Aim to market the promotions using the
following mediums – the more, the merrier:
facts about the person and what they enjoy when they are not at
the gym makes them more relatable and interesting. These can be
used on Facebook, Instagram or on the club’s website.
Other exciting events to celebrate group fitness
There are limitless ways to promote group fitness. Be brave and
experiment with any ideas you have to highlight the benefits to your
members of getting involved, from health outcomes to enjoyment of
the social aspect. Here are a few more ideas:
• Group fitness month. Dedicate a month to group fitness. This is
a great way of bringing the focus of all the members of your gym
onto your timetable and all the amazing classes on offer. The
month could include challenges, prizes, rewards or special
promotions such as bringing a friend for free.
• Technique month. Dedicate a month to promoting great
technique in all classes. This may include running special classes
which focus entirely on good technique or having an extra
instructor in selected classes who check and correct technique.
Short YouTube clips demonstrating good technique are a great
way of letting members know what to aspire to.
• Class of the month. Feature one style of class each month and
invite members to bring a friend for free to that class. Selecting a
class which might not be lagging numbers-wise is a great way of
increasing attendance and awareness of the class.
Marketing for promotions
For any of these promotions to be a success, it is vital that they are
shouted from the rooftops! Some gyms have a marketing team to
work on promotions, while many others do not – in which case it will
most likely fall to you, the GFM, or the instructors.
The most important purpose of promotion is
to set the gym and group fitness timetable
apart from its competitors.
36 | NETWORK SUMMER 2018
• Social media. Group fitness posts
should be featured weekly on Facebook
and Instagram, as well as on Twitter and
YouTube if your club actively uses them.
They should be used to advertise
promotions as well as to inform members
about
timetable
changes,
class
cancellations and new instructors.
• Multiscreens. Some gyms have media
screens to display photos, videos and
advertisements.
• Email. Some gyms send out weekly
emails promoting the latest membership
deals. Make sure group fitness has a
presence in these each week.
• Blogs. Some gyms feature blogs on their
website. Make sure group fitness news is
the focus of at least one blog each month.
• Posters. Old-school, but effective, these
can be put up in the group fitness studios,
on toilet doors and in communal
gathering areas.
Social media, especially blogs and online
videos, allow events, successes and
services to be shared with not only your
immediate customers, but the wider world.
This sort of storytelling and sharing of
success is essentially free and should be a
big part of your day-to-day business.
Promoting group fitness requires some
thought and creativity. However, if done
well, strategically timed special events,
challenges and launches can lift the gym
and its group fitness program to new
heights, making it a force to be reckoned
with and a serious competitor to nearby
clubs. Start today, set up a yearly planner
and map out the year ahead with exciting
new ways of making group fitness the club’s
best asset.
Kirsty Nield is a Group Fitness Manager, instructor and
presenter with over two decades› industry experience.
Passionate about making people fitter, healthier
and happier, she has a Certificate IV in Training and
Assessment and is trained to deliver five Les Mills
programs, Pilates, Gymstick, aqua and ChiBall.