2025 Issue 3 | GearedUp
Presales Continued from page 35
in-fill site,” said Nguyen.“ One of the key factors contributing to this success was the club’ s location in a community with a high percentage of Spanish-speaking residents. This required us to adapt our messaging, strategy and marketing approach to ensure cultural relevance and accessibility. By effectively tailoring our campaign and doubling down on bilingual communication, we were able to engage the community in a meaningful way and drive strong presale results.”
Coordination across teams can be incredibly important during a presale. For NFP, effective coordination begins early in the process.“ Once media and marketing plans are finalized, they are promptly shared with all relevant departments to ensure alignment. We hold weekly cross-functional touchpoints where each team provides updates from their area of responsibility. During these meetings, marketing presents updates on lead generation and presale performance, key dates and upcoming events, and any cross-functional needs, including construction preview events, Panospin scheduling and ribbon cuttings. This consistent communication ensures alignment, accountability and seamless execution across teams,” Nguyen shared.
“ Our plans are specific to the market and club, so there may be times where direct mail or a physical presale presence doesn’ t make sense, but for us, all cards are on the table and we customize our approach to the market dynamics and demand.”
– Shannon Meyers, former Vice President of Marketing at Grand Fitness
Things to Avoid
A presale is essentially the first chapter of a club’ s story, so starting out strong can be helpful to the future of how a club operates. A rocky presale can create a negative reputation for the PF brand and club, and this can be hard to bounce back from.
To get off on the right foot, Nguyen shared how she ensures a positive experience by avoiding certain actions during presale.“ We are intentional about avoiding overpromising or overselling during the presale period. While we generate excitement around the club opening, we refrain from announcing firm open dates too early or making guarantees such as access to tour the construction site. Managing expectations is key to maintaining credibility and trust within the community,” she said.
“ Additionally, we intentionally avoid conducting lengthy physical presales,” Nguyen continued.“ Given that most joins now occur through digital channels, the need for extended in-person presale presence has significantly decreased. This shift has allowed us to reduce costs associated with physical presale assets, such as banners, trailers and staffing, and instead redirect those resources toward our media plan for broader impact.”
At Pinnacle, there is a focus on avoiding things that would keep the club hidden during presale, such as a lack of signage and poor visibility. At Grand Fitness, presale plans cater to the market where the club is located, so strategies vary by market.
“ Our plans are specific to the market and club, so there may be times where direct mail or a physical presale presence doesn’ t make sense, but for us, all cards are on the table and we customize our approach to the market dynamics and demand,” said Meyers.
Online Presales Versus Physical Presales
Choosing to do an online or a physical presale may be dependent on several factors. Grand Fitness’ s approach is typically to do a combination of both online and physical presales.
“ We think some sort of physical presence is important, such as a wrapped presale trailer or bus, or a pop-up table / tent strategy in addition to an online media plan,” said Meyers.
National Fitness Partners mainly focuses on presales driven by a digital presence but will use physical elements as well.“ Our presales are primarily driven through online channels; however, we still incorporate a physical component for community engagement. While we no longer maintain a physical presence for the full duration of the campaign, we conduct a condensed presale activation lasting three to five days, typically in the same month as the club opening. This approach provides the public with an opportunity to visit the site, engage with our team, ask questions and get a preview of their new Planet Fitness location – without the extended investment of a traditional presale storefront,” said Nguyen.
In information shared with the Presale & Grand Opening Work Group, formed by Planet Fitness Club Support Center in June and including franchisees, the historical recommendation was to run a presale for 45 days. When analyzing 106 openings as of November 2024, a mix of physical presales and online presales outperformed online-only setups in both member count and Black Card percentage. When running a digital and / or physical presale, Grand Fitness prioritizes visibility early, installing exterior signs, banners and temp signage at least four months before the club opens. It also starts a digital lead generation campaign 3-4 months before a club opens to build awareness and a prospect funnel. Lastly, Grand Fitness focuses on community engagement by using pop-up tables or tents at large grocery stores, meeting with local officials, city council, chamber members, etc. to build relationships with those in the community. Building connections can help prospects remember Planet Fitness and feel more inclined to try out the new gym opening near them.
Metrics to Measure a Presale’ s Performance
Whether a presale was a success or less than stellar can be measured with some performance metrics. Using KPIs be a helpful tool to show what worked and what didn’ t.
“ To measure the performance of a presale campaign, we monitor a range of key metrics that reflect both lead generation effectiveness and overall campaign efficiency. The process begins with tracking the number of leads generated. We have found success in promoting sweepstakes offering a free year-long BC membership, which has proven to be an effective tactic in driving increased lead volume for our campaigns. From there, we focus primarily on membership joins – both in aggregate and
36