Fitness is one of the top 5 most popular categories on Instagram. If you have spent any time on Instagram at all, you will know that there are fitness addicts, influencers, and wannabes everywhere. There is a lot of opportunity for fitness trainers and local gyms on social media. This is why we’ve laid out the top 5 ways gym and fitness studio owners can utilize social media to increase engagement to both retain and create memberships.
1. Use Instagram Stories to Show Your Workouts
Let’s face it, a new gym is almost always a little intimidating. But sharing sneak peeks of your workout of the day, or a clip from a class eases the minds of those local potential customers who are inevitably checking you out online. Those deciding on a gym to join will feel more comfortable about your location after casually viewing some of your activity over time. Frequently change up the equipment and exercises, and people will keep coming back for more. Make sure to add your location to the post to draw more views from people in your area. Instagram stories are an incredibly effective way to get more views on your profile and keep people interested in what you have to provide.
2. Highlight Your Existing Clients and Mention Their Accomplishments
People are driven by success stories. If she can do it, then so can I. Not only will highlighting your clients show that you care for your customers, but it will inspire viewers that change is possible.
Wish your frequent customers happy birthday, or congratulate them when they reach a goal. Fitness is a personal journey. Engage with your community and follow them along their paths. Take notice when they accomplish something. This will make your clients feel like they are a part of a well-supported group that others will want to be a part of. This also makes it harder for your existing clientele to leave for another gym. And speaking of other gyms, we highly recommend checking out your competitors’ pages because believe it or not, there are lots of mutually beneficial ways you can work with each others’ audiences.
3. Show How To Work Out Specific Areas
Pick a body part of the week and create content focused on exercises for this specific area. Film videos or photos that outline how to use the right equipment and what your form should look like. There are a lot of hit keywords out there (lose belly fat, quick abs workouts, and glute exercises, to name a few…). Find out what is trending by scrolling through fitness hashtags on Instagram and provide your value on those topics, including those key phrases in your captions and hashtags.
4. Create a Weekly Content Schedule
Use the ever-trending #motivationmonday hashtag, #TransformationTuesdays, #WednesdayWorkout, and more. A routine gives followers something to look forward to and it lifts the burden for you to think up new content. Stick to a specific schedule and it will be easy to plan out your feed for the following weeks. You will still maintain a variety of beneficial content and take advantage of those engagement-boosting hashtags and themes. We were able to boost engagement for our local boxing gym client by 60% by using strategic hashtags and Instagram stories. Likewise, this got more people through the door to workout.
5. Distinguish Yourself From the Rest
Being one of the top 5 categories on Instagram may provide a great opportunity for gyms, but it also means there are millions of other accounts trying to sell the same thing. What does your business do differently that makes you unique? Highlight your business model, whether it’s personal training or a women-only gym. Distinguish yourself from the endless supply of fitness-themed Instagram accounts by focusing on the reasons why your customers choose you.
There are plenty of hacks to get more views on your social media pages and some are incredibly valuable. But before you get caught up in the tips and tricks, take a step back and make sure you are focused on these 5 fundamental tips. This will help you be on the path towards long-term success for your local gym.
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