Take Inspiration from Gymshark: Implement Your Marketing Strategy Without a Big Budget
It often feels like marketing is going to be an uphill climb, especially for small businesses struggling to manage budgets but feeling the need for growth. But success doesn’t always have to come from massive budgets or large teams. Even homegrown brands like Gymshark, for example, which was founded in a small UK garage—have identified ways to think big and punch above their weight.
But Gymshark has become a powerhouse in the world of fitness through the implementation of smart, strategic moves that any business of any size and with any resources can make. Here is how you can adopt the play from the Gymshark playbook to raise your marketing effort.
1. Build a Community, Not Just a Customer List
What Gymshark Did:
Gymshark focused less on selling fitness apparel and more on building a loyal community. They leveraged what most mattered to their core audience—fitness, health, and community—to build a brand that feels collective, personal, and approachable.
How You Can Do It:
What works with small businesses is resonating with your target audience on shared values. Consider ways of building community around your brand: Interact on social media with your audience, share customer success stories, or hold events in your locality. Prioritise connections above transactions.
2. Influencer Marketing That Fits Your Budget
What Gymshark Did:
Early on, Gymshark leveraged influencer marketing in such a way that it worked with influencers in the fitness arena who would appeal right to its target audience. This created credibility for the brand and helped reach out to people organically.
How You Can Do It:
You don’t need big names. Think of working with micro-influencers or local personalities who are very active within your industry or niche. This is often more effective, engaging, and cost-effective to help build trust.
3. Create a strong and memorable brand identity.
What Gymshark Did:
Gymshark has cohesive branding across mediums—from its website to social media. Its look, messaging, and tone are cohesive and immediately recognisable.
How You Can Do It:
Consistency is key to branding. For yourself, really consider what sets your brand apart: your logo, colours, and tone of voice should be recognisable everywhere regarding this topic.
Our Take:
At Lincolnshire Marketing, brand identity is how we shine. Want to rebrand entirely, or just clean up the details? We can help you craft a cohesive brand identity that speaks to your audience.
4. Creating Engaging, Shareable Content
What Gymshark Did:
Engagement is at the centre of Gymshark’s content strategy. Whether it’s sharing workout tips or motivational stories, its posts are designed to be on the same page as their audience and drive shares.
How You Can Do It:
Share something of value to your audience—be it a tip, a story, or even a how-to—that helps solve their interests. Use formats, such as videos, infographics, and carousels, to make visually appealing and shareable such posts.
Our Take:
Watch our video below how how to “Unlock Your Business Potential” to gain a better insight to winning content marketing strategies.
5. Customer Focus—Engagement and Feedback
What it did:
Gymshark is responsive to customer queries, taking the responses from customers into the potential development of its product range. This keeps customers satisfied and cultivates loyalty among them.
How You Can Do It:
It might just be through a straightforward, honest reply. Reply to comments, reviews, and messages as this shows the customer that you appreciate their insight. Consistency in this form of engagement brings about loyalty; it keeps your customers coming to you.
Our Take:
Not sure how to amplify customer engagement? The CRM system at TomCRM can help you encompass your work in one place. Managed by Tom at Lincolnshire Marketing, TomCRM makes tracking feedback and responsiveness so much easier.
Practical Tips to Take Your Marketing Further
• Find Your Community’s Voice: Speak to what your audience cares about, whether that’s through social media, blog posts, or email newsletters.
• Tap into Local Partnerships: Partner with micro-influencers or local businesses to extend your brand’s reach in your community.
• Keep Your Branding Consistent: That means each interaction with your brand is cohesive and even feels similar, from directly viewing your website to social media.
• Create Visual, More Engaging Content: Use storytelling, visuals, and educational posts as an easy way to make any content much more shareable and memorable.
• Engage Actively: Respond to every customer’s feedback, never leave the message unresponded
Taking examples from the likes of successful brands such as Gymshark, it does not necessarily mean that to market well, you must break the bank. Community building, consistent branding, entertaining content, and responsible customer service—the actual drivers of a loyal customer base—are just what will further strengthen your brand.
Need help getting started? Reach out to Tom and the Lincolnshire Marketing team to discuss how we can tailor these strategies to fit your business.
