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Fitness Studio Advertising Playbook: Ads That Get Leads in the Door

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There are many different types of content you can create for fitness studio advertising and social media. But what format is the best, and how can it help you bring in more leads?

Welcome to the Loud Rumor ad playbook! 

We’re going to cover exactly what you should be using for your gym or fitness studio advertising to help you grow and scale your fitness business.

Organic Posting vs. Ads Defined

Organic posting and engagement are for your existing audience. You’re only reaching those people who already follow your page. And you should continue to engage with them and produce the content they want to see! 

But with paid fitness studio advertising, you have the opportunity to reach a whole new audience who may otherwise never engage with your brand. Ads allow you to target users based on location, interests, and other brands they follow. 

If you need some help, you can download a free social media marketing cheatsheet that covers what to post, how write copy, media sizing and more! Click here!

Social Media Marketing for fitness studio gym cheat sheet

Content of Organic Post vs. Ads Explained

Organic posts are meant to engage and educate your existing audience. The content here should be entertaining or educational.

For entertainment content, capture your trainers interacting with members in a fun and energetic way. Highlight studio contests and challenges, really showcasing how your studio operates. Give a sneak peek into your member classes and what it looks like to be part of your gym family. Have some fun with your fitness studio advertising!

One of our members Katie, owner of RockBox Fitness Lexington does a GREAT job of this! Check out her episode of the GSD Show where she dives into what’s working for her studio!

Educational content could be short workout routines or form tips. Offer nutritional advice or cool-down methods. These content ideas allow you to show off the expertise of your team and how well you know your stuff. 

One of the most effective strategies that could fall in either category is celebrating your members’ wins! Before and after transformations, how it went during the hard part, and how they’re feeling now. 

Paid ads are meant to convert scrollers into leads as quickly as possible. The goal of an ad is to drive urgency and get the viewer to take action. We want those leads turning into customers who walk through your doors. 

Images vs. Videos 

Videos are by far the best form of content for ads. With the rise of video-centric platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts, short-form video is the undisputed content king. 

Video ads are a highly effective way to keep your audience engaged by creating interesting and interactive content. With video, they can feel the energy, hear the pump-you-up music and see everyone putting in the work.

You can showcase your gym and the available equipment or highlight exclusive classes led by your most charismatic trainers. Show off the thriving and supportive community you’ve created!  

Reassure prospective members of the cleanliness of your space, after-workout sanitization protocols, and shower or locker room facilities. Get people excited to come to your studio!

How to Immediately Grab a Lead’s Attention 

For your ad campaign to work effectively and convert scrollers into leads, you want them to feel like you’re speaking directly to them. Target different segments of your market: gender, age or stage of life, or location with each video. 

Be strategic with your ad content and make it personal! You want them to envision themselves on the floor or in a class working up a sweat. Or better yet, imagine themselves in their “after” photo. 

Fitness Studio Advertising Do’s and Don’ts

Here are video ad best practices for your advertising strategy!

Have a Plan

You don’t want to just take any video and throw money at it online. Take the time to write a script and storyboard a long-form video so you can hit all the necessary points. 

  • What you do
  • How you do it
  • Why they should care or what’s in it for them
  • Why they need to come in today

Filming Angles

Prospective members want to feel a connection with your studio. Don’t film a room full of backs or backsides, show members’ faces, and expressions. Show them putting in the work and getting their results. 

Make sure you don’t have too much going on in the background. You want the focus to remain on the object of the video, not the busyness around you. The footage should be clear and easy to digest. 

We created a video on the best practices to film on an iPhone, check it out!

Where to Advertise for Your Fitness Studio

The options are truly endless! Where have you seen ads when scrolling? Where is your target audience hanging out? That’s where you need to advertise.

Loud Rumor runs complete fitness studio advertising strategies for our clients, and we recommend advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Waze, Pinterest, TikTok, or anywhere else you think your ideal customer is scrolling. 

Capturing Leads

Now you have to ask for the click. What should you say? 

Most Effective Call-to-Action

After testing in many different markets for various clients at Loud Rumor, we’ve learned the best call to action request is “Learn More.” This doesn’t feel they’re committing to anything or being sold to. They’re simply going for more information. 

After the Click

Hooray! Your leads are clicking! Now what? Your ad should send them to a landing page or a form where they can input their information so you can follow up and get them in the door. 

Our Account Managers have found the best converting page is a Lead Page. This is integrated into Facebook, and they never have to leave the platform.  

Ad Testing

Run A/B testing on your ad campaigns by seeing what elements perform better. When testing a new element, change only one at a time. If you’re testing video content, only change that element and leave the copy the same — vice versa when testing copy. 

Loud Rumor’s Fitness Studio Advertising

Or, you don’t have to do any of the things we’ve covered here. At Loud Rumor, we have a team of account managers, agency coordinators, video producers, graphic designers, and copywriters ready to help your ads perform better! 

We’re helping our clients get more leads through our in-house advertising agency, and we can help you too! To learn more, schedule a free strategy call with one of our Member Success Consultants today! Click the button below!

Loud Rumor
Loud Rumor

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