As a gym or health club owner, you may have sent thousands of beautifully designed flyers in the street near your gym to increase your members, but found that’s not working.
Sending flyers on the street is a common way that most gyms do to increase their members, but it’s old-fashioned and not the most effective way. The gym business requires precise marketing, and it is difficult to spread and promote through a flyer. Therefore, the probability of getting a deal is low.
In this article, I’ll share with you tips to increase gym membership sales that are less common, but more effective.
Table of Contents
- 1. Let Current Members Bring Friends
- 2. Use Social Media to Build Brand Awareness
- 3. Use SEO and Google Ads to Rank Your Website
- 4. Do Time-limited Promotion
- 5. Hire Skilled Personal Trainers
- 6. Personalize Your Offerings Based on Members’ Physical Condition
- 7. Create a Good Environment for Your Members’ Exercise
- 8. Sponsor a Local Event
- 9. Give Free Trials
- 10. Collaborate with Local Businesses
- 11. Host a Fitness Challenge
- 12. Give Discounts to Students
1. Let Current Members Bring Friends
Ask your members to recommend their friends to your gym to work out. There is a lot of trust between them, and one word from a friend is more effective than ten words from you (businessman).
You can do these:
Offer Free Experience Coupons
Give the member three free experience coupons (You can print the value of these coupons on the coupons, for example, $50) each month, which can be sent to their friends (the coupons can only be used in the current month).
Once a friend successfully becomes a member, both two will receive three private lessons (for example, worth $600)
Because many people feel a little lonely when they go to the gym alone, but their friends don’t want to pay the fees to become member. At this time, the experience coupons come into play.
So why send three? If you send too much, every time a member’s friends come for free, they will become free members, so three is more appropriate. With this experience, if a member’s friend wants to continue to come and runs out of coupons, he is likely to buy the membership.
The price of $50 is written on the coupon. This is the value. If the coupon is not sent out for use in a month, the members will feel it is a waste, and most probably they’ll try to send them to their friends.
Provide Free Private Lessons
After a friend becomes a member, both of them give away three private lessons. What is the purpose of this? In order to close the membership of private lessons. Of course, these three private lessons must provide value, and a certain percentage of the course content needs to be set to pave the way for this transaction.
Why is it designed this way? Because many personal coaches are relatively free of time. In fact, it is high utilization of resources, and it can also help personal coaches to acquire private trainer members at a low cost, otherwise, there will be no suitable opportunity for the connection between coaches and members. As during normal exercise, if the coaches try to contact members, members will feel like a sales pitch.
Facebook Group
Another further move you can do is to establish a Facebook group or other message group, where you share fitness knowledge, and occasionally come to an online private education class. Will the ratio of transaction members and transaction private education be greatly increased?
2. Use Social Media to Build Brand Awareness
Social media is a powerful tool that can help you reach a larger audience and build brand awareness for your gym. Platforms like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow you to share photos, videos, and updates about your gym with people who may not have heard of it before.
Make sure to post engaging content that will get people interested in your gym and encourage them to check it out for themselves. You can also run social media ads to target potential customers in your area.
3. Use SEO and Google Ads to Rank Your Website
If you want people to be able to find your gym website when they search for it online, you need to make sure it’s optimized for search engines using SEO and Google Ads.
It is recommended to target gym related keywords, like “gym in your city” and “gym near me”. Your potential customers are always looking for gyms through these keywords.
4. Do Time-limited Promotion
People are more likely to sign up for a gym membership if they feel like they’re getting a good deal. This is why running promotions and discounts can be an effective way to increase gym membership sales.
Consider offering a discount for first-time customers, or a free week of membership for people who sign up within a certain time period. You can promote these deals on your website and social media platforms to reach a wider audience.
5. Hire Skilled Personal Trainers
Your personal trainers are the face of your gym. They’re the ones who interact with customers on a daily basis and help them reach their fitness goals. This is why it’s so important to hire skilled and experienced personal trainers who are passionate about their work.
Make sure to conduct interviews and background checks before hiring anyone, and only bring on trainers who you feel confident will represent your gym well. You can also offer bonuses or commissions to personal trainers who are able to increase membership sales.
6. Personalize Your Offerings Based on Members’ Physical Condition
Different people have different goals when they join a gym. Some want to lose weight, others want to gain muscle, and some just want to stay in shape. It’s important to offer different membership packages that cater to these different needs.
Newcomers will feel more comfortable signing up for a gym that offers services that are tailored to their specific goals. They’re also more likely to stick with their membership if they feel like they’re making progress towards their goals.
7. Create a Good Environment for Your Members’ Exercise
When you attract potential customers to look at your gym, you need to make sure that they have a good experience. This starts with the environment of your gym.
Your gym should be clean, well-lit, and welcoming. It should also have all the equipment and amenities that your members need to have a good workout. If your gym doesn’t create a good first impression, people will be less likely to sign up for a membership.
8. Sponsor a Local Event
There are always events happening in your local community, so why not sponsor one? If your gym is located in a town or city with a local sports team, sponsoring them can be a way to get your name out there and attract new members.
You could sponsor a running event, a sports team, or even a charity event. This way shows your support for the community and increases brand awareness.
Many people are passionate about their local team and will support businesses that sponsor them. You could offer to sponsor the team’s kit, pay for their entry fees into competitions or simply put your gym’s name on their shirts. It increases brand awareness and gets people interested in your gym.
9. Give Free Trials
People are often reluctant to sign up for a gym membership because they’re not sure if they’ll actually use it. Giving potential members a free trial of your gym can be a great way to show them what you have to offer and convince them to sign up. You could offer a free day pass, a free week’s membership, or even a discount on their first month. This would give people the chance to try out your gym and see if it’s right for them.
10. Collaborate with Local Businesses
There are many businesses that could benefit from partnering with a local gym. For example, you could offer corporate membership discounts to employees of local businesses. This would also be a good way to attract new members and build relationships with local businesses. You could also collaborate with health food stores or fitness apparel brands to promote each other’s products and services.
11. Host a Fitness Challenge
Organizing a fitness challenge will attract people interested in the gym and you can show them what you have to offer. You could team up with a local charity and offer prizes for the winners of the challenge. This is a good choice to give back to the community and increase brand awareness. It would also be an opportunity to showcase your gym’s facilities and equipment.
12. Give Discounts to Students
Many students are looking for ways to save money, so offering them discounts on gym memberships can attract students. You could offer a percentage off membership fees or free months for referrals. It appeals to students and gets them interested in your gym.