How To Run Successful Fitness Bootcamps

These days, it seems that there are fitness bootcamps everywhere you look. Even weekly classes in a gym are now being referred to as fitness bootcamps because it’s the new trendy buzz word. So what you do to make sure that your bootcamp does not become lost in this media circus?

If you have been in the fitness business for any length of time, you will know it all comes down to fitness marketing, but not just any fitness marketing – it has to be innovative, fresh .. not the same as everyone else.

The first thing you should decide is what niche to promote your bootcamp too (actually you should decide on this aspect before you design your fitness bootcamp really, as you will see in a moment). I know it’s tempting to be all things to everyone but that’s what a whole lot of other fitness professionals are doing so here is your first chance to stand out from the crowd.

There is another great reason for specializing as well as it makes it much easier to find the best places to advertise as well. Let’s look at a couple of examples. Perhaps you have designed your bootcamp for agility, then you could target local athletic teams through visiting the local running track or local high scolls or colleges. Maybe your fitness bootcamp is for mothers who have just had babies and want lose a little weight. You could frequent baby accessory and clothes shops or even place a few strategically placed leaflets at the local maternity wards!

You potential clients are more likely to choose your bootcamp if you can get them to remember you. You know the saying ‘nothing in life is for free’? Well, that’s one myth you can explode by offering a free Saturday workout for people in your local town. Once they see how you would conduct your bootcamp you can get them hooked to attend everyday. Best of all they will remember you!

More and more people are using the internet to search for ways to get fit and there is a variety of ways that you can get your bootcamp in front of these searchers – writing articles, creating a mini video about your bootcamp and blogging about it to name a few (hint).

The best internet fitness marketing tip I know is you can also find websites dedicated to the niche (and geographical location) you have decided to advertise to and you can contact these website owners and see if they would promote your fitness bootcamp for a commission and attract new clients that way.

A fitness business should definitely take advantage of what fitness marketing avenues the internet opens up for them especially as only a small proportion of fitness professionals presently use it to advertise their classes and bootcamps – see it as another chance to stand out from the crowd.

Unless you live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, I’m almost certain that you have competition.  Even if there aren’t other fitness bootcamp trainers, you’re still competing with personal trainers and even gyms.  And that means you need to find a way to set yourself apart from the crowd.

You see, when potential trainees first encounter information about your bootcamps, they have one question in the back of their minds: “Why should I buy from YOU?”

In other words, why should they join your class when they have so many other options?  Listen: If you can’t answer that, you’re going to lose sales.  That’s because your prospects are going to blow a brain cell trying to come up with their own answer.

So, you need to answer that question. And you do that by creating a USP – unique selling proposition – which lets prospects know why your services are different and BETTER than the competition.

Now, there are plenty of ways for you to do this.  However, you’ll need to scope out the competition first to see how they’re positioning themselves in the market (as you don’t want to use the same USP, obviously, as that wouldn’t make you unique). 

You also need to think about your target market and what’s important to them.  Your USP will go over like a lead balloon if you choose a USP that’s not important to your market. 

For example, if you’re targeting upper or middle-class women who above all are looking for results, then creating a USP based on “lowest prices” won’t give you much of a competitive edge.

Here are just a few ways you can position yourself in the market:

Low Prices: If most of the trainers in your area offer higher-priced one-on-one training, you can offer low priced bootcamps.  (Just be careful about competing on low price, because you’ll start losing money if someone undercuts you).

High Prices: You can also position yourself as the “highest cost” trainer, like the Rolls Royce of bootcamps.  You’ll need to justify your high cost, however, such as by pointing to your experience, certification, personal attention, results, etc.

Customized Training: Most people who want personal attention and customized training go to one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer. You can offer one “free” one-on-one consultation with each of your bootcamp trainees.

Unique Qualification: This may include anything from specialized certification or education to a unique qualification such as you being a former drill sergeant.

Being “Original” or “First”: Some people think the original or first in a category is the best.  For example, “The Original Orange County Bootcamp – Still the Best!”

Specific Results: Maybe you’re running a bootcamp designed to get people in shape for an actual military bootcamp.  You can promise specific results – such as your clients meeting minimum requirements at bootcamp.

Or perhaps you’re running an athletic bootcamp. You can promise your clients they’ll improve on some measurable activity by some specific percentage.

If you want to really stand apart, then guarantee these results.  For example: “You’ll lose 10 pounds or you’ll get your money back!”

 Of course, don’t limit yourself to these factors.  Be creative. Find out what your prospects most want, and then create your USP around that desire.

Online Newsletter - Ok, I am not going to go into detail about marketing your website here, but rest assured you need to get it in front of where your potential clients are surfing online. Then, make sure they opt into your online newsletter. This will allow you to stay in front of them on a regular basis so they never forget about your services. Make sure your content is valuable and not just sales based. Include healthy recipes, exercises they can do at home, etc.

Incentive based referral program - Surely your clients will tell others about you, but go ahead and put some icing on top and offer them rewards when they do. Maybe a free training session, or even a gift card to a nice restaurant. One client can pay you thousands of dollars over the years, so reward referrals well!

Make them a star of their own video - Want to make SURE your clients refer you? Simply videotape them kicking butt during an extremely intense workout and then email them a little edited video showing them, along with their name underneath and some inspirational music. Oh yeah, don’t forget to add YOUR website and info on there as well…then encourage your client to show this video to all their friends. You can bet they will and you will know have your own marketing campaign being conducted FOR you…pretty cook, eh? 

Join the Chamber - Many people think of their local Chamber of Commerce as a stuffy organization of older business people, but it can be a goldmine of business for you if you commit to it. Join your local Chamber and get involved. Some of the biggest and most successful businesses in your area are members of this organization and many of them would LOVE to send their employees to your bootcamp. Promise fewer sick days and higher productivity out of the employees and you will REALLY pique the interest of the owners and managers who are members. 

Go where your clients go, and demonstrate - You can bet it is much easier to talk to people about attending your bootcamp if they are already thinking about the subject of fitness. Therefore, simply go to your local sporting goods store and offer to do a demonstration for them for free. You can do a cross promotion where they will allow you to demonstrate onsite, and you can offer their coupons to your attendees.  

Once you get some of the things mentioned above working for you, DON’T STOP. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are doing well is to stop marketing. They assume that the flow of clients will continue, but they are almost always wrong. It is much easier to “control the flow” of clients than it is to turn the faucet on again once the flow has stopped. Keep your marketing efforts working for you, and you will ensure long term success from your fitness bootcamp for years to come!