3 Ideas For Member Engagement In The Months Ahead

Each month we ask club customers and managers of others fitness facilities what are the burning issues, the questions on their minds: 

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

Q: January was very busy with new members, but how do I keep them motivated in the months ahead? 

A: Keep new members fully engaged with your brand year round

While January fitness resolutions can fade fast as the months go by, nobody wants the same to happen to their membership numbers. But with busy lives and so many distractions, it’s easy for new members to lose momentum and never truly form good gym going habits. Clubs need to make themselves not just another subscription that members sign up for and forget, but a central part of their daily and weekly lives. A supportive fitness community of like-minded people. A place to learn and develop skills. And a source for health and wellness tips, information and inspiration. Consider these three strategies: 

1. Make it more than just working out – your club is a hub for activity, so make sure new members who signed up in January know that. Promote monthly ideas for classes activities and classes to them via email, your app and e-newsletters. A cycling class ahead of spring weather. Have a private trainer offer free training sessions for small groups of new members, or schedule off-peak instructor demo’s to introduce members to the wide variety of classes available. Often, in the eye of the storm, in January when clubs are full and teams are busy, it can be easy to sign members up and keep moving down the to-do list, but it’s import to stay focused on communications with new members of your club community through these next critical months. 

2. Keep them engaged with your brand outside of the club – help new members beat schedule conflicts that keep them from the club with access to your club’s on-demand content. If you’re use FLEX by FitnessOnDemand there are hundreds of instructor-led classes that look and feel like the cardio, HIIT and specialty sessions they experience in your gym. Make sure new members are familiar with the app and your extensive library of classes, content, workouts and winddowns to keep them on track with fitness, but also using your club resources even when they’re at home or on the go. 

3. Keep them informed and inspired – smoothie recipes, nutritional meal plans and fresh ideas on weekly workouts are more than just nice-to-haves for new members. If they’re getting this vital and inspirational information and content from you in their email inboxes, when they log in to your club app, or connect in other ways with your brand, it means they’re not going elsewhere for help. Helping save members from Google searches for exercise ideas or competitor YouTube channels for at home workout ideas, keeps them locked in with your brand and more likely to open every email and keep coming back through the door day after day in the months ahead.