How To Improve Your Fitness Business

By Gavan Chapman Gym Improvement Guides Gym Revenue January 29, 2020

Here’s how can you improve your gym business

Take advantage of member feedback
Update your business website
Set up an enticing referral program
Focus on building a social gym community

Learn how you can improve your gym business with these simple tips

As you may have heard, gym ownership can be one of the most rewarding careers within the fitness industry. You quite literally gain the ability to help change and transform people’s lives! Make no mistake though, this space resembles that of an ever changing fitness marketplace, so, without the ability to keep up or improve your club – things can get real hard, real quick.

Improving your gym business may seem daunting in the beginning, however, it is often the small things which yield the biggest results. Small steps are a critical factor when creating major change and it’s where most gym’s typically start.

So, how do you start climbing the ladder toward total gym success? How do you improve your fitness business in a way that’s enticing for new members, yet still ‘fresh’ for those you currently have? Well, it’s quite simple, really! Here are four simple tips that will get you started on the road to improving your gym business.

Be sure to take advantage of gym member feedback

While it’s easy to fall into the habit of prioritising new membership registrations, implementing an effective membership retention strategy is vital. This suggests that taking advantage of gym member feedback is an absolute asset when striving to improve your gym business.

Research even says that member acquisition costs exceed retention efforts by upwards of ten times – suggesting that long term, feedback loops can be a huge determining factor in how successful a gym can become.

So, what feedback are we talking about? Where is a good place to get started when looking to improve your gym? Here are a few questions you can start asking today.

What fitness machines would you love to see added here?
How can we accommodate any fitness goals you have this year?
Are there any classes or class times we don’t currently offer that you’d like?
What are your least favourite aspects of working out with us?

Driving these questions can be vehicles such as in-house suggestion boxes, online surveys, and more. It is also a great idea to incentivise participation through the use of discounts or giveaways so that you have more data to improve on. This stuff is GOLD! Don’t underestimate just how much of a difference that obtaining and implementing member feedback can make.

Make sure to update your gym businesses website

The fitness marketplace is being propelled into the digital age with Millennial’s and Gen Z’s taking over as the new core demographic. This means that first impressions are a must and improving your gym’s website is essential.

Though it starts with updating your online presence with up to date information, these days design is being appreciated more than it ever has before. In such a saturated marketplace, this could be the difference between gaining new membership registrations or not getting any at all. So, do you have the latest gym updates available on your website? High quality images or videos, too? Free member resources even?

Hiring someone to build a website for you can be quite costly, but with sites such as SquareSpace and WordPress available – there is no excuse for a poor website. If making your own through an online website builder, here are some ‘must-haves’.

Website header with your company logo and website navigation to increase brand awareness and help members easily navigate different pages.
High quality images that have been optimised for web to show off your facilities without decreasing loading speeds
Testimonial column to highlight positive member experiences in a way that creates trust with new potential customers.
Contact page with the company details so that all enquiries can be answered promptly.
A list of features so that new gym members can see what differentiates you from other nearby gyms
Finally, a call-to-action is a must! Make sure to let potential members know how to sign up and what they need to do to take future steps!

This may seem like a lot of work to begin with, however, these tasks can be updated quite easily over a period of time. It’s also a smart idea to update your social media pages as a direct extension of your website so that you can connect with potential members across a range of different platforms.

Set up an enticing gym member referral program

Let us bring you in on an age old trade secret… Word of Mouth is King! So, why focus purely on ‘collecting’ instead of ‘connecting’ too? After all, there is a reason that marketing experts around the world have identified word of mouth as the most valuable form of marketing… It’s because it works! Moving forward into the digital age, personal interaction still remains the key source of brand trust – making it an incredibly powerful tool.

This makes gym member referral programs particularly effective, incentivising current members to bring in family and friends. While there are many ways to do this, the best offers we have seen include:

‘Mates Rates’ that reduce gym membership fees depending on how many people register together
Half-price PT sessions for friend groups who workout together
Giveaways or free membership periods for current members who bring along a new friend

While many gym owners may be quick to downplay the effectiveness of such tactics in fear of reducing prices or offering ‘freebies’ – it’s important to look toward the future. Not only do member referrals help obtain new members, they also help retain them by providing an increased customer experience. This translates to a much higher retention rate which over the long-term can drive higher profit margins. This is a great starting point when looking to improve your fitness business.

You’ve heard it before… Community, Community, Community

There is no doubt in our mind that most articles on the internet that provide quality gym improvement advice will suggest some form of recommendation surrounding your ‘gym community’. This is because community is the key to delivering an unmatched customer experience that will make anybody a ‘lifelong’ member. When it comes down to it, investing in building a great community is one of the best gym improvements you can make for your business.

Many of the tactics for enhancing your gyms community are transferable from above, having referral programs as an effective way to get members working out with their friends. This not only gets them involved, but also makes them more comfortable to participate in other community activities. However, if you’re still stuck for ideas – here are a few more!

Weekly group challenges or exercise classes to drive member collaboration
Host community events such as guest workshops, social get-togethers, or
Q&A sessions to get members talking and interacting with each other.
Incorporate social media by utilising your Facebook page as a community hub where you can share upcoming dates, communicate important information, and host a forum where questions and engagement are welcomed.

Building a community is commonly the hardest step when trying to improve your gym business, and it’s simply because you have little control over how it goes… After all, the community is with the people. All you can do is set solid foundations for members to expand upon and facilitate as much conversation as you can through the provision of gym resources.

Still not sure how to improve your gym business… There is one more powerful tool to consider

While the information above should be more than enough to kick-start your gym improvement journey, there are valuable tools which can help take your business to the next level! Investing in a high quality gym management system can help streamline your processes and facilitate better member communication in a way that not only improves the customer experience, but affords you more time to spend time doing what matters most!

Gym management software is often underrated as a gym improvement method, acting as a major contributing factor to the success of a fitness club. High-end software will offer a solution to many issues which gym owners face daily, allowing full integration across all operational aspects including billing and security! This again, provides for an enhanced experience for both staff and members – giving you a significant competitive edge.

Learn to grow your fitness business with VIGYR gym management software

When looking to gain an edge over other local gyms or simply interested in taking your fitness business to the next level, you can’t go past VIGYR gym management software! As a product derived from decades worth of feedback across thousands of gyms worldwide – VIGYR was designed to enable partners to better optimise their gym business in a way that offers an unmatched customer experience at an absolute cost-advantage.

VIGYR continues to push the boundaries of what a gym management system is capable of – delivering the fastest and most flexible piece of software on the market. What does this mean for you? Well, simple and seamless integration that allows you to focus on what matters most… improving your gym business! So, say hello to complete process optimisation and a new suite of premium tools that redefine the capabilities of gym software. Don’t be held back, find out what’s driving the future of the industry and raising industry standards around the globe. Find out about VIGYR, today!

Let us show you how VIGYR can transform your business today!