To stay informed about the latest marketing trends and strategies as you open your gym, consider following these key websites: Marketing Dive, for in-depth coverage on industry news including social media strategies; Marketing Week, offering updates on big brand campaigns and valuable statistics; HubSpot Blog, highlighting the importance of social responsibility in marketing; and Gartner, which provides insights on loyalty programs and personalized marketing. Simultaneously, to attract and retain customers at your new fitness center, focus on strategies like offering introductory offers or free trial periods, utilizing digital advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, implementing effective referral programs, leveraging video marketing through platforms like YouTube and TikTok, and establishing a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience. These combined approaches can effectively boost your gym’s visibility and appeal to potential members.

I’d honestly just study Alex Hormozi and his gymlaunch model. Don’t reinvent the wheel, his strategy clearly works for gyms. I’d study that and see if you can talk to other people that have used gymlaunch to see if you can get some insights from them.

Before you go to a website for marketing, start off with the right “foundation” and leverage your own organic marketing for free (your customers & employees) !

1. Start with physically looking at and observing the failures of your local competitive facilities and workout facilities as a whole.

2. Create high standards so your clients have an exceptional experience. You and your staff must exceed their expectations every time they come to your facility.

3. Create an incredible work culture for your staff. A workplace of respect+good pay+good attitudes=good morale. Your clients will feel this and it will also reduce employee turn-over. (Word of a great work environment spreads like wildfire. Nothing is better than when happy staff tell friends and family how much they enjoy where they work and you have more people wanting to work for you than there are positions.) I pulled it off in a tremendously high turnover business.

• Require the entry to the your facility to be clean and welcoming.
• Front end employees must greet people with a simple smile and a hello.
• Equipment must be well maintained, current and clean. If clients are expected/required to get a spray bottle and paper towel to wipe their equipment after use, increase the number of bottles & paper towels by 20x (Literally!) Space them apart and make it simple for your clients to grab a bottle rather than have to walk 50 feet and find the bottle missing. +Mirrors smudge free
• Ensure a pleasant odor. Fitness Centers notoriously smell, sometimes like death. The odor is from the cumulative effect of your clients’ bacteria their sweat, skin and hair. 2 methods: 1) Small air battery controlled air fresheners emit a scent on a timed basis. Ecolab provides this as do janitorial supply companies.

2. Use an additive to your disinfecting solutions, floor cleaning etc. A manufacturer Odorcide, produces several types and scents. Their ‘original’ is a mild cinnamon scent. Their products actually break down the malodor and doesn’t just mask it.

• Your staff should thoroughly spray and wipe equipment on a scheduled basis during slow periods of the day plus at the end of the night.
• Restroom facilities need to shine, smell pleasant and be well stocked.
• Assuming you’ll have rubberized type flooring, the best way to clean your floors is to use a ‘small’ battery powered floor scrubber. The floor scrubber puts down fresh floor cleaner/disinfectant, scrubs the floor and vacuums the dirty water into a separate compartment. (Mop heads hold bacteria a will just spread dirt and stink theought your facility.) Over a few years, the machine approach is less expensive, does a superior job and is more eco-friendly.
• Whatever else you provide (either fee based or included with membership) such as classes, training, general assistance, weight loss, towels, water, snacks & beverages, bring a guest, free trial, baby sitting, scheduling… Do it great, or don’t do it. Do it with your client in mind–make it simple and easy for them. Let them schedule on line or by app. Get their text & email that can be used for time changes during holidays, weather etc.

Once you can check all the boxes and can ensure you have happy clients, they will do more than 50% of your marketing for you for free.

Their positive feedback on your Google Business Profile (aka Google My Business)and Facebook will increase their 50% of marketing by another 50%.

Me: Marketing degree, marketing experience, extensive sales & management experience & business owner.

I’m happy to help regarding facility maintenance. I’ve been an owner-operator of a janitorial and restoration service company for 8 years.

Wishing you the best for success .

On top of what everyone else said; study your competitors.

1. follow all their social pages (insta, tiktok, facebook etc)

2. study their websites

3. pay attention to any print marketing/mailers that may be delivered to you in that sector

4. type keywords in Google and see what sponsored ads your competitors are running

5. Call them and se how they greet you, ask what specials they have going on etc…

In addition to the recommendations others have stated, there’s no harm in having a pulse of your competitors.