Affinity marketing is perhaps the most common sense form of marketing we can do, but it’s something we rarely remember to do as part of our gym’s growth. While there are various forms of affinity marketing, the one I’m talking about here is using your current friends and contacts to build your prospective base of clients.
So let me ask you this? Do you have local friends who have kids? Do those kids go to your gym? If so, you’re probably pretty amazing at affinity marketing. If you have friends though whose kids have never gone to your gym or they no longer go to your gym, you have a natural potential for gym growth!
Affinity marketing means you’re going to take those in your closest possible circle and consider how you can get them to become your client. Maybe their kids play softball and don’t want anything to do with cheerleading…Can they host your birthday party at your gym? What about a camp or clinic that is focused on agility, fitness and balance? I like to market that tumbling is a benefit to every single athlete, as the skills we teach in tumbling translate into a variety of sports. A nasty trip running from first to second base can create a painful injury unless an athlete is well-trained to tuck and roll rather than reach for the ground.
For those close to you that don’t have kids, I bet they know others within their close circle who do! Getting those people to believe in your product is just as important! They can become the greatest source of referrals you might have.
Currently our Cintas (cleaning company) guy is a pretty fantastic source of referrals at our gym, and I’d say so far he’s probably not in our close circle. Imagine what your best friend could do if they believed strongly in your program!
Think of “affinity” like a target. The closest inner circle is your best friends and family. They’re going to be the easiest people to sell to. (Yes…selling is GOOD for growing your gym. More on that tomorrow…) As you move to the next outer circle, it’s people you know who are your “friends” but maybe not the ones you’d reach out to in an emergency. As you move farther outward, it’s “friends” who you really enjoy but don’t communicate with regularly and eventually the outer circle is simply your acquaintances.
So, here are three ways you can better connect with those in your inner circle and build your model of affinity marketing:
- Ask your closest friends if their kids would like to try a camp or clinic. Tell them you’d like to throw them an amazing party at your gym. Be honest about your plans to grow the gym. (If they’re your closest circle of friends and family, they want the best for you!)
- Tell your closest friends you’d love to see if they could refer their friends to your gym. We get too worried about selling to friends and family. If my friends and family don’t want to see me succeed and don’t want to do simple things in the process to help, then they’re probably in the wrong circle for me.
- Post your events and opportunities on Facebook. I talk to a lot of owners who don’t share their gym posts over to their personal Facebook pages because they don’t want to annoy their friends. Nope! Not me. If you’re my friend, then you understand how passionate I am about helping kids, and you want to help me achieve just that!
So this week, take a look at your friend circle and see if you can use affinity marketing to bring new athletes in your gym. Ask friends for their business, their referrals and their support!
