How can I better retain my members?
Hello Tyler Thompson,
The group fitness classes help keep people motivated for a few reasons: the camaraderie, lower cost than personal training and diversity of choices. Be sure to let members know that you are the one stop shop for updated health and fitness information, also. The news reports are enough to send anyone’s head spinning; thank goodness we have the science reports from reputable sources to back up our advice. Staying in touch and being truly personal by caring about each individual to deliver results is the main reason anyone will continue. If and when people decide to move on, for many reasons, that is fine, too; because, I taught them how to care for themselves and they know I am always here for them when needed. Discounts, coupons, gifts don’t hurt, either.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.
Hi Tyler, as someone who’s been in the marketing sphere for several years now, I can say fairly confidently than email is a highly useful tool for all small businesses, including fitness owners like yourself.
A well-developed email campaign can warmly reach out to your current membership, tap into their questions and needs, and provide solutions that will keep them engaged with your gym.
If you’d like some examples of emails meant for member retention, feel free to check out this blog post, which includes six free templates: http://membertracker.io/blog/email-templates-for-engaging-and-retaining-…
There are many management activities that seem vitally important, but end up being distractions. One of the most illuminating surveys I read was one that split club activities into Barriers, Key Drivers and Delighters. Barriers are things like having a clean bathroom or functional equipment–if you don’t do them well, it will drive members away, but performing them well won’t exactly drive new prospects or recommendations. No one is going “your bathroom is so clean! I need to refer my friends.”
What really matters are excelling at the Key Drivers. Key Drivers are activities that that really move the needle in either direction if you perform them well or not. The most important key driver is your staff. Having quality instructors that can build long-lasting relationships is THE key way to retain your members, as that makes the biggest impact upon them. For more information on this and a look at more of the survey data: http://blog.netpulse.com/top-3-most-effective-ways-to-retain-your-member…
