If you’re a gym owner, one thing you want is to increase gym membership and your customers to keep coming back. And it’s not just about keeping your members happy but also your business running smoothly.
When you have a gym membership, you must ensure that your staff keeps members engaged and coming back for more. To do this, you must ensure your members are happy and satisfied with the gym. This means making sure that there is no long wait time before being able to use the equipment or classes available for them to choose from.
Make New Signups Feel Welcome
- Give a tour of the facility.
- Introduce new members to other members, and have a counselor or trainer meet with them.
- Have a welcome kit for new members to increase gym membership, including information on health insurance benefits, membership discounts, etc.
Use a Customer Feedback Board
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You can use a customer feedback board to get feedback from members. The board should be in a place where it’s visible to members and makes them feel comfortable talking about their experiences with you.
For example- MyPTHub has an area for comments, questions, and suggestions on the site. So that you may reply to concerns or suggestions as they are made.
Recognize Members’ Birthdays and Milestones
- Recognize Members’ Birthdays and Milestones.
- Give them a unique discount on account of their birthday.
- For their birthday, offer them a gift certificate or card.
- Offer them a free training session for their birthday to increase gym membership.
Give Members a Say in Facility Decisions
When it comes to facility decisions, members should have a say. Tell them what you’re thinking about adding or changing, and ask them if they have any ideas to improve the gym. You can also get your members involved in the decision-making process by asking for feedback on your implementation plans and the benefits of each idea (i.e., would this work better if we did X).
Remind Your Members They’re Awesome
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One of the best methods to increase gym membership is through this. When you remind your members that they are awesome, it makes them feel special and part of something bigger than themselves. You may use phrases like: ”
- ” You improve our teamwork and family dynamic.”
- “I understand you’ve had a rough time recently, but no, whatever happens, we’re here for you,”
Follow Up with Members Who Have Missed a Session
- Send a text or email to check-in. If they don’t respond, follow up again in 24 hours and ask if they need help with anything else. Offer them a free class or session if it’s not too late for one. (or just remind them of your benefits as an existing member)
- Ask If They Have Any Questions: You may have already answered any questions they might have had during their last visit! But if not, ask now—it’ll save time later on when you’re checking in regularly!
- Remind Them of the Benefits of Being a Member: The more you remind members of these things, the better chance we all have at retaining our memberships over time.”
Reward People for Referring Friends
One of the best ways to increase gym membership is by rewarding people for referring friends. This can be done in a number of different ways, but one of our favorites is offering gift cards or other incentives as a reward.
If you’re looking to incentivize your members to refer others, here are some ideas:
- Gift cards – If you have an affiliate program with other gyms in your area, consider giving out complimentary gift cards as part of the referral process. This will be useful both for building relationships with new members and helping them get started on their fitness journey at home before they move into another location where they may need more guidance or instruction than what’s available at their current gym (like if they want specific advice about how much weight should be lifted).
Get to Know Your Regulars
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- Get to know your regulars. When you first open your gym, it can be difficult to get to know members who are new and don’t have a history with the gym. But as time goes on, they will become familiar faces, always there when you need them.
- Ask about their interests and hobbies. If one of your members is an avid weight lifter or runner, ask them what they enjoy doing in their spare time so that you can help promote those activities and encourage more participation from all clients at the gym! You could also ask about family life—what do they like eating? How frequently do they eat supper out? What genre of music does she often listen to on her commute home from work? You may find that certain customer segments respond better than others if given some extra attention from staff members like yourself!
- Find ways where people might want help reaching specific goals related by sector (e.g., health & fitness). For example: “My goal today is losing weight…but how do I start?” Or “I want my body back after having kids.”
Host Member Appreciation Events
To make members feel appreciated, you can hold member appreciation events. These events will provide your members with a chance to socialize and get better acquainted with one another. You can also host food and drinks for the event so that everyone has something good to eat or drink during their time at the gym. Some ideas for these types of events include:
- Giveaway prizes (or even free passes) for competitions or activities involving teamwork with other members
- Set a theme or attire requirement for the evening.
Give members more ways to pay
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When you offer members more ways to pay, they’re more likely to stay and pay. Offering customers a range of payment alternatives is the greatest approach to increase gym membership.
- Cash: If you have a high-volume gym that doesn’t accept credit card payments or checks. Consider asking members who use cash as their primary form of payment if they’d like an alternative method at checkout. You’ll also want to make sure that there’s some kind of direct deposit option so that members can set up recurring payments easily and ensure the money is paid on time when it’s due.
- Credit Cards: It may seem obvious, but many gyms don’t offer credit cards as an option for membership payment because it costs too much money upfront (for example, $3 per month). However, if your budget allows for this – go ahead! If not, then just let people know in advance about how much money will be charged before signing up for membership. So that they may assess if utilizing cash instead of credit would result in a better overall value. While many fitness centers do allow users to track their workouts through mobile apps such as Runkeeper or MyFitnessPal – some might prefer having access over the web instead, so they don’t need separate devices installed at home/workplace.”
Encourage Skill-Building Sessions
You can also encourage skill-building sessions, which are fun and engaging. When you offer a variety of classes, your members will be able to choose what they want to learn. This will increase the interest level in working out at your gym, making it more likely to increase gym membership.
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If you’re offering free classes (which many gyms do), then there’s no reason not to add this option! You’ll have the added benefit of encouraging people who might otherwise never join a gym or take up exercise again after giving up on their fitness goals for whatever reason—and maybe even getting them excited about trying something new again once they’ve completed one class!
Keep Training Fresh and Dynamic
The best way to keep training fresh and dynamic is by not being afraid to change things up. Try new activities, and don’t be scared to fail at them. Ask for help when you need it, ask for feedback after every piece of work that you submit, and don’t be afraid to ask other people what they think!
By implementing these ideas, gyms can retain their members’ interests.
- Make new members feel welcome.
- Use a customer feedback board.
- Recognize members’ birthdays and milestones with gifts or other rewards.
- Give members a say in facility decisions, such as where they want the locker room to be renovated or what equipment they’d like to see added (or removed).
- Remind your members that you appreciate them!
Conclusion
I hope these tips will help you to increase gym membership and keep your gym members excited about returning. Remember that the most important part of retention is keeping members happy, so don’t stress too much about numbers. If you do find yourself feeling discouraged by low membership numbers, remember that this isn’t a race—it takes time!
Plus, you don’t have to do everything at once; try out some new ideas in small doses and see what works best for your gym. And if all else fails? Just ask some friends how they keep their fitness routine fresh!
