The last installment was how to get rock solid testimonials. Remember gone are the days where a "these guys are great !!!!" quote will suffice. Bolster up your case. You need pictures, videos, and voice recordings from raving fans you've created which people can access on your site and be made aware of through your literature. So get on it.
The next part of the (how we market our clubs approach) is web presence. I know most of us are not techie types that goes for yours truly. I'm a gym rat so when I don't know how to do something web related I just go to the nearest Battlestar Galactica Convention and ask someone who does. OK J/K these folks help you make money so enough of the wise cracks.
Let's get started if you think having a web page is enough your nuts. I know some clubs that don't even have that so at least you are trying. Unfortunately you are competing with every other yo-yo with a gym and GoDaddy account. Over the next couple posts we'll break down the strategy of the most effective type of site, how to set it up, how to differentiate it from the pack and why you must convert your old static site now or disappear from the web cause you are wasting money. We'll also talk about how to get noticed by the search engines which important if you want to get noticed by people looking for your site. Guess what while you are working on yours I'm going to take some of my own medicine and apply some of the same changes to my sites. So the look and feel of this site may have a metamorphosis right under your nose.
- The best type of sites to get people excited about you are, you guessed it, blogs.
- Go Set up a blog at blogger or wordpad it's free.
- Register your domain at aplus.net or godaddy.com ex use your club name and town for ex http://www.worldgymatlanta.com/
- Point your new blog to this address it just looks better.
Congrats! , You have completed the most important steps next time we'll get deeper into set up and content. I'll also share why the blog is a better way to get noticed than a regular generic general info type site with club hours, aerobics schedule, pics of your club with the address. Go get set up!
How To Create & Use Testimonials That Stop People Dead In Their Tracks!!!
0 comments Posted by Frank Emanuel at 1:46 AM
Testimonials That Will Convert Even The Biggest Skeptics Into Trusting, “Ready-To-Buy” Customers!!!
I've always told my Membership advisors there are 3 main reasons why people fail to purchase.
1. They don’t want what you are selling.
2. They cannot afford what you are selling.
3. They don’t believe your claims about the product you are selling. (i.e. –They don’t believe you!)
So how do we harness these words of wisdom? Do we pack our advertisements & sales presentation books with tons and tons of written testimonials?
Fantastic gym! You guys have really created a wonderful place.
John F.
Incredible! Incredible! Incredible! Your weight-loss programs are incredible!
Michelle C.
Well, I used to think so but then I stumbled across afar more effective strategy that I just have to share.
I know what you're thinking OH! I got it Frank. You want us to get Before and after pics!
Well Sort of. But let's crank it up a notch. That stuff’s not believable. Remember, we live in world that’s full of lying, thieving, con men who will try to swindle you out every last dime you have.
How about a pic of your excited newly slimmer member holding a huge sign singing your praises.
A picture says a thousand words. (The messages on signs held are far more believable than the typical…
“Fantastic gym! You guys have really created a wonderful place.”
…weak, semi-believable, & lacking written testimonials that are so common place in ads!)
So how do we Collect “Testimonial Photos”
1. Whenever you are talking to an extremely happy/thrilled member… take notes and/or record your conversation with them.(Get Permission)
2. Immediately (while they’re still “in heat”) ask them if they wouldn’t mind taking a testimonial-photo for you because, “Boy, we sure live in a skeptical world here my friend. It’s good to hear that you believe in my club… and I could really use your help.” (9 times out of 10 they’ll be more than happyto take a few testimonial photos for you.)
3. Tell them that based on the conversation you just had with them that you’d like to put together a testimonial sign for them to use in the photograph. Inform them that you will first fax them a copy ofwhat the sign will say… so that they can approve it. After they’ve signed off on the “proof” of the sign, you will then need to send them the sign (already made) + a camera & instructions on how to take the photos. (Where you want them to stand, what you want in the background, how many people you want in the photos, etc., etc.) You must do all of this for them, otherwise, they’ll never get around to doing it.
Trust me on this. People are just too busy
4. Give them a postage-paid return box/mailer that’s been pre-addressed… so that they can easily return all the stuff to you.
It’s important for you to follow all those instructions; otherwise it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see the photos.
Hope you have been enjoying your summer. Just wanted to write a quick note saying I am sorry that I haven't written much.
WHY?
Well I don't need to tell you their is a recession going on. Things have gotten a ugly - quickly for a lot of good people.
But for the last 4 months I have been burning the midnight oil looking for opportunities.
TURN LEMONS INTO LEMONADE !
During every recession and even depression there are those who were once successful - now at the bottom of the heap.
AND
Those who are smart enough to find opportunities that didn't exist before and turn it into lemonade ( piles of dinero)
THE GOOD NEWS is .....
I have found 3 or 4 of these opportunities and I will be sharing them with you over the next few months.
These aren't stratagies that "SHOULD" or "COULD" work. They are instead things that ARE working now.
I have invested thousands of dollars traveling the country meeting with these "under the radar" club owners personally to make sure they are the real deal. NO - BS here,
That's why I haven't been able to write more often--- Sorry
In fact I am involved in them personally and now I'll spill the beans to you as a loyal Health Club Pro Follower so you can get the results these folks to.
If nothing else- you should know about these programs and I am dedicated to bringing them to you!
Instead they created more specialized editions like "Chicken Soup for the Pre-Teen Soul" and "Chicken Soup for the Teachers Soul" and "Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul" etc.
The last time I checked they had over a hundred of these specialized titles. The result is over 80 million books sold. That shows the incredible power of specialization. We want something that is just for us.
So instead of advertising a mempership program, you could offer a special "Bridal Bootcamp Program" or a "New to the Neighborhood Program" or a "Teacher's Special" or "Special Membership for Real Estate Professionals", Etc.
You get the idea.
to everyone in the vacinity of your club you can focus on just getting
to the people you are targeting.
WHO CARES!!! When it comes to marketing.
Color plays a pivotal role in a website's impact, and as such must becarefully considered. This is especially crucial when the site inquestion is used for business/professional purposes. Before delving into the specifics of color selection for your gym's websites, here are a few general rules for color usage in websites:- Don't use yellow for web page backgrounds - it causes eyestrain- Avoid black backgrounds - these essentially limit text color choice to white and yellow, which can look garish and hard on the eyes against black- If in doubt, use black text on white background - while not very original, this color combination ensures optimal readability. In any case, choose a text color that constrasts with your background; this is usually best achieved with dark text on a light background.- Choose from the 216 "browser-safe" colors, codes for which can be found at <>. If you stray outside these standard colors, your website colors may be distorted on some users'systems.With that quick primer behind us, let's talk business websites.To lend a professional, organic appearance to your website, your best bet is to choose a simple palette of a few matching colors. AdvancedMedia Productions suggests limiting yourself to three colors, andusing these colors strategically to group related objects or indicaterelationships between objects or segments of the page(http://www.boston-website-design.com/web-design-strategy.html). TheBuildStar Business Builder's Network(http://www.ibuildstar.com/colors.htm) has a similar philosophy,urging the business website designer to "create an identity through all your marketing and products with one or two colors you use over and over. This is a very basic and effective way to tie all your stuff together in the minds of customers."If you're not good at color coordinating, it's a good idea to consult a color wheel such as that found at http://www.visibone.com/colorlab. Complementary colors (that is, those found directly across fromeach other on the color wheel - e.g. red and green) are safe choices,as are neighboring shades. Which of these you choose, however, depends on what mood you choose to evoke - the contrast of complementary colors like orange and blue suggests excitement, while neighboring colors like green and blue suggest unity and harmony.According to one website, using different shades of the same color,called the monolithic approach, is the superior choice for professional website color schemes. The writer asserts that "single colors or Monoliths work best for business sites because of their more subtle suggestion," but cautions that this approach can be boring if overdone and may require "adding a contrasting black [to make] thecolor combo monochromatic and more interesting."(http://createafreewebsite.net/website_workshop/choosing_colors.html). But how do you choose the best starting color to work from? An important consideration in choosing the foundation color for your website is the emotional association it typically carries. While these associations can vary somewhat from culture to culture, they generally hold true for the majority of people. Here's a quick snapshot:Red: Daring, persuasive. Also hard on the eyes. Red is especiallyeffective in highlighting key text on black and white sites, and also works to liven up browns and tans.Blue: Suggests quality, trustworthiness, success, seriousness,calmness. A common choice for sales pages. In "What is the color ofyour website?", Andrew Lapointe suggests highlighting phrases like"Our history" or "Our mission statement" in blue(http://www.dotfactor.com/artman/publish/marketing_31.shtml). Lapointealso suggests avoiding purple, which connotes uncertainty andambiguity, and only using yellow to highlight key words and phrases.Pam Renovato, in "The Psychology of Color and Internet Marketing"(http://www.webmasterstop.com/articles/choose-website-colors.shtml),has some interesting comments on the use of grays and browns:"They suggest weight, or something heavy. This would provide yourvisitors with a feeling of stableness and strength. Emotions like thiswill help your visitors to associate your site with solidity andconfidence. Other colors such as burgundy, oyster, beige, blues willalso provide a feeling of solidity."Another important factor is the age of the target audience. Neutraltones work best with sites designed for an older audience, the targetdemographic for many business websites. You'll obviously also want toselect shades appropriate to your business, if any - as Ralph Hilliard points out in "How to choose your web site colors"(http://www.prowebsitemanagement.com/articles/websitecolors.html), a web designer who creates a black and green website for the Red Crosswill be out of business quickly. Hillard further stresses theimportance of color selection in marketing:"The BEST color for selling is the color that captures your primary audience emotionally," he posits. "If my audience is new mothers andI'm selling baby clothes, I guarantee you I can sell more clothes withsoft pinks, blues and purples than I could using bright reds, greensor black."When it comes down to it, choosing a professional website color schemeis as simple as the common sense guideline provided at the 1stsitefreeDesign tutorial (http://www.1stsitefree.com/design_colors.htm): "Use colors that compliment your subject matter and are relatively pleasing to the eye."It seems, then, that classic, rich, conservative, "serious" colors like blues, browns, burgundies and grays are your best bets for business websites.On a final note, however, there's always an exception that breaks allthe rules; according to "Website Colors That Sell" at the BuildStarBusiness Builder's Network (http://www.ibuildstar.com/colors.htm),"one study showed that the color combination with the most powerfulpsychological effect was yellow title, white text, on a dark blue background."Here's a final link for you:Cobalt Multimedia - Choosing colors for your website<>
Here is why.
1) More people are feeling the pinch $4 gas is having on their budget. That means just a $100 - $200 jump in their budget is effecting them. I think a lot of this is mental. but people are looking for ways to make or save more money.
2) Almost everyone is cutting back on marketing now. Times are "tough" is the mindset of most business owners.. sadly cutting your marketing is like pulling life support when your business is hurting.. a no no.. So those of us who aren't cutting back are making more because there are fewer firms advertising to compete.
3) With the doom and gloom in the news, and uneasy feeling with many consumers people are staying home to save money and not going out as much. nor are they traveling as much.. what this means is people are watching TV.and more importantly for us. they are on the web more than normal. so it is easier to reach people with web marketing..I'm building a collection of marketing methods and reviewing them to share with everyone for free in my marketing group. If you aren't in it - you're missing out.I am revamping this group but will reopen a limited time free registration very soon. SO STAY POSTED!!!
