3 Ways to Make Gym Attendance a Priority for Your Members

by | Feb 16, 2021 | Uncategorized

Your gym club’s goal is to get members to consistently return to your business. To achieve your business goal, help members focus on their own personal goals. That’s the way to help them make gym time a priority, which in turn helps your business stay strong and sustainable. 

Here are three ways to put the gym on your members’ priority list:

1. Create Special Programs

It may not always be motivating for members to hit the gym and do the same old routine. So give them a special program to focus on that features a specific goal within a structured time frame. For example, specific, attainable goals could include:

  • Lose 10 Pounds in 5 Weeks
  • Drop a Dress/Clothing Size in 6 Weeks
  • Improve Flexibility in One Month
  • Increase Muscle Mass in Three Months

Make sure the goal follows the SMART method: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Of course, you’ll want to think about legal considerations and give disclaimers, as you won’t be able to guarantee the results.

Try to keep it positive if they don’t reach the goal by the end, and turn it into an opportunity to have them keep going toward their goal. Another possibility is to create custom programs to fit each person’s specific goal rather than, or in addition to, having broad, generic ones.

2. Help Them Find Their “Why”

People need a motivating factor to keep them coming to the gym session after session, week after week. If the reason isn’t good enough or they don’t see results, they’re likely to drop off or at least put gym sessions lower on their priority list.

Whether it’s through your marketing materials like a newsletter or through a custom program/event at the gym, encourage members to find their personal reason for working out. Help them see that a vague goal, an unreasonable one or one they don’t truly care enough about won’t be enough to motivate them. Also, something that’s event-specific might motivate in the short term, but then they’ll need a new reason after the event has passed.

Here are some examples of strong reasons to hit the gym:

  • It feels rewarding to look good/feel healthy/feel firmer/fit into clothing/[insert reason here].
  • It gives a mental health boost that helps me feel happier and more emotionally stable.
  • It reduces my risk of developing health conditions associated with too much weight or helps me manage a health condition.
  • My doctor strongly recommended exercise for my health.
  • I want to stay healthy as long as possible for myself/for my children/for other loved ones.
  • It will help me feel more self-confident.
  • It gives me time for myself.
  • My life feels better after I go to the gym.

Help people see that it is rewarding to go to the gym regularly. Encourage them to find their own “why” and continue to remember it when they’re feeling unmotivated.

3. Make Your Gym Somewhere They Want to Be

Focus on member retention efforts and create a gym environment and experience that is positive for your members. Remove hassles and roadblocks that make them frustrated with your gym, and do everything in your power to create a gym they want to return to. Here are some ideas:

Also, ask your members what steps you could take to improve the gym experience for them.

Do you have additional ideas to help members make gym attendance a priority? Let us know!