I used to be naive and I thought that creating a brand was as simple as having an idea and preparing some designs that would envision it. I have quickly learned tough lesson- you have to work really hard to get noticed and recognized on your market by your target audience, both as a business and as a brand.
To whom you speak
The best way to start building your brand is to decide who you want to attend your gym. Fitness market is already densely packed so thinking what specific or niche group you want to focus on can help in terms of branding. You may want to interest mixed martial arts lovers or rather young mothers who look for a baby friendly facility with convenient opening and class hours. In order toidentify and understand your target audience better develop a role model for each niche group you’re hoping to reach. Once you identify who your health club will ideally serve you can begin building every small part of this big puzzle called brand starting with the catchy name and the logo and ending witha web page. No, it never really ends.
How do you speak
Once you figure out to whom your brand will be speaking to you can make it more powerful by determining its voice and tonality. A brand’s voice is based on all the language used in its marketing and promotional materials which includes all signs, slogans, advertising tag lines, mottos and even motivational words printed on the posters hanged on the walls around the gym. This is extremely important as you will choose completely different voice and tonality while addressing a serious weightlifter who wants to become stronger and cross fit freaks coming after WOD and challenges. You want to ensure you keep your language consistent, since it’s critical to communicate your gym’s goals and message in an effective and clear way. A consistent voice is a key element when building a recognizable and reputable brand, especially not in mass market but a niche.
Speak loud
Gym managers and owners should be great marketing managers. First impressions are crucial so it’s important to put a lot of thought and care into your business’ name selection. You may ask why? Well, name can strongly convince or discourage customers to check out your place. You want to make sure that your name communicates the right aesthetic and philosophy you stand for and want to promote. Once you have the right name for your business you need to design a logo that goes along with that name. Choose correct colors, font and graphic that go well with your business’ strategy and philosophy. Gym membersare keen gadgets lovers and if they belong to a health club with a strong sense of community and a cool brand, they’re more likely to buy and wear branded items with the logo. And lastly, you can be a skilled manager and good at running a gym, but nobody’s going to come if they haven’t heard about your place. Simply you need to create appealing marketing materials to spreadthe word about your business and use the voice, name and logo of your brand to tell potential members what you represent. Some great ways to market your fitness brand include Google ads, creating functional web page plus social media accounts, printing flyers and cooperating with local places and businesses.