Jody Merrill, owner of BTONE Fitness, opened her first (and second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth) studios to let people on
the East Coast experience the training methods she loved in California. As she's grown, she's started using MINDBODY,
and looked for other marketing platforms that drive in new customers who come back. And Nift lets her do that.
Nift is the only MINDBODY integration built to bring new customers through the door, and seamlessly lets those customers
sign up for classes and come in. Plus, using Nift and MINDBODY gives Merrill access to verified data about customer
spending, letting her see for herself that Nift customers do spend more than average customers.
“You know who's coming in to your studio,” Merrill says, adding, “I've definitely appreciated being able to attract certain demographics, and I find that selecting for a specific sub-group is really helpful, so we can see what they spend after their first visit, to see what's really working.”
Using Nift and MINDBODY together gives business owners like Merrill access to verified data about Nift customers. “As soon as someone with a Nift selects Btone, they create a MINDBODY profile,” Merrill explains. After that, Nift can track their repeat visits and spending. Since partnering with Nift, Nift customers have brought Merrill's business an additional $94k in revenue.
During the process of getting her first studio running, and thriving enough to be able to open an additional five studios, Merrill strives to find ways to bring customers through the door that won't cause Btone to lose its individuality. As she has grown, she's tried other marketing methods: "back in the day, it was a lot of Groupon and LivingSocial, but those don't attract the type of client we're looking for." Nift lets Merrill attract the right clients quickly and easily, so she can continue growing while including the neighborhoods she opens studios in.
“I drive by Btone in Lexington often, but have never considered taking a class
there until receiving the NIFT card. I'm so happy that I did!”
- Lisa M.
When trying to grow a business, Merrill advises, "You have to rely on the people who are really close by." Nift is the natural way for MINDBODY businesses to do that. Nift actually brings new customers through the door, and is hands-off addition to MINDBODY. "With the integration," Merrill says, "we're able to send Nifts as a thank-you whenever our customers buy memberships or a certain number of 30-day passes to give them a little kickback. And we almost always get thank-you messages on Facebook or by email when we do that." Using Nifts to get new customers, and to make sure her loyal customers stay loyal, helps Btone excel. "You want people to be able to open an email with a gift card and get a warm happy feeling," Merrill notes, "because that goes a long way."
Of all the business types Nift customers would like to discover, fitness is one of the most popular choices. Merrill has reaped the benefits—she’s welcomed over 3,000 new clients into her studios from Nift. "It's great, you want to be able to get clients who came from other businesses. There are so many different markets that can bring in clients from outside of your little world."
Not only has Nift brought Btone thousands of new customers, but almost 90% return and make repeat purchases. Nift customers aren't deal-seekers or bargain-hunters—they're people who will return more frequently than the average customer, and spend more. "I love Btone I’m hooked and go all the time now," Katie, one Nift customer, says.
"We usually have a lot of women signing up for classes," Merrill says, but with Nift, you can select preferences for types of clients, and Merrill uses Nift to attract the people who don't come in as often she selects for her gift to be shown exclusively to men, so she can have a more balanced clientele. Tyler B. said after his first class, "The class was intense! I definitely should have done an intro class before jumping in. Very enjoyable, great burn!"
When Jody Merrill and her husband were moving back to Boston from San Diego, she knew she had to bring the workouts that saved her from throwing her back out to the East Coast. "I knew no other studios like that existed here, and Btone was born." In the eight years since Merrill opened her first studio, she's opened five more, with more on the way. As her business has grown, she's used Nift to bring in new customers who could benefit from the same workout.
Merrill thinks she has been so successful because "we are constantly, engaging with new people." Since she's started using Nift, she's been able to engage with people in her area, as well as learn how to approach new markets: "Being able to get new Nift customers based on their work and home zip codes is great because you have to draw from both. And when I expand, I pick a new location using that information. It has to be accessible." Now that she has grown her business, and become a mentor for others, Merrill recommends Nift to business owners just starting out: "I feel like it's my duty to guide people the way others helped me. And I tell them Nift helps bring in like-minded people from areas you might never have gone to. You know that you're going to need the people around you."
FITNESS STUDIO
30 Newbury St. Boston, MA 02116
Are you a small business owner? Want to thank your best customers, get discovered by even more customers, and support local businesses? Give Nift a try. Email us at info@gonift.com to learn more.
www.gonift.com