The
Power
of
Digital
Mobile Holds the Key to Digital
Marketing Strategies for Franchisees
2016 Issue 3 | GearedUp
L
30
ong gone are the days of just advertising on TV and
sending out direct mailers. While some Planet Fitness®
franchisees still do this and have some impact, more
and more owners are discovering the possibilities of digital
marketing and the level of personalization and effectiveness it
can have when it comes to getting new members through their
club doors.
But, in a world of so much possibility, it can be difficult to
find a digital marketing solution that’s right for you and know
where to focus your efforts.
“First, you need to think long and hard about your potential customers’ media usage habits,”said Michael Peters, digital
media director with J Miller Marketing.“Today’s landscape is so
fractured that you can no longer effectively reach people with
one or two channels. Paid search, display, mobile, social, video
and all their subset channels – the average customer uses these
multiple times a day. Your goal should be to show up on as
many relevant channels as possible with consistent messaging.”
Peters notes that the average user requires anywhere from
six to 13-plus ad exposures before making a decision. Franchisees need a comprehensive digital media plan to make sure
they are staying top of mind during the consideration phase
and make sure they are there to close the deal when a user is
ready to purchase a membership or product.
The key to having a top-notch digital marketing strategy?
Franchisees and marketing professionals agree that companies
need to be present on mobile and make it a priority.
Brett McGlothlin, franchisee with PF Denver, LLC, said it was
a lot of trial and error that led him to that conclusion.“By testing
the different digital options available, I have been able to drill down
on what shows success and what we need
to cut,”he said.“For instance, we ran a
digital campaign focusing on desktop and
mobile banners for a 12-month period and
found very limited growth in our year-overyear numbers.”
by Christina Cannon
McGlothlin said his best success
to date has been with Pandora Radio
followed very closely by Spotify Radio.“Pandora lets you reach
out directly to the members you want to reach within a defined
distance around each location. You are able to buy a 25 percent
share of voice, meaning you will be heard all the time while
running your campaign,”explains McGlothlin.
When it comes to testing these various digital marketing
methods, McGlothlin’s biggest piece of advice is to have
patience and wait at least three months before you try to track
a digital campaign or promotion.“Depending on what you run,
give yourself a 90-day window before gauging results. Being
patient is often the best tool for continued success in digital
marketing,”he said.
McGlothlin plans to utilize his 90-day rule and keep the trial
and error mentality going into next year.“I am moving toward new
digital marketing this next year. With the increased use of Hulu
and YouTube, I am able to buy commercials that cannot be fastforwarded, guaranteeing me visibility,”said McGlothlin.“Because
Planet Fitness has such recognizable and well-produced commercials, I want to take advantage of those commercials and create
more brand recognition in a newer PF® market.”
McGlothlin notes that he is not a marketing expert, he just
keeps implementing every viable option as he continues to move