ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO REBRAND YOUR GYM

Does your brand (your business name) represent what you do? Have you considered creating and owning your own brand? Or are you convinced that you need to rebrand and aren’t sure where to start?

Before you do, know that rebranding a business is a slow-ish process. Trying to rebrand or co-brand overnight is a bad idea.

Step 1: Consider first what you want your brand to say and do for you.

Step 2: Create a plan outlining how you will transition over to this new brand.

*Note: Your brand doesn’t have to immediately redirect to a completely new business. You can establish and reinforce your new brand materials before you make a full switch to a new business ‘name’.

Be aware that: URL, SEO, email addresses, website links, CRM funnels, past content, etc all need to be updated before you completely ‘pull the plug’ on your old brand.

If you’re looking to rebrand, here are some simple concepts and tips from branding expert Boris Kezic of Metcon Creative:

Concept 1: Understand Consumer Purchasing Decisions

Recognize the way consumers make purchasing decisions today. Having a polished, well thought out brand used to be optional when most people first opened their gym. This is no longer the case.

It’s important to keep in mind that people buy brands, not just products or services.

People want to feel good about training at your gym versus someone else’s. They want to spend their money, time and energy with companies who share their values and make a positive impact on the world. 

Your Brand needs to encompass your values and your impact on people you work with (and those surrounding them).

If you’re rebranding, this is something you need to keep front of mind.

Concept 2: Beyond a Name and a Logo

It’s easy to think a brand is just a name and a logo, but it goes way beyond this. In fact, it goes beyond your training program or methodology. It’s about telling a story.

“Rebranding is about looking at your business and bringing forward those things that make you special beyond coaching, programming and facility,” says Boris Kezic, who has been a branding expert for 18 years.

He added: “The correct way to think about rebranding is that you’re not just making a new logo. You’re creating a captivating new experience for your current and prospective clients.”

A great way to understand this concept is to look at the brands you love, and make a list of what you like about them.

“It’s often more how a brand makes you feel than simply how it looks. It’s important to create this for your gym,” he said.


Tip 1: Don’t Ditch Everything you Used to be

Take a good look at your brand and decide what’s working and what’s not. Keep what’s working and refine it, and ditch what’s not serving your business anymore.

Start with three lists:

List 1: Things to Ditch

Write down absolutely everything that’s not coming on the new brand ride. (Sometimes it’s easier to figure out what you don’t want, before you can see what it is that you do).

  • Part or all of your business name
  • Part or all of your logo
  • Intimidating or aggressive language
  • A ‘We are Better than Them” tone
  • Bland or generic language
  • Part of all of your Mission Statement
  • Illegible font

List 2: Things I Want

  • Consistency
  • The ‘cool’ factor you see in other brands but never your own
  • A more inclusive brand
  • The ability to make good-looking social media posts
  • Knowing what to write in a blog post (key messages)
  • Knowing your ideal client 
  • Having merchandise that people don’t want to take off

List 3: What I Need to Make that Happen

  • Name
  • URL - redirect at first
  • Email addresses
  • Logo
  • Brand colors
  • Signage
  • Update: website language, fresh paint, photography, merchandise
  • etc…

Once you have these 3 lists, you have the ability to take action towards your new brand.


Tip 2: Define Your Mission

Take the time to script out your mission, your vision and your values.

Define your ideal client:

  • Age
  • Demographic
  • Pain points
  • Needs
  • Wants

This will form the basis of your brand’s identity. How everything looks, sounds and feels is going to be designed to communicate your values and attract your ideal client.


Tip 3: Clear and Consistent Values

Like fitness and nutrition, consistency is key.

“This is the visual aspect, where your logo, colors, fonts, marketing materials, merchandise and space come to life,”  Boris said. “Everything needs to look like it’s part of the same family. People need to be able to recognize that it’s ‘GYM XYZ’ at a glance, without having to be told.”

Think of your Brand as saying the same thing over and over and over. It has to look, feel, and read the same way EVERY TIME. 

This isn’t the same as repeating yourself. Instead you are repeatedly directing your client and potential clients’ attention to what you stand for, what you do, and what that means for them. 

Eventually they will see your ‘brand’ - color, logo, filter, etc - and recognise that message every time.


Bonus Tip: Create a Brand Manual

Think of this as a ‘how-to guide’ to work within your brand, so that when you, one of your coaches, or someone else you hire sits down to makes an Instagram post or writes copy on the website, they will know exactly how to execute it in line with your brand’s new look and feel.

This will help ensure the integrity of your brand and make it easy for everyone on your team to be on brand.

If you found this article helpful and would like to see exactly how these types of strategies could improve your sales and dramatically increase your revenue on a consistent basis,

Keep Reading

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