Most Businesses sometimes forget that the goal of social media isn’t about selling or marketing. Social media channels like Facebook allow you to create a community where you can build and maintain good client relationships. You can learn a lot about your target audience through listening and engaging with your customers. If you own a gym and need social media to market your company, read on to see how Facebook ads can help your gym business.
Why Facebook ads?
Facebook has over 2 billion users a day, so the potential for attracting new fans to your brand is higher here than any other social network. Practically everyone you know is on Facebook, which is why it’s highly likely your target audience is hanging out here too.
Facebook ads are exploding especially with businesses that don’t appear to be advertising in any other way.
What is the main advantage with advertising on Facebook?
Advertising on Facebook lets you find your ideal audience by using categories based on their interests and behaviors. With endless targeting options this is truly the time to reach your audience like never before.
Take for example our persona, “Sally”
From our research, we created “Sally”. She is an admin assistant for a busy architectural firm. Sally is in her late 30s who wants to get healthier and lose weight. She is vegetarian, loves buying clothes online at The Gap, lives in a suburb about 20 miles away from downtown and is a busy single mom of 2 elementary school-aged children.
With Facebook’s varied advertising options to target behaviors and interests now, you can get your gym business in front of this exact audience – reaching more women just like Sally.
How So?
Facebook partners with companies that compile a lot of user data to ensure the ads you’re seeing on your newsfeed are relevant to your ideal audience. This is why the basic demographics of gender, age and location are just the tip of a very large iceberg. Facebook has thousands of options that allow you to categorize your audience based on habits and interests. Want to target busy moms like Sally with an offer to check out your gym for a week? Think Facebook.
With What?
Let’s get back to Sally. Although the idea of joining a gym was something that had crossed her mind, she’s a bit intimidated and unsure at the cost of working with a trainer. Carving time out for herself to work out in in a crowded place, using equipment that’s foreign to her, and investing money on an annual membership may be steps that are too large to take. That’s why a short term discount program, like a risk-free trial, would be an ideal solution for targeting new clients just like Sally.
Build a Community
Leveraging your FB ads against your business page with posts about your gym can help attract new fans and customers, and target people with relevant interests.
The content you produce should be helpful to your audience. People may expect a sales pitch on your website but this doesn’t mean your Facebook page has to be home to promotions. It’s not at all about selling at first, it’s about creating and nurturing relationships.
How?
Deepen relationships by creating meaningful content that you know your audience would find helpful. You can post compelling news on your company’s mission and how you’re working to help people get in shape. Want to post a short video clip of a personal training session, or one of your small group classes? Facebook is the right platform. Give prospective clients an idea of what is going on inside your gym to make it less intimidating.
Content plays an important role. Determine what you will write and what works best for your brand. Informational posts on health and exercise can position you as an expert in the gym/health industry. Posts that are helpful will drive more engagement with those who are following you.
You can create ads featuring great deals at different times throughout the year, or maybe run a special price on programs just for beginners. Consider promoting this type of content to non-members in your area.
Be alert on any activity in your Facebook page. Make it a priority to promptly answer any questions. Listen to positive and negative feedback from your fans and be sure to engage with potential customers in your area.
So…
Do you see how Facebook ads can help your gym business? Identifying your niche group is one of the most important aspects of your marketing process. Knowing how to target helps you narrow your reach to people you want to communicate with. Highlight your company’s brand values, identify your audiences and create a space that is unique to your business. Your competitors are already taking advantage of Facebook ads, why aren’t you?
Want more marketing tips? Read here on the top 5 referral tips to market your gym.
