From the ads you scroll past on Facebook to the promotions that pop up in the middle of your favorite podcast, we all interact with marketing campaigns every day.

We use marketing to inform how we feel about products and the businesses that sell them, and so do your members. If you want to connect with them online, your club campaigns need to cut through the noise.

We’ve compiled six questions to guide your campaign planning and help you connect with your audience. Before launching your fitness marketing campaign, ask yourself:

1. What worked last time?
2. How can I segment my audience?
3. How can I emphasize the value?
4. What’s the best way to reach my audience?
5. How can I inspire action?
6. How will I measure performance?

1. What Worked Last Time?

Before you can create a new campaign, you need to understand how your previous campaigns performed.

Examine your past marketing campaigns to see what worked and what didn’t. Did certain ads not resonate with your audience? Which communication channels had the best ROI? Use that data to guide your new strategy.

Evaluate your past campaigns by asking questions like:

1. How did your audience react to your messaging?
2. Which calls-to-action had the highest conversion rate?
3. Which times/days of the week had the highest engagement?
4. Which communication channels had the highest engagement? Which had the least?

Pay close attention to the campaigns that served a similar audience or offering. The lessons you learn should guide each decision in your new campaign.

2. How Can I Segment My Audience?

Identifying the right audience is one of the most important steps when creating a marketing campaign. Broadcasting your message to everyone on your mailing list may produce short-term results, but over time your club will become white noise.

Your campaign will be the most effective when you can tailor your message to the right audience.

To segment your audience, start by identifying your campaign goal. Think through what you’re trying to accomplish and clearly define the “why” driving your campaign. When planning your campaign, focus on those whose needs align with your “why.”

Let’s say your goal is to promote your new pickleball lessons. Members that don’t engage with racquet offers will have a low level of interest. Targeting them with a pickleball campaign won’t result in many conversions. However, you may have a greater ROI by marketing the lessons to those who frequently reserve tennis courts.

Use your club data to segment your audience by:

• Age group
• Engagement level
• Expressed interests
• Length of time as a lead or member
• Activities, classes, and events they’ve engaged with before

Identify which segments will be the most receptive to your campaign. Tailor your messaging to their needs to create a more compelling offer.

3. How Can I Emphasize the Value?

The language you use to frame your message determines how engaging your campaign is.

Messaging that’s solely focused on the features of your offer disengages your audience. To keep them interested, focus on their needs rather than what you’re promoting. How will your offering impact their lives?

Use your campaign to create an authentic connection with your audience. Show them how they’ll feel after accepting your offer and how it brings them value. Your offer will be more compelling when they can see how it impacts their fitness journey.

4. What’s the Best Way to Reach My Audience?

Once you know what your message is and who you want to reach, you need to decide how you’re going to get the word out.

You want to be where your audience is, so consider which communication channels they’re engaging with the most. Which channels had the greatest ROI in past campaigns?

Focus your energy on those channels to drive more engagement. Some of the most effective options include:

Email

Sending a message directly to their inbox can be a powerful way to reach your audience.

Inboxes can quickly get crowded, so prioritize segmentation and personalization when emailing. Personalizing your message by avoiding generic “to” and “from” fields, using personalized subject lines, and including signatures can significantly boost your open rates.  

Using a Member Engagement Assistant to personalize your emails can help you better navigate spam filters and make sure your messages land in a primary inbox.

Social Media

Scrolling through social media has become a daily habit for a significant portion of the population.  

Engaging with your audience through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook can boost your visibility and reach. Utilize each platform’s targeting features to segment your audience and get your message in front of engaged viewers.

Text Messaging & Push Notifications

SMS messaging puts your club right into your audience’s pocket.  

Text messages have a 98% open rate, and 83% of texts are read within three minutes of being received. Use text and push notifications to share your message quickly and ensure that it gets read.

Digital Ads

Digital ads get your message in front of a highly segmented audience. There are three main types of paid ads you can use in your campaign: awareness, lead generation, and retargeting.

Awareness ads are directed at people who haven’t heard of your offering. They help you reach a wider audience and generate new leads.

Consideration ads are directed at people who are considering your offer but haven’t decided yet. They help you reach people that have already engaged with your awareness ads.

Retargeting ads remind interested people that your offering exists. They help you convert people who already engaged with your club via other communication channels.

Engaging ads should always include:

• A tempting offer
• Clear, highly visible copy
• An encouraging call-to-action

5. How Can I Inspire Action?

Your marketing won’t show results without a clear call-to-action (CTA).  

A CTA gives your audience direction and guides them to where you want them to go. Do you want them to register for a class online, or sign up for a free trial? A clear CTA should tell them what to do next before they have to ask.  

When writing your CTA, be as clear and specific as possible. Using text that clearly describes the next step will make your audience more inclined to follow through.  

Your CTA’s visibility can also impact its success. Using visual cues like font size and color can increase the visibility of your CTA, but its placement within the message is equally as important. Include a CTA where your audience would be ready to act, such as at the bottom or right of the content they just finished reading.  

6. How Will I Measure Performance?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. Your message and your audience are unique, and the only way to find what resonates with them is to test and refine your content.

Before you launch your campaign, decide which key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to measure your success. Avoid relying on vanity metrics that inflate your campaign engagement without reflecting your actual performance.

Your KPIs should give you clear insight into your campaign’s success. Before choosing a KPI, ask yourself:

1. Does this metric show tangible results from the campaign?
2. How will I use this data to make better campaign decisions in the future?

If you don’t have a good answer to both questions, you may want to consider another KPI.

Want to Learn More?

Using your CRM to its fullest potential can streamline your campaign admin while increasing your new member joins 20-26%. Learn how you can use your CRM to drive and engage leads from the Club Automation team.

Watch this webinar to learn:

• How to nurture prospects after a free trial
• Which tools you’ll need to reach leads at the right time
• Why being the first to respond can convert more members