I hope this missive finds you well and drinking something seasonal including but not limited to a pumpkin spice latte, apple cider, or a pumpkin ale. #basic
If you haven’t already put some thought into leveraging Black Friday/ Cyber Monday, now’s the time to get cracking.
In fact, ideally you’ve already planned out the rest of the year and are starting work on your 2022 marketing calendar.
But if not? Here’s a SUPER simple way to tackle it without making it overly complicated…
- Open up a document (or if you prefer spreadsheet) on your computer and create a heading for each month.
- For each month, identify the opportunity for messaging: holiday, season, anniversary, etc. For example, November is Black Friday/ Cyber Monday, December is the holidays. January is the New Year, etc. etc.
- For each month, draft out 1-3 messages or special promotions broken down by segment (Current Clients, Former Clients, Unconverted Prospects).
For instance, January is always a big time of year for fitness. Perhaps you do a flash sale of your low barrier offer for Unconverted Prospects (“Get our trial for $9 instead of $99”), and a targeted “we want you back” promotion for Former Clients.
Maybe you decide to use February to offer a special limited-time-only offer to save money with a year paid-in-full. (“Let’s celebrate Valentine’s Day by getting fitness married for the year!”) You can offer this to Current Clients as an upgrade and to Former Clients and Unconverted Prospects as a new agreement. Maybe you even toss in another value-add bonus like a free nutrition consultation.
March is often a tough time of year for people to stay motivated. So maybe you charge a modest fee to run an accountability challenge for your Current Clients where they can compete for prizes. You can keep promoting your ever-green low barrier offer to Unconverted Prospects via your usual marketing channels, but put your focus on the experience of your Current Clients for this month.
Once we’re into April, spring feels close. This could be an opportunity to run a “Swing into Spring” offer of some kind.
Etc. etc. etc.
In my experience, most training gym owners understand the value of this kind of planning. But it can feel unwieldy and daunting. And because there are so many day-to-day demands, too often this kind of planning takes a backseat.
Complexity is the enemy of execution. Keep it simple.
You can build out the bones of a simple marketing calendar with a strong cup of coffee and a dedicated hour of work.
It doesn’t need to be perfect, just get it done.
Then use your calendar to prepare any needed materials (emails, ads, landing pages, physical signage, digital ads, social posts, etc.) one to two months in advance.
Voila! Marketing calendar greatness is yours.
If ever I would leave yoooooou it wouldn’t be in autuuuuuumn,
Mark
PS Early bird pricing is over, but it’s not too late to snag a spot in our 2-day deep dive behind the scenes of Mark Fisher Fitness.
Learn more about Inside the Unicorn HERE.