Here’s how to get more gym member registrations in 2021
- Learn how to sell your gym
- Take advantage of social media
- Create seasonal promotions
Learn how these top tips can help drive more gym member registrations
Whether trying to expand your fitness franchise or simply looking to cover operating costs – creating a strategy that focuses on member acquisition is crucial. Regardless of the facilities offered at your club, if you’re unable to on-board new members then you run the risk of losing the necessary revenue needed to grow.
Isn’t driving new registrations expensive though? Well, it depends. While larger gyms may allocate a generous budget to sales and advertising – sometimes the best things in life come free. Using an organic approach to generate and convert leads is potentially one of the most effective ways to bring in new members – often yielding more sustainable results than paid marketing efforts.
So, what are the best ways to increase gym member registrations at your gym without breaking the bank? While there are many tactics to choose from, we have compiled the top three things that leading gyms are doing right now.
Learn how to ‘sell’ your gym
Learning to ‘sell’ your gym might be one of the most underrated tactics when looking to drive more gym member registrations. What does it mean to ‘sell’ your gym though? Well, the premise is quite simple and is based on highly-effective sales techniques that were originally developed to communicate more value to potential clients within a short time period. You need to learn to communicate the tangible long-term benefits of your services. That is how to ‘sell’ your gym.
Although reciting machine features might be a beneficial way to communicate value to some clients, many will tend to zone out. Why? Because they don’t understand the connection between gym technology and their fitness journey. People crave to hear about themselves when shopping for a new membership. So, find out what their motivation is and translate things for them.
Instead of:
- “At 123Gyms we have a wide variety of fitness machines that are equipped with the latest technology. In fact, our new treadmills just arrived and feature an innovative game mode, compatible with 22 preset training programs. The equipment here is truly the best on the market which is why we’re different.”
Try:
- “At 123Gyms we’ve invested heavily in gym technology to really improve the fitness journey for members in a way that can help you reach your goals faster than ever before. The new treadmills actually feature a game mode that’s really effective at keeping you motivated after a long day at work. It’s really an easy way to start kicking goals! I can picture your transformation already.”
Make sense? By selling results rather than features, you communicate much more value to potential gym members. If you’re interested in learning how to sell memberships much more effectively, you can read our full comprehensive membership selling guide here.
Take advantage of social media
As the fitness industry is propelled into the digital age, there has become an increased demand for gym’s to have a social presence. Memberships restricted to the confines of a building filled by weights, people, and machines are no longer enough. Members expect more…
What do we mean by more? Well, if you’re familiar with any of our gym improvement guides, you may notice that there is a similar theme when it comes to this topic. There is no coincidence that the word ‘community’ is very frequently used. After all, a strong fitness community is essentially a gold mine when it comes to member satisfaction, member retention, and… driving membership registrations.
Where does social media come into play? Well, it’s simply the best platform to host private member groups – boosting a sense of community. With these groups come the ability to offer exclusive loyalty promotions, advertise transformation challenges, recognise hard working members, let out real-time business updates, and acquire valuable member feedback.
If you’ve never taken advantage of social media to create membership groups you’re missing out. In fact, investing time into creating a really engaging social space for current members to interact is perhaps more important than pursuing new membership registrations as retention is significantly more cost-effective compared to acquisition.
Once your fitness business has created a great network, however, it then becomes a great asset to increase gym membership registrations. Potential customers identify such social groups as a valuable source of motivation and support which can give your club a huge competitive-advantage over other gyms who struggle to engage members outside the gym.
So, to increase membership registrations, make sure to take advantage of social media.
Create seasonal promotions
One of the best ways to drive new membership registrations this new year is to create seasonal promotions. While you should expect to on-board new members throughout the year, seasonal offerings can provide an incredibly powerful boost that can help fast-track results and increase gym revenue.
The sales promotions that you decide to run will ultimately depend on the time of year and which discounts or incentives make the most sense. Across the slower months, try making offers more appealing than naturally busy times of year. This is a great way to disperse member registrations in a way that can provide an easily managed and constant revenue stream.
Not sure what promotions to offer? Having trouble deciding what seasonal trends to jump on board with? Here’s what some of the best gyms are doing.
Seasonal Event | Promotional Ideas | CHECKLIST |
|---|---|---|
| Gym Anniversary | Get your first month free when you sign-up during this sale | [ ] |
| Black Friday | Sign-up and receive a free PT lesson plus your first week free | [ ] |
| Cyber Monday | Join today and pay no joining-fee plus get a workout plan free | [ ] |
Seasonal Event | Promotional Ideas | CHECKLIST |
|---|---|---|
| Easter | Sign-up with a friend this sale and get three group classes free plus enjoy a half-price joining fee | [ ] |
| Christmas | Enjoy this sale with one month free plus get your gym access card at no cost for a limited time | [ ] |
| New Years | Join this sale and receive two free PT lessons plus a two-week free trial to share with a friend | [ ] |
It’s important to note that while these seasonal events are widely recognised, they may not be celebrated by certain gym members. Understanding your community can be a valuable way to tailor seasonal offerings in the most inclusive way possible.
Also remember that while pushing new member registrations is important, you should always stay mindful of existing gym member experience. Try passing on some seasonal savings or incentives to those currently working out at your club to keep gym members happy. This could be as simple as giving them a celebratory week for free during the holidays or perhaps even discount incentives for any new members they refer across other seasonal promotions.
Looking for that little extra edge when trying to increase membership registrations…? Try this
Confident in these tactics but still looking for something more? Well, sometimes back-end processes can play a significant factor in enhancing the gym member experience in a way that can encourage new member sign-on’s.
The little things such as queue times, payment processing, and member communications can have a large impact on how seamless a members experience is so, optimising this in anyway can provide an amazing return on investment.
What’s the best way to do this? While there are a range of different software available to assist with the optimisation of individual features, the most successful gyms leverage a high quality gym management system that integrates everything into one place. This essentially forms the heart of all business operations.
Having a leading gym management software is a fantastic way to really set yourself apart from competitors and provide the best customer experience possible to all gym members. If you currently have gym software but aren’t convinced that you’re getting the most out of business – you can read our article outlining the top signs that it’s time to switch gym management systems.
If you’re still not sure how to go about getting the best software in your gym – look no further!
Build a better fitness business this year with VIGYR gym management software
Finding a great gym management software can be difficult when there are so many on the market today. So, how do you know what to look for? How can you be sure that your gym management system doesn’t lack vital features and can perform at peak times? That’s why VIGYR was created…
VIGYR is a product derived from decades worth of experience across thousands of gyms worldwide. Unlike other fitness software available, VIGYR has been built from inside a gym – not just behind a computer. Combine real-world functionality with a range of exclusive industry insights and what you get is something special. What you get is VIGYR.
This fully-integrated system not only allows partners to optimise their gym business but also provides access to some of the most innovative technology – offering an unmatched experience for both staff and gym members at an absolute cost-advantage.
VIGYR continues to push the boundaries of performance with constant innovation and in-depth industry research. This simply means you can bet on getting the fastest and most flexible piece of gym management software available. So, say hello to complete process optimisation delivered by a premium suite of features and tools that are redefining what the fitness industry is capable of.
What are you waiting for? Find out what’s driving the future of gym business growth around the world! Ask how VIGYR can improve your gym business through an obligation-free phone call.
Contact us on 1300 352 561
