Direct Mail Campaign Spotlight: Life Time

In this post you will find a complete breakdown of a 2017 Life Time direct mail campaign. It will cover the campaign front to back and at the end of the post you will find takeaway ideas!

Mailed: December 2017

Marketer: Life Time

Pre-sales marketing is a crucial step for any new fitness club to be successful. You want to create excitement and word-of-mouth in your target area, build credibility for your brand, and solidify your entire team’s expertise before a single customer works through the front door of your facility.

This direct mail campaign was mailed by Life Time, a chain of fitness clubs with 128 locations around the U.S. and Canada. The company recently dropped “Fitness” from its corporate name to reflect a wider positioning of the company as a premier fitness experience brand.

The brochure, printed with a soft-touch finish, measures 12-1/4”x9-1/4” and was mailed to generate leads ahead of the opening of a new Life Time in suburban Philadelphia. “Discover Life Time Athletic Ardmore” reads the headline on the cover, which shows two smiling women against a background with lots of white space.

Inside, 18 spreads are used to make the case for a prospect to consider joining the upscale fitness center. Here’s the copy from the inside cover: “Welcome to Life Time and Main Line’s most spectacular, luxurious club. Our Suburban Square location offers boutique-style programming, motivating experts to help you achieve your dreams, and well-appointed surroundings to make you feel cared for, healthy and happy.”

On the pages that follow, Life Time promotes itself as a destination that offers a variety of activities and programs. But the focus is not on the building, rather, “It’s all about the people … People like you who have goals, and the people at Life Time who are excited to help you reach them.” Images show individual and group training and emphasize the many available options, like cardio, strength, martial arts, yoga, Pilates, dance, and cycling.

The mailing also highlights Life Time’s spa and children’s services, as well as its café, for healthy eating. And in line with a recent trend in fitness offerings, it also showcases a coworking space, Life Time Work, that gives members another reason to spend more of their daily lives at the club.

A call-to-action appears at the bottom of every page spread, directing prospects to a local phone number and website.

If you missed the last direct mail campaign spotlight, check out MetLife’s Ideas In Action here!

Ideas In Action

• Don’t be timid with the size of your direct mail! A larger brochure, postcard, or self-mailer (even if it’s folded) can make an impact in your prospect’s hands.

• Show people in your marketing photos! Regardless of what products or services your business sells, studies show that prospects connect better with images of real people.

• Use a soft-touch finish to add tactile appeal to your printed direct mail piece.