Social media pro Britt Waters talks about the best strategies for social media marketing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of marketing for clubs, especially social media marketing. Given its ability to reach members and prospects when they’re not able to leave their homes, a strong social media marketing strategy is paramount for success.

In this episode of the Club Solutions Magazine podcast, host Rachel Zabonick-Chonko spoke with Britt Waters, the social media manager at VIDA Fitness in Washington D.C., on social media. They touch on social media engagement strategies, Britt’s favorite social media platforms and tools, and much more.

From the Conversation With Britt Waters:

• Being a Washington D.C. native, Waters saw VIDA Fitness locations everywhere she went. After applying to the club, she got the social media manager position at the start of 2020.
• In her position, Waters has implemented diversity initiatives, planned events and been involved with all marketing strategies.
• Because of how ubiquitous the internet is, Waters has developed a love-hate relationship with social media. Spending too much personal time on social media isn’t great for mental health, but from a marketing perspective, it’s a great tool for interacting with members.
• YouTube is Waters’ favorite social platform to consume content, while Instagram is her preferred platform for creating content.
• In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, VIDA’s social media engagement strategy has changed. Content creation used to be based on what was happening in the D.C. area, but now, it’s based on national news, events, etc.
  • For example, VIDA’s tweets about dancing classes will connect to “Dancing With the Stars” on the night the show is airing.
• VIDA has revamped the look of its social media marketing content to reflect the times — photoshoots feature people distancing and wearing masks, for example.
  • This strategy reinforces VIDA’s commitment to member safety.
• A successful marketing strategy for VIDA has been posting pictures of the club with the tagline, “This is your safe space,” along with statistics that show how safe the club is and the new precautions that have been implemented.
• While clubs should be evaluating ROI for social media marketing, some content is more fun and mostly for brand building. The aim with some content is to connect with members and boost engagement.
• It’s been difficult to determine the success of certain campaigns in 2020 because this year is not comparable to last year.
• VIDA recently changed its links and landing pages to show which specific platforms a lead or prospect came from.
• Don’t be afraid to try out free apps. Paid apps are often worth it, but chances are you can find a free app that will get the job done.
• All you need is a smartphone to create engaging video content. What members value is consistency and sincerity out of content, especially daily content.
  • Videos that don’t look professionally done can give a nice personal touch to your brand.
• Instagram Live (IG Live) popularity exploded when the pandemic hit. VIDA used this to its advantage, hosting a virtual diversity town hall in which community members, employees and the VIDA president and founder speak about current issues.
  • As a result, VIDA created a diversity and inclusion board.
• Use videos that are longer than one minute — Facebook and Instagram will push longer videos for your club because they want to keep people on the platform longer.
• Respond to comments in a human way. Don’t copy and paste responses, and be positive throughout the interactions.

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