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Social Media, Strategy

Written by Tessa Bicard

If you look at any digital marketing campaign, social media plays a critical role. One of the biggest players, of course, is Facebook. We know that Facebook is great for increasing brand awareness, but this social network giant gets you even more than that. When done right, Facebook marketing helps your gym generate memberships and increase retention. All of the likes, comments, and shares actually add up, and because we know that U.S. consumers spend approximately 40 minutes per day on the social platform, your health club has a lot to gain by engaging on Facebook.  

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Even so, we know the question you have in mind. As marketers, we always have to look at our ROI, and Facebook marketing is no exception. So today, we’re tackling the question that hasn’t always been the easiest to answer: “What is the value of a Facebook fan?”

According to Syncapse empirical research, the average value of brand fans in key consumer categories is valued at $174. The value is based on the fact that fans engage more with the brand, spend more and are more loyal than non-fans. This means that an individual who has ‘followed’ your health club’s Facebook page is worth more than someone who uses Facebook but hasn’t followed your page yet.

The proof is in the pudding, (so to speak). When looking at the value of a Facebook fan, the Syncapse report found the following:  

  • Facebook brand fans are 80% more likely than non-fans to be brand users;
  • Fans spend 43% more in respective categories versus non-fans, despite not having a higher income;
  • 18% of fans are more satisfied with their brands than are non-fan users; and,
  • 11% of fans are more likely to continue using the brand than non-fan users.

What does this mean for your health club? Great question! Here’s the simple, but important breakdown:

  • More prospect fans equal more memberships generated
  • More member fans equal member loyalty and the longevity of your health club memberships

This is why it’s so critical to continually develop and grow your Facebook fan base. If you grow your fan base, you grow your membership base; plain and simple. How does that work exactly?

Here are our top five reasons to grow your Facebook fan base:

Reason #1: Fan Base Engagement

Your fans are more likely to engage with your content, click on your links and convert on your landing pages. The reason for this is simple: your fans are invested and interested in the content you’re sharing because they have chosen to join your health club and take advantage of your services and amenities.

Reason #2: Fans are Committed  

Your fans are the people who have already expressed interest in your health club and said they want to hear from you or asked to follow you. From there, you’re simply putting the right content in front of the right people at the right time.

Reason #3: Fans Trust You

Fans see your content on a regular basis, which builds trust and credibility over time. This also allows for your fans to connect with you via your Facebook page, and share your content with their network. It is also how brand champions are created, which is a huge win.

Reason #4: Fans are Less Expensive   

It is much cheaper to reach your fans than other audiences on Facebook because they are so invested. Additionally, fans are more likely to click on your advertisements, making it less expensive to engage them and get them to your site or offer page.  

Reason #5: Facebook is a Motivating Platform for Fans

For your fans that are members, Facebook provides an opportunity to motivate them to keep coming to your health club, try new classes and amenities, or buy personal training. They can also interact with other members or community online (commenting on a challenging class or sharing their own success story, for example). Therefore, even after a prospect converts, there is value in using Facebook so you can keep in front of your members.

Your Facebook fans are a sizeable segment of your target audience, and absolutely worth the investment and time. Like any other tactic in your digital marketing strategy, Facebook engagement requires careful planning, execution, and measurement. We know that both the investment and effort are significant, but so are the benefits. And, like we’ve talked about before, social media monitoring and engagement can easily be managed and simplified in just 20 minutes a day.

We’ll leave you with this: think of Facebook as your secret weapon. Why? Well, when used effectively, the platform allows you to precisely target your messages to your fans at the right time and at the right frequency. Employing an effective, and well thought out Facebook marketing strategy, will help you to achieve digital social success.

And now it’s your turn! Tell us: how do you value your Facebook fans, and how much time on average do you spend on the social platform every day? Any best practices or tips when it comes to your health club’s Facebook marketing strategy? Please leave your comments below, we would love to hear from you!

Inbound Marketing


Tessa is an Inbound Marketing Consultant at WindFarm Marketing and specializes in the fitness and travel verticals, with an emphasis on B to C clients.
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