Brands Winning at Franchise Marketing: Anytime Fitness

In the 16 years since the company was founded, Anytime Fitness has grown rapidly and consistently, establishing more than 4,000 locations in markets across 20 countries and spreading near-ubiquitous brand awareness that has made theirs one of the most iconic names in health and fitness.

That growth has earned the fitness brand an enviable showcase of awards and press mentions from outlets including Forbes, which ranked Anytime Fitness fifth in their list of “Best Fitness Franchise in America,” 14th in their list of “America’s Most Promising Companies” in 2013 and seventh in their “Fast and Furious” list in 2014. More recently, Entrepreneur named Anytime Fitness the number-one “Top Global Franchise” in 2015 and 2016.

Those high marks are the result of an aggressive yet measured growth strategy that has allowed Anytime Fitness to build successful units in every market it has entered.

Key to that strategy is partnering with the most sophisticated franchise owners, a notoriously challenging pursuit for every franchisor. 1851 talked to Jake High, Senior Sales Marketing Manager for Self Esteem Brands, Anytime Fitness’s parent company, to learn how the franchise continues to find strong franchisee partners in every market.

1851: What are some of the ways Anytime Fitness markets to prospective franchisees?

High: We reach prospects primarily through digital channels. We use Facebook, paid search and our development website. Those tactics are supplanted with selective print advertising in major publications such as Entrepreneur.

1851: What are Anytime Fitness’s key points of differentiation from other workout concepts, and how are those points communicated to prospects through marketing?

High: Anytime Fitness gyms are typically smaller than other gyms. That means our gyms have lower operating costs and require fewer members to reach profitability. Our gyms succeed because our owners care about our members and provide tools and support to help them reach their fitness goals.

We communicate those features through design and copy that speaks to specifically to prospects who are passionate about fitness and helping people, and not just financial rewards.

1851: Has Anytime Fitness’s approach to franchise marketing changed in the past five years? How and why?

High: We have increased our focus on digital dramatically. This has enabled us to put systems in place that refine and improve our digital tactics. We have moved away from portals and increased our focus on our own digital channels. Content marketing is also increasingly becoming an important part of our marketing strategy.

1851: How does Anytime Fitness tailor its marketing to attract qualified franchise investors?

High: To make sure we are narrowing our leads to only investors who have the capital to invest, we make clear and conspicuous mentions of our minimum capital requirements. In terms of finding investors who align with our values and mission, we craft the content we produce to focus on topics that resonate with our target profiles.

1851: Does Anytime Fitness market to existing franchisees to promote expansion?

High: Yes, but primarily through incentives which we offer to our top performers, rather than traditional marketing campaigns.