7 Holiday Marketing Mistakes to Avoid...

Here are the top seven marketing mistakes fitness professionals make during the holidays:
 
1.  No marketing plan going into the holiday season. 
Your holiday marketing should have been planned at least a month ago, but now it's the holiday season, so what do you do? Take some time today to decide what you are going to do and offer for the rest of the holiday season. 
 
If it's just too late (and it's not too late), then start with a New Year focus. For 2014, set a marketing calendar at the beginning of the year that can serve as a blueprint for your marketing plans year round.
 
2.  No communications. 
Many personal trainers mistakenly think that offices are closed or people are too busy to be bothered. If you choose not to follow up with leads or prospects because it's a busy time of year, you're making excuses. Although the holiday season is hectic for most, for some businesses it's actually the slowest and they will be more receptive to your offer. If it's not the holidays, it'll be the New Year, or Spring break, then summer. Now is the best time to market precisely because so many fitness pros don't.   
 
3.  No holiday offers. 
People, for the most part, love the holiday season; they like to focus on gift giving, vacations and family time. So if you don't provide a holiday special or offer that helps them with those goals, you are doing them--and your business--a grave disservice. Any of your services can be marketed with a holiday offer or theme. Search online to see what other companies are offering; it might spark an idea or two for your business.
 
4.  Not sending holiday greetings to clients. 
These are people that have been loyal, bought from you and supported your business for months or year round; you need to let them know that you are not only thinking about them over the holidays but that you are grateful for their business. Take some time out of your day and hand write a holiday greeting card.
 
5.  Forgetting to ask how clients are doing. 
This is something that most fitness pros completely miss the boat on; they do not survey clients and prospects from the current year to see how they can improve in the future. How are you going to know what worked and didn't if you don't ask? If you keep doing what you have always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. 
 
Find out what worked and what didn't, look at your systems and your marketing, and then make improvements and enhance your current offerings. Offer a free gift or holiday discount to clients who take the time to complete your survey.
 
6.  No public relations. 
Many fitness professionals don't reach out to the media during the holidays because the fit pros are under the impression that media outlets shut their doors or are too busy to bother with new story ideas. This couldn't be farther from the truth. 
 
The media is always open and looking for the next great story or feature. If you can tie your story in with the season, all the better.  If you are doing a holiday fund raiser for a local charity and it's tied into your business, let the local news channels, newspaper and every other media group in your area know about it.  They generally love stuff like this and are looking for stories to cover such as yours.  
 
Never assume the answer is "no" without even asking.  Make them tell you "no" and if they tell you "no", move onto the next one until you get a "yes". 
 
7.  Not tapping into year-end budgets. 
There are thousands of companies that earmark holiday and year-end budgets--that money must be spent. These budgets are usually set prior to the holidays and focus on staff or client gifts and employee training as well as planning for the new year. 
 
What services can you offer to help them meet their budget and year-end goals?  This can help you plan and approach contacts with holiday offers.