Despite the troubles of the last two years, it’s still a great time to be involved in the fitness industry. The year 2021 has witnessed a grand recovery from the the pandemic enforced disruption with up to 50% increase in gym goers. In fact, the global gym industry is worth over $87 billion in 2021 alone, with more than 64.19 million Americans having club memberships powering the gyms and fitness centers across the country. That’s about 1 in 5 Americans going to the gym, exercising, and lifting weights day in and day out. Additionally, there are over 32,270 gyms across the US, and around 173,178 Personal Fitness Trainers currently employed. With such a competitive industry, membership loss sounds quite alarming, and companies and individuals really need to step up their marketing game in order to attract and maintain new clients.
How does this relate to AR Business cards you ask? Here’s 6 ways in which you can use AR business cards to grow your business and increase your revenue.
How do AR business cards differ from traditional business cards?
AR business cards looks exactly like a regular business card, but the real twist here is that when a viewer scans the QR code on the card using their smartphone camera, their phone will light up with a digital 3D experience that displays text, links, media, or whatever else you want, hovering on or around your physical card. This allows the viewer to quickly learn about the business and access the contact information on the card.
1. Differentiate Your Brand
In the fitness industry, you’re up against stiff competition. There are more than 32,000 gyms in the US, while tech companies spend billions on ads to keep their e-bikes or online classes relevant in a post-pandemic world. This is precisely why it is so important to advance a personal or unique brand that will stand out to clients. After all, people like supporting other people instead of big corporations, and if they see a bit of themselves (or their aspirations) in your personal and aesthetic style, they’re more likely to choose you over the competition. AR Business cards give you a way to demonstrate your demeanor, aesthetic, and approach to fitness with an interactive holographic experience of you speaking or doing an exercise, helping people to remember you and identify your style. In fact, a study showed that brands are 41% more likely to be considered if they have a branded AR experience.
2. Turn Your Business into a Community
In a growing industry like fitness, companies need to engage with their customers in order to stay motivated and on track. A 2014 study showed that 63% of boutique studio users attend for the “community aspect”.
With a simple AR card, companies can establish effective and easy ways for clients to access your fitness community and communicate with everyone. They would also allow you to provide customizable experience by having links that include: FAQs, short informative videos, links to various blogs and articles, and social media outlets. This way, customers will be supported in and out of the gym, and they will carry your brand with them wherever they go.
3. Use the Power of Referrals
Not only do customer referrals increase your clientele, but they also create a virtuous cycle that fosters trust and growth, since customers are 4x more likely to engage with a business when it’s recommended by a friend. Once your referral engine is churning, more and more clients will be attracted to your business at a low to no cost. Adopting a high-end, low-cost AR technology in your brand can make the referral process simple and effective. By scanning the QR Code on the back of the card, users can save and share a packet of information that includes phone number, email, social media, etc. The snowball of referrals is only one tap away, so you don’t have to worry about typos when they copy your info or any of that.
4. Launch a User-Friendly Campaign
Having a strong, well-managed virtual presence is necessary. There is a simple rule when it comes to campaign success — if you want your clients to use your platform, you need to make it user-friendly. The SOASTA’s Website and Mobile App Survey revealed that 88% of Americans have negative feelings about brands with poorly performing websites and mobile apps. Another survey revealed that 86.66% of smartphone users had scanned a QR Code at least once, and 46.81% of respondents agreed that QR codes make life easier in a touchless world.
The good news is that with AR Business cards, launching a user-friendly campaign is easier than ever. After scanning the card, clients can view subscription options, membership information, and contact information with a few clicks. This way, you can launch a high-tech campaign from the comfort of your office, even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy.
5. Personalize Your Client’s Experience
Consumers are constantly exposed to content, and no customer wants to feel like just another number in the market of advertisement and profit-making. For example, 90% of leading marketers say personalization significantly contributes to business profitability. Additionally, there seems to be an increasingly developing relationship between XR, fitness, and sports industry. In fact, companies like PhotonLens are creating AR headsets for many fitness applications, such as boxing, ping pong, and yoga. And mobile services companies are partnering with multiple sports leagues in order to incorporate AR technologies to create immersive experiences of their games. By including a short greeting video on your AR business card, along with the great customizable digital experience, your personalized marketing will enable you to get a more relatable and relevant message across to your clients.
6. Do Right by Your Brand
Behind every strong brand is a strong campaign, and a small 3.5 x 2.0" business card is only going to fit 3-7 words of this campaign. However, with the novel 3D business cards, you can completely forget about the space limitations and include as much campaigning language as you want. Additionally, this content can come in any format you want, whether it’s a photo gallery of your gym or practice, a video, a link to a tour of your gym, or even your very own elevator pitch– your client will have it on a small piece of paper wherever they go!
Remember that the fitness market is all about creating a transformative experience for the existing clients, so they would stay motivated to keep coming back and spread the word about your business. Even if your marketing budget is not that high, AR business cards are a cost-effective way to show your customers that you care about them, effectively showcase your brand, and significantly increase your revenue. Moreover, AR cards allow you to showcase your personal aesthetic style in an attractive and professional way. After all, in a highly competitive industry like fitness, all you need to do is stand out!