Your gym/fitness club is unique. It has a special something that drew your members in when they could, presumably, just as easily gone somewhere else. Maybe it’s a piece of equipment you have that no one else offers, or your wide selection of weights. Maybe you offer something as extravagant as a 24/7 fitness hotline, or as simple as friendly customer service.

Whatever you do, two things are certain: one, your members appreciate whatever thing it is that you do different. Two, that you should take pride in your gym’s uniqueness!

Selling custom gear with your gym’s name and logo in your pro shop, and using it in your fitness classes, is a great way to show that pride. Plus it can provide benefits to your gym and even your members! Here are four key benefits that come from custom gear:

1: Marketing opportunity.

Once your members buy a piece of custom gear from you, they’ll invariably end up using it outside your gym. Take a logoed tank top, for example. Initially, they buy it to work out in. But then laundry happens (or doesn’t happen), and the tank is just so comfortable, and the colors on the tank look so good with their new shorts…

One way or another, they’ll end up wearing your logo to the store, to their friend’s birthday, on a casual coffee date, and so on. Everyone they see, will see your logo. This is free marketing!

2: Sense of community.

Many groups, whether sports teams or sports fans, military or schoolchildren, wear similar or matching clothing. This allows them to readily identify one another, provides a common ground, and creates a sense of unity.

This is a powerful retention tool. People are less likely to leave a gym where they feel like they are part of an established community.

You can take the sense of community a step further within your group fitness programs. For example, if your gym offers a Cardio Kickboxing or Boxing for Fitness program, you should sell boxing gloves in your pro shop. These gloves should definitely be customized with your gym’s logo!

3: Higher perceived (and actual) value.

There’s a reason that name-brand items have a higher price tag: they’re recognizable. A bag of Starbucks coffee beans will sell for more than the generic brand at your local grocery store. Because Starbucks is such a recognizable brand, people are willing to pay more for it.

This absolutely does not mean that you can take the cheapest, bottom-of-the-barrel products out there, slap your logo on them, and expect your customers to pay a premium.

Think of your logo as icing on the cake: you were already offering a great product, but you went an extra step to make it even better. Start with something that already has great benefits. As long as you continue only putting your logo on high-quality items, people will associate your brand with that quality!

4: More professional appearance.

Putting your logo on your gear is the equivalent of putting your signature on a contract or check. It’s your guarantee that you stand by the quality of your gear, enough that you’re willing to put your name on it.

You don’t have to put your logo on every single jump rope and five-pound dumbbell; however, most of your large equipment should be logoed. If you offer group fitness classes, any large equipment used there should be logoed – especially unique equipment that falls outside the scope of normal gym gear.

For example, if you offer a cardio kickboxing class that has participants work on freestanding punching bags, your logo should be on each bag, as well as on the gloves you offer for sale in your pro shop. By adding your logo to this gear, you’re showing that you are an authority on the subject and this fitness class.

You’ve worked hard to make your gym unique – make sure you’re showing it off! Century Martial Arts offers customization services on essential gear, including gloves, bags, and T-shirts. We’re happy to work with you as you continue to share the benefits of fitness. For more information on Century custom services, give us a call at (800) 626-2787.