How We Earned a Melbourne Gym $250k in Less Than A Year

How this Melbourne gym was able to get 254 new members, getting them back to capacity after a tough few years. 

The Brief

Simple. This nationally recognised gym franchise needed new members. After a very difficult period following lockdowns they were eager to fill their books again, so they turned to Impactiv8 to help them.  

The Challenge

We needed to bring qualified leads into the gym at the best rate. 

They had tried Facebook Ads in the past and had some very average results. It definitely wasn’t a great first experience, but they were gym owners after all, not digital marketers. 

Still, as an agency, we know the power of Facebook Ads and how important they are for generating leads and creating demand. We convinced them to give Facebook and Instagram Ads a try once again, and enthusiastically got to work on this challenge. 

How We Did It

We’re about to go into our tactics in some depth here, as a lot of our audience like to dive deep. But for those that just want to skip to the results, feel free to click here. 

Month 1

To begin with, we tried an approach that focussed on different ads for audiences at different stages of awareness. We used tight targeting around fitness and created ad copy that spoke to each of our ideal audiences, all based on our research and customer avatars that we develop for each client. 

We created videos, carousel ads and images to support the campaign using the current images and videos that the client provided so that we could get started straight away and do some initial testing. 

The cost per thousand impressions (CPMs) were sky high and the click through rate was well below our KPIs. 

Across that first month (March 2022), we had 31 leads for the month at a cost of $53 each. It wasn’t a big success and we knew we could do better with more time to create better offers, as well as creative that was more likely to convert.  

Month 2

Across the following month, we worked with the client on a range of offers with appropriate images and videos to match each offer, which we then tested. We tried a range of different angles, including:

• Using an ebook download
• $230 worth of welcome gifts
• A prize winner that would win a grand prize from each new lead, awarded each month
• First 10 days free
• First month for $5

We honed in on the best performing offer and the results were an improvement. By now we were getting a better understanding of the account and were able to get 38 leads at a cost of $36.91 each. 

Good, but still not great. 

Month 3

We were certain we could improve the results further. Armed with some learnings from the account, by month three, we adapted the strategy. 

Leaning into Facebook’s algorithm, we adjusted our approach and we made a few big changes:

• We changed our targeting to be broad, rather than focussing on specific niches
• We focused on a 7km radius around the gym site
• We consolidated all the campaigns into one to preserve the learnings 
• We reduced the number of ad sets within the campaign
• We featured a range of images that represented the gym’s ideal avatar in one ad set
• We switched from polished, professional looking ads to native style content

We changed our approach too since, we’re more likely to be selling:

so our messaging and creatives changed too. By this time we had also started to receive some compelling user generated content that we were able to compile and incorporate into our campaigns. 

 The results were immediate. 

We got 120 leads for $13.07 each, with almost the same ad spend as the previous month, blowing the results out of the water. 

The client was ecstatic. 

But we weren’t done there…

Month 4

We further refined the strategy so by June we were getting the client 130 leads per month at a cost of $11.71 each. They had to take on more staff because of all the new members that signed up. 

The Results

During the first four months of working with this client, we helped them gain 637 leads, and we didn’t stop there! We’re continuing to work with this client to refine their offers, develop creative that converts and provide a steady stream of new leads to the business that they are converting into customers. This gym is continuing to increase their profitability month-by-month as a result of working with Impactiv8.

Based on the client’s own figures, they’re on track to make $246,3787 from the leads we generated for them. And all this was achieved from $14,822.91 in ad spend, which represents a massive 16.6x return on ad spend.

That means for every dollar they spent on advertising, they saw approximately $16 back in revenue. 

It’s just another example of Impactiv8 providing outstanding results for our clients and another happy customer on the books. 

The Lesson

The takeaway is simple here. Whilst the tactics have evolved, it’s still very possible to get results by advertising of Facebook and Instagram. If anyone has told you that “Facebook Ads don’t work anymore”, it’s likely the problem is their approach, not the platform.

The results didn’t come immediately. It takes time to be able to test and refine the strategies and techniques in order to deliver results like this. When we work with clients like this that have faith in the process and are able to work with us to provide quality assets that we can use in our digital marketing campaigns we can achieve great things.