Prolonged Customer Engagement Requires a Multipronged Approach
At REGYMEN Fitness Franchise Office, we realize keeping members engaged can be tricky. Engagement strategies will vary depending on industry, clientele demographics, and motivations. As a boutique gym and fitness destination, most of your monthly members are paying for more than a product – they are expecting a service and a community to boot. Keeping customers in the loop, stimulated, and involved with your space’s activities, events, and updates can help you form a long-term bond and continual customer retention. Today, we will discuss methods for building an active and engaged customer community – whether online, in person, or both.
Online Engagement Is Key
The modern marketplace revolves around the Internet. As a result, you’ll want to find ways to keep your customer base engaged via email newsletters, social media, and other online touchpoints. Your strategy should rely on offering various perks and benefits for sharing email, social media, and other contact information.
Studies have reinforced again and again the importance of email marketing. Want proof? Consider the following statistics detailing the benefits of email marketing for small businesses:
- 80 percent of entrepreneurs cite email marketing as a pivotal tool in customer acquisition and retention
- Email is nearly 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined when it comes to recruiting new members
- 91 percent of US adults appreciate promotional emails from companies they subscribe to
An easily navigable and aesthetically pleasing website can be highly beneficial. REGYMEN Fitness Franchise Office offers cutting-edge content development and management strategies. We have the tools, technologies, and resources to help our franchisees boost SEO rankings, receive more page views, and much more!
Expanding your social media channels can be a game changer when marketing a boutique fitness studio. Sharing content on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and other avenues will attract new acquisitions and help your current members feel excited to participate in the content creation. Offering incentives and prizes for members who share content or hashtag your location can be a very inexpensive strategy that advertises your studio and motivates your members at the same time!
Create a Community through Group Exercise Activities
Building an online community is critical, but there are many other ways to enhance member engagement. The most essential element for customer retention is developing a one-to-one rapport with each member. Remembering every recurring customer by name is a starting point. That said, we suggest going above and beyond. Try to get creative with organizing events that promote your fitness studio as a place to socialize and feel inspired.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Offer free meditation or breathing classes
- Cross-market with local companies
- Schedule a potluck
- Create raffles
- Host seasonal sales events
- Reward long-term members with free months or discounts on gym wear/equipment
- Participate in community service projects that align with our mission statement
- Set up small flea markets during off-hours for local artisans
We understand that not all these options will be viable for every franchisee. Nevertheless, the central objective remains unchanged – customer retention and a sense of community complement one another. In fact, the IHRSA found that gym membership cancellation rates were 56% higher among members who used gym equipment independently compared to members who participated in group exercise sessions.
Group exercise can help:
- Provide an opportunity for like-minded members to form relationships with one another
- Boost accountability
- Encourage and build self-esteem
- Offer a social outlet and release
- Create an exciting, lively, and upbeat atmosphere
Consistent Communication Is Critical
The relationship between you and your members should continue outside the REGYMEN studios. Stay in touch by updating members about events, seasonal/special offers, group classes, and other exciting news via phone calls, push notifications, email, and social media. Don’t hesitate to utilize social media as an advertising tool as well. Uploading videos on fitness recommendations, nutritional tips, or free short workouts can attract new customers and offer your current members an extra perk between visits.
You can even rely on state-of-the-art management software to notify members before workouts (upon their acceptance or request) or remind them of upcoming schedule changes via text message. Automated texts, emails, and regular alerts can dramatically boost attendance and engagement in your group activities and classes.
Monitoring member data and shifting trends will help you make well-informed decisions on concrete metrics.
These metrics can track:
- Membership retention
- Sales
- Attendance
- Total revenue
- Lead management and conversion
We recommend best-in-class membership management software that provides accurate analytics and reports the information. This feedback can help you proactively evolve, reach out, or ramify your approach to mitigate cancellation rates. Member engagement and retention are at the core of our ongoing success. We go above and beyond to prioritize our members in every way – forming robust relationships and meaningful interactions to maintain our loyal community of passionate fitness practitioners.
Are you interested in opening a REGYMEN franchisee? Call (866) 954-1590 or contact us online today!