The most successful way we have found to effectively impact retention and increase member value is through developing a multimedia quarterly and repeating campaign.
Here’s the 10 Essential Marketing Tools for Retaining your Members:
Online Member Surveys
Check what your members want and which of them want it and tailor your retention programs around the results. Online surveys are a fantastic way to capture this information on a personal level to them.
Fitness Services Website
Essentially your online shop for fitness services and products, which can include:
• Personal training
• Group PT training
• Assessment services
• Diet & Nutrition services
• Learn to Clinics
• 4- and 6-week programmes
• Training Group sessions
• Heart rate monitoring products
• Club holidays
• Re-programme sessions
Retention Landing Pages
Create a series of sequential 2-week mini campaigns to draw members to the fitness services website with a compelling offer to act. Examples include:
• Try It Fortnight: Do something different, reactivate yourself
• Wear The Shirt Challenge: A simple gym challenge to train 14 times in a 6-week period and earn a club t shirt
• PT Fortnight: Trial a PT with a complimentary introductory session
• Tribe Enrolment Fortnight: Sign up for a 6 week or 12-week course of group PT training with 4 friends
• This Girl Can: A fortnight of female targeted offers
• Know Your Numbers: Take a reprogramme, assessment or body analysis session
Quarterly Members What’s On Guide
Create a printed single sheet consisting of a guide to the quarterly programme, campaigns and website. This means your members are always in the know of what’s going on.
Online Quarterly Newsletter
Create a digital newsletter advertising the quarterly programme that you’re offering online.
Email and Text Strings
An automated string of emails intended to drive members to the campaign landing pages and website.
Campaign Posters and Banners
Each fortnightly campaign needs offline media which will alert members that something is different.
In order to stand out they need to be designed in a way that each campaign looks different to the preceding one. This is an “attraction strategy” that helps to lift the engagement rates of emails and texts that are sent subsequently.
Data Capture Systems
Integral to understanding what’s working for your members is a way of capturing their interest in the different programmes and offers you make. T
his online lead capture system permits accurate analysis of who is interested in what service at any moment in time.
Customer response via this sort of medium is a very effective way to test latent demand for new programmes.
CRM System
A sophisticated online CRM system is vital to the successful operation of an effective retention system. It allows a club to communicate effectively, measure exactly the results and keep organised.
It also allows clubs to utilise free applications like Google sheets as a member programme tracker and means that clubs can manage many members from a single CRM point. Better service with less front-line staff.
Programme Card System
Elsewhere in this edition we have covered the importance of a progressive programming system and the value gained from well thought out progress trackers.
These records can be paper based or Google Sheets dependent on the wishes of the member.
Good luck with testing these new marketing tools today!
