Marketing vs. Word of Mouth

There seem to be two groups of CrossFit box owners and CrossFitters, those who view themselves as “purists” and the “newcomers”. There are a few ways to differentiate between these people including hearing “I remember what went down at Aromas” but more importantly “I don’t do marketing, only word of mouth”.

While word of mouth marketing is an extremely effective way to grow your CrossFit affiliate, it is unreliable to say the least. Providing clients with the best possible experience while in your box should always be a priority, however, neglecting additional sources of marketing solely for the purpose of being a “purist” or “living the code” would equate to knowingly turning away revenue. And no smart business owner turns away a potential client.

In the current digital age, some forms of advertising are very close to word of mouth marketing and thus you may not be selling your soul to the globo gym gods by be present in those areas. The easiest way to enter the marketing arena is to take advantage of a platform that you are almost certainly already using.

Your CrossFit affiliate already has a Facebook page, you make updates regularly, post photos and engage current clients with stimulating conversation. It is very easy to set up Facebook Ads which will simply drive more people in your exact geographic location to your page or website. Here are the steps:

1. Search Facebook for Ads Manager
2. Create an Account
3. Design the Ad
4. Decide on best geography and possible interests
5. Post the Ad

The five steps above may seem simple but they can be extremely effective. In the next post we will cover the best way to design a Facebook Ad.

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