Sports clubs, gyms, and athletic centers have a unique opportunity to help members create and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Businesses that have a main focus on health and fitness have the potential to become very lucrative. Membership drives typically hit hard during the last few months of the year and the first two months of the year. Historically, this approach has been effective to incremental increasing sales. A gym management plan can change the dynamic from relying on driving business a few months out of the year to consistently increasing the gym’s profitability throughout the year.
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Social Engagement
Virtually every successful business today has several active social media profiles. This type of interaction has become a cornerstone of customer engagement over the past several years. A visually proven dedication to the customer experience is a highly impactful way to grow any health and fitness business. Effective gym management tools generally include a digital marketing component to engage with the public. Prescheduled social media posts could include special deals on membership, free tutorials, and the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer. Consistency is the key to social media engagement that truly has an impact on the business. Posts must be broad and far-reaching and must be frequent enough to engage existing and potential members.
Member Surveys
Business consultants across many industries advise their clients to keep in touch with their customers. For gyms and athletic centers or clubs, members are the main external customer base. An essential assignment for gym management professionals is to consistently increase gym membership. This is a twofold challenge and requires a thoughtful approach. First, are existing members satisfied and engaged? Expanded hours, additional workout classes, or machinery could increase the overall rate of satisfaction and increase attendance for existing members. A second and equally important consideration for current members is if they are referring new members to the gym. Offering incentives to existing members will encourage them to invite friends to become members. This also has the potential to increase overall attendance because people are more likely to work out with a partner than alone.
Financial Profiling
Increasing profits for a gym or athletic center involves much more than simply increasing members. Although additional membership contracts definitely help sustain the business, more is needed. Increasing the price of membership seems like an easy way to increase profits, but this should be considered a last resort. Unless there are significant changes to overhead costs or health and safety regulatory costs, business operations should not become the burden of loyal members. Gym management professionals look for ways to increase profitably by replacing inefficiencies with well-established processes.
Understanding the business operations of a gym or athletic center increases the chance of successfully and sustainably increasing sales. Gym management professionals look at the organization from a holistic perspective and incorporate proven business strategies to bring the vision to life. When all the individual parts of a gym begin working in tandem, membership increases, and customer engagement continually drives new business.