How to Increase Memberships & Retention in Your Gym

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 had an immense impact on the fitness industry, with many switching to home workouts and online classes. This had a direct impact on gym memberships in the UK, with 17% of gym goers cancelling their membership.

However, now the UK has regained normality, the number of gym memberships is expected to increase. As a gym owner, it’s essential that your facility is doing the right things to attract new members and stand out against the competition. In this blog, we explore several methods that can boost the number of new sign ups you get and how you can increase membership retention.

7 ways to increase gym memberships & retain your members too

As with any fitness business, the key to growth is to entice new members to join and make sure they don’t quit. Here, we breakdown some key steps you can take to build an excellent sign up and retention strategy:

1. Make joining as simple as possible

When encouraging sign ups for your gym, you should remove any hurdles to ensure the joining process is as frictionless as possible. Spending half an hour writing out reams of personal details may turn new members away.

An online sign-up form in an easy-to-understand format will likely help, so a prospect can fill this out themselves. You could also include digital waivers to help speed up the process even further. The quicker your joining process, the higher the likelihood of a successful sale.

2. Work on your review strategy

When looking for a new gym, a person is far more likely to choose one with higher ratings. On average, reviews produce an 18% uplift in sales, so it’s important you get your reviews strategy right.

Your online reviews build your reputation and allows any potential new customers to view your business as more trustworthy. Here are some steps you can take to improve your review strategy:

• Place instructions around your gym – have clear reminders and instructions on how to leave a review in areas of high traffic, such as studios, changing rooms and entrance halls. This will help keep the idea in their heads and encourage them to take action, especially after an enjoyable class.
• Include review links on your emails – ensure all emails, such as newsletters, class booking confirmations and fitness challenges include direct links to all of your review sites.
• Offer incentives - incentive such as discounts or free coffees from the café may help to increase the number of reviews you receive.
• Respond to negative reviews – if you receive negative reviews, it’s important to respond to them and take criticism on board. This will show you are willing to make changes to meet the needs of your members and is also valuable in helping your gym improve.

 3. Refresh your equipment and classes

You should also consider reviewing your current exercise classes. Are they engaging? Does your timetable accommodate for varying schedules? Exercise classes are a key deciding factor for those looking to join a new gym, with 36% of gym goers attending these classes. Engage more members by making the following improvements:

• Review the popularity of the classes – no one wants to attend an overcrowded exercise class, so keep tabs on which are the most popular and fit them into your timetable more regularly.
• Ensure your timetable matches demand – consider the peak times for gym visits and ensure you have enough classes during these times.
• Ask for feedback – survey your current members to understand where they think you could make improvements.

4. Offer a referral scheme

A referral program is a great way to bring in new customers, whilst also rewarding your loyal customer base. A recent study found 92% of people are likely to trust referrals from people they know, so creating an effective referral scheme will help boost memberships further.

To create an effective referral program, you should consider an offer that people won’t want to miss out on. Consider providing an incentive for the referrer and the referee too. Some ideas include:

• Discounted memberships
• A free drink at your café
• A free personal training session
• Free branded gym merchandise

5. Reward your existing members

A great way to retain members is by offering club members discounts and rewards outside of a referral program. For example, you could provide them with rewards on their gym membership anniversary, such as a free personal training session or a sports massage if you offer those facilities. This is a great way to maintain loyalty.

6. Host regular social events

Another way to build your gym community is to host regular social events. This brings all your members together with personal trainers, so they can discuss their fitness goals whilst also meeting other members of the gym. This will help to engage members and build a sense of community. Social events could include promotional events around your latest fitness classes, or simply offer post class social events to provide a time to wind down after an intense class.

7. Ensure your gym is clean and hygienic

When a prospect is looking around your gym, they will likely notice the cleanliness of your facility. A dirty, unhygienic gym will impact their opinion of the safety and running of your facility. Make those first impressions count and ensure your gym is sparkling clean.

The importance of maintaining a clean gym space

Whilst maintaining a clean and hygienic gym will help to boost membership sign ups, it will also have many other positive impacts on the running of your facility:

• Retain current gym members - if you have a dirty gym, it’s highly likely the loyalty of your gym members will decrease. A recent study found that gym retention rates fell from 93% to 52% if a gym is perceived to be unclean. So, it is essential to keep on top of cleanliness in your facility to ensure profits don’t drop.
• Reduce the risk of bacteria and viruses – if left untouched, a gym can be the perfect breeding ground for a variety of nasty bacteria. Gym goers will of course be sweaty and may cough or sneeze onto equipment that other users will be frequently touching. Ensuring surfaces such as dumbbells, exercise mats, weights and other equipment are regularly cleaned will help minimise the spread of illness and bacteria.
• Reduce expenditure on new equipment – if you don’t frequently clean your gym, then a lot of equipment will look rundown, uncared for and could even lead to more equipment breaking. Ensuring your gym is regularly cleaned will help minimise the need for new equipment, making your business more profitable.

Hire a professional cleaning company to tackle your gym clean

Whilst you may look to tackle the cleaning of your gym yourself, you should look to hire a commercial cleaning company who are well versed in the cleaning requirements of gyms. A professional cleaning company will have the knowledge, equipment and products to keep your equipment looking sparkling clean and bacteria free, whilst ensuring the equipment is not damaged in the process.

Talk to gym cleaning professionals

Get a quote from gym cleaning experts, Jani-King to make sure your gym stands out against the crowd by providing an exceptionally clean facility. Jani-King offers a flexible gym cleaning schedule to meet the needs of your business, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so your local team will be on hand to clean whenever works best for you. Find your local Jani-King cleaning service and get in touch to find out more.