The purpose of promotion
The most important purpose of promotion is to set the gym and group
fitness timetable apart from its competitors. Promotions should be
designed to let members know what is on offer, introduce new classes
and new instructors, revitalise existing classes, build participant
numbers and provide additional value for members that currently only
inhabit the weights or cardio floors.From a club perspective there are
very real business benefits to running successful promotions. These
include larger numbers in classes, converting gym floor junkies into
group fitness fans, and creating a community atmosphere – all of
which contribute to member adherence to their club.
Promotions may include:
• Launches for new classes or Les Mills releases
• Member challenges
• Special occasion classes
• Promotion of new instructors
• Other exciting events to celebrate group fitness.
instructors encouraged to wear fluoro
clothes. These launches are generally very
successful and have members talking about
the event for weeks afterwards.
Super Launch
Promotions can be held at any time, whether for a specific reason
or event, or to simply boost the atmosphere and enthusiasm for a
class. However, they should be relevant or have a theme so they are
appropriate and appealing to members. Combine a number of different programs
and run a ‘Super Launch’. These launches
can include 30-minute samplers of different
programs, and serve to encourage members
to experience classes they might not
otherwise consider. You can invite members
to come and go as they please, or challenge
them to stay for the whole super session.
Launches Member challenges
Most gyms have Les Mills launches every quarter to celebrate the
newest program releases. If a gym doesn’t have Les Mills classes,
the same launch format can be used to introduce a new freestyle
class to the timetable. Launches break up the monotony of the
normal class, week in week out. Making a big deal of launching a
new release every 12 weeks gives the instructors and participants
a spike in motivation and shakes up the standard class timetable.
In order to make launches stand out, it is important to come up with
something new, exciting and different to what other gyms are doing. Running challenges for members is a great
way of getting more people into classes
and of getting existing participants to try
something new. Challenging members
can make them accountable for how often
they exercise and what sort of classes
they attend. It can set up a bit of friendly
competition and give members incentives to
try a bit harder at the gym.
Fundraisers Challenges could include:
Launches can be used to raise money for a good cause. This gives
some direction and a theme for the launch and shows members
that the gym is socially conscious. Funds can be raised by asking
participants to donate a gold coin, selling merchandise or asking
local businesses to donate goods or services and selling raffle
tickets. Use the charity to help promote the launch and encourage
members to dress up in line with the charity’s colours or themes, e.g.
pink for Breast Cancer Research, blue for Beyond Blue, or a hat/hair
theme for the Leukaemia Foundation.
Dress ups
Dress up launches are always great fun and prompt interaction
between the members and instructors. Make sure all the instructors
are on board and encourage members to dress up too. Try to make
the theme of the dress up relevant to what is being launched; if
launching Body Attack 90, for example, have a 90s dress up theme.
Glow in the dark
Run the launch in the evening and create a nightclub atmosphere.
UV lights can be hired, glow sticks handed out, and members and
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• Group fitness card. When new members
join up, they receive a card with all the
classes on offer listed. They get a stamp
when they attend each class and then
receive a reward once they have filled the
card.
• Bring a friend for free. If an existing
member brings a friend to a class and
they join the gym, they receive a reward
such as 1 month membership extension,
or a PT session.
• 31 classes in 31 days. Members pay a
registration fee to join the challenge.
They submit a before photo, their weight
and height and a short paragraph about
their fitness goal. The contestants attend
31 classes in the month, one a day. The
challenge can include weekly emails with