Being a gym owner, you've equipped your gym with the best quality gym equipment and have a great environment as well. You are getting new members but the monthly revenue is less than what you were expecting.
You might be thinking of different reasons as to why this is. One reason could be that there are no Engagement Programs currently being offered at your gym.
Why are Gym Member Engagement Programs Important?
Engagement Programs are great for motivating your members into visiting your gym more frequently and hence can be a reason for an increase in membership sales.
Word-of-mouth marketing plays a great role in promoting your gym, and as more members will be satisfied with the overall experience, they will refer your gym to their friends and family. That word-of-mouth is exactly what engagement programs provide.
6 Ways to Engage Gym Members to Boost Sales
- Offer deals and discounts
- Innovative group exercise programs
- Partnerships
- Offer outdoor experiences
- Give the most with Personalization
- Use the latest technology
1. Offer deals and discounts
Who doesn’t like a discount or offer on the services they are getting? Your current members and even potential members will love to avail any sort of discount or offer you might have on the services you are providing. Discounts and deals can include referral rewards or offers for specific events such as Christmas, Independence Day, etc.
Offering deals or discounts is a great way of engaging your members as your members would want to avail the discount and tell others in their circle about it as well. This way you will not only engage your members but will also increase your membership sales too.
Referral programs benefit both the referrer and the referee as these types of offers are very effective in engaging your existing members. You can offer a discount to your existing members and offer a free first class to new members. Other than referral programs, giving discounts on Christmas, New Year, and other events can also increase your member engagement rate.
Related Article: Increase Your Member Numbers with a Gym Referral Program
2. Innovative Group Exercise Programs
Group exercises are very common at a gym or a fitness club but providing your members with innovative group exercise programs can be more engaging for them. Innovative group exercises can either be some sort of viral trend online or can incorporate some piece of equipment that can be used by members.
Creative group exercises can include using platforms such as TikTok, Instagram reels or YouTube and using viral fitness videos from these platforms. You can pose these viral videos as challenges and even record your members doing the challenge and post them on your social media pages.
Some of the recent trends on the fitness side of TikTok were using weighted hula hoops, trampolining, and reverse running. These might sound like easy exercises but they require a bit more skill to do which makes them fun to do as a group activity.
Innovative group exercises are not only fun but also create a sense of community as well. These engaging group workouts keep your members motivated and happy which in turn increases your membership sales.
3. Partnerships
Partnerships are another great way to engage your members. You can partner with nutritionists, therapists, or other businesses that are related to your industry. As partnerships are bidirectional it'll be a win-win situation for both businesses involved. Both businesses can tap into each other’s audience and can benefit from each other.
Let’s suppose you partner with a nutritionist who is just one or two blocks away from your gym, you refer your members who want to lose weight to visit them for a diet plan. In exchange, the same nutritionist can refer some of his clients who want to lose weight and get into shape to your gym
4. Offer outdoor experiences
Exercising and training indoors might get a little boring for your members at times, especially if their routine stays the same. According to a report by RunRepeat, in 2021, 59% of adults preferred outdoor training such as running, hiking, and walking to keep themselves in shape.
A reason for spending time outdoors can be due to COVID-19, as many had to spend time indoors isolated from everyone else, now people want to experience their workouts outdoors. It might also be due to the fact that humans get bored with the same routine they have and prefer having something that might engage them.
You can offer outdoor activities once or twice a month to your members so that they can experience both indoor and outdoor workouts. You can arrange a monthly hike or jog challenge for your members. These types of challenges can keep your members engaged. This way you can boost your membership sales while engaging your members.
5. Give the most with Personalization
Personalization has become a key aspect in attracting more members to your gym. You should take time out to decide your members’ objectives, what they want to achieve and how you can assist them. You can personalize your members’ workout and diet plans according to their liking and preferences.
The reason could be some members might be allergic to a specific food, so it’s better to ask them beforehand, instead you can substitute them. As for the workout plans, you can customize them according to your members’ weekly schedules and see which trainers are available for that time slot. This way you can satisfy your members' needs.
When you’ll provide your members with a plan tailored to their needs they will be more satisfied with your services. This satisfaction of your members will lead to word-of-mouth marketing about your gym hence you will see an increase in the membership sales of your gym.
6. Use the latest technology
You can make your gym a more engaging place for your members by improving the technology in it. Such as using LCDs or LEDs to showcase any promotional offers going on in the gym. Another great way to incorporate technology is by integrating gaming into your members’ workouts.
Interactive gaming can engage your members as it makes their fitness workout more entertaining. These types of engaging games are great for attracting new members as they would love to try this for themselves, hence they can boost your gym membership sales.
Some great games or equipment that can be incorporated into fitness routines are Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) or VR games. DDR is a music and dance video game that allows your members to match their steps as being shown on the screen, for the game to record their steps a special rug is provided that monitors them.
VR stands for Virtual Reality which allows your members to immerse themselves in a game or training simulation. VR equipment or games are a great way to keep your members engaged, as they can work out and have an enjoyable experience simultaneously.
Conclusion
Remember that the most important aspect of a gym for an owner is membership sales. Your main goal should be to provide the best services to your members and motivate them to visit your gym frequently. Member retention is only possible when your members are happy with the experience your gym gives them.
Providing your members with different engagement programs helps in motivating them in their workouts and keeps them coming back for more. Other than that, it also brings in new members who want to experience your services.
Related Articles:
