Gymnastics may seem like a young person’s sport, but that doesn’t mean adults can’t join in on the fun. Gymnastics is fun for all ages, including older people. Although adults may not be able to practice advanced moves, it can still bring them enjoyment. Plus, a little research in Google Adwords shows that tens of thousands of U.S. residents search for adult gymnastics classes each month. Marketing for a gym must take into consideration that gymnastics can seem intimidating to adults. Making the decision to start a new activity is bold. But how do you get adults to even try out a one time beginner’s class? Here are four ways to nail gymnastics advertising to get adults to stop in to your next class.
1. Physical health benefits
As people get older, we tend to participate in activities that benefit us health-wise. We run to better our lungs, we swim to better our joints, and we do yoga to better our mind. Gymnastics can better our entire bodies. According to Jen Reviews article “11 Health Benefits of Gymnastics,” there are plenty of health conscious reasons why people should be in gymnastics. It makes us more flexible, creates better coordination, and can help you lose weight – those are just to name a few. By advertising these health benefits to adults, it might lure them in to try a one-time class. If you are able to prove to someone they should do something to better their health, they might try it out.
2. Bring out your inner kid
Who doesn’t want to go back to their childhood days, even just for once? Taking up gymnastics can bring up many feelings of nostalgia. It can make you feel very child-like by doing cartwheels, rolls, and jumps. With plenty of trampoline parks coming into business, it is easy to see why they attract an audience other than children. Adults want to feel youthful, and that may mean paying to jump around on trampolines for an hour or even taking up gymnastics.
With foam pits, jumping boards, and rope climbing it is easy to feel like you’re on the playground again. In a New York Times article about adults trying gymnastics, a women notes how much healthier she felt after two months, but the better part was feeling like a kid.
“Nothing else gives you that feeling of childhood possibility: that anything is possible.”
Advertising your beginner’s course as a way to bring out your inner kid is a good way to attract adults to stop by.
3. Meet new people
Many of us like meeting new people, and it can be harder to make friends as an adult. Sure, your coworkers may be your friends, but we all need separation from our work friends too. Attending activities outside of concerts or bars is a great way to find people who also share your same interests. Further, a big attraction to learning how to dance is the guarantee you will meet new friends. The same guarantee goes for gymnastics. It takes confidence to step out of your comfort zone to try something new, and knowing you have new friends doing it with you is a comforting thought. Explain to prospective students the joy of meeting people who are also trying gymnastics for the first time. It could ease their jitters about attending a beginner’s course.
4. Combat depression
Another great point that the Jen Reviews gymnastics article discusses is the direct link between depression and gymnastics. The article references a study where one-third of depressed participants focused on drug treatment, another group focused on exercise and drug treatment, and the last group focused on only exercise. It was discovered that the group who participated in only exercise found more long-term improvement because of natural psychological responses. Additionally, many studies have found that exercise can help with mood swings, stress, and irritability. Using these studies to target adults with depression is a great way to invite a new audience in. Adults with depression want an outlet from their anxieties and emotions, and you can provide them that with a great gymnastics class.
Encouraging adults to try something new is hard. Encouraging them to try something with flips and jumps is even more difficult. Approaching gymnastics advertising in a practical way can be the key to inviting adults into your beginner’s course. Remember to take things slow and always be supportive, no matter how slow their journey is!