How we invented a better way to grow gym membership.

Gold’s Gym, an iconic fitness chain with more than 700 locations, was under attack. Crossfit gyms, barre classes and trendy new approaches to exercise were taking over. To remain competitive in the category, Gold’s Gym needed new members. And not just any new members. They needed new members who were actually going to stick around.

Our first step was to establish a Gold’s Gym Best Member Profile. Why? We knew we needed to attract the type of members who were willing to pay for additional, high margin services. The ones who would make it past the 22-week fitness cliff – quantitative research revealed that as the point at which the uncommitted throw in the towel.

Analyzing 3 years of membership data, we identified current members who fit the profile. Further research revealed that they each classified themselves as someone who is constantly seeking self-improvement. They looked for ways to better themselves in all areas of life: in their career, in understanding the latest technology and in improving everyday situations.

With that information, we set out to find non-members who would fit the Best Member Profile. And drive them to join with messaging that would truly resonate.

Knowing that our target looks for self-improvement tips on social media, we sought to inspire them with Facebook Canvas. We were the first in the fitness category to use the immersive in-app storytelling platform. Through it, we motivated our targets with workouts and allowed them to explore our offerings without ever leaving the comforts of facebook.

Understanding that our target is searching for help and inspiration, we emphasized paid search. Previously, Gold’s SEM strategy had been focused on search terms for other gyms and competitors. We reconfigured this strategy for searches for branded terms, types of classes and finding gyms within proximity of their homes, and we found a much higher response.

We redesigned landing pages to connect with our target in the moment, and we removed any barriers to engagement. We tested, learned from and then optimized each to ensure our efforts would result in more prospects.