After working with countless campaigns over the years, I've found that advertising for gyms, especially on Facebook, offers unique challenges and rewards. Recently, I wrapped up a successful three-year campaign for a local boxing gym. I wanted to share what worked, what didn't, and the key strategies I'd recommend to anyone looking to grow a fitness business with Facebook ads. While we also focused on local SEO, Google Maps, and Google Ads, I'll keep this discussion focused on Facebook ads, where most of the magic happened.
High-Quality Content and Frequent Refreshes
One of the biggest lessons I learned from this campaign is the importance of high-quality visuals. Investing in great videography paid off big time. I collaborated with a professional team to capture the essence of the gym, from intense boxing sessions to recovery routines. Once we had that footage, I kept reusing it—cutting, re-chopping, and refreshing the ads every few months. Keeping things fresh by changing the visuals or tweaking the copy every two to three months made a noticeable difference in engagement.
I took advantage of seasonal events or special offers with each refresh, such as discounted trials or challenges. However, I've found that ads can perform well without a specific offer, acting almost like a digital billboard. Think about it—people are scrolling on their phones, sometimes casually, and a striking gym ad can be that little nudge that reminds them to get in shape.
Knowing Your Audience and Dialing in Targeting
Targeting is another critical area I tested extensively. For this campaign, a 15-kilometer radius worked best to capture the local audience. Through trial and error, we found the 25- —to 45-year-old age group to be the sweet spot. People under 25 often didn't have the budget for a boxing gym membership, and those over 45 were less inclined to try high-intensity boxing. This age targeting allowed us to reach the most relevant group and significantly reduced wasted ad spend.
Organizing Content for Endless Variability
Creating "content buckets" has been my go-to tactic for campaigns like these. Each time we captured new content, I categorized it by theme—men's boxing, women's boxing, strength training, or recovery sessions. Each bucket served as a source of endless material, which I could repurpose into stories, reels, and posts. This method has allowed me to create fresh and relevant ads while consistently keeping costs low. A small budget boost on these posts goes a long way, especially with a solid call to action, like a "Book a Trial" or "Get Free Gloves."
Competitor Research and Inspiration
Studying competitors has been invaluable. I looked closely at ads from larger fitness chains and other successful boxing gyms early on. Using Facebook's Ad Library and examining their websites gave me a blueprint of what works in the industry. Seeing how other gyms present their copy, images, and offers helped me shape an approach that would appeal to our audience while standing out.
Building Trust with Reviews
Trust is crucial for any local business. Over the years, we built up around 150 positive Google reviews for this gym. This made a huge difference because, after seeing our Facebook ads, many people would search for the gym on Google to check reviews before deciding. Having that bank of positive feedback increased conversions and reassured new customers that they were making a good choice.
Efficient Lead Handling
Capturing leads directly on Facebook instead of sending users to a landing page proved effective. Facebook naturally favours ads that keep users within its ecosystem, which often means better cost efficiency and smoother user experience. Plus, I could include all the essential information directly in the ad for a local gym without creating a complex funnel page.
To handle leads effectively, I used tools like Zapier to instantly notify the gym through SMS or email whenever a lead came in. This helped the gym follow up promptly, a critical step in capitalizing on a lead's interest while it's fresh.
Adding Friction Questions to Filter Quality Leads
I implemented "friction questions" in the lead forms to ensure lead quality. Basic questions like "Have you ever boxed before?" or "What's your fitness goal?" filtered out less serious inquiries and improved lead quality. This tactic reduced the number of accidental clicks, like those late-night stumbles we've all had while scrolling. It led to fewer irrelevant leads, saving time and resources on follow-ups.
Testing Ad Formats and Keeping It Simple
Regarding ad formats, I always emphasize the importance of A/B testing. We ran ads with different calls to action, such as booking a trial or claiming free gloves. In a local campaign like this, I kept the strategy straightforward: rotating creatives every few months and trying combinations to see what resonated with the target demographic. By closely monitoring the cost per lead, I knew that once costs crept above $30, it was time to refresh the ads.
Sending leads to a landing page has its place in campaigns for complex services or high-ticket items. However, capturing leads directly on Facebook performed better for this boxing gym. Avoiding the extra step minimized friction and ensured interested people had a smooth journey. Plus, it bypassed potential browser issues or internet connection hiccups, which can impact conversion rates.
Wrapping Up: Lessons Learned
After three years of running Facebook ads for this boxing gym, I've found that success boils down to a few key strategies: creating high-quality content, regularly refreshing ads, and leveraging competitor insights. Combining these with targeted content buckets and thoughtful audience selection has driven consistent results and high-quality leads. If you're running a local gym campaign, stay flexible, analyze your data, and keep experimenting—because that's where the real growth happens.
