If you’re committed to nurturing leads in 2024, you’re going to need to use social media to do it. That’s not to say you should abandon email and text nurturing. That’s still important. But don’t sleep on social leads. I’ll give you a stat: A Sprout Social survey found that 64 percent of consumers want brands to link up with them. And here’s a line from a Forbes article: “ Not only are your customers more likely than not on social media despite your industry, but they are also using social media to make decisions online to buy. Not building a brand on social media is hindering your potent ..read more

John Franklin (00:02): Hello, and welcome to this week’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym.” I am your host, John Franklin, the CMO here at Two-Brain, and I put together a quick video for you guys on how to get more members without paid ads. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart because literally every week I have a gym owner who messages me and will say something along the lines of, “I’ve tried doing Facebook ads, I’ve been blogging, I’ve been posting on Instagram, but nothing seems to bring up my member count.” And I know this can be really frustrating. You’re doing all the stuff ..read more

Do you really need more leads? Or do you need to work harder with the leads you’re getting? I’d wager it’s the latter. But here’s a secret: You’re almost certainly getting more leads than you realize. This isn’t “Glengarry Glen Ross,” where you get an index card with the name of a lead on it.  Leads are everywhere, and they aren’t that hard to find. But some people don’t know what a lead is in 2024. Leads are: Anyone who likes a post you or your business made on social media. Anyone who comments on a social-media post. Anyone who follows you or your business on social media. Anyone who i ..read more

I thought more revenue streams were better. I had a group fitness program, so why not add open gym, programming for competitive athletes, nutrition services, kids programs, older adult programs, yoga classes, physiotherapy services, and weightlifting and gymnastics specialty sessions? I was certain more options would give me access to more people and the revenue would pour into the building like floodwater. Except it didn’t work like that at all. Here’s what actually happened: When I started adding more options to my service package, my clients got confused and I lost focus. Was my gym all ab ..read more

Mike Warkentin (00:02): Could you add a niche program to your gym and generate more revenue? The answer is yes, but only if you do it properly. We’re going to talk about that today. This is “Run a Profitable Gym.” I’m your host, Mike Warkentin, and today, we’re talking about 55+ programs that are also called Masters or Legends programs. In some parts of the world, an older adult program can be a huge win for a gym. Great clients get fitter and healthier. Trainers make more. Gym owners make more, but you have to do it right. My guest today is Brian Foley. He runs Activate in Kerry, Ireland. He ..read more

In one of my first books, I listed more than 30 different programs you can run at a gym. The problem: Some people thought it was a checklist. The truth: Our data shows that the top gyms in the world sell one or two things really, really well. It’s often group coaching and one-on-one coaching, but some Two-Brain gyms are having great success with other options, like just selling semi-private training (which is essentially personal training delivered by one coach to up to four clients at once). Whatever you decide on, you must have a cohesive offer you can sell. It must be something people want ..read more

“Her name is Amy.” Gym owner Ashley Kates has a name for her client avatar. In fact, she knows everything about Amy. “I know how old she is, how many kids she has, where she shops, where she vacations, how often she purchased stuff from Amazon. Does she decorate for holidays? What is her hair like? It’s very, very, very specific,” Kates said. Ashley runs a women’s-only gym in Lexington, South Carolina. StrongHER’s core services are PT, group coaching and nutrition coaching. Kates doesn’t want every single client in the gym. She wants the right clients, and she’s done everything she can to set ..read more

Mike Warkentin (00:02): What happens when you know your niche in the fitness industry? Well, you can serve more than a million athletes in more than 100 facilities around the world and help more than 130 NFL draft picks perform at an elite level. That’s possible. My guest today on “Run a Profitable Gym” is Bill Parisi. He’s one of the founding fathers of youth performance. Bill was an elite javelin thrower. He earned a finance degree, he worked as a strength and conditioning coach, and then he developed his own system and brand, Parisi Speed School. Now you want some big names. If you travel i ..read more

What if I said you could add a revenue stream that does this at your gym? Equals or exceeds the average revenue per member of your core program. Contributes 10 percent to your gross revenue. Reaches full capacity quickly. Attracts participants who have a higher length of engagement than members of other programs. Fulfills the coaches who run the sessions. Delivers on your gym’s mission of helping people live longer, better lives. That’s exactly what’s happening at Activate in Kerry, Ireland, where Brian Foley has created and filled a thriving 55-plus program. Don’t Do Everything! I’ve lon ..read more

What’s the fastest way to boost your marketing metrics? If I were a gambler—and every entrepreneur literally has money riding on the answer—I’d wager that this is the easiest, best way to sell more gym memberships: Contact leads sooner. I talk to a lot of top gym owners as one of the hosts of the “Run a Profitable Gym” podcast. Here’s what I’m hearing more and more often from the gym owners who are posting the best metrics: “I call leads as quickly as possible—within five minutes if I can.” One top gym owner takes it even further: 1. Call all leads once an hour until contact is made—try every ..read more