How to Market to a Younger Generation
There is not a one-size-fits-all way to market your gym business, or any business for that matter. One of the reasons is that different generations respond differently to marketing. You need to use different marketing techniques to reach a younger generation than you would an older one. That means your tried-and-true marketing approaches may not be getting you the younger crowd you’re after. Consider these four approaches to market your gym to a younger audience:
1. TikTok
TikTok is the latest social media fad that’s massively popular with a young audience. In particular, it can get your brand in touch with Generation Z. Overall, two-thirds of people on the TikTok social media platform are under 30. At the moment, the majority of the audience is overseas, but you can still reach a significant and growing base of young U.S. users.
How do you reach a young audience this way? The platform is based on sharing up to 15-second short videos that each person can customize with filters, editing, music and more. A great way for brands like yours to engage with young people is to create a challenge. Come up with a specific action you want users to share and add a hashtag to it. Related to your gym, you could ask people to perform a certain exercise, share their best dance move or show their flexibility, for example. You can also share your own content. For example, one gym shares TikTok workout videos. You could do the same, sharing one quick move in each video to educate people and give a taste of your gym.
2. Frictionless Experiences
A positive user experience is important to young people when they interact with your brand. This means thinking about every interaction from the member’s perspective and taking away challenges or hurdles. Make it as easy as possible to sign up for your gym, pay member fees electronically, communicate with you through different channels, access your website through mobile devices and so on. You should aim to create a frictionless experience both in person and online. A full service gym management system can help you create better processes in every part of your gym’s operations.
3. Social Causes
Young people like to connect with businesses that support social causes they care about. You can reach them by having a charitable aspect of your business and making it known to them. As a gym business, you might want to consider social causes that support health and wellness, but you could also support ones that are close to your heart. Being authentic and sharing why a cause is important to you or to your employees will resonate with young people.
These causes give you a new way to reach this audience. You can share about the topic on social media and include young people in your efforts through fundraisers, sponsoring events and hosting events related to the topic. For example, consider holding an event at your gym with proceeds going to the cause, which will encourage people to come and learn about your gym in the process.
4. Emotions and Mental Health
Young people are in tune with expressing their feelings and seeking ways to improve their mental health. They like brands that acknowledge struggles and promote positive support. It goes over best if you genuinely care about your messages. See if your gym can find a topic that matters to you and could connect with a younger audience. For example, you might be able to share personal experiences of how much exercise can improve mood and mental health.
Interested in learning more about how to market your gym to a younger generation? Our industry-specific gym and health club management software can help revolutionize your business. You can learn more here.
