.

You can also share healthful recipe options that give exercisers the nutrition they need to excel without gaining fat.

Promote Your Promotions

Like most athletic clubs, you probably offer a few promotions throughout the year. For example, you might drop your startup fee for new memberships when people join in January or February.

People will only take advantage of your promotions when they know about them, so make a big push on social media to inform as many potential members as possible. Don’t forget to show off your exercise equipment, free classes, massages, and other services that you offer.

Engage With Your Audience

When done well, social media can create two-way conversations between your brand and your audience. Always respond to people who engage with your posts. It will make your athletic club seem more personal and likable.

You don’t have to write long replies to most engagements. A quick, “Thanks!” will satisfy most engagements. When people ask questions, though, you should give them the information they need. For example, if someone wants to know what times you offer yoga classes, respond by saying that you have a lot of free classes for members and link to a page with your gym’s class schedule.

Use Hashtags to Reach a Wider Audience

Most people using social media don’t care about joining your gym. Sorry, but that’s the truth! After all, millions of people use social media. Only a fraction of those people live in your city.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get them interested in your brand.

Use hashtags to get more attention from people all over the world. If you post a video showing how to do a diamond pushup, include hashtags like #DiamondPushup and #PerfectForm. Social media users searching for similar topics will find your page. Even if they don’t join, they might start following your account. Having more followers will add to your gyms authority and appeal.

Social media has become essential to success in all industries. Use the above tips to make social media work for you. If you need more information about harnessing the power of social media, feel free to contact CWS to learn about the latest strategies that get remarkable results.