With so many brands competing across social media platforms, standing out takes more than just showing up. It takes a focused social media strategy, consistent content formats, and campaigns that actually connect with a target audience.
This case study walks through one of our success stories: how we partnered with Sweat and Tonic, a high-end fitness studio, to raise brand awareness, grow their following, and increase engagement across multiple social media channels. From creating content that resonated to driving impressive results in digital marketing, here’s how it all came together.
Company Overview
Initial Vision and Product
Sweat and Tonic launched in 2019 with one clear goal: to bring together the best of fitness, wellness, and community under one roof. Set in Toronto’s historic Ryrie Building, the original concept combined high-energy group fitness with modern recovery services and social, tech-savvy lounge space. With yoga, Pilates, HIIT, Ride classes, and a sleek aesthetic that catered to detail-oriented guests, S&T wasn’t just a gym—it was a full lifestyle experience. From the beginning, the aim was to create a place where people could sweat, recover, and connect in a setting that felt elevated, welcoming, and energizing.
Success and Growing Pains
The concept resonated. S&T quickly became a standout in Toronto’s boutique fitness scene, attracting a loyal base of members who were drawn to its polished vibe and variety of offerings. As demand grew, the team expanded services—adding infrared saunas, massage therapy, and wellness amenities—and eventually opened new locations in Toronto and Los Angeles. But with rapid growth came challenges. Keeping the brand experience consistent across studios, maintaining a high standard of service, and scaling up their digital presence all added pressure. The original website and marketing systems started falling short, and their online store and booking experience needed more attention as interest expanded beyond studio walls.
The Turning Point
It became clear that while S&T’s in-studio experience was strong, its digital presence wasn’t keeping up. To support further growth, strengthen community engagement, and improve the online customer journey, the team knew it was time to double down on digital strategy. That moment marked the beginning of a broader push—not just to maintain what had been built, but to level up how S&T showed up online.
The Problem: A Great In-Studio Experience That Didn’t Translate Online
By the time Sweat and Tonic opened its second location, the brand had a strong reputation for premium fitness and wellness services. But its marketing efforts and online presence weren’t reflecting that same level of polish or performance. Behind the scenes, several problems were stacking up—each one affecting growth, conversion, and long-term customer engagement.
1. Outdated Website and Poor Load Speeds
The original website was visually on-brand, but technically underperforming. Page load times were slow, and mobile optimization was inconsistent—both critical issues for a business where customers often book classes and services on the go. High bounce rates and low time on-site indicated that many visitors were dropping off before exploring what S&T had to offer.
2. Underutilized SEO Potential
Despite having a strong local following, S&T wasn’t getting the visibility it could have been from organic search. Key pages weren’t ranking well, and basic on-page SEO fundamentals—like optimized metadata, internal linking, and content targeting—were either missing or weak. Off-page SEO efforts were minimal, so the brand’s authority in search engines was lagging behind competitors in both the fitness and wellness space.
3. Social Growth Had Stalled
S&T had a solid foundation on Instagram, but follower growth had slowed, and engagement wasn’t where it needed to be. The brand had strong visuals and plenty of in-studio activity, but there wasn’t a cohesive strategy to turn those assets into sustained reach and brand-building. With expansion into new markets like LA, a stronger, more creative, and more consistent social presence was essential.
4. Paid Ads Were Underperforming
Google Ads were active, but their social media campaign wasn’t optimized for performance. Targeting was too broad, cost-per-click was high, and conversions were low. The brand was spending on paid search without clear tracking or ROI, and much of the ad spend wasn’t translating into bookings or meaningful traffic.
5. Email Marketing Was Inconsistent
Email had been used mainly for announcements and newsletters, but lacked a strong lifecycle strategy. There were missed opportunities to welcome new members, re-engage inactive ones, and promote services in a more segmented, personalized way. With growing product lines and locations, email could have been a major revenue driver to reach their target audience —but it wasn’t being fully tapped.
6. E-Commerce Store Was Underperforming
S&T offered premium retail products and wellness add-ons, but their online shop wasn’t optimized for conversions. Product pages were hard to find, the shopping experience lacked flow, and visitors often exited without purchasing. The store had potential, but without better UX and traffic, it couldn’t contribute meaningfully to the bottom line.
7. Disconnected Systems and Strategies
Across all of these areas—website, SEO, paid ads, social, email, and e-commerce—there was a lack of integration. Efforts were scattered, and data wasn’t being used effectively to guide decisions. S&T had the brand, the community, and the product—but it needed smarter systems to connect them all and drive growth in a more sustainable, measurable way.
That’s where Growth Hackers stepped in.
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The Solution: A Full-Funnel Digital Overhaul to Match an Elevated In-Studio Experience
Growth Hackers didn’t just improve one area of Sweat and Tonic’s marketing—they worked across every channel to build a cohesive, performance-driven digital engine. The goal was simple: match the creative quality of the in-person experience with an equally polished and effective online presence. Here’s how they tackled each challenge head-on:
1. Website Performance and Optimization
Growth Hackers started with the foundation: the website. They revamped the back end for faster load times, better mobile responsiveness, and improved overall usability. Pages were restructured with clear navigation, allowing visitors to easily explore class types, recovery services, memberships, and the online store. They also ensured the site integrated smoothly with the booking system, making it easier for both new and returning users to schedule classes or spa treatments with fewer steps.
2. SEO Strategy: On-Page and Off-Page Improvements
To improve discoverability, Growth Hackers ran a full audit of the site’s SEO structure and made key on-page updates—targeting specific fitness and wellness keywords relevant to each location. Metadata was rewritten, internal links were mapped more intentionally, and content was optimized for both search engines and human readers.
Off-page, they built high-quality backlinks from reputable fitness, wellness, and lifestyle domains, helping Sweat and Tonic climb the rankings and build lasting domain authority. These efforts doubled organic visitors within a year.
3. Instagram Growth with Consistency and Strategy
Growth Hackers introduced a streamlined content calendar with a mix of high-quality visuals, member stories, user-generated content, behind-the-scenes teasers, and timely promos. Instead of random posting, every post was part of a broader brand story designed to drive both engagement and conversion. They also improved post timing, used data to refine hashtags, and coordinated with S&T’s team to capture more real-time studio content.
The result: Instagram followers more than tripled—from 9,000 to over 30,000 in just 15 months—while engagement rates and reach steadily climbed.
4. Paid Ads That Actually Performed
Instead of blanket targeting, Growth Hackers rebuilt the Google Ads strategy from scratch. They segmented campaigns by service (HIIT, yoga, Tonic Spa, etc.), refined keyword lists, and improved landing page alignment to boost relevance and lower cost-per-click. Retargeting ads were added to bring back site visitors who hadn’t yet booked or purchased.
By continuously optimizing for conversions—not just traffic—they turned underperforming ad spend into a meaningful revenue driver.
5. Smarter, Automated Email Marketing
Email marketing was overhauled with a new lifecycle-focused strategy. Growth Hackers set up automated flows for new client onboarding, class reminders, abandoned bookings, upsell opportunities, and re-engagement.
They also created targeted campaigns based on membership type, visit frequency, and past purchase behavior. This personalized approach helped boost class attendance, fill underbooked time slots, and drive more traffic to both the studio and the online store through better advertising.
6. E-Commerce Store Optimization
Growth Hackers redesigned the e-commerce experience to feel like a natural extension of the studio’s brand. They simplified the product navigation, rewrote product copy for clarity and appeal, and improved checkout flow to reduce drop-off.
They also ran A/B tests on page layouts and promotions, allowing S&T to increase online store sales by 150% in just 8 months—without a major overhaul in product lineup.
7. Unified Data and Cross-Channel Insights
One of the biggest wins came from connecting the dots. Growth Hackers implemented analytics dashboards that combined website, ad, email, and social data into a single source of truth. This made it easier for the S&T team to track performance, spot trends, and make better decisions—fast.
Instead of guessing what worked, they now had data to back every move, allowing the team to spend more time creating great experiences, both online and in-studio.
By combining technical improvements, smart strategy, and ongoing optimization, Growth Hackers helped Sweat and Tonic move from digital underperformance to digital leadership—without losing the soul of what made the brand special in the first place.
The Results: A Stronger Digital Footprint and a Clear Return on Every Marketing Dollar
With Growth Hackers stepping in as a hands-on digital partner, Sweat and Tonic saw a measurable shift—not just in vanity metrics, but in true business outcomes. Each area of work delivered clear, trackable progress, turning underutilized channels into reliable revenue drivers. Here’s a breakdown of what changed after 12–15 months of collaboration:
1. Instagram Followers Grew Over 3x — From 9,000 to 30,000+
What started as a passive channel quickly became one of Sweat and Tonic’s most active community touchpoints. Thanks to a consistent posting schedule, improved visuals, and a sharper content strategy, the Instagram following grew by 233% in just over a year.
More importantly, engagement rates improved—rising from around 1.2% to 2.8%—helping social media posts reach thousands of local, highly relevant users without needing to boost every piece of content.
2. Website Traffic Doubled from 7,500 to 15,000 Monthly Organic Visitors
SEO updates paid off steadily over time. With keyword rankings improving across major service lines (e.g., “Toronto infrared sauna,” “HIIT classes downtown Toronto”), organic search visits increased by 100% within 12 months.
This boost was particularly important for first-time visitors and mobile users looking to quickly book or learn more about class options on the go.
3. Google Ads ROI Jumped 4X
The overhauled paid ad strategy didn’t just lower costs—it made each dollar count.
- Cost per conversion dropped from $38 to $9.50
- Click-through rate increased from 3.4% to 6.1%
- Monthly conversions from Google Ads rose by 3.8x, driving a steady stream of bookings for high-demand services like Ride and Spa appointments.
4. Online Store Sales Rose by 150%
By simplifying navigation and refining the product experience, the online store became a real revenue stream—not just a passive add-on.
- Conversion rate jumped from 1.1% to 2.7%
- Average order value increased by 22%
- Overall monthly revenue from the store went from $6,400 to $16,000+
5. Email Campaigns Drove More Bookings and Fewer Drop-Offs
The introduction of different types of automated flows and targeted campaigns led to stronger retention and more re-engagement among members and first-time class-goers.
- Email open rates increased from 23% to 38%
- Click-through rates doubled from 2.5% to 5.3%
- Abandoned class bookings dropped by 35%, with rebooking emails converting at 12.4%
6. Bounce Rate Improved, Session Time Increased
With a faster, cleaner website, visitor behavior improved across the board:
- Bounce rate dropped from 58% to 39%
- Average session duration grew from 1:20 to 2:45
- Visitors were also more likely to explore multiple areas of the business (e.g., Sweat classes and Spa services), with page-per-session jumping by 1.6x
A More Predictable Growth Engine
Taken together, these results gave Sweat and Tonic something they hadn’t had before: a marketing engine that could scale. Rather than relying on seasonal demand or word-of-mouth alone, they now had consistent performance across organic search, social media, paid ads, and email—each contributing meaningfully to both brand awareness and direct sales.
The best part? These gains didn’t require massive headcount increases or budget spikes. With smarter systems and clear data, the S&T team could focus on what they do best: creating standout in-person experiences for a fast-growing, loyal community.
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Lessons Learned: What Worked, What Mattered, and What Other Brands Can Take Away
The partnership between Sweat and Tonic and Growth Hackers wasn’t just about quick wins—it was a learning process on both sides. As the business evolved and demand grew, the team had to stay focused on what truly moved the needle. Here are the main lessons and examples that came out of the experience:
1. A Great Product Isn’t Enough—People Need to Find It
Sweat and Tonic already had a strong offering: premium facilities, standout classes, and a loyal community. But without a well-planned digital strategy, too many potential customers simply didn’t know what they were missing. Once SEO, paid ads, and email funnels were dialed in, traffic and interest increased naturally. Visibility matters, even when the product speaks for itself.
2. Social Media Needs a Strategy—Not Just Aesthetic Posts
Before the partnership, Instagram looked good but wasn’t working hard enough. The team learned that posting consistently, aligning content with real business goals (like promoting limited-time offers or highlighting community stories), and using smart growth tactics made a big difference. Engagement and reach followed once content had a real purpose behind it.
3. Data Beats Guesswork Every Time
One of the biggest shifts came from leaning into numbers—click-through rates, bounce rates, conversion metrics—rather than relying on gut instinct or habits. This allowed the team to make smarter decisions fast. Campaigns that didn’t perform were cut early, and winners got more attention. The result: less waste, more wins.
4. Small Fixes on the Website Create Big Results
Some of the highest-impact work came from behind the scenes: speeding up the site, simplifying class bookings, and improving mobile usability. None of these changes were flashy, but they directly affected revenue. The lesson? Don’t ignore the basics—fixing friction points is one of the fastest ways to grow.
5. Marketing Channels Work Best Together
Email, SEO, ads, and social weren’t treated as separate efforts. The most successful marketing campaigns used all of them together—like promoting a new service across Instagram, supporting it with Google Ads, and following up with targeted email reminders. When the message was clear and repeated across channels, more people took action.
Final Words on our Social Media Marketing Case Study
Sweat and Tonic had everything going for them—a premium brand, loyal members, and a standout experience—but what they needed was a digital engine to match their in-studio presence. By focusing on smart, data-driven strategies across Instagram, SEO, email, and Google Ads, we helped them achieve remarkable success and find inspiration to go from a well-kept secret to a well-known destination. The numbers speak for themselves: triple the followers, double the organic traffic, and a 150% boost in online sales within months.
This case shows what’s possible when great content meets great execution. It wasn’t about doing everything—just doing the right things with clarity, speed, and purpose. Whether it was turning Instagram into a real growth tool, raising awareness of the right audience, or tightening up website performance, each piece played a role in building Sweat and Tonic’s brand momentum in a way that actually translated to business results.
If you’re looking to drive real growth like this—more traffic, more customers, and more visibility for your brand—let’s talk.
Growth Hackers is a performance-focused fitness marketing agency trusted by hundreds of companies worldwide. We don’t just manage social media campaigns—we build growth machines. We bring together everything that worked here: clear messaging, high-converting content, cross-channel strategies, and constant optimization. We’ve spent over a decade perfecting the process, and we’re ready to apply it to your business.
Contact Growth Hackers today if you want results that last—and marketing that actually delivers. Let’s make that happen.
