As a boutique fitness studio owner, you probably spend a lot of time and energy figuring out how to find new members. And yes, it is important to be regularly driving new business.

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But what about the members you already have? It’s equally — if not more important — to keep them happy. In actuality, with some variation based on industry, “acquiring a new customer can cost five to seven times more than retaining an old one.”

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So in this article, we’ll be talking about how to increase member retention in four easy steps, so that you can reap the benefits of maintaining a healthy customer base. For the purposes of our discussion today, we’re focusing on retention, rather than acquisition.

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Tip #1: Identify members who are at risk of cancelling

The first step on our list is to actually make a point of identifying members who are at risk of cancelling their membership. This might be indicated by their lack of activity (not visiting your fitness studio as often or not signing up for/attending as many classes) or even an explicit inquiry into the cancellation process, like calling to learn more about your cancellation policy.

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All of these signs can indicate that their status as a member is at risk. And it’s up to you, as the studio owner, to make a point of mitigating that risk. There are several ways you could go about doing this:

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a) Sending them an email marketing campaign/automation. This could look something like...

• Email #1: “Hey, we’ve missed you!” with a special offer, like a free pass to bring a friend with them to their next class.
• Email #2: A reminder about the previous offer.
• Email #3: Explicitly asking for them to reach out. Something along the lines of: “We noticed you haven’t been around the studio as much! We’d love to chat with you to see if there’s anything we can help you with. Feel free to call us at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at example@email.com to discuss more.”

b) Taking a more personal approach, like making a point of chatting with them at their next visit, or personally extending a call or email to them to see if there’s anything that would encourage them to return to the studio more often.

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The key here is being proactive, and attempting to address potential membership cancellations before they’ve even started, to help boost member retention.

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Tip #2: Be sure to celebrate member milestones

On the flip side, you should also be tracking major, positive milestones for your current members. For example, you might track members who attend 25, 50, 100, or more classes. The purpose of this is to implement some positive reinforcement for their behaviour of booking — and attending — classes at your studio.

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You could even combine this with some sort of loyalty program or reward to encourage regular attendance, or simply recognize your members with an automatic marketing email that goes out to them at certain intervals (or both). A potential email could say something like: “Woo-hoo! You hit 25 classes with us today. We think that’s something worth celebrating. Stop by the front desk for a free drink on us the next time you’re in.”

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Even something as small as a free, refreshing beverage at their next visit goes a long way in maintaining a positive relationship with a member. It may seem like something simple or trivial, but that member is going to remember not just the free drink, but the feeling of community they got from attending those 25 classes and being rewarded for their activity.

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Tip #3: Recognize members that are at the core of your studio culture

This one goes hand-in-hand with celebrating member milestones: pay attention to who your core members are — your super-fans, if you will — and highlight them! You could do so with a bulletin board in your lobby where you highlight your “member of the month.” The selection criteria is up to you, but for example, you could post a picture and profile of the person who attended the most classes in a given month.

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But this doesn’t have to be confined to the walls of your boutique fitness studio. Take it online, too! Do a “member of the month” post on your social media channels (just make sure to get express permission to post their photo/bio online) or have a spot on your website homepage featuring those members, as well.

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The point here is to celebrate members who are at the core of your studio’s culture — they’re your all-stars who have the highest engagement levels. Just like with tip #2, you’re providing positive reinforcement to encourage their loyalty and ensure member retention.

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Tip #4: Survey your members regularly for feedback

Lastly, a key part of any business’ success is how well they listen to their customers. For you, this means regularly surveying your studio members to gauge their satisfaction levels, any areas for improvement, or even just how they’ve been progressing toward their goals.

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You can implement this in a variety of ways, like...

• An in-person comment card that folks can fill out when signing in or out of the studio. Bonus tip: You can encourage them to leave a comment card by enticing them with a draw for a gift card, or something along those lines.
• An online survey that you can send out on a quarterly, bi-annual, or annual basis to members who are actively on your email list.
• A form on your website that sends comments directly to you, the owner.

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No matter the format, be sure to collect both positive and negative feedback. It will help you learn what you’re thriving at, and what could be even better. This will help you ultimately create a better experience for your members, and show them that you genuinely care about their input.

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Wrapping Up

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As you can see, there are four main ways that you can boost member retention at your studio: by identifying those at risk of cancelling, celebrating key milestones/members, and collecting valuable feedback.

And if you’re curious about how to dig into the nitty-gritty of your fitness studio’s data/analytics, Pipeline Solutions has got you covered. We provide a purpose-built automation and analytics platform for boutique fitness studio owners and operators. Get started for free today.