Taking Advantage of Holiday Marketing

The holidays for many fitness professionals often presents a missed marketing opportunity. With attention focused on the New Year and the bump in revenues that come with health-related New Year resolutions, December generally becomes a “dead month” in terms of marketing. Unfortunately, failure to take advantage of the holiday season can do a disservice to growing your business, as you have many opportunities to connect with existing clients and potentially generate new business.




There are several ways to take advantage of the holidays to promote your services and products. The best place to start is by asking, “What would people need from me during the holidays?” The great news is there are several services you can provided to people ranging from tips to eating healthy during the holidays to gift certificates for stocking stuffers. With just a little thought, you can probably come up with a host of creative ways to connect with your customers. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:



• Gift Certificates. As mentioned, gift certificates make a great gift for anyone. It is also a wonderful way for you to come up with a creative way to bundle a few of your services, if you offer more than just one. For example, you might consider combining a workout plan with some type of nutritional support program. Additionally, you could approach another business in the community to see if they are receptive to collaborating on some type of package deal.

• Holiday Cards. Opinions are often mixed in regards to sending out holiday cards, but they remain a good way to keep in touch with existing clients, or maybe clients you’ve lost touch with over the last year or two. Holiday cards can keep your name in their minds and can also provide you with a great excuse to insert some type of small gift or coupon. Be sure to take the time to sign them personally, and if possible, include a brief personal message. This lets people know you truly remember them. If you are on a tight budget, consider sending out a holiday letter that simply updates them to what’s been happening and any new promotions or upcoming events you are working on in the year to come.

• Promotions. Get in on the holiday action. Come up with your own unique holiday promotion playing off the holidays. How about putting together a campaign using the 12 Days of Christmas for inspiration? You could do 12 days featuring a different product or service each day. Perhaps one day you offer a free consultation, and on another day 25% off a new friend referral.

• Holiday Giveaway. The holidays are a great time to offer clients and prospects a glimpse into the added value you can provide. What do I mean? Navigating the holidays are always challenging for people. All that stress and extra fattening foods takes its tolls. Therefore, wouldn’t it be great if you could show them how much you care by providing them with a holiday survival guide filled with nutritious healthy recipes or tips and suggestions for getting through the holidays without gaining any extra weight? You could also create a tip sheet of fast and easy exercises people could do anywhere. This would come in handy for people who can’t make it into the gym, or maybe who are traveling frequently.

• Holiday Party or Open House. This is a great time to not only connect with your clients, but to meet potential new clients. You don’t have to do anything elaborate or expensive. In fact, take this opportunity to display your facility, staff, and knowledge. Throwing in a small selection of low-fat foods and drink recipes to sample, and you have a festive event!

• Connect. January and February are generally busy months for the fitness industry. That’s why November and December are great months for tending to all the “other marketing” activities that often fall through the cracks, but that are just as important. For example, review and update your marketing materials and website, attend a few community-networking events, and even reconnect with colleagues.