6 Fitness Marketing Campaign Ideas for Summer

The sun has been spotted over the Pike13 office in Seattle, so that can only mean one thing: it’s finally Summer! For fitness business owners, summer means a few things: longer days, no school, and opportunities for seasonal marketing ideas for gyms. If you haven’t given thought to your summer marketing yet, now is the perfect time to start. To give you a jump start, here are 6 fitness marketing campaign ideas for summer.

1. Outdoor Fitness Classes

The best part of Summer, at least in my opinion, is the glorious weather that just begs you spend time outside. So why fight it? If you’re able to, design a few classes that can be held outside. Whether it’s yoga in the park, a group run through the neighborhood, or an outdoor bootcamp, your clients will appreciate the opportunity to get their workout it while enjoying the summer air.

If you utilize an outdoor public space for your classes, make sure you have some marketing material ready to hand out to potential customers that are just passing by . You might just pick up a new client or two.

2. Run a summer-only new client promotion

Once you’ve gotten new clients in the door for the first time, you want to entice them to stay. Offer a special summer membership price to new clients. The goal is to get them invested for the summer, so they’ll be more inclined to invest in your business all winter. One idea is to offer new clients a special deal on a beginner course, then start marketing the advanced classes closer to Fall. If you’ve delighted your clients all summer, they’ll want to keep their progress going all winter.

3. Ramp up your referral program

Maybe it’s the longer days, but people just have more energy in the summer months. That means they might be more willing to try something new, including your fitness classes. Emphasize your referral programs during summer to encourage your clients to bring friends, family, and coworkers with them to a class.

4. Turn body-focused clients into fitness-focused clients

New clients may sign up for summer fitness classes to boost their confidence for bathing suit season. While there is nothing wrong with clients wanting to look their best, this is an opportunity for you and your staff to convert those people from summer clients into long-term, loyal clients. So while you market classes to ‘sculpt your summer body,’ emphasize overall fitness once clients have enrolled. Hopefully, you’ll keep seeing those clients well into Fall and Winter.

5. Start a kids program

Parents are always looking for summer activities for their kids, so offer some! These classes should be appropriately age-segmented and emphasize fun as well as fitness. Even better, schedule these classes to run at the same time as your adult classes so kids and their parents can enjoy your services at the same time.

Even if you don’t have the resources to offer kids programming, you might consider setting up a supervised area of your facility where kids can hang out while their parents are in class. Otherwise, you may see a drop off in adult attendance during the summer months.

6. Run a summer retail sale

Summer is a great time to clear out your winter inventory. You might offer special discounts to members–those most likely to buy your retail anyway–to encourage them to finally buy the hat they were eyeing all winter. At the same time, roll out your summer inventory. This is the season to sell t-shirts, tank-tops, sweatbands, and other warm-weather gear.