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Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with many, many cheer gym owners. I’ve been getting questions almost on a daily basis from people who have either heard me speak at USASF Regional Conference, watched a recording of my presentation, or have taken part in any of my most recent Coaching Groups for owners.
It’s no secret that I see some major problems with the websites most gyms currently utilize as their lead generation tool on the internet.
Recently, I was speaking with an owner named Jodi about the content that does belong on her site Vs. what does NOT belong on her site. It was really an eye opening conversation for both of us
Jodi said, “this is the way ALL cheer gym websites work – what we tend to do is put lots of pictures of competitions, and some cool videos up there.”
I asked her about her conversion rates and the monthly return on her investment for her web based marketing…the silence was deafening.
What I told her was this:
“Your website SHOULD be used as a tool to generate new prospective members for your gym. I refer to that as a prospecting site. Everything on your prospecting site should lead the reader to take the step you want them to take – that step might be to opt in (and get something for free), or to pick up the phone and call you, or to get in their car and stop by your facility. ANYTHING ON YOUR SITE THAT DOES NOT DO THIS…DOES NOT SERVE YOUR PURPOSE – and may in fact be hurting your business.”
She then told me, “Ya know Jason, it just occurred to me that I’ve been using my site almost like a brag book so that people can see how great we did at all of the events – what you’re saying is that I’m basically spending time and money on a site to impress my competitors? That’s absurd…let’s fix that.”
Yes indeed, let’s fix that.
So, what actually should be on your prospecting site? Here are a few components, though I will say that there is a particular order and placement that makes each of these components effective.
1.) You absolutely, positively, MUST have a lead collector on your site. In my eyes, if you don’t, you’re leaving money on the table…every day. They are quite inexpensive and will help you to automate all of your followup and will actually reward you with extra time and sanity. Check out http://pw.aweber.com
2.) Headline vs. Header: If your site has some sort of enormous header with flashing pictures – it’s probably a very poor use of your “website real estate”. My suggestion is that you have a headline (something that actually lets the visitor know that your site is actually FOR THEM!) you can see one at http://www.AllStarCharacter.com Do you see what I’m talking about?
3.) Social Proof: also known as testimonials. Obviously, you’re supposed to say that your gym is the best – it’s YOUR GYM. What will truly be helpful is to have others singing your praises. I suggest implementing a few different systems to generate testimonials from athletes, from parents, from your staff, from your suppliers, etc. I actually developed a system to help business owners generate testimonials on a regular basis, and if you don’t currently have one – I strongly urge you to get one immediately.
4.) Persuasive Copy – It’s important to understand that your website has a job to do. That job is to help people understand the value and benefit that your gym brings to their lives. This “story” is told through what you say on your site. I’ve been writing web site copy for so long now, that it just seems to come out when i start writing. If you are unsure what to say to get people to understand how training at your gym will change their lives for the better…perhaps we should talk.
5.) Strong Call to Action – You must tell people exactly what to do. Don’t make them work too hard to figure out what the next step should be. Give it to them. If you want them to put their name and email address in the little box and click submit – TELL THEM. If you want them to pick up the phone and dial 555-555-5555 and ask to speak to Miss Stefanie – TELL THEM! Make it easy for them…and they’ll make growing your gym easy for you
6.) Appropriate Pictures – If your site is a prospecting site, that means that you will need for it to appeal to those who are NOT YET A PART OF THE CHEER WORLD. That being said, it’s imperative to ensure that the imagery that you include attracts those you want and repels those you don’t want. I often see images on cheer websites that make me feel uncomfortable (as a guy who has never participated in your sport). Examine with a careful eye, what you’re showing to people…seriously.
7.) Make an Offer and Guarantee It – Perhaps you want to offer a session with one of your coaches as an evaluation, or maybe you’d like to offer a month of free tumbling classes. Whatever you want to offer them…actually offer it! Then use some form of guarantee to let them know that you are really making them a risk free offer and will not be trying some sort of bait and switch when they show up. Can you guarantee something that’s free? Sure you can. I used to offer a Free Workshop (on a monthly basis), and let people know that at the end, if they could honestly tell me that they didn’t learn something fun AND valuable, that I would make a $20 donation to the Humane Society in their name. Either way, it was a win-win.
Alright – I hadn’t intended for this first blog post to be such a long one. There’s still a ton more to talk about regarding Prospecting Sites…and we haven’t even mentioned how to use a Members Area the right way for Student Retention and Profit.
Over the coming months, I look forward to sharing more and more information with you that is sure to help you to quickly, easily and ethically build your cheer business. Let’s make it happen!
Have a Powerful Day!
by – Jason M. Silverman (http://www.AllStarCheerSites.com and http://www.AllStarCharacter.com)
Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with many, many cheer gym owners. I’ve been getting questions almost on a daily basis from people who have either heard me speak at USASF Regional Conference, watched a recording of my presentation, or have taken part in any of my most recent Coaching Groups for owners.
It’s no secret that I see some major problems with the websites most gyms currently utilize as their lead generation tool on the internet.
Recently, I was speaking with an owner named Jodi about the content that does belong on her site Vs. what does NOT belong on her site. It was really an eye opening conversation for both of us
Jodi said, “this is the way ALL cheer gym websites work – what we tend to do is put lots of pictures of competitions, and some cool videos up there.”
I asked her about her conversion rates and the monthly return on her investment for her web based marketing…the silence was deafening.
What I told her was this:
“Your website SHOULD be used as a tool to generate new prospective members for your gym. I refer to that as a prospecting site. Everything on your prospecting site should lead the reader to take the step you want them to take – that step might be to opt in (and get something for free), or to pick up the phone and call you, or to get in their car and stop by your facility. ANYTHING ON YOUR SITE THAT DOES NOT DO THIS…DOES NOT SERVE YOUR PURPOSE – and may in fact be hurting your business.”
She then told me, “Ya know Jason, it just occurred to me that I’ve been using my site almost like a brag book so that people can see how great we did at all of the events – what you’re saying is that I’m basically spending time and money on a site to impress my competitors? That’s absurd…let’s fix that.”
Yes indeed, let’s fix that.
So, what actually should be on your prospecting site? Here are a few components, though I will say that there is a particular order and placement that makes each of these components effective.
1.) You absolutely, positively, MUST have a lead collector on your site. In my eyes, if you don’t, you’re leaving money on the table…every day. They are quite inexpensive and will help you to automate all of your followup and will actually reward you with extra time and sanity. Check out http://pw.aweber.com
2.) Headline vs. Header: If your site has some sort of enormous header with flashing pictures – it’s probably a very poor use of your “website real estate”. My suggestion is that you have a headline (something that actually lets the visitor know that your site is actually FOR THEM!) you can see one at http://www.AllStarCharacter.com Do you see what I’m talking about?
3.) Social Proof: also known as testimonials. Obviously, you’re supposed to say that your gym is the best – it’s YOUR GYM. What will truly be helpful is to have others singing your praises. I suggest implementing a few different systems to generate testimonials from athletes, from parents, from your staff, from your suppliers, etc. I actually developed a system to help business owners generate testimonials on a regular basis, and if you don’t currently have one – I strongly urge you to get one immediately.
4.) Persuasive Copy – It’s important to understand that your website has a job to do. That job is to help people understand the value and benefit that your gym brings to their lives. This “story” is told through what you say on your site. I’ve been writing web site copy for so long now, that it just seems to come out when i start writing. If you are unsure what to say to get people to understand how training at your gym will change their lives for the better…perhaps we should talk.
5.) Strong Call to Action – You must tell people exactly what to do. Don’t make them work too hard to figure out what the next step should be. Give it to them. If you want them to put their name and email address in the little box and click submit – TELL THEM. If you want them to pick up the phone and dial 555-555-5555 and ask to speak to Miss Stefanie – TELL THEM! Make it easy for them…and they’ll make growing your gym easy for you
6.) Appropriate Pictures – If your site is a prospecting site, that means that you will need for it to appeal to those who are NOT YET A PART OF THE CHEER WORLD. That being said, it’s imperative to ensure that the imagery that you include attracts those you want and repels those you don’t want. I often see images on cheer websites that make me feel uncomfortable (as a guy who has never participated in your sport). Examine with a careful eye, what you’re showing to people…seriously.
7.) Make an Offer and Guarantee It – Perhaps you want to offer a session with one of your coaches as an evaluation, or maybe you’d like to offer a month of free tumbling classes. Whatever you want to offer them…actually offer it! Then use some form of guarantee to let them know that you are really making them a risk free offer and will not be trying some sort of bait and switch when they show up. Can you guarantee something that’s free? Sure you can. I used to offer a Free Workshop (on a monthly basis), and let people know that at the end, if they could honestly tell me that they didn’t learn something fun AND valuable, that I would make a $20 donation to the Humane Society in their name. Either way, it was a win-win.
Alright – I hadn’t intended for this first blog post to be such a long one. There’s still a ton more to talk about regarding Prospecting Sites…and we haven’t even mentioned how to use a Members Area the right way for Student Retention and Profit.
Over the coming months, I look forward to sharing more and more information with you that is sure to help you to quickly, easily and ethically build your cheer business. Let’s make it happen!
Have a Powerful Day!
by – Jason M. Silverman (http://www.AllStarCheerSites.com and http://www.AllStarCharacter.com)
