As a gym owner, it’s not uncommon to have a list of tasks that you love doing and another list of those that you’d prefer to avoid. And for many owners, gym social media is on the latter.
Oftentimes, the thought of carving out time from your already-busy days to make some social posts can feel daunting. But as gym owners ourselves, we know that it’s usually not as bad as we evisioned. And once we actually sit down and do it, we reap the benefits.
Having an effective social strategy can create revenue, build brand loyalty and increase retention.
And here’s the great news: With the right tools, you can actually automate your gym social media! This can save you time, allow you to outsource to coaches and build even more powerful content.
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Five Tips to Automate Your Gym Social Media.
1. Plan in Advance.
The best place to start planning your gym social media strategy is a creative brainstorming session. Ideally, this takes place with your entire team at the start of the year.
Create a theme for each quarter on the calendar. If time is limited, start with the first two quarters. The themes will provide a framework to save you time from having to decide what to post. It’s much easier to create content from a specific topic, versus sitting down and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what should I post about today?’
To create your theme, start by asking your team what you want the content to achieve? If you have quite a few new members, maybe your theme is proper form and technique. Or maybe you’re launching a nutrition coaching program and your theme could be healthy eating.
Having a theme will also help you avoid random posting. This goes a long way in building consistency in your brand and helping prospective members understand what you offer.
2. Build a Weekly Structure.
Once you’ve established your themes, the next step is to structure each week of your gym social media. While there are many ways to do this, an easy way to start is with a daily topic.
For example, consider something like Motivation Monday, Nutrition Tip Tuesday, etc. Perhaps Wednesday is for spotlighting members, Thursday is educational and Friday is entertaining.
This will save you time by providing the structure and still gives you creative freedom to come up with each post. Further, if you decide to outsource your gym’s social strategy to a staff member, the framework is already outlined for them.
3. Create Gym Social Media Content and Automate It.
Now that you’ve created a quarterly theme and weekly topics, it’s time to actually create the content.
While it might seem overwhelming to think about coming up with weeks’ worth of content, it’s easier to break it down by each topic. For example, start with four “Motivation Monday” posts. When you’re in the mindset of one particular category, the others should flow easily.
And once you’ve created the content, it’s time to automate it! This can be as simple as blocking off a couple hours at the end of each month to schedule everything for the following month.
We recommend the Social Planner in PushPress Grow to help you schedule and publish gym social media content. This can be done across multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Google My Business. If it sounds complicated, rest assured that it’s actually intuitive and easy to use. As gym owners ourselves, we want help you run your business better, and that includes your social strategy.
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4. Sprinkle in Organic Posts.
When unexpected things - like PRs or someone getting their first pull-up - happen at your gym, consider it a good opportunity to go “off script” with your social plan.
Automating social posts will save you time and provide consistent, valuable content. But sprinkling in organic content will give people a snapshot of “daily life” at your gym. And having your automated content already scheduled removes the pressure. You can have fun with opportune moments without feeling like you have to create something magical.
5. Be Sure to Include Google Business.
Most gym owners focus their social media efforts on channels like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. But according to Stu Brauer, owner of WTF Gym Talk, Google Business should absolutely be on your radar. He describes it as “one of the most underrated marketing tools out there for anyone who owns a brick and mortar business.”
Brauer suggests adding photos and videos regularly, just like you do on any other social platform. In addition, be sure to update anything that changes in your business, like class schedules or hours of operation. This keeps your listing as up-to-date as possible for potential leads.
In Summary: Harness the Power of Automation in Your Gym Social Media.
Managing your gym social media doesn’t have to be on the list of dreaded tasks. With a little planning and the power of automation, you can build your brand and even drive sales.
Start by choosing a quarterly theme. Then build a weekly structure that follows the theme. Once you’ve created the content for each week, use a scheduling tool like the Social Planner in PushPress Grow to automate your posts. Sprinkle in some organic content to pair with the posts you’ve pre-scheduled, and don’t forget to include Google Business in the mix.
As a result, you’ll likely have more time on your hands while you’re consistently posting valuable content for an effective social presence.
