Having a well-defined target demographic (market) is essential for any business to thrive. When you were writing a business plan and choosing a location for your gym, you undoubtedly took into consideration the “type” of clients you intended to serve such as male or female, athletes versus general population or rehabilitation, age and even occupation or income level. But, a prime location and the desire to serve a specific demographic do nothing to fill your gym if 1. you don’t have a clearly defined message and 2. your message isn’t reaching the right potential customers.
Marketing is expensive and it does no good to throw money at a campaign that ultimately doesn’t convert a single client. That said, the best marketers take a step back and analyze the audience they wish to reach in order to craft the right message to reach them. You must “determine what segments exist in the overall population and create a clear and complete picture of the characteristics of a typical member in this segment”.
Think about the programs you offer and list out all of the features and benefits. What do you offer potential clients that they can not find elsewhere? For example, let’s say you offer a program for aspiring High School athletes. Do you work on agility? Speed? Footwork? Strength Training? What makes your facility the best place that they can get training? Indoor turf? Sport-specific training options? Former High School and College Athletes as trainers? Special Certifications? It is no doubt a costly program, because it is so specialized, so make sure you also take that into consideration. From there, you can break down different traits that each High School Athlete shares. So, your demographic profile has gotten more specific. Ie: Males,High School, Football players, ages 14-18, Middle to Upper Middle Class. Now that you know exactly who you are trying to reach and what you are trying to sell them, you can craft a message that appeals directly to them. In this scenario, because the majority of the target you are trying to reach involves minors, you will also have to consider targeting the parents or guardians as well. “A well-defined strategic demographic of your customers and prospects is half the battle in new client conversion. It also leads into the next phase of creating buyer personas which helps in both marketing and sales.”
As soon as you have a clearly-defined target, you need to make sure that your idea and target are both viable. You should ask yourself these questions: Can I fill this program? What drives my target to make decisions? Will they benefit from my program? Can they afford it? How do I reach them?
So, now you have your demographic locked down, you have created the perfect message to appeal to them while highlighting the top level features of your program and you’re left with the other half of the puzzle – where is my target audience? As you well know, traditional forms of advertising are a dying breed and digital marketing is taking its place in full force. The trick is focusing your marketing dollars on the sites that attract your target demographic. And, marketing in this world can change from one day to the next as new apps develop and people migrate toward them. It’s important to stay on top of these migrations so you don’t keep campaigns going when nobody is seeing them.
Knowing exactly who to market to and where to find them help keep overall marketing costs low. These are the top sites that marketers use today for targeted approaches to digital marketing. Each individual site has its own set of rules about how you are allowed to advertise, but by choosing the site with the correct demographic, the rules are worth it. You’re going to get your product (your gym, your services) in front of the right people!
Facebook “A study conducted in 2015 indicated that 77% of Facebook users were highly educated females, with a majority of them over the age of 30. 58% of adults use Facebook.”
Instagram – “Instagram has overtaken Facebook and Twitter as the network with the largest population of younger userswith over 50% of people aged 18-29 using this medium.”²
LinkedIn – “According to LinkedIn, the fastest growing demographics in its network are students and recent college graduates, making up over 39 million users. 23% of adults use LinkedIn.”²
Pinterest – “Pinterest Users skew heavily toward educated females with disposable income. If your product is more of a leisure good, this is a good medium to conquer.”²
Snapchat – “Over 60% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 38 are on Snapchat.”
Twitter – “Surprisingly, Twitter skews slightly more toward younger male users.”²
YouTube – “YouTube overall, and even YouTube on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S.”
Remember: fully define your demographic, craft a targeted message that will resonate with them and ensure that you don’t blanket the market with your message, rather utilize the mediums that are most likely to host the clients you want to reach. With these marketing strategy tips in mind, you’re already ahead of the curve.
At Profit Marketing Solutions, we strive to stay ahead of the curve in Digital Marketing Fitness Industry. Schedule your digital strategy call with us today and let us help drive your demographic through the doors.
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