As December gives way to January, we thought it was a good time to look at the seasonal ebbs and flows that everyone in the fitness industry has come to expect, whether they work for a nationwide budget chain gym or an independent gym or fitness club.
Because as the influx of new members and old members, invigorated by New Year’s resolutions and winter weight starts to take attrition and reduce in numbers, the average independent gym is faced with a couple of questions.
Could we have held onto more members?
How much of the dropoff was within ‘acceptable limits’?
How do we keep the positive momentum going at a time where people understandably and naturally start to fall away? With many falling away through no fault of the gym in question.
The yearly influx of new gym members and their membership journey and lifespan through to March and April is not only a critical time but a fantastic window of opportunity.
If any independent gym or fitness club can reduce the drop-off rate in February and March by even 10 to 20 percent, that gym is looking at a sizable amount of revenue and momentum retained. As such, keeping the retention rate high during these critical months and beyond every year is a top priority for independent gym owners.
Not only that, but on a personal level they will have stopped those people from becoming yet more victims of the New Years Resolution fitness fad, hopefully instead ensuring that they are dedicated to exercise for a much greater portion of the year.
What will we cover in this article?
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January, February, March: The Importance of focusing on Retention for independent gyms and fitness clubs in the first calendar-quarter of the year
So how can independent gyms and fitness clubs start improving the retention rate of these New Year starters? And what can be done to ensure this sort of member does not drop off even in March, April, May or beyond?
In today’s blog we are going to focus on several projects and initiatives that independent gyms can undertake, including events, dedicated classes and marketing efforts to help foster a sense of community, acceptance and a common ‘struggle’ in the desire to stay fit during those trying winter months.
Several factors determine whether a member will stick with their gym in the long run…
Encourage a variety of activities
It is important to ensure that New Year Members (NYMs) do not get bored. Many people who do not regularly use gyms (and thus may fall into our NYM bracket) have a very rote and boring view on exercise. They think that doing it correctly is going to the same building every day and doing the same exercise.
Obviously this is not the case and something that independent gyms and fitness clubs can do is make it harder for them to accidentally fall into their bad habits. The truth is that not everyone knows how to work out implicitly. This is why it is so common for people to ask a friend, colleague or family member to come with them to the gym the first few times. I myself have been that friend or colleague for a dozen or so people.
But not everyone will want to go with a friend, or will be confident to ask. And independent gym and fitness club management can put a few very simple but effective initiatives in place to minimise the chance of this occurring.
Inductions:
By having someone on hand to introduce the gym to any new members around this time period, it will allow the person to ask questions they might otherwise never have asked, or not even thought of asking in the first place.
While this will require a dedicated staff member, the potential benefit this can bring could soon start to pay for itself. If staff get a warm, friendly and personable introduction, their sense of ‘gymtimidation’ will be diminished and they will more easily be able to ask the questions about machines and equipment they otherwise might not have looked at twice.
Classes:
Running a few free classes or another similar incentive that will encourage New Year Members to try and engage with the class structure of an independent gym or fitness club. This may sound minor but has been proven to be an important step to increasing retention rate amongst these members. By making them feel more a part of the gym culture, introducing them to not only staff but other members as well.
This will help them become a part of the social fabric of the gym, which when it comes to February, March and April might make all the difference when it comes to the decision about whether to pack it in or stick within it into the rest of the year!
Fitness Challenges and Personal Trainers:
Much like classes, engaging in challenges and offering free or discounted personal trainer sessions can be a great way to help a New Year Member out of their shell and really push themselves.
Holding Community and Beginner-Friendly Events
Building on from the last section, events can be used to great effect. Whether they focus on building community spirit, the actual local community surrounding the independent gym itself or beginner-friendly introduction-style events, anything can be used to create a welcoming and social atmosphere.
These don’t even need to be grand, all-day events. It could be as simple as a coffee morning or post-workout wind-down. Independent gym owners should not underestimate the power of the little moments in determining New Year Member retention figures. It is about convincing them not only that they belong, but that they want to belong.
“I refuse to join any club that would have me…” – Groucho Marx
Break New Year Members (NYMs) out of their shell!
First Impressions of the Gym or Fitness Club
This one is a simple and hopefully implicit point but it does not hurt to repeat it.
In January, February and March independent gyms and fitness clubs should be putting their best foot forward to impress the new members that are arriving. No half-measures, no equipment under-repair. The gym facility should be well-maintained, efficient and very, very clean.
There is no second chance at a first impression and the first impression that each years batch of New Year Members receives will stick in their mind. It might well be the deciding factor in February, March or April when they decide if they are going to keep at it!
Be sure to take every measure you can to reduce frustration for new members and to maximise the positive impression. Make sure that the independent gym or fitness club they walk into is somewhere they can be impressed with. It should exceed expectations, not just satisfy them.
Brand Excellence
Take the time in the run-up to January and February to reflect on the identity of the brand. The type of brand an independent gym can have is incredibly varied, so we will not go into specifics.
But we do encourage every independent gym owner to sit down and think about the type of members they are trying to attract and whether the facility, the branding and the gym as a whole speaks to that person.
Make sure every part of the location sets this tone and creates the aura and atmosphere most likely to impress these New Year Members. As we said above, most independent gyms only get a few chances to make this impression. This will be not only what sticks in their minds, but what they tell their friends, colleagues and family about when they ask how ‘what is the new gym like’.
Make sure that the atmosphere you create is one that they can talk about enthusiastically and not only does the likelihood of retention increase, but also positive word of mouth.
New Year Members are not always just looking for results, many also want a community that they feel proud to be a part of.
Increasing Appeal
It is important to understand the type of member that an independent gym or fitness club is trying to retain. As with many areas of life, you can’t please everyone all the time. What one generation or demographic enjoys, another will detest.
A good example of this is pumping workout music, we all know the type. To some of my friends, it would instantly set a positive and energetic tone. To others, it would confirm all their worst suspicions about ‘organised fitness’ and disappear quicker than you could say ‘gymtimidated’.
But by knowing the type of member that an independent gym or fitness club is likely to see passing through its turnstiles at any given point of the day, it is easier to set the tone that will appeal.
For example, the time period immediately after 1530 is more likely to be younger, given that is the average kick-out time for schools. Whereas 10am is probably going to be an older crowd, given that it will be people who are either retired or otherwise working irregular hours.
This is where data capture at point of access can be very useful for determining the ebb and flow of the demographics an independent gym has throughout the day. Of course this information can also be obtained anecdotally from staff, but this is not always the most reliable system. The thin slice of the day that each member sees will not give the full picture in the same way that a robust gym membership management will.
Using a gym membership management system, it can be possible to identify the relevant trends for each independent gym individually. Perhaps one gym will receive an influx of working-from-home or remote-working workers immediately after the workday ends, where another might be very near a college and have a significant increase in members around the time classes finish.
Seasonal factors can apply here as well, perhaps a certain part of the area’s demographic changes with the seasons, such as ski season or the university term times.
Data is power and without meaningful data capture from gym membership management software, it can be hard to know how to make the right impression on who and at what time.
This is basically akin to operating in the dark, compared to the alternative.
Technology and Integration
This one is more specifically towards younger, more tech-savvy members but as we have covered in other blogs for independent gym and fitness club owners, that represents an ever-growing proportion of the gym-going population!
Never underestimate the importance of the impact that a professional and technology integrated presence within an independent gym can have upon a sub-40 gym-goer.
This is the generation that is seldom without a smartphone and that responds very positively to new technological innovations and integrations. Whether it is app-integration with treadmills and other exercise equipment, a fantastic, bespoke gym application or merely the ability to watch their own Netflixs account while running, these will leave a significant impression.
This is the generation that likes to feel as if it is using its time wisely. If an independent gym or fitness club can make them feel like their time is being respected with cutting edge technological integration, that might be the difference between a member retained and a member lost.
What Metrics Should Independent Gym and Fitness Club Owners focus on when it comes to Seasonal Membership attrition rates?
We all know that January and February are the big months. They set the tone and they set the pace. Like a racing car, the momentum you carry out of the New Year Member corner will determine your overall speed down the entire straight. Exit that corner slow, and a gym may well lag behind their competition or even their own previous performances.
But what are the metrics that independent gym owners should be looking for when it comes to seasonal retention rates? So far we have talked about February, March and April. But what significance should be attached to these dates? And when does a New Year Member cease being a New Year Member in the eyes of a gym’s retention data?
The answer to this, as always, is nuanced.
We believe that there are two key points that should be benchmarked in the first third of a year. The end of February and then the end of April.
If a gym has suitably powerful and incisive gym membership management software, it should be very easy to identify the New Year Members and to understand the lay of the land regarding retention at both of these checkpoints.
But what about Summer? Again, this is a proposition that requires several checkpoints because Summer, as we know, is a very popular time to workout. People are keen to be ‘beach fit’ (or to use the new generation’s parlance, get ready for ‘hot girl summer’).
Summer represents the peak of working out, with energy levels and incentive levels high. And so we feel that independent gyms and fitness clubs could also benefit from tracking the membership retention rates of these members into Summer.
Interestingly, recent surveys have shown people are more likely to workout in preparation for a holiday than their own wedding, so this should give an identification of what a powerful draw holiday prep workout routines can be for independent gyms and fitness clubs.
The total number of people in a population working out starts to drop off dramatically in Autumn as sunlight becomes more scarce and the necessity to be seen in shape decreases in tandem with the amount of energy people have.
As such, this is the last key metric we think it is important to track for New Year Members. If an independent gym can ensure that a portion of their NYM lasts until September/October. That member is no longer just a New Year Member, but proof that the system of introducing them into the culture of the gym and making them feel the desire to continue with the facility has succeeded.
Final Thoughts...
All of this metric monitoring and New Year Member tailoring becomes infinitely harder without the support of insightful and powerful gym membership management software integrated with access controls.
If this is something that you’d like to implement within your gym or fitness club, then look no further. Even if your current software isn’t up to scratch, with Ashbourne’s software and twenty five years of expertise, any independent gym is only a few meetings away from implementing a system that will help take their fitness club to the next level.
Whether it is tracking the journey of members during the New Year rush and the Summer or understanding what makes retention tick across the board, whether it is seamless integration of access controls and backend data or new, impactful ways to process that data. Ashbourne’s system has something for any serious independent gym owner looking to update and upgrade their operation.
Interested? Want to know more? Click here and click the ‘Request a Demo’ button to get in touch with our expert Demonstrations Team. They will be able to talk about your gym and how Ashbourne’s software can help it increase everything from retention to secondary spend.
Get your club in shape.
Want to discover how? Let us show you.
Simply select your preferred timeslot and we’ll be in touch to have a chat about your health club,
the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
Get your club in shape.
Want to discover how? Let us show you.
Simply select your preferred timeslot and we’ll be in touch to have a chat about your health club, the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
Get your club in shape.
Want to discover how? Let us show you.
Simply select your preferred timeslot and we’ll be in touch to have a chat about your health club, the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
