Are You Catching Your Next New Member... "Where They Are?"
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Gary Polic
This article aims to guide Club Insider subscribers to innovative strategies for attracting high-quality leads by meeting them "Where They Are!" Given the constraints of time and resources, visiting every potential new member in your club's vicinity regularly is impractical. Furthermore, traditional marketing efforts that do not meet our return on investment (ROI) expectations are not practical or within our budget. So, how do we reach the next new member "Where They Are?" The answer is simple. We reach them on their smartphones! With that said, check out these stats:
- 1. Americans spend around 5.4 hours a day using their smartphones (ZDNet).
- 2. Millennials are on their phones 5.7 hours per day, while baby boomers devote five hours to their smartphones (ZDNet).
- 3. People check their phones 58 times a day on average with 30 of those occurring during work hours (Rescue Time).
- 4. 90% of smartphone users' time is devoted to Apps (eMarketer).
Having now understood our focus on smartphones, let us delve into our discussion topics which pertain to applying a successful Mobile Ad (Smartphone) advertising campaign. Those topics are: Geo-Fencing; Relevant Audience; Re-Targeting; Frequency; Hot Leads Lists; Tracking Reports & Follow-Up Customer Service; Geo-Conquesting, and finally; How You Can Find Assistance to Learn More. Keep in mind, we are not referring to Google, Facebook, or Instagram advertising. We are discussing Mobile Ad Digital Display Advertising. Where smartphone users spend 90% of their time, on apps and website platforms.
Geo-Fencing: Geofencing, which has been around for a few years, uses GPS or RFID technology to establish virtual geographical boundaries. This enables software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves a particular area. For instance, setting up a Geofence blueprint around a location like Costco (which, for argument's sake, is down the street from your club) would capture each Costco member's Mobile ID when they enter the store. That Costco member will then start seeing your Custom Banner Ad on their smartphone that day or later that night or week! It is called Programmatic Advertising. Geofencing enables targeting the demographics and reaching the high-quality leads you are looking for near your club!
Relevant Audience: Your ad placement is tailored to reach only the most relevant audience, saving you time and resources. Additionally, your ad placement can be tailored based on the demographic and geographic information of the potential new members. This ensures that the right people see your ad placement when they are considering joining a fitness club. This increases the chances of their joining your club and reduces the chances of their joining a competitor. Furthermore, it also increases the rate of conversions, meaning that more people will join your club. This also helps to increase customer loyalty, as customers are more likely to stay with your club if they see relevant ads.
Additionally, it can help to improve your brand reputation, as customers are more likely to trust a club that tailors its ad placements to their specific needs. This can also lead to increased revenue, as customers are more likely to purchase from a club that offers personalized ads because it can help to create a personalized customer experience, which can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. This can also lead to increased customer referrals, as people are more likely to recommend a club that offers personalized ads.
Re-Targeting: The most attractive aspect of this compelling technology, however, is the "Re-Targeting" process that follows a consumer who views or clicks on your ad. What that means is they will begin to receive your Custom Banner Ad numerous times throughout a randomly selected algorithm cycle that is pre-determined. The algorithm picks up their activity and re-targets them!
Frequency: The significance of Re-Targeting lies in the "Frequency" aspect in any marketing game plan. The more times the consumer sees your ad, the more likely your brand will become "Top of Mind!" So, for example, when they are sluggish and out of energy getting ready for work in the morning, they will think of your ad and consider joining or visiting your club! Wouldn't you like to be top of mind when your next potential new member is considering joining a fitness club in your area?
Hot Leads Lists: Receive a "Hot Leads List" of all the people who click on your ad and go to your landing page/website! Through placing a pixel on your landing page with an "opt-in" option, you can capture hot leads who visit your website. Why wait to see if they fill out the form? Technology today enables us to capture that lead for you! To be FTC compliant, you should always work with a reputable resource concerning this practice.
Tracking Reports and Follow-Up Customer Service: Marketing efforts in this regard need monthly follow-up meetings through Microsoft Teams or Zoom to review your club's tracking report. Why? Because adjustments may need to be made to the creative piece or geofenced locations. This will help you ensure that the campaign is running smoothly and that any potential issues can be addressed quickly. Additionally, it will provide an opportunity to discuss future campaigns and adjust strategies as needed.
The tracking report should show impressions (how many saw your ad), clicked on it and conversion of customers who walked into your club. You must have a reliable resource review the results of the current campaign and provide feedback on how you can optimize your marketing efforts. Evaluating stats with your marketing team also creates what I like to call a "Discovery Time" experience, meaning as marketing experts, you can brainstorm and mastermind. This is where the real imagination and creativity begins, and the marketing ROI is subsequently affected! This Discovery Time allows you to think creatively and produce new ideas, strategies and tactics. It can help to identify any potential problems or issues before they become costly errors, as well as giving you the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of your potential customers and their needs.
Geo-Conquesting Option: Here is a scary stat and one I am not proud of as a 30-year fitness industry veteran. Only 20% of the American population use a gym or fitness center (IHRSA 2019). With that stated, I have another question for you. Wouldn't it be beneficial to market to those 20%, even if they are not members of your club? Of course, it would! That is why Geofencing can also be used to put a Geofence blueprint around your competitor! It is perfectly called Geo-Conquesting! You read that right! Members should have choices, and many members use more than one club membership, as well. IHRSA reported that 23% of fitness club members say they belong to more than one club! So, let the competitive "New Member Enrollment" games begin through Geo-Conquesting!
How You Can Find Assistance to Learn More: Polic Consultants Group, LLC has partnered with a high-tech company that has scaled this type of costly marketing down for the small business owner. We have made it very affordable and provide the tracking report and exceptional customer service you would expect when working with a reputable marketing agency. Contact us at (630) 410 - 1120 or gary@policconsultantsgroup.com or visit www.policconsultantsgroup.com to learn more. We would be happy to help answer any questions you may have.
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So again, I need to ask you... "Are You Catching Your Next New Member... Where They Are?" I hope so! The success of your marketing plan and club depends on it!
