SOSTAC Framework

E-marketing is also known as web marketing, online marketing, or internet marketing. It is the process of marketing a product, place and service, through the use of internet. Along with the use of various social media sources, e-marketing also includes email and SMS. People are more inclined towards internet in today’s era so online marketing is the best way to approach people. Online marketing has various methods like, search engine optimization, social media marketing, email, SMS, blogging and many more. Nowadays e-marketing is the most used method of advertising. National sports campus engaged in various facilities that includes, gym, indoor athletic training centre, horse sports arena and many more.  Here in the report, focus is on to advertise the gym to increase its membership up to 50000, in Ireland. National sports campus is facing a drop off in gym membership, because a new gym opened in that area. So following research is all about to find out the hindrances that led to the fall out in the membership, and formulation of strategies that will increase the number of members in National sports campus gym.

Market analysis is all about to find out the factors that affect the functioning of the particular organization. Here, market analysis is conducted to find out the various factors that become the obstacle in the increment of membership of the gym situated in Ireland. Market analysis here is done through the SOSTAC framework. 

Situation analysis of the National sports campus gym is done through the SWOT and PEST analysis:

SWOT analysis 

Strengths:

Goodwill of the national sports campus is the biggest strength of the gym

Provide latest updated technology and equipment to its members

Larger operating hours of the gym

Trainers and personal instructors provide by the gym

Gym also has various fitness specialists

Weaknesses:

Charges higher membership fees for their services in comparison to its competitors

They are providing large array of facilities, so they can’t focus particularly on gym facility

Less methods of marketing is the biggest weakness

High turnover among staff

Less trained staff

Gym is unable to handle the peak hours traffic i.e. evening hours

Opportunities:

Regular interaction with the members or the clients aware you about the needs and demand of the customers

Analysing your competitor’s facilities, and try to provide those within your campus turns out to be an opportunity

Expansion of business through innovation

Threats:

Competitors are the biggest threat, and also the services they are providing, in case of national sports campus a newly opened gym attracts new members and becomes the obstacle in generating new membership for the national sports campus gym in Ireland

SWOT Analysis

Dynamic technological environment is also the biggest threat

Staffs can also a threat to the business

Movement of public towards other areas is also the threat to the firm

PESTLE analysis of the gym:

Political factors: Change in polices and taxes rate of the Ireland are the political as well as legal factors that affects the functioning of the gym. Inflation can’t be the reason of quitting the gym, as Ireland has the most stable inflation rate in the world.

Economic factors: Income and intention both will affect the gym activities in the country, as country is more inclined towards natural exercises, like yoga, running and many more. Fewer saving among the people is also the economic factor that affects the gym business of the national sports campus.

Social factors: Today’s generation is health conscious and very much affected by the health promotion programs, and these promotions forces generation towards performing natural exercises. Some of the health promotional programs guide to avoid the use of gym equipment. On the other hand, social media suggest people to go gym.

Technological factors: Advancement in technology attracts customers or members to gym, where music systems, TV, and calorie count gadget and many more attracts the customers.

Environmental factors: Climatic and whether conditions of the region also affects the business of the firm.

The only objective of the market plan is to increase the membership of gym up to 50000 till December 2018.

SMART OBJECTIVE ON THE BASIS OF CHAFFEY’S 5S’s (Net extra, 2017)

Sell: According to this, business wants to increase its sell; this can be done through interaction with customers.

Serve: According to this, business wants to serve its customers and wants to add value, through customer care service.

Speak: According to this, word of mouth plays a very important role in attracting customers, communicating with your existing customers or prospective customers on daily basis needed in every business. Saving of time and cost is very crucial in business, every business is looking for.

Save: To save time and cost is a one of the objective of the firm, this time can be used by the firm for innovation, improving their technology and their services.

Sizzle: Setting of goals is the aim of this S of Chaffey, goal to be settled that will sizzle. 

Strategies are formulated to achieve well defined objective of the firm, here in the report strategies are formulated to increase the membership of the gym up to 50000. Before going for strategy, identification of target market is must, strategies are formulated according to the target market.

PESTLE Analysis

Adults, kids and old people all of these required proper gym guide and exercises. So here target market is adults, as they are more inclined towards gym. Strategies are formulated on the basis of target market here.

Earlier National sports campus gym used to advertise through television, newspaper, billboards and magazines. Now there arise need to advertise through internet or e-marketing, because present generation is more inclined towards the use of internet.

E-marketing helps in reaching to those who are interested in gym; marketing to target market or targeted customers is the best way to attract prospects. E-marketing helps in making identity of the gym once again as before, and also makes the gym available at every place and apps through various methods of digital marketing.

Strategies that to be followed, on the basis of six p’s of e-marketing:

Product: Here in the report product is gym, national sports campus wants to promote its gym facility across the country. Product can be promoted when its specifications disclose to the public or to the target market, following are the specifications like, facilities, world’s best equipment, location, ranking, best trainers and many more (Chaffey and Smith, 2013).

Place: Place explains the location where services will be provided, here in the case of gym services are provided at the premises of the national sports campus. Flexibility in the hours, ability to handle people in peak hours can be better achieved through the place of the gym. Proximity of the gym to the population, conveyance facility is all covered under this P of e-marketing (Smart insight, 2015).

Pricing: Pricing factor of the product plays vital role in attracting or retaining clients or customers. According to this element of e-marketing, price should be quoted keeping in consideration the economy of the people (Duct tape marketing, 2016)

Precise: Positioning of the product is must in the mind of the customers or prospects, positioning of the product establishes the image of your product in the mind of the customer, that image always reminds the customer about your product (Linked in, 2016).

Personalized: Personalized services are all about customization of services i.e. according to the customer’s need and want. Trainers and instructors will give personalized services in case of gym (Entrepreneur India, 2018)

Profound experience:  According to this attractive design of the website optimizes the searching of the website and forces the viewers, prospects and customers to make website as their bookmark or add in their favourite list (Marketing for gym, 2017).

Chaffey’s 5S’s

All the above explained 6P’s of e-marketing are the foundation of promotional strategies. 

Tactics helps in the implementation of strategies that are formulated to achieve the well-defined objective. Tactics for promotion through e-marketing starts with the creation of official website or online page of the gym. To promote national sports campus gym foremost thing that has to done is, creation of website, then various e-marketing tools are used to promote this website or page, given below are the e-tools:

Various e-marketing tools

Search Engine optimization: This method of communication helps in ensuring the rank of national sports campus website among all websites, and will boost the searching of website in the country as well as in abroad (Marketing for gyms, 2018).

Content marketing: Regularly sharing of valuable information on fitness through content writing is the way of getting in touch with your customers and with prospects also.

Inbound marketing: This method of marketing combine content design, web design and various strategies to create sales funnel, which helps the firm or organization in guiding its audience, customers and target market. In case of gym target market is adults, as they results in soaring of membership through inbound marketing (Boost fitness marketing, 2018).

Social media marketing: Social media marketing is the marketing that can be done with the use of Facebook, Instagram, whatsapp, you tube and many other medium also. Promotion through these mediums can be done by sharing fitness posts, videos, images and results in connecting with our customers and future prospects (UHURU, 2015).

Stages of social media strategies:

• Increase the awareness among people
• Building of community
• Generate publicity among people (Fast Company, 2010).

Pay per click: It is the predictive and reliable way to attract the visitors from different corners of the world to the website of national sports campus Ireland. Pay per click can be done using Facebook natives and Google Ad Words, person who is engaging in pay per click will receive payment on the basis of traffic on website, more traffic on website clearly depicts the more viewers (Traffic salad, 2017).

Email marketing: Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach to the prospects through the use of email subscriptions, newsletter and various memberships, with the use of this medium of e-marketing national sports campus can easily promote its gym by offering discounts, knowledge about events and much other information (Forbes, 2017).

Actions are the plans that are needed to implement the tactics properly and efficiently, proper actions should be required to implement a strategy and action plans also manages and diagnosis the implementation of the plans, if something found improper will attract correction in action plan. Gantt chart is the most effective action plan that is used by organization for implementation of strategies or to diagnose their performance.

Six P’s of E-Marketing

GANTT CHART

Particulars	JAN	FEB	MAR	JUN	JULY	AUG	SEP
SEO
SME
EMAIL
SMS
INBOUND

Controlling is all about to monitoring the achievement of the objectives and goals of the organizations. It includes modification of tactics, if pre applied tactics did not result in achievement of objective i.e. increment in gym membership. Controlling also includes assessing or solving of problems identified.

Various techniques are used to measure the performance of the plan, these are market research, through questions, interviews, viewers on you tube and many more.

Web analytics is the another method which includes collection and analysis of data, related to traffic on website, it also includes finding out the most searched page on website, what are the most popular pages on internet .

Conclusion 

It is concluded from the above report that, there are various factors that led to the decline of membership of National sports campus gym in Ireland. National sports campus gym is more inclined towards traditional sources of communications, if they want to increase their reach to the target market; they need proper approach to the market. E-marketing is the only way that helps in approaching to the target market. E-marketing will definitely give better result and led to the flourishing of organization i.e. gym.

References 

Boost fitness marketing. (2018) 15 gym promotions & advertising ideas to increase gym membership. [online] Available from: https://boostfitnessmarketing.com/blog/15-gym-promotion-advertising-marketing-ideas-increasing-gym-memberships/ [Accessed 27/07/2018]

Chaffey, D and Smith, PR. (2013) E-marketing excellence: Planning and optimising your digital marketing. 4^thed. London: Rout ledge

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Entrepreneur India. (2018) Online marketing strategies. [online] Available from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/278923 [Accessed 27/07/2018]

Fast Company. (2010) Tactics & Tools & Strategies. [online] Available from: https://www.fastcompany.com/1664302/tactics-tools-strategies-five-steps-to-implementation [Accessed 26/07/2018]

Fitli. (2018). How your gym can use digital marketing to boost membership. [online] Available from: https://www.fitli.com/digital-marketing-boost-membership/ [Accessed 27/07/2018]

Forbes. (2017) eight proven fitness marketing strategies that get trainers more clients. [online] Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/06/23/eight-proven-fitness-marketing-strategies-that-get-trainers-more-clients/#61064a3e39e0 [Accessed 27/07/2018]

Linked in. (2016) 6 Ps of Digi-Marketing. [online] Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6ps-digital-marketing-frank-feather [Accessed 26/07/2018]

Marketing for gym. (2017) top 10 marketing for gyms. [online] Available from: https://www.marketingforgyms.com/top-10-marketing-tips-for-gyms/ [Accessed 27/07/2018]

Moon clerk. (2017) 16 great tips for gym marketing. [online] Available from: https://www.moonclerk.com/gym-marketing-examples/ [Accessed 27/07/2018]

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Net extra. (2016) the 5 S’s of internet. [online] Available from: https://www.netxtra.net/insights/why-the-fundamental-5-ss-of-internet-marketing-is-now-the-6-ss-of-internet-marketing [Accessed 27/07/2018]

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