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34 Actions to Grow Your Gym or Dance Studio through Retention Marketing

34 Actions to Grow Your Gym or Dance Studio through Retention Marketing

The fitness industry is competitive! But there are a million reasons why someone might choose you over a cheaper, closer, or more established peer, so let’s make sure every single athlete who works out with you comes back tomorrow.

Your audience has multitudes and one of your targets may be that hardcore fitness lover who prioritizes their gym time over everything else. These folks are the body builders, the #gains gang, the protein preppers.

Slightly less intense than the first target, wellness warriors still deeply care about their health through fitness and nutrition.

However, there are still plenty of folks who may become members at your gym but care less about that feel-good muscle soreness and the pre-workout. These folks are here for the serotonin, the friends, and honestly, are just trying not to die of a heart attack at 45 (it’s me, Jessica). This last group is most likely the crew on ClassPass who coordinate with their friends which studios and classes they are taking each week.

Some of the ideas below might work for certain audiences but not for others, so it’s important to diversify your efforts. Try as many of these things as you can and measure your success so you can determine what to focus on moving forward.

    1. A free first class might attract someone to come check you out, but how do you convert them from that occasional drop in? You could try a full week for free so they could try a couple different classes and start a routine.
    2. One-on-one personal training is great for some, but others prefer to work out with friends. You should offer both options at your gym or studio. This can help build community and in turn, customer retention.
    3. Make introductions between members. It can be really intimidating coming to a new gym alone and sometimes it’s nice to see a familiar face, even if the introverts don’t want to exchange numbers and become best friends outside of the gym. A simple introduction and sharing something they might have in common (working in the same industry, living in the same neighborhood, kiddos the same age, also new to the studio) is a great way to make folks feel more comfortable and safe, and better yet, want to come back.
    4. You could also offer a special discount for the household to encourage your customers to bring their partners or roommates with them. Lots of people prefer working out alone, but others enjoy having an accountability buddy to make them reserve that 6 a.m. class tomorrow. We love date night classes, but you could also do BFF specials too.
    5. Reward your favorite customers (all of them, duh!) when they bring a friend to class or send folks your way so they want to do it again and again. You don’t have to offer a month free, but even a small piece of swag like a sticker and a handwritten thank you note is a kind gesture.
    6. Sell merch. People love showing off their favorite businesses. Plus, you’ll come up naturally in conversation. And we all know word-of-mouth is the most effective marketing ever!
    7. Hand out the referrals to other businesses too. We’re big fans of sending good out into the world. People often remember your kindness and return the favor someday. But more than that, if you make a recommendation for another business, that customer will remember you for having good taste. Always aim for good vibes and positive associations in your customers’ minds.
    8. Connect with other wellness businesses like registered dietitians and mental health professionals so you can offer your customers a holistic program.
    9. To connect with those who care about causes, host community events that are donation-based. This can mean bringing canned goods for a pre-Thanksgiving burn session, or a school supplies drive in July before the kiddos go back. Or even making a donation to a cause you care about and showing their donation receipt at class.
    10. We know it’s a ton of work, but you gotta do social media. Choose one or two channels and post at least once a week, more often for certain tactics like Instagram stories. We love discovering new workout spots on TikTok, for example, and always star them in our Google maps for when we are in the area or looking for a new class. You could hosts contests, member-of-the-month features, and so much more.
    11. Speaking of Google, you need to have a Google Business Profile and post updates and photos to it as well. This will help your findability and remind folks to come back to your classes.
    12. You should also invite customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile and ClassPass, and elsewhere. You can ask after class, on social media, and via email.
    13. Your website needs to have at least 250 words on each page, and use language that folks are using when they poke around online for fitness things. Basic SEO can go a long way.
    14. You should have an option to subscribe to your emails on your website as well. Send regular updates about new classes, event invitations, and even new techniques you’re trying out.
    15. Greet every person when they walk in the door and say good job and see you soon to everyone when they leave. Do some of these actions sound too easy? Good! Because you’d be surprised how often these simple things get overlooked. But they can make a big difference in how someone feels about your business.
    16. Correct form during class to prevent injuries. If someone gets hurt during your workout, it may not be a positive experience and they may not want to return. Ask permission if each customer would like form corrections and if they mind physical touch or just verbal support. Better yet, always offer a range of options for each motion from beginning to more advanced, so everyone can participate at their personal level.
    17. During class, pause after explaining the exercises to ask if anyone has any questions or needs anything repeated. We don’t know how many times we’ve been to a new gym and the trainer rattles off the workout and then cranks the music and we’re left peeking around the room wondering what we need to do next. That’s great for folks who know what they’re doing, but every studio has the equipment in a different place and does things a little differently so make sure the new folks understand what to expect and how to ask for help during the workout.
    18. Coordinate a formal new-to-fitness course where folks can join the quarterly cohort to learn how to use your machines, poses, or moves. This not only makes them feel less intimidated to start, but helps build that routine, and even make new friends who can encourage them to continue their membership after the introductory course.
    19. Every single person should hear from you once they leave. This could be through a tool like Mailchimp or even Vagaro or MindBody. You may not have permission to keep emailing them, but you should have a thank you or a follow up after their first class inviting them to come back, showing off your special deal or sharing an upcoming event. You have to follow up immediately after someone’s first time in your space, and again a few more times if you have permission.
    20. Remind folks to share that they visited your gym on social media, and reshare those posts when they tag you. You also may find that folks tag your location instead of your profile handle, so peruse that section every once in a while and reshare those too.
    21. Ask for feedback often. ClassPass asks for a rating after each class and while we think that could be a bit excessive, many gyms and studios don’t ask often enough. This can be a simple in-person question, or in your email after class, but it could be a survey at the bottom of your monthly newsletter, or shared on your social media.
    22. Ask your current customers how they found you so you can make sure you’re doubling down on that tactic.
    23. Do you remember the last time you visited the dentist? Maybe not, but your dentist sure does. You can automate a similar approach by keeping track of when the last time your customers came into your studio and if it’s been a month or even three months, message them and invite them back with some sort of special.
    24. In a not-creepy way, track what classes or types of fitness they like with you. Then you can make sure they know about related new class offerings or special events. And you can customize their emails to their interests. E.g. If you have a gym with pilates, strength, barre, swim, and yoga and you know that certain customers only attend the swim classes, you can have a photo of the pool in their emails so they know that you understand them and their preferences.
    25. Make sure folks are coming into your studio. If you find that someone paid and isn’t using their classes or time, follow up within a couple weeks. Studies show that the more someone uses something, the more likely they are to buy it again. It’s extremely shortsighted to want someone to purchase a membership or class pack and then not use it because it feels like you get the upside of not having to provide that service. It’s actually way more beneficial for them to use it and then come back and buy a second, third, or fourth pack.
    26. Offer a reward for coming to a certain number of classes and keep track of it for them. This could be in the form of a bingo card, a fun Candy Land board, or just a simple punch card or star sticker system. Yes, even adults love a good old fashioned star sticker!
    27. Develop digital options so folks can work out with you even when they can’t make it to your physical space. This could be on their vacation, when they have a sick kid, or just can’t make the timing work. An app is a ton of work to maintain, but it keeps your content private for just members, while a YouTube channel might serve two purposes in attracting new folks to your gym and supporting your current customers who can’t make it into class today.
    28. We personally like to avoid the whole “summer bod,” “lose weight” fitness mindset. But if that’s your thing, consider those tactics and that language in a different season than everyone else. You’ve probably got lots of folks crowding your classes in January, but what about a fall special when people are building new routines around kids’ school schedules? Differentiating yourself will help your business be memorable.
    29. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and class milestones. This could be as simple as setting up an automated email during the celebration month, or a special verbal shoutout during the class before their milestone. Some gyms even take photos with folks for their 100th and 250th classes, or post their name on a wall in their studio. These actions can be affordable but the recognition can be meaningful to your customers.
    30. There are loads of ways to celebrate your fitness outside of your studio and out in your community together. Fundraise for Pelotonia together, challenge each other to a chin up contest at the local park, or take a hike.
    31. Recreate those viral fitness challenges and post them on social media. Sometimes they are related to songs like Bring Sally Up squat challenge, but sometimes, they are just challenging workout buddies to see who can do a handstand the longest or maneuver into a particularly tough yoga pose.
    32. Cheer on your athletes in their other fitness endeavors. Make a sign for your customers if they are running a marathon or biking in a local race. Are their kiddos participating in the school’s dance marathon? Sponsor them to show support of their fitness even at a young age.
    33. Host a new member event a couple times a year to get to know your customers outside of class. Most gyms see spikes in January for New Years resolutions, so perhaps February would be a good time to ensure they stay motivated in their routine to keep coming month after month.
    34. Celebrate fun holidays and cultural moments. One of the studios Jess goes to celebrated the new N’SYNC song release with an all N’SYNC playlist for barre. This could be a costume contest at Halloween, a gift exchange at the end of the year, or a healthy summer cookout.

Fitness customer retention is driven by routine. Just like you watch your favorite TV shows on a weekly basis, you can help your customers build routine with your business too. Maybe they always come to leg day on Wednesdays or a Sunday night restorative yoga reset before their busy week ahead.

Just like you coach your fellow fitness freaks to build consistency in their workouts, it’s just as important for you to be engaging with your community consistently. Some of this can be automated, but some of it also needs to be timely and personalized.

Add one action above to your regular routine and once you have that mastered and working well, add another one.

We can hear you say, um this is all great, but when am I going to do all of this?! I’m teaching, coaching, working out myself, ordering new equipment, coordinating payroll, and the million other things it takes to keep a studio running. We hear you, especially when tackling this list might require you to learn new skills too, taking up even more time. We’d love to help you with all your retention, content, and email marketing so you can focus on everything else. Tight budget or need something super quick? Our store might have some templates or step-by-step guides to get you started literally right now.

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