6 Simple Membership Marketing Strategies for Gyms

6 Simple Membership Marketing Strategies for Gyms

In 2022, the gym, health, and fitness industry’s market size are anticipated to grow. You understand, as a gym owner, that a booming industry implies a highly competitive market for your company. Even if you have an impressive gym, it can be difficult to keep new members coming back on a consistent basis.

So, how do you make your gym stand out from the rest and reach the right people? The solution is straightforward: conduct effective advertising for your gym business. However, managing your own gym leaves you with little time to research and develop an effective marketing strategy. Don’t worry, we’ve taken care of that!

Below, we’ll go over what membership marketing strategies are and the seven simple but effective gym marketing ideas to help you grow your business.

What Is a Membership Marketing Strategy

Membership marketing is a sales technique used to gain new customers or keep existing ones. Memberships have a consistent conversion rate, making them an excellent marketing strategy for increasing service sales. Memberships also allow you to convert one-time buyers into returning customers, which is more advantageous than one-time sales. Furthermore, it offers a collection of multiple tested strategies that offer you complimentary potential customers, lead generation, and customer retention. 

Effective Membership Marketing Strategies for Gym

The following are some of the most effective strategies to begin using membership marketing for your business right away.

  1. Use Social Media to Connect and Inspire Others

Use Social Media to Connect and Inspire Others

Your audience should be informed, connected, and inspired by your social media marketing strategy. Social media is an excellent platform for motivating members and adding value. You can use a variety of posts and content to encourage others in a relatable way.

Share user-generated content, success stories, virtual fitness challenges, and easy-to-do-at-home workouts. Facebook Live and Instagram Stories, for example, allow you to connect with your audience and increase engagement organically.

  1. Establish a Seamless Experience

Establish a Seamless Experience

Consumers today are savvy and time-sensitive and expect their needs to be met immediately. When it comes to executing an effective digital marketing strategy, your user experience is crucial. Consider your online customer journey. Perhaps a prospective gym member reads your most recent Instagram post and then visits your website before signing up for your next live fitness stream or scheduling a tour of your facility.

The online experience should be smooth. Anything that slows the user down can have a negative impact on your marketing strategy. A mobile-friendly website and excellent customer service are just two aspects of the user experience. Your digital environment must be seamless, as fitness brands rely heavily on digital fitness selections and virtual training.

  1. Share Your Feedback and Success Stories

Share Your Feedback and Success Stories

Success stories are potent in the fitness world. When prospective customers see how you assisted someone who looks like them, they believe they can do the same. WW (formerly Weight Watchers), for example, regularly posts before and after images of customers. They tell the customer’s story in a way that appeals to the emotions of the readers.

They discuss how their lives have changed since joining WW. Although the company sells a service, it also sells happiness and self-confidence. Success stories and testimonials boost social proof, trust, and authority.

  1. Make Use of Targeted Advertising

Make Use of Targeted Advertising

It is expected that there will be more than three billion social media users by 2022. Every day, the average American adult spends nearly 40 minutes on Facebook. Take advantage of targeted advertising as people spend an unprecedented amount of time online. Customers are searching social media for ways to stay healthy.

On Instagram and Facebook, you can use Facebook ads’ robust targeting solutions to get your content in front of the right audience. Target based on location, interests, demographics, engagement, and other factors.

  1. Set up a Referral Program

Set up a referral program

A referral program is an excellent way to encourage referrals that benefit both you and your members. Make your customers brand ambassadors by encouraging them to share your brand with their friends and family.

To create a referral program, you must provide a tempting incentive to both the referrer and the referee. For each referral, you could, for example, provide members with a personal training session or an individual fitness program. The best offer is entirely dependent on your members and their requirements.

You can also incorporate a social media post referral program in which they earn free products or extra minutes on the mats during a coaching session every time they post your free trial to their social media channels.

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  1. Retarget to Increase Sign-Ups

Retarget to Increase Sign-Ups

Retargeting is an excellent way to keep your gym at the top of your client’s minds. These are prospects who have visited your site a few times but have yet to make a purchase or sign up. The idea is that seeing your targeted ad will inspire them to take the final step.

Using the data you have available, you can retarget the appropriate ad. If they’ve spent the majority of their time on your digital membership page and are interested in at-home fitness, marketing your digital services is more pertinent and likely to convert them.

What Are Membership Campaigns

When your organization first started, you probably recruited dozens, if not hundreds, of new members. However, you may have recently experienced a lull in signups—these types of plateaus are common. According to one study, 68% of organizations struggle to grow their membership

Whether you’re experiencing a dry spell or simply want to increase your membership base, a membership campaign can help you add a slew of new names to your membership directory. A membership campaign, also known as a membership drive, is a planned, concerted effort to get your organization (and its numerous benefits) in front of as many potential members as possible.

A campaign typically includes cross-channel promotion efforts such as digital outreach, event recruitment, and incentivizing current members to refer new members. After all, research shows that using multiple tactics to increase membership is more effective—leading organizations employ 16% more tactics than their peers.

How do I promote my membership program

Retarget to Increase Sign-Ups

Managing your gym takes a lot of effort. To succeed, you must combine your dedication with effective marketing strategies. You could have the best gym in the world, with top-of-the-line equipment, inspiring staff, and brilliant trainers, but if no one knows about it, you’ll be missing out. To promote your membership program, use the techniques and strategies listed below.

Consider social media marketing

Promote your existing members to interact with you on social media. Establish a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter content strategy to provide relevant, tempting content and interact with your members on a more personal level—really get to know them! Use these channels to host contests or to recognize member achievements.

Be inventive with your pricing

This may appear to be counter-productive at first, but hear us out: instead of discount rates, try offering free memberships. A free trial can be appealing and attract higher-quality clients who want to try out your facility without risk before making a decision.

This way, you won’t attract customers who are only interested in a low-cost membership. Customers will be more interested in what your facility has to offer and how you can help them achieve their fitness goals. Increase value by showing them exactly what they can expect from membership and your cutting-edge equipment.

If you need a Gym management software, use SparkMembership, which is the #1 gym management software, price starts at $1!

7 Best Ways To Retain Your Members With Fitness Marketing

7 Best Ways To Retain Your Members With Fitness Marketing

You did it. A huge relief washes over you. You and your team were successful in adding new members to your fitness club. Quickly a new issue arises, how do I keep them here? Client retention is just as, if not more, important as new client acquisition, and it is a common struggle for business owners to keep their clients coming back for more. To not miss out on the amazing upsell and referral opportunities – let’s check out the 7 best ways to keep them here.

  1. Communication

Communication

Fitness marketing, and all marketing first and foremost, is deciding on the best method and platform of communication. The best marketers know where their ideal clients focus their attention, and certainly so for existing members. A common mistake is not asking clients for their best contact information before sign-up. Most people who want to be safe will give email addresses that they never check. Offer more options such as text messaging and weekly newsletters, and ask for the best place to send them.

Easy customer support

  • Your front desk is the first point of contact for clients. Regardless of whether they are new or returning, your location must be streamlined from welcoming guests and offering a good consistent impression. Furthermore, clients are impressed when questions are answered and inquiries are answered promptly. Ensure your staff is trained to do so and have the proper structure in place to handle this.

Accessible trainer communication

  • The best upsell and premium business model for fitness institutions continue to be personalized classes and training services. Similar to customer support, trainers and class leaders need to have a proper system in place to schedule their clients which includes flexibility, ease of access, and timely responses. Spark Membership offers a streamlined way to communicate with your clients and staff to effectively manage communication and bookings.

  1. Transparency

Transparency

Attempting to cover up mistakes or closures has never been a great way to do business. It is always disappointing and frustrating to deliver less than pleasant news to clients, but they will appreciate honesty. Keep your customers and clients updated on services and schedules. More often than not, clients want to do business with an honest brand and will work with you to find a solution.

  1. Create a Referral Program

Create a Referral Program

A hot topic, even Forbes had to way in. In the same way that stores and rideshares offer referral bonuses and loyalty programs, referrals remain the best method of organic marketing. A referral not only has a high trust factor, but the person referring to their friends and family will target the exact ideal client that requires your unique solution. When this is combined with a loyalty program, such as a discount for signing up for a longer-term contract, it creates a low-cost and high-impact way to flourish.

  1. Remarket: Upsell and Win Back Your Clientele

Create a Referral Program

There will never be a better customer base than the one that has already purchased from you or your competitors. The hard part of marketing is finding your target audience and closing. In a study conducted by salesforce, Consumer psychology states that when a client has already purchased and is happy with the service, they are very likely to do so again. Find the common issue with canceled memberships – whether its price, availability of services or other and create an offer to remarket to the contact information on file.

  1. Leverage Content Creation

Leverage Content Creation

Although it may seem indirect, owners should keep in mind that creating content is a great way for your client to interact with you on another basis that isn’t transactional. Informational weight loss and nutrition newsletters, for example, are a great way to build trust and a loyal client base.

  1. Have an Online Presence

Have an Online Presence

Further to content creation, having a strong online presence and being available on local searches creates new client opportunities, and reduces the workload on your front-end staff to answer scheduling and service inquiries.

Here are some tips to increase your online presence

  • Responsive Website
  • Create a Google My Business Profile
  • Have a Facebook Page
  • Leverage Instagram Business Page
  • Create Fun content on Tiktok

  1. Have a Seamless User Experience

Have a Seamless User Experience

A fledgling business needs to set itself apart. The most common way to employ a client communication method is via personal email and form intake. Clients want to feel they are part of a professional growing business, and things like scheduling, inquiries, and contact should be done professionally. Spark Membership offers a full-service solution to streamline your marketing, retention, communication, and loyalty programs – and these will increase client confidence in you.