As a gym owner, you have two incredibly valuable assets: Your brand and your ability to produce loyal customers. By building a brand that speaks to your target audience, you can elicit specific emotions and actions. Your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) can do just that, differentiating you from the competition and attracting new members.
A USP, also known as a differentiator, is a phrase that describes what makes your product or service unique. It paints a picture in customers' minds of why they should buy from you instead of your competitors.
Because it’s a way to help consumers remember your services, your unique selling proposition should be memorable and demonstrate value. It should also help sell the benefits of what you offer and your core values, rather than just features. Creating an engaging USP can help increase sales, market share, and customer loyalty.
Why A USP Is Important For Gyms
A USP helps a gym’s success by reaching the right people with the right message. By using your unique selling proposition to target your market, you ensure that your branding, advertising and marketing messages match what you offer.
Using a USP will help you communicate with customers and help them understand what you do: Why they should join your gym and why it’s different from other gyms. The right message enables you to stand out from competitors, work more efficiently and grow even faster.
Five Steps To Create Your Gym’s Unique Selling Proposition:
Here are five tips from the pros on crafting an effective USP to differentiate your gym, build your brand and increase member loyalty:
1. Determine Your Niche.
At the onset, it may be tempting - or necessary - to “cast the biggest net” and market to... well, everyone. But the sooner you can identify a niche, the more quickly you can hone in on your target audience. Then you can create the unique selling proposition specifically for them.
The best way to do this is by looking at the industry and your specific options. Ask yourself these questions:
- What needs are most prevalent right now and for the long run?
- Where are the areas of greatest opportunity?
- Where are there gaps in products, services and marketing?
- What is being done well, and/or what isn’t being done well?
- How strong is the competition?
Here’s a fun idea to help with finding your niche: Seek out your best clients and look at their stories. You may find commonalities that help you figure out a niche to explore!
2. Discover The Missed Opportunities.
As a follow up to delving into your niche, the fitness industry will inevitably provide some missed opportunities to explore.
For example, if your target audience is self-conscious about their fitness level and your competition is marketing to the fire breathers, that’s a missed opportunity for you to fill. Identify the “holes” in your market and, if you can adequately fill them, get after it.
Something to keep in mind: Your unique selling proposition should be easy to understand and measurable. Don’t go so far down the missed opportunities rabbit hole that your USP is no longer trackable.
3. Substantiate Your Claim.
As you’re designing your USP, start creating a list of evidence to back up what you’re saying. For example, if outdoor fitness is part of your USP, provide evidence that fresh air and sunlight can improve your members’ wellbeing. Prove to your target audience that you are trustworthy, authoritative and reliable.
One of the best ways to back up your claim is customer testimonials. Ask your best clients for feedback and transparency. The authenticity from word-of-mouth reviews goes a long way toward brand building and loyalty.
Be sure to ask specifically about the elements in your USP. For example, if community is a huge part of your unique selling proposition, directly ask your members about the community. Just because they love your gym and your brand doesn’t mean they know the exact areas you’re seeking feedback.
4. Keep It Simple (But Catchy).
The main goal of your USP is to get prospects to take action. Highlight the things that differentiate you and make people want to join. Focus on telling customers why you’re better than your competitors and how your gym will benefit them. Ultimately, your goal is to relay this info by keeping it simple!
Create a unique selling proposition that’s simple, catchy and memorable. If it’s fun and easy to remember, your members will want to share it. This is how you build a strong gym referral program. Keep it short and leave out anything that isn’t relevant to your business. Ditch the jargon. Remember, it doesn’t matter how many times it’s repeated if no one understands what it means.
5. Build A USP-Integrated Marketing Strategy.
Once you’ve crafted a rockin’ USP, it should be at the heart of all your marketing materials, from emails and ads to social media posts. Potential leads must clearly understand what your gym is about before they walk through the door.
Make sure your USP is conveyed clearly on your website and throughout your marketing messages. It will help your brand stand out and get your target audience to take action.
Pro Tip: Once those leads start coming in, save time and effort by automating your follow up! Book a demo with the PushPress Grow team today to find out how!
In Summary:
Your gym’s unique selling proposition shows your target market how you’re going to solve their problem. A carefully-crafted USP will help you stand out from the competition and build brand loyalty. Spend the time needed to create a simple and catchy USP that fills a niche. Then substantiate your claims and include it in all of your marketing materials. In the long run, this can hep you increase sales, market share and customer loyalty.
