How To Create Killer Content For Your Health Club
Do you know how Soap Operas got their name?
In the 1930s, Procter & Gamble began producing their own daytime radio dramas to promote their products like the Oxydol Soap Powder. And this leads to the creation of the moniker “Soap Operas”!
Do you know how Michelin Stars got their name?
The Michelin brothers of the Tyre company of the same name created a little red guide for car owners filled with handy information for travelers. This later evolved into a list of hotels in Paris, curated restaurants, and in time they even hired the first “Michelin Star” reviewers.
If it is still not obvious: these were early examples of content marketing.
Businesses have been using content marketing forever to connect with their audience, deliver content that engages, entertains, and perhaps even makes their prospect’s life better. All in a bid to establish a relationship with their customers.
Switching tracks. What do you think your potential customer/lead cares about?
To be honest, I think the only thing your prospect cares about is themselves and how they stand to benefit from your content. Keeping this in mind will save you a lot of wasted time and effort. A sense of generosity toward your audience is key to producing the kind of content that will win their trust in the long run.
Focusing more on your customers and less on what you’re trying to sell may feel counterintuitive for those who are used to measuring outcomes in a straightforward manner. Content marketing requires you to know WHAT your audience will connect to and HOW to deliver that information to them in the most digestible format possible.
Here are some ways your gym can use content to gain better reach, connect with your customers, and show your credibility –
Employee Spotlight Post
Fleming Fitness wrote this great employee spotlight post for their personal trainer Adrien Mayost. It covers his qualifications as a Kinesiologist, his previous work experience, and other specializations giving the readers a well-rounded profile of the trainer.
They end the spotlight blog with information about Fleming Fitness and the specialized services they offer. Profiling your staff can be a great way for your members to get to know your team, their expertise, as well as the culture and values of your Health Club.
Another great way to profile staff is to have a fun Q&A session with them which can be a video or just transcribed text… or both!
Your questions can be along the lines of –
“What’s your favorite part of the gym?”
“What’s it like working for [Gym Name]?”
“When did you get into fitness?”
“What’s your favorite cheat meal?”
“What keeps you going on tough days?”
This will typically draw out authentic and relatable responses from the team. It will also make your club staff look personable, convey their passion and give your members a peek into their trainers’ persona.
You can produce this as a video, a blog post, or a transcribed interview, edit and share it across multiple channels like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Excerpts from the interview can be reused as carousels, quotes, short-form videos, and much more.
Blog Posts – Could You Be The Leading Provider Of Information For Your Customers?
Use Awesome Headlines – Your headline is the most read part of your article and will help your reader decide if they want to dive into the blog further. Here are some common headline styles you can emulate –
The Listicle style was infamously used by publishers like Buzzfeed and to this day works well because the number in the headlines gives the reader an idea of what to expect and hints at the length of the article.
Example –
5 Killer Core Blasting Workouts
21 Stretches To Avoid DOMS
5 Common Treadmill Mistakes & How To Correct Them
(Bonus tip – Odd numbers seem to work better)
Clearly Defined Benefits answer the “what’s in it for me?” question that every reader asks themselves before they decide to click on your Blog
Examples –
Know These 4 Hacks Before You Start Your Weightloss Journey
Abs Don’t Have To Be Unattainable – Read These 6 Tips!
3 Guilt-Free High-Protein Desserts You Can Whip Up Right Now!
The Good ole’ How-To Blog is the go-to title for instructional and educational blog posts that carry a lot of value for your readers. These are an awesome resource for readers looking for specific answers on a topic.
Examples –
How NOT to Stretch
How To Improve Your Squats In 3 Easy Steps
How To Beat Your Personal Best Every Week – Deadlift Like a Champ!
Asking your reader a direct question is a great way to elicit curiosity from your reader.
Examples –
Do You Make These Push-Up Mistakes?
Don’t Know Anything About Pilates? Check Out Our Demo Class!
Is Your Bad Knee Keeping You From Lifting Heavy?
Where? What? Why? These are the primary questions every journalist answers while delivering the news and make for great headline formats as well.
Examples –
Why Did Your Diet Fail?
What Is The Ultimate Compound Exercise? Are You Doing It?
Where Should You Run? The Best Trails In Pasadena!
There are plenty of ways you could mix and match these formats to create your next blog headline, let us know what you’ve come up with!
Address Their Pain
Make sure you address their immediate concerns first without beating around the bush too much, they’ve clicked on your blog for a reason, make sure you get right into it and show them you understand the subject well.
Call To Action!
When your reader reaches the end of your blog, make sure you tell them what they can/should do next? You could ask them to sign up for a free class, a membership trial, or any other type of action that gets your reader one step closer to being a customer!
Guest Blogging
Collaborating with complementary businesses and service providers is a great way to reach new audiences. You can find a list of local bloggers who would be interested in writing for you and maybe even let you submit a guest post on their blog. It gives you credibility in terms of expertise as well as some much-needed SEO Karma!
Building these relationships can expand into many cross-marketing opportunities outside of blogging.
Expert/Influencer Q&A Blog
Your expert could be your in-house trainers, pros, or any outside authority like a chiropractor or wellness coach. The idea is to present tailored questions and have them answered by these experts. This not only makes for some solid content but also gives you a chance to collaborate with influencers who can give your brand a boost by association.
The GymShark Blog
GymShark central is an awesome suppository of generic and valuable fitness content and can be a great example to follow to generate new ideas for your own blog!
The Gymshark Central Blog
Video Content – Action shots – Educational Series
Showcasing your existing classes and 1on1 training sessions is a great way for you to show what future members can expect to do at your Health Club! Show all levels from beginners to advanced to give all types of members a sense of your expertise.
These could be curated to multiple channels based on length, subject matter, and style. You can also use these videos as paid promotions when they are doing well.
Tip – If any piece of content is doing well, it’s always a good idea to turn it into a paid promotion so it can reach new viewers who may find it interesting.
Live Videos – Webinars – Q&A’s
Going live on Instagram / Facebook or any other social channel is a great way to have a genuine back and forth with new as well as existing members. This could be in any format –
-Q&A with an expert or influencer
-Webinars addressing a topic of interest
-Livestreaming A Group Exercise Class for your online audience to join in
-Or simply going live to give viewers a peek into your health clubs day-to-day!
Live content can later be made available for others to stream at their convenience increasing the viewership outside of the live session!
Reposts from Members
User-generated content on social media is gold and can be reposted on your accounts as well. This way of highlighting members encourages the creators to post about your club more often. Encouraging the use of a specific branded hashtag and keeping an eye on your location tags will help you track these posts and feature them on your pages as you see fit!
You could even have specific days of the week dedicated to Member-generated content like #MotivationMondays or #Transformation Tuesdays. You can also encourage this type of engagement by having giveaways, challenges, and other incentives for participating members.
Example –
#Gymshark66 – A virtual transformation challenge spanning FB, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, etc, asking people to post a before picture before starting the challenge and then posting an after picture at the end of 66 days. GymShark also shared workouts for the participants to follow. The challenge created a lot of buzz and the brand’s reach exploded.
Spotify Playlists – Curate Your Members Music Experience!
GymShark curates and shares playlists of fitness influencers on Spotify for their audience so they can find workout music on their favorite platform. You can also do the same for your members by having some playlists curated by your in-house team like group-ex coaches, trainers, etc.
You could also collaborate with celebrities and micro-influencers to curate Spotify playlists for your gym that they can also shout out to their followers. Holiday-themed playlists are another great way to give topical curated content to your audience!
There’s so much content out there and pretty much every question the human mind can muster up has been tackled by the internet. So the key differentiating factor is your unique cadence, your brands’ voice, and your culture. Your readers, listeners, and viewers come to you because they find value in what you put out for them.
We hope this helps and motivates you to create some killer content for your Health Club and delight your audience.
Write to us at info1@smarthealthclubs.com to schedule a free 1-on-1 consulting session to crack your club’s biggest challenges!
