This may be the most boring and unglamerous blog I have written but it may be the most important one you have read in a while.
There is one item that every fitness business must have not only in order to run successful direct marketing campaigns but a thriving business.
A good, up to date, detailed database.
Yes I know, this is probably the most unsexy part of marketing but it is gold to your business.
There is a rule of thumb when it comes to direct marketing – creative will affect only about 20% of your response rate but a staggering 80% is determined by your list and offer. But I’m betting most of you spend the majority of your time tweaking and word smithing creative and copy and a fraction of your time on the actual list. The list is the area in a campaign where you need to spend most of your time on as this is what makes or breaks your campaign.
So let’s get down to basics – first do you have the proper software to hold all the details of your members, clients, prospects and leads? An Excel spreadsheet is really not enough, you need a proper system which allows you to enter:
- Personal details such as name, address, email, phone number, gender, date of birth, marital status, occupation etc
- Membership plans and payment details
- Tracks their attendance to your fitness business
- Monitors what marketing was sent to them and their response (for example, did they take advantage of the ‘bring a friend for free’ offer?)
Ideally look at databases which are especially tailored for fitness centres or personal trainers.
Your database should contain details on not just your members but also your prospects and leads. These records should also contain:
- What type of lead they are (cold, warm or hot).
- How they heard about you.
- What they are interested in (such as weight loss, building muscle mass etc).
- If they were referred to you, who referred them.
- When they would be interested in joining.
A database is a great tool to work out the basic demographics of your membership base and help define your target audience. You have a better understanding of your ideal customers and what they look like and this will help you fine-tune your future marketing campaigns.
So the next question is how do you go about building your database list?
Well whatever marketing campaign you run, whether it is online or offline, ensure you obtain, at the very least, the name, phone number and email address of the person. Any events you hold, Facebook competitions, referrals, advertisements, free passes, you always need to ask for these basic details to qualify them for the promotion.
Any enquiries that come through your Web site, by email, through social media or over the phone must also capture these basic details as well.
No database is 100% accurate but make sure it is as up to date as possible. Regularly check with your members if any details have changed and make any updates as soon as possible.
A good, accurate, detailed database is the foundation for all successful direct marketing campaigns and will help you better understand exactly who your target audience is and how to reach them. It may be unsexy and a bit boring, but never underestimate the importance and power of a database to your fitness business.