5 Tips To Get Your Gym Ready For The January Rush

It's almost that time of year every PT, gym owner and health club manager looks forward to - the January rush. The time when thousands of people look to kick start their fitness journeys in a new gym or with the help of a new trainer. But whether you're running a large chain of fitness clubs or are an independent PT, some preparations are in order to make the most of this natural influx of members.

In this article we have laid out five key points to keep in mind while building up to the January rush, allowing you to begin the new year on a high.

Know Your Unique Selling Points

Even though you will likely experience an organic increase in interest this coming January, take the time to identify your Unique Selling Points (USP's) and make sure to push these to your potential customer base effectively.

This could be a popular class you are running or a unique piece of equipment that matches your demographics interest exactly. If, for example, you know that HIIT training is particularly popular in your area, take advantage of this and make sure your marketing and offering both capitalise on this trend.

If you are not in a position to introduce new big equipment, consider the power of doubling down on accessories. Free weights and accessories are relatively low-cost investments, but having increased availability of these can yield incredible returns in versatility and creativity of your training offering.

Next to providing your members a new workout experience, increasing the quantity of accessories available might ease some of the usage pressures during the January rush. Rather than having members waiting their turn to use a piece of kit, give them the opportunity to train together.

Get Your Marketing Hat on

Preplanning your marketing communications is vital, and easily done with the technological support available today. Social Media planning tools allow you to take an hour out of your day and fully schedule your posts for weeks in advance. Check out Hootsuite, Social Sprout or Later for example.

Demonstrate what prospects potential members are missing by sharing unique, quality content. Don’t give away all the tricks of the trade, but be confident enough to give something away for free. This lets you show the extent or your knowledge, lets you get across your personality and creates a positive relationship with anyone who comes across and enjoys what you’re sharing. Just be wary of reading like a physiology textbook - make content relevant and engaging, while pitching it at the right audience.

Think about your themes, break these down into potential content and distribute them across the time scale you have laid out for yourself. Consider the points above regarding your USP's and gage the interests of current members to create the focus of your content in the coming months.

This way, the only things you might want to post reactively are live insights and reactive content to what is happening in your gym to generate more immediate interest.