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It’s inevitable: whenever the seasons change, gyms and other fitness facilities experience fluctuations in member engagement and attendance. We tend to think of summer as the biggest shift, but really all of the seasons prompt changes in schedules, routines and priorities—especially fall. The arrival of fall means back to school and back to school means parents’ schedules are dictated by drop-offs and pick-ups and kid activities. And even though most of us crave routine post-summer, finding it and maintaining it is easier said than done.
To ensure a thriving fitness community year-round and prevent gaps in attendance (and consequently, revenue), it’s essential to be proactive about planning member engagement initiatives that are appropriate for the impending season, in this case, fall. By focusing on member retention initiatives, you can also organically boost trial traffic through referrals and social media hype.
Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with both the technology and gym marketing ideas to enable you to run these activations with ease.
Before you get started, create a calendar in Google Sheets where you can map out your plans for the next three months. Take note of holidays (Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving), no-school days for your district, social media “holidays” (think #worldmentalhealthday in October), local events (like city festivals), and anything else that feels relevant for your fitness community. You can repeat these activations with seasonal adaptations throughout the entire year. After you create a calendar, use the Wodify Retain feature to set up a low-utilization segment (also known as at-risk clients); refresh that segment every few months to extend a personal invite to any one of these initiatives.
According to our data, members who visit 10 times or more per month are more likely to remain loyal to your facility. With that in mind, planning a challenge that offers friendly competition and incentives for coming to class is a no-brainer.
Tag Team Challenge: have your clients partner up (even better if they bring in a non-member to team up with!) and try to knock out a specified number of classes together. It encourages consistency and accountability.
Bingo: create a Bingo card with fitness-related tasks that clients can check off during a specified timeframe. Bingo boxes can include something as simple as “take a selfie with your favorite coach” or “post a review to Google.” Or it can be more fitness-related like “do 20 burpees at the end of class.”
Torch Week: put your clients through an entire week’s worth of heavy-hitting workouts that are specifically designed around calorie burn. If clients hit all the workouts in a week, give them some swag.
People love to rally around a good cause and they love to rally around a small business who supports a good cause. With seasonal shifts, there tends to be more downtime to plan events so this is an ideal time to plan a larger-scale community event. To find a charity or cause, look within your client base or send out a survey for recommendations. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and November is American Diabetes Month and National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
Your fitness community is more likely to engage with a cause that’s local or meaningful to their peers. You can also get your surrounding community involved. Ask for donations from fellow small businesses and invite their employees and customers to join. Invite those same businesses to set up tables at the event — this is a great way to set up future partnerships and expand your marketing reach. You can encourage participants to donate to the cause for an entry fee into the workout or you can donate a dollar for every (insert exercise) done in class.
Do you have a former beloved coach or instructor who no longer works for you? Invite them back to be a guest coach for a weekend! You can also “borrow” a coach or instructor from a nearby gym if you have a friendly relationship or do a coaching swap. This is a great opportunity to garner excitement around a weekend of classes.
Adding a body composition scanner to your gym is a significant investment and one that you should consider thoughtfully. However, it can help boost incremental revenue and improve your retention rate as well as provide motivation to your clients. If you have one or decide to purchase one, you can run a sale on scans at the start of each season (or time of year when gym or studio activity slows). Not only will this give you a bump in your revenue, but it will give you an opportunity to remind clients of their goals and prove the value in your programming. You could also use a free body scan as an incentive to un-pause a membership for frozen members.
We don’t have to tell you that word-of-mouth and referrals are your strongest business asset and marketing tactic. Plan a guest pass play for when classes are less full and you have spots to fill. Not only will you have more qualified leads walking through your door, but the energy in your classes will stay high!
Maintaining member engagement as seasons change is a key factor in the success of your fitness facility. By implementing these strategies, you can foster a dynamic fitness community that remains engaged and motivated throughout the year, no matter the season. Embrace the changing seasons as an opportunity, but be proactive with the planning!
Ready to revolutionize your business and enhance the client experience for your members? Schedule a Wodify demo today and unlock the full potential of your fitness business.
