One thing that can make or break your studio’s chances of success is lead generation. Discover three effective ways to improve it.
Being an FS8 or F45 studio owner is highly satisfying, but it doesn’t come without its share of problems.
For instance, one of your primary concerns may be about launching your studio’s services. That is, you can’t figure out your next offering, and it’s holding you back. Losing staff is another issue.
Both problems usually occurs in the so-called death gap – between the last push of the year and the first push of the following year. The reality is that people often consider changing careers during the Christmas break, which means you may lose valuable team members. And launching services is different in this period because people train less.
These problems can be a massive setback. However, there are ways to prevent them from affecting your business, and the key lies in your lead generation strategy.
This article will share three tips on how to optimise it.
Three Tricks to Improve Lead Generation in Your Studio
Trick #1. Offer a Giveaway That Doesn’t Matter
One of the best ways to engage your existing members and get access to more leads is to offer a giveaway that doesn’t matter. It’s a competition where the prize is irrelevant. It doesn’t affect your business, but it does help you generate more leads.
For instance, you can reward some people with two weeks of free access to your studio. It won’t dent your budget, and it can attract a large number of new members.
The trick is to hype your studio up properly. You need to carry out a powerful advertisement campaign to reach as many people as possible.
Social media is your best friend here. It needs to serve you well if you want to make the most of your giveaway.
Again, setting up this campaign is crucial. You can post the competition on your Facebook or Instagram page, mention the prize and the rules. One of the rules should require the users to tag other people, drawing more potential members.
One person wins the prize, but all the other tagged people are now your leads. You can notify them that they didn’t get the award and that they came in second. This will introduce them to your studio, enabling you to convert the leads.
Even if you spend some money to boost your post, the costs pale in comparison to the potential gains.
Finally, make sure to involve as many members as possible. That way, you’re not just using the giveaway to make a couple of sales – you’re generating a bunch of new leads. This lets you sell into and overcome the death gap more easily.
Trick #2. Change the Wrapper on Your Offer
A large part of successful studio marketing is about changing the wrapper on your offer. In other words, you want to repackage your services to they appear new to the client. This makes them enticing and gives your members another reason to buy your offerings.
Most businesses take this route, even giants like McDonald’s.
They’ve been selling their cheeseburger for years without changing the meat or other key ingredients. All they’ve changed is the wrapper, but this has proved to be an effective tactic. More and more customers are attracted to the product because it seems new.
You can learn a lot from their strategy as a studio owner. Changing the wrapper on your services increases their value, allowing you to generate more leads.
When promoting your new offer, consider two crucial things: the offer itself and the channels. The latter involves your email list, social media, and other ways to notify people about the change.
For instance, you can use social media to promote your new wrapper. You can promote the wrapper as discounts or “buy something get something” packages. Another great idea is to include bonus training weeks.
The core service remains the same (training in your studio) – only the wrapper is different. The result is even more engagement and opportunities for lead conversion.
Trick #3. Maximise Organic Channels
We’ve already covered the importance of using your channels. However, you can’t opt for just any channel to promote your services. You should maximise the organic ones.
These include several tools, but email lists might be your biggest asset. There are several types of lists you should focus on: the win-back list, playbook leads, leads you haven’t sold, dead lists, referrals, and suspended members.
Executed properly, emails allow you to build strong relationships with your members. This will help you address the problems they encounter in your studio. This way, you’ll be more likely to retain your customers.
Another great thing about emails is that you can schedule them. Your team might be best at writing emails at night or during the weekend, but this isn’t the best time to send them. Scheduling the messages solves this problem.
Besides email lists, you also want to rely on your socials. Even though it’s classified as socials, I prefer to use the term inboxes. This includes your Instagram and Facebook inboxes – the direct messages that let you sell via chat.
Customers love this approach because it’s personalised. It also allows you to handle any negative experiences with your studio.
While emails and inboxes are extremely useful, applying them can be challenging. That’s why I recommend hiring a VA (virtual assistant) to help out with this.
Once you’ve found the right person, explain your mission and what you want to accomplish with your organic channels. Many platforms can speed up the onboarding process, such as Loom.
Regardless of the platform, your VA needs to be qualified for your lead generation strategies. Also, monitor their work to ensure the best results.
Don’t Let Poor Lead Generation Hold You Back
Your studio can run into various obstacles, especially during the death gap. Your lead generation can suffer, and you will desperately want to reinvigorate your tactics.
The three tricks outlined above should help you get back on track. The key takeaway is to engage potential members with tried-and-true strategies. Feel free to replicate the McDonald’s tactic, as it’s affordable and efficient.
Finally, don’t forget to tap into your organic lead generation channels. Well-executed email and social media campaigns go a long way in attracting new customers. If you prefer delegating work, hire a skilled VA and reap the rewards of personalised customer interaction.
