There are more fitness professionals, gyms, fitness centers, and exercise options for consumers than ever before. There are more posts, tweets and pins on social media and less time than ever to see them. Essentially, you’ll pay more money for fewer eyes on your print persuasion or on your radio or television commercials than ever before.
It means that you will have to be more effective with each piece you prepare. Whether you’re talking about a low budget and grassroots campaign or running regular ads and direct mail, you need to make sure you get a response. Here is a list of suggestions to help.
1. Your ad is targeted at a customer and their situation specifically. Gone are the days when you could offer a special discount on a service or product without having reason to draw attention to buy it.
2. There is a call to action. Examples include: call now, click here now, and visit us today before it’s too late. Your customer needs to know exactly what they want you to do next. Tell them.
3. There is urgency. Offer valid until midnight on Friday. The shortage can be part of the urgency by including a limited number of vacancies. Act now – three left.
4. Provide reciprocity. Visit us today to receive your free gift. The first fifty attendees receive a free t-shirt. Click here to get your free report now.
5. Headlines that catch the eye and attract the customer. You have about two seconds while a customer decides whether or not to open their email or continue reading the fine print on your flyer. It better be good as it competes with a full inbox, kids, a dog, dinner, and yoga.
6. Clear and intelligent rhythms. Your reading level should be between the fifth and eighth grade. It should be absolutely clear what the offer describes and why your reader should care or continue to pay attention. The reader is thinking I’m busy, why should I bother?
7. Eye Flow is effortless. In advertisements or graphics where there is nowhere to fix your eyes, the reader becomes tired and frustrated or bored. Make sure your landing spot for the eye is planned and what you want. Ideally, you have the location such that the call-to-action button is where they land. It helps if it’s a different color.
8. Include pictures. However, make sure your images are relevant. If you show a picture of an attractive slim 22-year-old redhead, yes, that can attract the most eyes. If your target market is 60 and you have gray hair, you will have lost it before you launch.
9. Talk like they talk. If a client asks for nutritional advice, advertise it in those words. Usually though they talk about fat, weight loss, thunder thighs, or belly fat. If you want them to listen to you, speak their language.
10. Give it a try. Even if you have marked all of these components, you may be wrong. The list above is science. Putting them together in a way that works is an art. So create two announcements or two newsletters and test one item. When you decide which one has the most answer, take it and use it or do yet another test, swapping out another individual item.
If you do this, most fitness companies most likely won’t – unless they’ve hired someone to come and check with them, you will stand out. Naturally, you will attract a better quality customer.
