Is Fear Alleviation Part of Your Fitness Marketing & Member Acquisition Strategy?

There’s a new fitness campaign that’s receiving quite a bit of press right now. The campaign, This Girl Can, is trending on Twitter (#thisgirlcan) and is being talked about in major publications like People and The Huffington Post. The idea behind this campaign is important, and we think it can be used in your marketing and member acquisition strategy.

This Girl Can is Sport England’s latest effort to inspire more women to become active. The campaign features videos and print ads of women performing tough exercises, placing emphasis on the fact that healthy bodies and model perfect bodies are often not the same thing. The print ads, which are straightforward and inspiring, stray away from the trend of Photoshopped perfection. They feature real women who are not models or professional athletes.

This campaign is edgy, unique and empowering, but the reasoning behind its creation is what got us thinking. Plenty of research went into developing this, and one of the biggest findings was that 75% of women interviewed claimed they wanted to be more active.

Jennie Price, Sport England CEO states, “Some of the issues, like time and cost, were familiar, but one of the strongest themes was a fear of judgment. Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, or not being fit or skilled enough came up time and again.”

The fear factor these ladies reported stuck with me. Personally, I have heard so many of my friends claim they are too scared to try different types of workouts, such as boot camps and CrossFit™. They worry about not being good enough or possibly looking stupid. But losing potential customers because they’re too afraid to walk through the door is something that no fitness business owner wants.

With this fear being so common, are you as a fitness business owner doing what you can to create the right environment for your ideal member persona? If your goal is to recruit first-timers to your gym, studio or box each month, are you marketing your beginner’s classes the right way? Ensuring your website and social media efforts feature content that specifically reassures and welcomes these beginners is crucial to getting them to come in. Consider talking about how your program can be modified in the beginning, or how certain skills are not required at the start but will be developed and improved over time. Include pictures that emphasize teamwork, community and an empowering environment. Don’t forget to mention how your program can help them get where they want to be and achieve the goals that are important to them.

In addition to making your website inviting, don’t forget to create a welcoming environment for new comers once they walk through the door. In a previous blog post, we provide several recommendations on how to welcome new fitness members in a special way.

Embarking on a new workout program can be intimidating, so do what you can to alleviate some of this stress for future members before they walk through your door. If you’re looking for new ways to step up your fitness marketing efforts, be sure to watch our webinar, 10 Steps to Marketing Your Fitness Business for additional ideas today.