Do you know what members are looking for when they visit a fitness studio?
Fear not if you don’t. Educating yourself on the areas of your business that matter the most to your members will help you to grow your business.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 5 areas that members are focused on when selecting a fitness studio.
Hire Enthusiastic Fitness Instructors
Did you know that 95% of fitness studio members say that an energetic and enthusiastic instructor is one of the main factors that bring them back?
Fitness studios are often characterized by the great enthusiasm of the instructors and their ability to motivate and support the members as much as possible, so who you hire is important!
Good instructors don’t just teach fitness techniques, they set the tone for your members’ entire fitness studio experience. They should inspire your members to work harder for their fitness goals and return to class week after week.
Make Your Studio Convenient For Members
Did you know that about 37% of people consider the location to be one of the most important aspects of a gym.
Convenience is a huge part of whether or not people will return to your fitness studio after their first visit. Although you can’t easily change the location of your fitness studio to make it more convenient, you can still provide convenience to your members that fits easily into their routine.
For example, you could:
- Offer more class times, including early mornings, during the lunch hour, and after work
- Offer specialised classes such as childcare ‘mommy and me’ classes
- Incorporate a snack or smoothie bar that your members can visit after workouts
- Incorporate a fitness management software solution to your studio so that your members can easily book your classes from their smartphones
Offer Value With Your Pricing Structure
Did you know that about 38% of members quit because of membership costs?
When your fitness studio members say the membership is too expensive, what they really mean is that they don’t get enough value from it.
Take a look at everything your fitness studio has to offer. Do your members typically show up, work out, and leave? Do they usually hang around after class and chat? Do your instructors take the time to engage with each student, or are some left out? What is your studio’s culture, and does it match what you think it should be? This should help you identify areas where you could be adding value to your members.
Lure Back Former Members
Did you know that 60% of fitness studio members who let their memberships lapse would consider rejoining?
This means your lapsed or cancelled members provide a huge opportunity for growing your membership. When a member cancels, add their email address to a separate mailing list specifically for cancelled members. Send this newsletter out less frequently than your main one, once every other month or quarterly, where you can include:
- Offers or promotions
- Highlights of things that happened at the gym since the last newsletter
- Sneak peeks of upcoming events or challenges
Stand Out From The Crowd
Did you know that over two out of every five members of studios participate in group exercise, such as Yoga or Kickboxing?
If your fitness studio falls into this 40% then you’re on the right track. However, just offering group classes isn’t enough, you should look at ways to stand out from the crowd.
You can do this by:
- Building a playlist that gets people moving
- Increasing competition by adding heart rate monitors to your classes
- Surveying your paying members and asking what other classes they’d like incorporated into your studio
Conclusion
Many fitness studios struggle to recognize their individual member touchpoints. Using the steps above, you should be able to deliver a great member experience to help you grow your business in no time!
