Using Groupon and Facebook to Build Relationships

Gyms…I have been a member of at least seven gyms over the last 12 years and I lost interest in all of them after a short period of time.  I was always searching for one that met my needs but I couldn’t quite figure out what was missing. So, I kept looking. I couldn’t put my finger on the problem but I never felt at “home” in any of the facilities.

But I stumbled on what I had been missing, thanks to a Groupon deal. A gym in Lutz, Get a Grip, has totally changed the way I see a gym in this day and age. I decided to take advantage of a Groupon promotion and try this gym out about a year ago. The deal came with a 21-day workout and meal plan….why not?

As soon as I walked through the door and introduced myself, I knew I had found a home. While I really enjoyed the workout, that isn’t what set Get a Grip apart from other facilities. The owner of the gym, Carrie Kukuda, went around to every sweating body, giving us all “high fives” and calling us by name. That’s right! She knew my name on the first visit. I immediately thought, “Wow, I’ve never seen this before.”

On the way home, I noticed that there were no signs by the road advertising the gym. No big flags out in front. No one waving a sign to come to this gym. The only marketing I could see was word of mouth and this Groupon promotion.

After my first visit, I was added to the private Facebook page. I found that people really used this site to encourage each other, share their struggles or concerns, and even provide recipes. And each day, Carrie, displayed encouragement, feedback, and just walked with people as they worked on becoming healthier.

From my standpoint, Get a Grip is using social media at a whole new level to connect with customers. They found the secret to marketing through social media. This savvy owner used it as a tool to connect on a personal level – to build relationships.

Many businesses have Facebook but fail to utilize its full potential. There are numerous social media platforms that businesses can use to connect with their customers. The key is finding which one your customers use the most. For this gym a private Facebook page has connected men and women all throughout Hillsborough County and brought them together as one big family.

So, if you’re in business, pick a social media platform and create a following that takes your business to the next level by building relationships online.

[blog_list thumb=”medium” showposts=”1″ post_content=”full” category_in=”338″ disable=”image,meta,more”]