Gym memberships are a big deal. Whether you’re a manager dealing with bringing on new customers or gym owners trying to come up with creative ways to keep your clients happy — knowing how to increase gym membership sales is crucial.
If you’re curious about how to increase sales, you’re in luck! You’ve come to the right spot. We’ve got you covered with our top ten tips for increasing your current customer base while also attracting new members.
From niche workout classes to our very own FloWater dispenser, let’s take a closer look at all the best ways to keep your customers happy.
Because when they’re happy, they’ll be ready to take on their next workout.
Offer Niche Workout Classes
Most gyms offer a similar assortment of classes. You’ll find a yoga class, cycling, pilates, maybe a kickboxing or a Zumba class sprinkled here and there. But if you really want to stand out from the crowd, consider offering niche workout classes. When gym clients with specific tastes are searching for unique classes, you’ll stand out. Maybe it’s a Latin dance class or a warrior fitness class they’re after. Whatever it is, if you have a creative assortment of classes, you instantly add more value to a gym membership.
Give Tours
One of the easiest things to do if you’re curious about how to increase gym membership sales — is to give free tours. Spend a few hours on a sunny weekend day standing outside of the gym offering free tours. You’ll be surprised how engaged people are and sometimes, all it takes for a potential customer, is getting inside of the gym. Once they make the connection and see all you have to offer, they’ll be tempted to sign up. Who knows, they might even bring a friend or two along with them for the workout and wellness routine!
Social Media Competitions
Social media competitions can reach a whole new audience. If you post a competition where clients are encouraged to share what they’re doing — like a workout a day, a week without sugar, or a straight month of cycling classes — people will naturally get involved. Current customers will feel connected to the competition and want to join, while potential customers will be curious and intrigued to learn more.
Use FloWater’s Gym Water Dispenser
An important part of increasing sales is to add value to whatever it is you’re offering. At fitness centers, value can easily be added through a good water filtration system. Customers are happy when they know all they have to do is show up. Maybe you have free yoga mat rental or clean hand towels for them to dry off with. Water filtration works in the same way; all your clients have to do is bring their bottle, fill it up, and they can happily hydrate both before and after their workout. As a bonus, this filtered water is entirely delicious — and they’re doing something good for the environment, too, by ditching those plastic bottles.
Creative Referral Programs
When it comes to figuring out how to increase gym membership sales, referral programs are amazingly effective. The best part about referral programs is that you won’t lose any money — except for what you use to get current customers to partake in the program (like a free class or a free month of workouts). These days, if you’re going to do a referral program, things are simple thanks to digital media. All you have to do is email your current customer a link and they can send it to family and friends. Their friends or family will click the link, sign up for a class or a membership, and it’s a win-win for everyone. Make sure to post on social media or around the gym to let current customers know about the program.
Reward Current Customers
Building your new customer base is important, but it’s also important to reward your current customers. For those who are coming to the gym every day, reward them with some gift ideas for fitness clients! Give them a shoutout on social media or a gift card to the local juice bar for their hard work. When you reward current customers, they’ll be happy and more likely to refer your gym to family and friends.
Go with the Season
Gym memberships tend to fluctuate with the season. During the summer folks may be more inclined to workout outdoors in the sunshine; during the winter, if it’s chilly, they might want to be cozy inside. A good rule of thumb when you own or manage a gym is to go with the flow of the seasons. Stay in tune with what your customers want by placing a suggestion box at the front door. Maybe a heated yoga class sounds great during the cool month of December, but not so good during the heat of July. Get in tune with what your customers want during each season, and you’ll have happy gym members.
Create Community
A community is a social unit with common characteristics. Whether it’s a community within a school, a workplace, or a gym — giving people a sense of community is what keeps them happy, healthy, and showing up. In a fitness gym floor plan, a community holds each other accountable for working out. If someone doesn’t come to class, chances are, their gym-mates will notice. If you work to create a community-driven environment, clients will feel welcomed and excited for their next class or workout. If you’re wondering how to increase gym membership sales, a great thing to focus on is creating community. From an in-gym photo wall to a free client class on a Sunday afternoon, building community is easy and the payoff is big.
Follow-Up
Chances are you already have a gym email list. Perhaps you send out emails once a month or once a season — but what about a follow-up? If you’ve put the time into sending out a mass email to your clients that lists the upcoming classes they can sign up for, make sure to follow-up. They might have been at work or picking up their kids from school when the first email came through. If you follow-up, it gives them a second chance to see the email and make the effort to book a class and get invested in their next workout.
Hire Enthusiastic Trainers
It’s no surprise that one of the best ways to figure out how to increase gym membership sales is to hire staff members who care. When you hire enthusiastic trainers, your clients will naturally feel more inclined to work out — which will lead to continued membership. People like to work out because it feels good. Working with trainers who make them feel good, too, and you’ll find the key to membership success. To encourage clients to connect with their personal trainers, consider doing a “trainer of the week” feature at the front of the gym. Let clients know who the trainers are, where their hometown is, what their favorite food is, or their favorite time of day to get a workout in. Connecting the clients to the trainers reinforces a sense of community, which is crucial in a gym setting.
Other Ways to Increase Gym Membership Sales
If you’re looking for more ways to increase membership sales, here are a few more ideas.
Make It Easy to Join
Sometimes, gyms have difficult membership initiations. If you want to make it easy for potential clients to join your gym, forego the initiation fees and offer a free month to start. This will encourage them to get in, fall in love with what you offer, and get straight to the workout of their choice.
Host Gatherings
Just because you own or manage a gym doesn’t mean you can’t have tons of fun during the off hours! Hosting gatherings increases community involvement and makes things exciting for clients. Go for a pancake breakfast or a Friday night happy hour and partner with local product makers in the community.
Keep Things Personal
As in many aspects of life, it’s important to keep things personal when you’re dealing with members of the gym. People come from all walks of life and have lots of stories. When they come to the gym, they’re coming for a reason. If they’re ready to share bits and pieces of their journey, be ready to listen and encourage them along as they take the steps towards a healthy future.
Whether it’s hiring enthusiastic trainers or working hard to create community, we hope these ten tips will help you attract new members and maintain strong relationships with your current clients.
From all of us at FloWater, thanks for reading. We’re wishing you a wonderful day ahead.
For ideas on pilates promotion, read on here!
