Over our twenty five years in the fitness industry, we have worked with thousands of independent club owners to help them build a successful gym. While a gym can try and thrive on word of mouth alone, more people than ever are starting to take the recommendation of Google much more seriously than their friends and colleagues.
In fact, did you know that over
88%
of customers read Google reviews to determine the quality of a local business before they make contact for the first time.
While a loyal community is great for spreading the word, if an independent gym really wants to increase their members beyond that tight knit group of loyal regulars, they need to make sure they are showing up in all the right places. It shows prospective members that your gym is one worth their time and money!
What will we cover in this article?
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Why Online Reviews are vital for developing the online presence of an independent gym
Many consumers are so reliant on online reviews and ratings that it has almost become subconscious. Studies have shown that there is almost unthinking recognition of the number of little golden-yellow stars that appear in the top right of nearly every Google search.
Even if they don’t read the individual reviews themselves, nearly all customers are looking for the condensed summary of those reviews. And the difference between a 4.8 and a 3.8 can be seismic when it comes to attracting new members for an independent gym or fitness club.
Building a strong online presence is vital for any gym looking to bolster its reputation and help draw in new members. So we’ve put together a step-by-step guide tailored around our work with independent gyms and fitness clubs to ensure any gym owner can start to cultivate a positive web presence and reviews swiftly.
7 Steps To Getting
Better Reviews For Your Club
Step 1: Deliver an Outstanding Member Experience
It might sound obvious, and that is because it is. But that doesn’t mean it should go unmentioned. The rest of this guide and all of the steps below won’t amount to much if the service and experience that the gym members are receiving isn’t high quality.
When we talk about enhancing online reviews and web presence, we aren’t talking about deceiving potential members. First and foremost, a gym must reliably and routinely deliver an outstanding experience to their members. We have gone into great detail on how to do this in our other blogs and articles, so for now we will just focus on the things that will shine through in those reviews.
Gyms should focus on personalised service, maintain a clean and welcoming environment, and offer classes and equipment that meets and exceeds the needs of the membership. From the moment a member enters your gym, the customer journey should reflect a high standard of care and professionalism. Happy members are more likely to become vocal advocates, sharing their experiences online and leaving those all important positive reviews So above all else, make sure their satisfaction is a top priority.
Step 2: Claim, Optimise and Customise Your Online Listings
When we have talked through this step with Independent Gyms, our support teams are usually either met with “Of course” or “What?” with little in between.
Claiming your gym’s online listing, especially on Google, is crucial for building credibility, increasing findability and looking professional.
A significant number of Gyms and Clubs haven’t even set up their listing properly on significant hubs of internet traffic such as Google and Facebook. Even if a gym is still in the process of building a member base, ensuring your listings and business profiles are accurate gives potential reviewers the information they need and allows you to control your online image.
Accurate, consistent listings across platforms help establish trust and make it easier for people to find and review your gym. If members aren’t able to correctly identify your business profile to leave a review, that positive feedback is going nowhere. Equally, if prospective members are unable to access the business profile of an independent gym, that is an even worse sign.
Step 3: Ask for Feedback
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get”. Truisms are often just that. True. Asking members for reviews can be a bit of a balancing act. No business wants to annoy or bother their customer base unnecessarily. But harnessing that feedback is essential for building your online reputation.
And it doesn’t have to be blunt and apparent, by encouraging a culture where gym staff encourage members to leave feedback, especially after they’ve had a positive experience, the process can seem quite natural and unintrusive. We have even encouraged gyms to set up a “review station” in the gym where people can quickly leave a comment, or use automated follow-up emails to ask for feedback post-workout. Let members know that their experiences matter and they will make their opinions heard.
Step 4: Simplify the Review Process
This is a key rule for collecting feedback in any line of work. The simpler the feedback request, the more likely it will be completed.
For an independent gym, convenience is key when it comes to encouraging reviews. Make the review process as simple as possible by providing direct links to your review profiles in follow-up emails, on your website, or through your member app. This saves members time and makes it easy for them to leave feedback.
A quick rating of 5 stars is worth a lot, as we covered at the start a lot of members just glance at the number of stars and the number next to the stars. So while a detailed testimonial is great, a five star rating is better than no rating at all.
Step 5: Engage with Every Review (Positive or Negative)
Responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, shows members that you value their opinions and are dedicated to listening and improving in order to build a better experience.
Just as important, responding lets you control and influence the narrative. For positive reviews, thank members for their feedback and let them know you’re glad they’re enjoying the gym. For negative reviews, always stay calm and professional. Address concerns directly, offer solutions, and demonstrate that you’re open to making improvements. Engaging thoughtfully with all reviews enhances your credibility and shows prospective members that you genuinely care about feedback.
Sometimes it can take surprisingly little effort and understanding to turn a negative review into a positive one.
Step 6: Showcase Positive Reviews Across Platforms
Positive reviews are some of the best marketing tools that independent gyms have at their disposal.
Once an independent gym has started to accumulate a good number, they should start being featured on their website, social media channels, and in promotional materials.
This can help prospective members feel confident about choosing the gym and boost the gym’s credibility in the local community. A simple “Member Success Stories” section on your website can create a powerful impression and attract more fitness enthusiasts to join.People enjoy a human story, especially in the fitness world. Positive reviews and experiences can leave people feeling motivated and inspired, and gym’s can harness that to great effect.
Step 7: Track Reviews and Reputation
In order for an independent gym to keep their reputation strong they must regularly monitor review activity. It isn’t enough just to get a review score up to 4.5 or 4.8. It is about keeping it there.
By setting up Google Alerts or using reputation management tools to receive notifications when your gym is mentioned online, an independent gym’s management can stay ahead of the curve. This allows them to stay on top of reviews and address any new feedback in a timely manner. Regularly review your approach to ensure it’s in line with what your members appreciate most, and make adjustments as needed to stay effective.
What Next?
Building a great online reputation is a continuous process, but by focusing on member satisfaction, consistently encouraging feedback, and thoughtfully managing your reviews, an independent gym or fitness club will be on the right track to creating an online presence that reflects their gym’s commitment to quality and community.
By maintaining their Google Business Profile, ensuring the review score remains high and encouraging members to leave their earnest feedback, an independent gym can help create a positive, professional and genuine web presence that will instantly appeal to any prospective members that find themselves landing on their section of the internet.
If you are interested in learning more about how your independent gym or fitness club could upgrade their web presence, whether it is via reviews, membership management or investing in the actual gym website itself, perhaps you are in the right place.
Here at Ashbourne we have over twenty five years experience helping independent gym and fitness club owners raise their presence and streamline operations across their gym. Our services go much further than just web presence as well, with everything from access controls to payment collection and turnstile installation. If you are interested in seeing what Ashbourne can do for your independent gym, whether it is a new project or an industry veteran, contact our demo team here.
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.
