10 quick steps for keeping your members for life.
The first question every gym owner or manager gets to ask is, how do I get more members for my gym? This is because after the thrill of new equipment attracts people to fresh gyms, the routines get monotonous and the new equipment becomes old over time. As a gym manager, you can lose members for having a deserted gym, you can also lose members for not being able to properly manage a large clientele base.
Gyms have been a part of recorded human history for about 3,000 years. Matter of fact the word, ‘Gymnasium’ from which the word Gym is derived means a place to exercise naked. While the Gym was a part and parcel of the Greco-Roman world, the modern-day version began to be seen as a commercial venture from the middle of the 19th century. From the 1960’s public personalities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jane Fonda popularized the Gym culture in the United States.
Today there are thousands of Gym centers in the United States alone. This is because, for the first time in the last 100 years, more humans have become more conscious about their mental and physical well-being. This makes the health and fitness industry one of the most lucrative and most competitive in the world today. Going by the above, this article helps you answer the eternal question, how do I get more members for my gym? You’ll see how to attract new members while keeping your old members interested in what you have to offer.
1. Reward your loyal members for word of mouth referrals
Word of mouth referrals still remains the best form of marketing for any product or service. It leads to more sales generation because people believe real-life experiences compared to a survey or rating they read online. Your loyal members will definitely spread the word about your gym to friends and family members who will also enjoy what you have to offer. You should consider rewarding members for word-of-mouth referrals that result in new memberships. This may in the form of free membership for a month or cash back programs for a number of referrals.
2. Make your payment process easy
It becomes easier to continue a service when you can pay for it easily. Having a system of online and offline payment is a win-win situation for you and members of the gym. You can create a payment app specifically for your gym or create a space for payments on your gym website. You can also offer a payment plan which could be weekly, monthly or quarterly. This method saves everyone from a lot of stress. In answering the question of “how to keep members for my gym”, one thing you should keep in mind is getting a professional website where recurrent payment is set up.
3. Develop a social media presence
Social media is the next best thing to word of mouth when it comes to marketing your gym. A social media presence with videos and images of workout sessions, health and fitness tips is a great way to attract new members to your gym. Facebook adverts are very effective when it comes to having a strong social media presence. Social media also brings you closer to your members. You’re able to interact and get their personal views as well as those of intending members. You should let your members know about your social media accounts so they can help you spread the word.
4. Excellent Customer Service
One of the most attractive features of a gym is the level of attention the management pays to individual members. As a gym owner or manager, that special attention you give to an individual customer may be the difference between you and another gym center. Prompt response to the needs of members, prompt response to requests for help in exercise routines, clean equipment, and courteous staff can easily answer the question, ‘how do I get more members for my gym?’
5. Get Referrals from Trusted Medical Practitioners
If your gym offers diet control, orthopedic and chiropractic services, one of the best ways to get more members for your gym is referrals from trusted medical practitioners around you.
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It won’t hurt to ask a medical practitioner within your area for help in this regard. You can ask that people with weight problems or at risk of diabetes be referred to your gym. If the medical practitioner agrees to your request, you should provide flyers or easy-to-read brochures in his office so that patients can know about you and what you offer before making the big decision.
6. Use Promo Coupons
Creating promo coupons is one of the most effective means of marketing and driving up interest in your business. You can create coupons easily with a text code generator as FitnessTexter made specifically for gyms and fitness centers. The text codes can be added to your social media accounts, T-shirts, or special telecoms advertisements.
7. Adopt Email Marketing
Email marketing is also an effective marketing strategy for any business. Regular emails from your gym or fitness center keep them in your mind all the time. You can send out weekly or monthly newsletters, new fitness routines, diet control routines, home exercises, coupons, special promotions, and general information about your gym.
8. Adopt Co-Marketing
With co-marketing, two or more companies promote each other. As a gym or fitness center, you can enter into a partnership deal with a T-shirt company, sportswear store, and vitamin supplement brand or fitness tracker. Whichever company you decide to work with, their client base will be exposed to yours and yours to them. It is a win-win situation for both of you.
9. Organize Special Events
Organizing special events like the Gym anniversary, mini-marathons, exercise booth camps, and Karaoke show your members that your gym is a fun place to be. Such events bring more people through the door—you stand to gain at least one new member through this method.
10. Create a personal trainer course
You can create a free online course about personal fitness to get more people excited about body fitness. This method depends heavily on social media and may take time to start bearing fruit. However, patience and dedication here will bring their rewards. At the end of the day, you will not get to ask, how do I get new members for my gym? But how do I manage excess members in my gym?
On a final note, hiring staff with human relations skills and empathy is a great way to bring more members on board. Marketing skills may attract customers to your gym, but it takes excellent service and empathy to keep them coming back. With the above, you really shouldn’t ask how I get more members for my gym anymore!
