Is your health club on the internet?

Is getting a website built and promoted one of those items on your to do list that just keeps getting put off week after week, month after month?

Move it up on your to do list right now! Having a website and autoresponder system is the best thing you can do for your gym. It is an automatic, inexpensive, and effort free way to attract a lot of new prospects and eventual members. The process may seem confusing at first but it is actually quite simple when you break it down:

Find examples of websites you like. No web developer should ever copy exactly a website you like, but you should be able to tell them, "I like the layout of this one, the colors from this one, the pictures from this one, etc." Then they should be able to create a website to your liking based on what you tell them you like and dislike about other websites.
Write your content and decide on the tools you want included on your website. Don't forget your autoresponder! Aweber is probably the best autoresponder system out there and is less than $20/month.
Create a website. We advocate paying a web developer to do this, but you can also do it yourself if you choose through a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) website development product. There are hundreds of thousands of web developers in the country and in the world. Or you can post your project on a freelance site such as www.guru.com or www.elance.com. Another good possibility is www.NRGwebsites.com. They are an all-inclusive web development and hosting service specifically for independent gyms and clubs. They don't charge anything up front and do everything on this list for you.
Find a domain name. As a rule of thumb, any domain ending in .com is better than any of the other extensions (.net, .biz, etc). Make sure it is easy to remember, applicable to your fitness business, short in length, and available. Find out if your domain name is available by going to www.1and1.com or www.hostmonster.com or any of the hundreds of domain registrars available. You can typically purchase rights to a domain name for under $9 per year. Post on the discussion board the names you are considering and there will be plenty of people to help you find the perfect name.
Buy a hosting package. Typically whichever of the above domain registrars you utilize for your domain name, you can buy a hosting package through. You can typically host a website for under $100 per year. Hosting a site simply means renting space (bandwidth) on the world wide web.
Your host will walk you through how to get your website live on the Internet. Or whoever you hire as your web developer will be able to do it for you. Once your website is created and domain name selected, it only takes a few hours to go live on the Internet. That means, if you hire someone this week to develop your website, they could have it ready within a week or two and you will be live on the web!

So no more excuses. Get your website built asap! It is a lot of fun to promote your business on the web, but more importantly it will give you credibility among current and future members and allow you to have a virtual marketing team working for you around the clock.