It costs 5x to 20x more to acquire new gym members than it does to keep existing ones.
Unfortunately, retention is an issue many gyms deal with, especially with the new generation that's emerging. It requires a new approach to your business model and customer experience strategy to keep today's members happy.
The good news:
All it takes is a 5% increase in retention rates to see profits grow by 25% to 95%.
So what can you do to accommodate the needs of your members so they'll stick around longer? Here are a few ideas you can implement in 2020.
Not having a plan to retain your members will place you in a costly predicament -- constantly looking for new members.
The amount of money you spend to market and advertise your gym can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars (depending on your methods). Sure, you may be able to snag a handful of leads per week.
But if they're not sticking around, then you're right back to the drawing board (and spending thousands of dollars more). Rather than playing cat and mouse as your business strategy, try taking an approach to keep your current members long-term.
The key is to find out why your members are leaving and what it'd take to make them stay. Then you'll have to align your trainers, coaches, receptionists, and anyone else who interacts with your customers with your retention strategy.
Let's take a look at what marketing strategies for gyms you can use to boost your retention rates.
Fitness today is a lot different than years ago. Folks aren't looking for privacy and solidarity during their journey to a fitter body.
Instead, they want accountability partners who can keep them on track and inspire them to continue moving forward. By building a community among your members, you can satisfy the group mentality.
Now, there are several ways you can pull this off. One, you can offer classes for different goals, such as weight loss, muscle building, butt/thigh toning, and after-pregnancy fitness.
Then to keep the community alive outside the gym, you can create a forum or social media group exclusively for your members. Here, they can share their photos, questions, and stories.
You don't want to treat your members like just another number. Building a relationship with them is vital to creating loyalty and fandom for your gym.
You can do this by being available to your members in a way that's convenient for them. Online chat, social media, and text are the preferred methods of communication for many people today.
So it's a good idea to offer customer support on these mediums. You can use a tool like GoSite Messenger to stay connected with your customers via various platforms, including:
But you don't just have to use it to offer customer support...
A great customer experience is what consumers want today. And a part of providing this is creating a personalized experience with your business.
As a gym, you can achieve this by offering personalizing promotions to members. You can use a messenger to send these deals, or you can use a tool like GoSite's Contact Hub.
This is a CRM (customer relationship management) tool, which keeps track of all your members. For instance, it'll collect data, such as their names, numbers, addresses, email addresses, and recent activity.
You can use their history and customer service notes to tailor their communications. For instance, if they recently reached a milestone, you can send an offer for a special class that can help them reach their next one.
You'll also be able to segment your members into gold, silver, and bronze categories based on whatever criteria you set. Personalization is vital in today's marketing strategies for gyms, so be sure to include it in yours.
When a prospect arrives at your gym, they're likely looking to attain a specific goal. Have your receptionists and trainers learn about this early on, so they can map out their journey and help them reach it.
One of the issues people have with fitness is sticking to the program. They're motivated for a time -- whether it be a month, two months, or three -- but then they lose interest over time.
So they find an excuse to cancel their membership because they're no longer attending. By being involved in their journey, you can help them to stick to the plan and see it through.
But how do you apply this?
One option is to create a series of emails or text messages that encourage them to go to the gym each week. You can also send inspirational stories of others with similar goals.
Another option is to sync their schedule with their calendar app so they can see their milestones. Have them record their results each week so they can see the progress they're making.
This will help keep them motivated to continue.
The disconnect between gyms and its members has to end. Today's consumers won't stand for it, and it'll only continue to hurt your bottom line.
If you're serious about growing your membership, then it's vital to retain your customers. Otherwise, you'll end up in a never-ending loop of cat and mouse.
With the right tools, you can stay connected with your members to ensure they're satisfied with your services.
Interested in seeing how a CRM works? Then try GoSite's Contact Hub for free today!