How to Prepare Your Fitness Business for the January Rush

January is a big month in the fitness industry. It’s the one month that can help people let go of all of the fitness goals they didn’t hit the year before. At the same time, it offers hope that they can finally build the body they want in the months ahead.

If you own a fitness business, the question you need to ask is whether you’re ready for the rush of people who want to start a workout routine. If not, you could be doing both yourself and your potential clients a major disservice.

Why Prepping for the January Gym Rush is So Important

Focusing on your marketing efforts is important year-round. To grow your fitness business, you need to continuously draw new clients in. Even loyal clients or loyal members of the gym will come and go. They get sick, injured, or move away. Having a steady inward flow helps reduce the income lost when they leave.

Marketing for the January rush is even more critical. There will be so many more people looking for the services you provide. If you’re not front and center, they’ll go to your competitors instead. You’ll lose out on the extra income and they’ll lose out on the results you can provide.

Conversely, if you’re prepared, you improve your capacity to draw these people in. It’s like placing a billboard at the busiest intersection in town. If done correctly, you can attract a lot of attention to your fitness business. This increases your client base, increasing your revenues as well.

How to Prepare Your Fitness Business for the January Rush as a Personal Trainer

These first few tips are designed for personal trainers. Although, they can also be used if you own a fitness studio or gym.

Create a Special January Workout Program Based on Common Fitness Goals

Do a little research to learn which goals are most important to your target audience. Do they want to lose weight? If so, an aerobic exercise program may draw more interest. Maybe they want to build muscle. In that case, a strength training routine might make more sense.

Come up with a month-long program that will bring clients closer to this goal. Include “January” in the title, such as the “January Weight Loss Kickstart” or the “January Muscle Strength Boost.”

Offer New Clients Promotional Products

One of the best ways to appeal to a person you’ve not worked with before is to offer them a promo item for hiring you as their trainer. Put your logo on these items and they can double as a marketing tool.

Delta Marketing indicates that some of the top fitness-based promotional items include water bottles, armband phone holders, hot and cold packs, and pedometers. Gym bags, jump ropes, and resistance bands are other options as well.

Give Current Clients a Special Offer Too

Don’t forget your current clients when deciding your January promotions. Including options for them shows that you value their loyalty. It also keeps them from getting jaded because new members get better treatment than they do.

Options to consider are reduced pricing and special swag for long-standing clients. Another alternative is to offer current clients access to more personalized exercise programs. Think about a program that could help your longest-standing clients and devise a workout solely for them.

Promote Your Fitness Niche

Do you have a specific type of client you work with most? If so, promote that niche in your marketing campaign. Let this demographic know that you understand and can help them. Position yourself as the trainer for them.

If you don’t have a niche, you may want to find one. Think about your current clients and look for any similarities. Do you generally work with an athlete in a certain sport? Is your typical client a woman, man, young, old, or any other demographic? Talk specifically to them in your marketing materials.

January Rush Prep Tips for Gym Owners

If you own a gym, there are also a few actions you can also take to make your memberships more appealing to people who take part in the January rush to get fit.

Tell New Members Why They Should Choose You

Some cities have multiple gym options for people who are interested in improving their fitness. Even if you’re the only gym in town, people have access to online fitness options as well. So, you need to tell them why they should choose your gym.

Is your fitness center open 24 hours, providing maximum flexibility? Do you have the newest equipment or offer classes in line with current fitness trends? Maybe your staff is nicer or your gym is cleaner than others in the area. Point these things out. Tell people why they should pick you over your competitors.

Discount Gym Membership for January Sign-Ups

Nothing can get a new client in the door like a good sign-up deal, especially after a costly holiday season. Reducing membership rates for January—and maybe even February and March—can make it possible for people to join the gym without sacrificing their budget in other areas.

Give Existing Members Discounts for Bringing Loved Ones to the Gym

Current members can help you grow your gym client base. All you have to do is ask. Encourage them to bring family members and friends in with them. Give free one-time passes or offer buy-one-get-one-free packages. This provides some financial relief for loyal members while adding new members to your roster.

Develop and Promote a January “Fresh Start” Fitness Routine

Remind potential gym members that January is the month for a fresh start by creating a fitness routine with the same name. This can help people shrug off old, unmet fitness goals while providing hope that this will be their year. It’s also an opportunity to create a workout for people who have been sedentary or without a fitness routine for some time.

When Should You Start Marketing Your January Fitness Promotions?

Even though fitness becomes a hot topic in January, you want to start marketing your beginning-of-the-year promotions well before the holiday season. Create some buzz around your fitness services or gym. Get people thinking about how you can make their life better before your competitors have the ability to chime in and drown you out with their noise.

Social media is a great way to spread the word. Post about the packages and perks you plan to offer come January. You might even give better deals to those who sign up well in advance.

Did you know that you are required to complete a minimum of 20 continuing education hours within the two years of your personal trainer certification? Explore ISSA’s wide range of continuing education courses to keep your certification current and expand your expertise.