WHY YOU NEED TO TELL YOUR BRANDS STORY

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or company. It’s not what you say it is, it’s what THEY say it is” – Marty Neumeier

The idea of ‘brand’ is by no means something new, but something that only a very few really grasp the full potential and value of, and those that do, change the world. This might seem like a cliché, can everyone really expect to change world? Maybe not, but you have the chance to build something with meaning, a reason for being outside of making money, to build and enrich the lives of others, to build community, bring people together and share what you’re passionate about.

We live in a rapidly and constantly evolving digital world which is endlessly trying to get our attention, sell us products and services, there are so many alternatives, so many choices, so many decisions to be made as a consumer, there’s always a new collaboration, always a new model, always a new colour, always a new feature, so why should I buy your product or service?

‘Only one competitor can be the cheapest - the others have to use branding. The stronger the brand, the greater the profit margin’ - Marty Neumeier

Ask yourself about the last meaningful or big purchase you made. Why did you buy it? Did you really buy the Apple computer because no other computer will be able to get the job done? Did you really buy those pair of Nike trainers because the other trainers won’t help you run as fast? Does that expensive watch help you tell the time any faster and does that specific car get you from A to B any quicker when you’re sat in endless queues of traffic? Deep down we all know the answer, you made those purchases because of what they stand for and because for you, they help to represent who you are and what you stand for. They elevate the story we tell ourselves of who we are. The truth is, this is no different from the gym you choose or the personal trainer you hire. Build and offer a product that people believe in and that there is no substitute for. Price then has nothing to do with it, people will find the money for what they truly value.

I’m going to take a quick side note here to mention some brands that I personally love and believe really have a grasp on their brand identity; Nike, Apple, Vans, Under Armour and Patagonia to name a few. These are obviously huge brands, but every brand no matter how big started with humble beginnings, Phil Knight, the founder of what became Nike, started selling his shoes from the trunk of his car and Steve Jobs created the first Macintosh in his garage. Want to know what propelled these brands into the behemoths that they are now? Marketing.

“Things don’t have to change the world to be important” – Steve Jobs

So you’ve got a strong grasp of your brand’s identity, you know your purpose, your mission, your why, how are you going to communicate that message? As we’ve established, people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. You’ve got to communicate that why to them. Why is your product or service irreplaceable? Why is there no substitute? You’ve got to tell them your story and your mission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlItYKCtQ-8

Above you can see a Nike advert produced with Lebron James the NBA great. I’m going to largely let the video speak for itself, but what I will say is that the one ingredient that makes this  advert so powerful, is the story it’s telling. This is the most effective way you can truly connect with your audience, it’s your biggest asset, we’ve all got a story, we’ve all come through struggles and adversity, we’ve all got dreams and aspirations, we all want to reach our full potential, there’s nothing more relatable than your story. So tell it.

What’s the best medium to tell this story? Without a doubt, the most effective way to communicate this is through video. You’ve got access to a laptop or phone and the internet, it costs you nothing to create a social media account, any serious business will have a website, you must, MUST be utilising video. Look at every social media platform and how it’s adapted for video. Even Twitter, traditionally just 140 characters of text now has automatically built in video playing features for its feed. I’m not going to begin throwing statistics at you to explain the effectiveness of video compared to plain text or pictures, you can do that yourself with a quick search in google, but what I will say is this: when you’re scrolling endlessly through Facebook to see what colour socks your neighbour was wearing today, keep in mind what kind of content is grabbing, then keeping your attention.

The good news is you can be utilising video right now. Right this second. Pick up your phone and press record (just made sure that your thumb is out of the way). Recording from your phone has its obvious limitations, but it can be a vital part of your video strategy. Tell your story, for a lot of organic content your phone will suffice to get your message across, if you want to take other pieces of content to the next level to have even more of an impact and add to your brand value, feel free to chat with a Video Producer like myself (my details should hopefully be listed below). Be wary though, I would suggest not every platform is suited for every brand or individual. Want to keep a premium and professional image? I wouldn’t recommend creating a TikTok of you talking to yourself getting dressed in the morning. Want TO tell a well crafted, cinematic and emotive story? Get right to the core of your purpose and impact people the most? YouTube is perfect for that.

People can see when businesses are only interested in making money from a mile away, I truly believe that ironically the more you do something without the sole purpose of making money the more people will buy into it and what you do. But you still need to put it out there. You won’t just grow your audience, but you’ll create a fierce loyalty if you have the right intentions. Create your brand and communicate your message. Look around you (on your phone) and realise how visual the ever-growing ever-evolving digital world is. How are you going to tell your story?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sMBhDv4sik

“Art is difficult, risky, and frightening. It’s also the only option if we choose to care” - Seth Godin

Wriiten by Nathan Cullen

www.nathancullen.co.uk

Email: Nathancullen93@gmail.com

Gym Marketing Activity during the Corona Crisis

Marketing Activity During the Corona Virus Crisis

The biggest question our clients are asking during this testing time is, "should I still be marketing my business, and if so, How?"

My instant response is of course "YES".  Don't stop selling.  Even if you have taken the decision to furlough staff and to mothball the business for the next few months.  You need to keep your business and brand in front of your clients and your potential new customers. 

You don't want to be in a position where you are starting from scratch once the Prime Minister announces are re-opening.  When that happens, the big players such as Virgin, Pure gym, David Lloyds, Banatyne will switch their marketing spends on and as a franchise or independent club operator you simply won’t get a look in as they will simply outspend you on Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram.  So now is the time to build your brand, let people know who are, get more followers on your social media, more clients in your database and make sure you are ready to fire out of the blocks with a solid plan.

I appreciate many clubs are running online classes, virtual PT sessions and even nutrition advice support.  These are all brilliant and great ways of maintaining contact with your members and clients. Don't stop doing this as its important to maintain what you have.  The ideas below are set out to help you move beyond those who are already avid supporters of your business.

So below are just some of the activities you should be considering over the next few months:

Google/Bing Places/Apple Maps

Whilst your website and its SEO are important to your visibility, more importantly is being registered with the various search engines.  Search Engines drive the internet and the maps section is one of the biggest search criteria.  You may not be able to compete with the big companies via ad spend, but you can on ensuring you are visible on the organic searches and on the map’s sections of Google, Bing and Apple.

These are easy to create:

Google - https://www.google.com/business/ & https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-my-business

Bing Places - https://www.bingplaces.com/

Apple Connect - https://mapsconnect.apple.com/

Yahoo - https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/local

You should see Google Business an additional Social Media channel and ensure you load offers, images and activity regularly.  Once or twice per week is sufficient. 

Online Business Directories

You want to ensure search engines not only sees your website but also sees your business on as many other outlets and websites as well. The more your business appears in searches the more trusted it becomes, and the more likely search engines will push you to the top.  Below are some of the national sites you should be on but also don't forget about local business directories that are specific to your area.  Almost all of these directories are free and there should be no need to pay for advanced features

Yell.com - https://www.yell.com/

Thomson Local - https://www.thomsonlocal.com/

Scoot - https://www.scoot.co.uk/

Foursquare - http://business.foursquare.com/

Hotfrog - http://business.foursquare.com/

192.com - https://www.192.com/

Cyclex - https://www.cylex-uk.co.uk/

Approved Business - https://www.approvedbusiness.co.uk/

Best on the web - https://botw.org

Yalwa - https://m.yalwa.co.uk/

Brownbook - https://www.brownbook.net/

Bizify - https://www.bizify.co.uk/

Classfinder - https://www.classfinder.org.uk/

Gymsnearme - https://www.gymsnearme.org.uk/

Yelp - https://biz.yelp.co.uk/

Free Index - https://www.freeindex.co.uk/

Locanto - https://www.locanto.co.uk/

Uk Small Business Directory - https://www.uksmallbusinessdirectory.co.uk/

Opening Times - https://www.opening-times.co.uk/

UK Business Directory - https://www.uk-businesses.co.uk/

Tapology - https://www.tapology.com/gyms/country/gb

The above are by no means a definitive list but they are a good starting point.  It will take some of your time to load your club’s details, but the benefits will be well worth it.  It will increase your exposure.

Aggregator sites:

There are definitely reasons for and against registering your business on these sites and this will be covered in a separate blog post.  However, what cannot be underestimated is the marketing impact they can play. 

By loading your business onto their sites, you get to feed off the back of their huge marketing budgets that these companies have.  If you set up your arrangements correctly you won’t feel the negative impact of lost members to a pay as you go system but will benefit from the potential exposure on their site.  

I have personally used all of these business at a variety of sites and never seen any negative impact on the business.  This is not to say, if not managed correctly they could but as with Group-on, wahanda etc, managed effectively they can bring great benefits

These companies include:

Gympass - https://www.gympass.com/uk

Hussle - https://www.hussle.com/

MoveGB - https://go.movegb.com/

If you are unsure how you should be setting up relationships with these companies then feel free to get in touch with us at ryancharlesworth@blackraccoon.org and we will be happy to advise.

Social Media:

Now your social media activity is a blog or even 2 in itself but I will try and give you a few ideas of things you could be doing now that will help you create a following as well as leads for when your business re-opens.

Remember we are focusing on building your brand here and not on member retention

 - Set up a private group page on Facebook for Members.  This allows you to offer those who continue to support you a private service just for them as well as an opportunity to engage with fellow members, many of those who know each other but not well enough to be friends

       i. Discounted virtual PT sessions

       ii. Members only competitions

       iii. Nutrition seminars via zoom

       iv. Encourage members to post their home activity or food images

       v. Post recipe idea's

       vi. Group challenges - set a challenge and get members to post their results and videos

The aim is to create a strong community online.

Other Ideas:

 - Create a regular fitness blog and post 1 article a week. The subject can be anything fitness related
 - Run a competition each week for people to win free months, free PT sessions, free t-shirts (or other stock).  Make them fun, get people to send in their at home training pictures. 

 - A workout of the week for people to follow

 - As with pre-sale activity, run a campaign for people to register their details for fantastic membership offers when you open. Limited number of places available

 - Push posts about your unique Selling Points (USP's) why are you different, why do members love you so much

 - If you are continuing to run online classes and PT then don't be afraid to advertise this as something non-members can pay for.  Encourage new members to join your club now.  Maybe have an incentive to do so.  Obviously don't undercut those members who have agreed to continue to pay, instead give them an incentive they can take up once you re-open.

 - If you are confident enough run Facebook or Instagram Live events to answer people fitness questions.

 - You should join as many local Facebook groups in your area as possible.  This can include local selling groups, mother and baby groups, fitness groups etc etc.  Many local communities have their own communication groups. Ones I have dealt with before and worth a look are Ruddington Mums and Epsom and Ewell families.  Both these groups have huge influence in their communities and well worth you making a connection with and building a relationship.

Members:

Don't forget to continue to sell to members.  Its great if members are continuing to pay for your online services and continuing to support your business.  You should though:

 - Be sending regular communications to members - possibly as a newsletter

 - Send referral offers to encourage them to get friends and family to join your online classes

 - Offer free trials of online personal training with a discount for those who sign up. Discounting now will mean less revenue but get the client engaged now and they will continue as a full paying client when you re-open.

 - If you have the skill base, offer members nutrition planning and support

Your Lead Database:

Don't allow your leads to go cold.  You have worked so hard to generate these leads over the last 6 -12 months. Don't now leave them to become cold and worthless as you really will be starting from scratch.  There are some easy and low impact items you can do now to keep contact with those potential new members

- Weekly E-mails - Simply send your prospects some fitness updates or articles each week.  These don't need to be long just quick snippets of advice and could include:

      i. A weekly workout

      ii. Link to a fitness article

      iii. How to train through the crisis advise

      iv. Stretching advice

      v. Nutrition advice

      vi. Exercise from home for beginners

      vii. Exercise with your kids

Let’s be honest the key here is to send something that people will read and thank you for sending. It needs to be regular and it needs to be friendly and informative

- Send them an offer to join your club now if you are running online classes.  Many people are stuck at home and yearning to be part of a community.  Give them an incentive and don't be afraid to continue to sell.  The aim though is that these offers should form part of a communication set and not as individual emails.  Start by sending advice, information, help and support articles first to build trust.

- Don't be afraid if you have time to call your prospects and thank them for their enquiry and ask them how they are getting on with their training from home.  They will appreciate the call and your concern.  This is not a sales call but simply a keep in touch call.

Corporate Activity:

Now you might think I am going mad here but here me out.  This really is a great opportunity to start making connections with potential corporate partners.  Remember who your audience is here.  Even those who are furloughed will still be reading e-mails, linked in and other business channels.  The nature of their work and position will mean they will not have switched off.  The big difference now though is your message won’t be a hindrance to their work but in fact a highlight and something they can get stuck into.

There are a number of ways you can start to build your corporate database:

 - LinkedIn - There are a number of ways you can find the right people:

       i. Google search businesses in your area and use this as a search reference for you to use on Linked in.  Once you have found appropriate people look for HR directors or managers in those companies.  They can either support directly or push you to the right person

       ii. Complete a LinkedIn search for your area

       iii. complete a job title search in your area

Remember when sending connection requests, always include a brief comment to explain who you are and what you are looking to achieve.

 - Hunter.io - This website allows you to search for individual actual direct e-mail address if you know the company name.  Be aware that the site cannot tell you whether those people are based in your area and so for large multinational companies this can increase the work required.  It can though give you a good starting point.

 Local Business Relationships:

The above can also be used to connect to local businesses who you would like to create a future relationship with for when you open.  A good connection point is you are trying to create a member’s discount scheme and would like local companies to join you in creating this.  There are benefits for both parties and no money needs to change hands.  You should look to create links first with high traffic businesses who can help you as well in return, independent businesses are also best as there are no corporate chain to worry about

     i. Restaurants

     ii. Cafe's

     iii. Running/sports shops (independent ones are best) - Up and Running are always up for linking

     iv. Barbers, hairdressers and beauty salons

Don’t forget, not only can these companies help by putting out your flyers and maybe putting up a banner in their shops, but they are great at word of mouth but usually have high street or prominent locations for future outreach activity

Review your Website:

Spend a few hours going through your website page by page. Look at how you can improve it.  You should look to revamp it even if just a few minor changes.  Your members, clients and prospects will be spending large amounts of time on the internet.  You need them to want to stop on your site again.  If nothing has changed then there is no reason for them to revisit

The design may be hard to change but you can change some images, update some of text and add some new features

Only you will know how you want the design to look but this is your chance to make it better and more engaging

Your future Plan:

While working on all of the above you should be looking at creating your pre-opening plan.  Everyone will be treating their opening as a pre-sale.  We know we probably have another 6-8 weeks minimum in lock down.  You need to take this time to create a plan. 

We will talk about this plan in a future blog but to get you started you need to start thinking about:

- Pre-sale/Pre-opening offer - launching 4 weeks out

- Members "Thank You" 

- Your Ex-member offer and campaigns to bring them back - a Rescue plan

- Your Personal training offers

- Your Group PT offer

- Your Outreach activity plan - the big boys will be everywhere!

- Your social media plan

- Your staff training strategy

- Your Business plan/Budget numbers for the rest of the year

- Your brand design material, internal and external.

- Start to interview for new staff or new freelance PT's

I will attempt to expand on all the sections mentioned above to give you more ideas and support at this time.  If you would like more a more personal approach to how I can help, please don't hesitate to get in touch.  We offer remote support for businesses from Just £349/month and with no onsite visits at the moment we have the time to take on some new clients and support your efforts. Get in touch today

ryancharlesworth@blackraccoon.org
07929369658
www.blackraccoon.org