We were a brand new concept in a community that had a huge distrust for gyms and fitness marketers. Opening with 130 classes a week, the success of the operation hinged on ensuring that there were enough people in each class to build a movement and create excitement.

Our classes were unlike any others offered in Australia.  When we started pre-sales we were still designing classes, auditioning instructors and building the timetable, so started with no website, no brand or timetable using only stock images and facebook ads.  

My approach was two fold. We used a heavy digital acquisition strategy and strong local area marketing plan to support. I selected and trained two sales people to handle leads and enquiries.

Here is our early sales flow strategy.

Facebook Advertisement > Landing Page Opt In > Team Phone Call > Invitation To Virtual Tour > Registration + Activation > On-boarding Sequence

The first strategy was to create a super high value, low cost offer for a limited number of members. We targeted savvy exercisers and people who already had an exercise routine and were looking for a sweet deal in the area. Our Facebook campaigns had a strong call to action regarding time and price. 

The second strategy was to highlight each particular class sector and target niche audiences within each sector with Facebook Ads. Our value proposition was so irresistible we won over members from other studios. 

Initially 48% of our memberships came from our digital acquisition campaigns with a close ratio of 52%. We sold 70% long term (12 month) memberships and 30% short term (3 month) memberships cementing a strong member mix and monthly yield. 

Our cost per lead was between $7-$10 and our conversions enabled us to secure a CPA of $30 per member on a $1000 purchase. Once the studio opened digital acquisition slowed down to around 25% of membership sales. 

1. I knew our position in the marketplace. Even new businesses and programs have a place when you        understand your value proposition 

2. My unwavering believe in our product and programs, speaking to prospects with knowledge and passion and how we serve our clients

3. The use of an online and offline acquisition plan - both are critical to the success of a location based business and work hand in hand to support the buying decision.

4. Understanding the user experience and journey of turning prospects into clients. The average customer needs 21 touch points before making a sale, so we created personal moments of connection where ever we could.

5. We had a strong reporting system to read and measure our data and adjusted on the fly.