As much as you know about helping people work up a sweat, marketing and growing your fitness bootcamp requires exercising a whole different type of muscle.
Keep on reading for five moves that will help get your fitness bootcamp in shape.
1. Get in shape with a partner
Entering into a strategic partnership with a like-minded business in the industry can help you get the word out to people likely to attend your event. For example, you could ask a friend you know who runs a nutrition course to share your fitness bootcamp with her mailing list.
Consider reaching out to local organizations or groups, as well. You never know who might be looking for the right program for their members or audience. Or, partner up with sponsors. For a short overview of how to win and retain event sponsors, check out this guide.
2. Spread the word on social media
Nearly 25% of traffic to ticketing and registration pages comes from social media, which is one of the best ways to spread the buzz about an upcoming fitness event. It’s free to get started and once you’re ready, you can spend some money on advertising that will reap big results.
If you do nothing else, you make sure you:
- Create a Facebook Event: It takes less than five minutes to link your event details with Facebook Events. If you use Eventbrite, you can post your event to Facebook fast with the Add to Facebook button. Once you’ve published your event to Facebook, users can buy tickets directly on the Facebook Event, without a redirect.
- Post on Instagram: A third of the most-viewed Stories on Instagram come from businesses. Post content on Instagram that grabs users’ attention — and gets them excited about your bootcamp.
For a quick start guide to promoting your fitness bootcamp on social media, check out this article. For a more in-depth guide, read the Essential Guide: Social Media for Events.
3. Make your fitness bootcamp a hybrid event
As diverse passions and hobbies spur new types of events, you can reach a broader audience by adding complementary activities and attractions to help differentiate your bootcamp. Within the industry, this is called “hybridization.” Hybrid events help broaden your appeal to new audiences, and increase hype with one-of-a-kind experiences.
Take a cue from Wanderlust which uses hybridization to add a little something extra for health nuts to enjoy. Originally a “mindfulness triathlon” featuring a 5K run, yoga, and meditation, Wanderlust now offer a diverse array of activities that span far beyond athletics, including concerts, guided trips, and lectures.
For your bootcamp, an easy entry into hybridization would be to partnering with food and drink sponsors or a nutrition expert so attendees can sip on coconut water while they listen to a fitness lecture post-workout.
4. Shake up your venue
While more traditional spaces for a fitness bootcamp (like a gym, community hall, or outdoor park) offer candidates an experience they can comfortably predict, mixing things up by changing your venue to something a little more unconventional can be an attraction in and of itself.
Can’t imagine lugging your equipment up and down narrow stairs or into a historic loft space? Don’t worry, there are plenty of options out there that can also dovetail nicely with a hybrid event (such as a winery, museum, or even a major league sports venue).
5. Survey attendees
Last, but not least, there’s the tried and true survey. Surveys help you gauge attendee interest in the weeks before your fitness bootcamp, how you’re doing during your event, and what people thought after your fitness bootcamp ended.
Not getting any bites on your survey? These three tips can help you get a response:
- Offer an incentive: Participants are much more likely to give you their feedback if there’s a chance they might win a discount on your fitness bootcamp’s fee.
- Make it short: When attendees see too much text, they’re discouraged from answering. Make sure your questions aren’t wordy
- Be specific: Use clear questions to ensure respondents know what you’re asking (and how they should answer).
Bonus set: Building a frustration-free bootcamp
Discover the three stages of crafting an experience that will make your fitness bootcamp stand the test of time in How to Craft the Ultimate Event Experience.
