If you’ve owned a gym for awhile, you probably have a Carolyn. Carolyn came to “try CrossFit” when I opened my box in 2008. We gave her the crash course: up-and-down, that’s a thruster. Kick your feet, that’s a kip. Let’s Fran! After a three-hour “onramp” that included 300 air squats and every barbell lift under the sun, Carolyn went home. She knew two things for sure: Her legs hurt; and CrossFit is too complicated. Ten years later, I see Carolyn at the grocery store and think, “I sure wish I knew then what I know now! Carolyn would LOVE Catalyst…if only I had another shot with her!” Some of Carolyn’s friends come to my 6am group. They bring up the subject with her. But she says, “Nah, I did CrossFit. I’ll stick with spin class.” What does this have to do with digital marketing? Well, imagine a class of 30 Carolyns. They’ve been attracted to CrossFit (or your challenge or bootcamp or whatever) by a really great video ad on Facebook. They’re all nervous but determined to survive the eight weeks (or six weeks, whatever). Most of them do. And then they never come back, because they’ve “done CrossFit.” They survived. Check! I want every gym to be successful, whether a CrossFit box or not. And that means they need clients. More clients means marketing–AND excellent delivery, AND retention, AND sales. And if you’re going to spend money on marketing, Facebook and Google are still the best ROI, by far. The key is to do it right. Pumping 30 Carolyns into your gym at once is bad for everyone: it’s bad for your best members, bad for your coaches, bad for long-term cash flow, and bad for Carolyn. Sometimes it’s a nice revenue spike, and sometimes gym owners take that income and apply it to mentorship. But more often, the ...
Read More →
