6 Boutique Fitness Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Studio
(Without Posting Every day)
As a consultant in the boutique fitness industry, my most common question is, "Can you help me post more on Instagram? I need to post more so I can get more clients!" I have good news: Instagram does not carry the weight you think it does for most brick-and-mortar fitness studios. Very rarely do clients find you for the first time based on social media, so you can let go of posting daily, creating Hollywood-level reels, or stressing about your follower count. You do need an online presence, but it should be just a part of your robust marketing strategy.
Have you been in a marketing rut? Here are some of my favorite ideas that you may not have thought of.
Transform Your Windows into Storytelling Billboards
How often do you hear, "I had no idea you were here!" even though you spent thousands on your sign? I know- it's infuriating. My sign at my studio was $14,000 and massive - but no one ever saw it. A study found that 76% of consumers have entered a business they have never visited before based solely on its signage, so switch it up if you're in a new traffic lull and think outside the typical sign.
Your studio's windows are storytelling billboards that are going underutilized. Use them to communicate your brand's:
"Why statements"- what are the emotional reasons a client signs up? Use those in your advertising.
Vinyl decals with your "what statements" (aka, features or modalities).
Window Chalk with upcoming open house dates, specials, or new intro offers.
Clean silhouettes showcasing your offerings. I love life-size window paint of yoga postures, weight lifting, equipment, or dance poses.
Leverage Google's Potential
I am constantly talking about maximizing Google because it's free marketing, and it directly delivers you to clients who are actively searching for a solution to their problem. Your Google presence is your free virtual storefront- optimize it by updating your profile with:
Photos of your happy clients interacting with each other
Your intro offers in the products or services section.
Keywords that your target client is searching for in the bio.
The SEO Site Description on your website lists your keywords.
You're utilizing reviews and updates to their full potential.
These simple steps can significantly boost your online visibility and attract potential clients.
Capture Walk-By Traffic with Creativity
Most clients find their fitness studio from word-of-mouth or walk-by/drive-by traffic. So make the most of it. Capture attention (and email addresses) with creative marketing that makes people stop and read.
Display discount flyers that can be redeemed in-studio in suction cup flyer boxes (my favorite).
Compelling calls-to-action that speak directly to your target client as they walk by and encourage them to scan a QR code and leave their name and email on a landing page. *don't send them to your purchase software; there hasn't been enough nurturing to ask for a credit card in most cases.
Text-to-redeem promotions. You've probably seen these; they look like "Text 'YOGA' to 85543 for a free class!" Once you have their text, follow up to request their first name and email address. Voila- a new lead in the time it takes a client to sit at a red light.
Change up your banner. 77% of those surveyed said they regularly learn about new brands because they saw a banner- so change it up. The key is the newness, so leave it up for a quarter and then change your signage to keep capturing attention. It can be as simple as:
Free Open House Barre Classes (with a QR code to book)
A direct question such as "Looking for your new favorite yoga class?"
Your "why statements" in bullet form, i.e., "Free childcare."
Celebrate with us! Five years of incredible barre!
Or, keep it simple and get a banner that says "YOGA."
These strategies not only grab attention but also encourage immediate engagement.
Website Pop-Ups: Engage and Capture
I know who works with me because they have pop-ups on their website. These pop-ups can be a powerful lead magnet tool because they capture clients as soon as they start looking for their studio. Harvard Business Review found that companies that respond to potential customers within an hour of receiving an inquiry are 60 times more likely to land the sale than those that wait 24 hours or longer, so set an autoresponder up to your pop-up and get the ball rolling.
Offer visitors something valuable in exchange for their contact information, such as a discount on their first visit or a killer PDF like an exclusive nutrition guide. My favorite pop-ups link to a Google form or type form with the three most important new-client questions (not sure what I’m talking about? Watch the free replay!) This exchange sets the stage for a relationship built on value and trust and- most importantly- gets you a new email address for your lead sheet.
Embrace Guerrilla Marketing
My favorite marketing strategy, but what is it? Guerrilla marketing is a strategy based on the principles of guerrilla warfare, where unconventional tactics are used to combat larger forces. What does this have to do with boutique fitness? Your fitness studio is the unconventional force competing against the big brands with massive marketing budgets. Guerilla marketing is categorized as being inventive, low-cost, and attention-grabbing. It's about creating ads that people want to share and talk about, like that funny ad you just had to send to a friend. Get creative and make a significant impact without breaking the bank. Here are some of my favorites:
Parking tickets: Give everyone a decal of your logo and tell them to put them on their car. When you see one around town, slip a "parking ticket" with a $25-$50 coupon under their windshield wiper and post a picture to your stories. You can see our F logo EVERWHERE and handing out the tickets is so fun.
Eye-catching flyers like the above (check your town's flyer rules before you go crazy).
Draw yoga/fitness poses in chalk with a poster encouraging passersby to try them out and repost to win $50.
Sell your branded retail at an affordable rate so your clients become walking advertisements. My town is covered in walking ‘F’s, and I regularly heard, “Oh! you own the studio with the F, right? I see that everywhere!”
Head-In-A Hole like the graphic at the top of this post.
Leave branded cardboard cutouts in various tricky poses (think Dancer Pose or Birds of Paradise) all over a local park or farmer's market with a QR code to your studio.
Draw jump squat feet silhouettes on a sidewalk leading to your door with a similar poster as idea 1 (like hopscotch).
Tap into Local Media
Use your local resources! You'd be surprised how many people still read their local paper, and you'd be even more impressed by how vast their SEO reach is. Local media outlets, from newspapers to news stations, offer a unique platform to share your story and connect with potential clients in your community. But you have to put yourself out there. Send your pitch to the local papers, stations, and news channels with what you're doing and why your studio should be featured. Bonus- use Chat GPT to help you write it. If you have a busy local influencer, mom group, or about-town Instagrammer, consider partnering with them, as well. There is very likely going to be a charge for this last option, but they often have a massive reach that you can tap into as long as you're sending the post to a landing page and not just to "like" your page. Remember, likes don't pay the rent, but email addresses can.
You have 1300 words here to help you think outside the Instagram post, so choose two or three options and get creative! You can enhance your studio's visibility, engagement, and growth while only posting once a week on social media. All that's left is to convert those clients into trials, and if we've been working together or you've taken my sales course, you already know everything you need to do. Here's to your success!
