On the constant quest to increase gym revenue, it’s not uncommon for gym owners to start with paid ads and other acquisition strategies. Think about the last time you were aiming to drive additional revenue. Was casting a wide net your primary tactic?
What if we told you that there are five revenue-generating options right at your fingertips? And that the only “cost” will be minimal time?
Today, we’re talking about email marketing and the power of automation. It’s as simple as organizing your contacts list and automating the relevant communication. Then you can sit back and enjoy the benefits of increased revenue and retention.
Focus On These Five Audience Segments to Increase Gym Revenue.
1. Warm Leads.
Your warm leads are always the lowest-hanging fruit. These are the people who have reached out recently for information about your gym.
It’s important to act immediately when a prospective member contacts you. Generally, when people are shopping for a new gym home, they’re exploring several options. This means you’re not the only one they’re contacting. It also means you have to act fast. Oftentimes, the first one to respond will earn the business and increase gym revenue.
The key with warm leads is to direct them toward the action you want them to take. They’ve come to you for help, so give them the roadmap to be successful. Refine your messaging, making it clear and simple, without giving them too many options.
For instance, you might think you’re being helpful by asking, “Would you like to start with a no-sweat intro or try a free class?” Instead, recommend the action you want them to take. Further, be sure to indicate that your time is finite. If you offer seven different meeting options, you’ll give the impression that you have endless time. Instead, try, “I have this option, or I had one spot open up at this time. Which works best for you?”
2. Cold Leads.
We’ll start by clarifying that these aren’t cold leads in the traditional sense. In other words, they’re not random people you’re contacting to join your gym out of the blue. These cold leads are people who’ve inquired in the past but didn’t end up joining. However, just because a lead becomes cold doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. As gym owners ourselves, the PushPress team all has stories of people who inquired, disappeared and signed up months later.
This is why a long-term email nurture campaign can be highly effective to increase gym revenue. The key is to continue providing valuable information to keep your business top-of-mind. Communication shouldn’t be focused on closing a sale (although sharing promos along the way isn’t a bad thing). Instead, think about ways to educate, inform and even entertain. That way, when they’re ready to join a gym, you’ll be the first one they think of.
Pro Tip: Did you know that PushPress Grow has a cold-lead, one-year, long-term nurture campaign that’s already created for you? No need to reinvent the wheel. Book a demo with our team today to find out more!
3. Current Members.
Your current community of members offers a tremendous opportunity to increase gym revenue with the right strategy. Yes, you could go about it by selling gym merchandise and an abundance of FitAid.
But what if you utilized an effective email marketing campaign aimed at increasing ACV (average client value)? As we always say, you can’t go wrong if you take a “help first” mentality when it comes to sales. In other words, listen to what your members need and offer them solutions. From nutrition coaching to individual design programming, use email marketing to inform and educate. Describe the options and provide information about why they’d be beneficial for each person.
You could even take it one step further. Schedule 90-day goal-setting sessions with your members. Depending on the outcome, categorize them into different contact lists. For instance, clients who could benefit from personal training could be in one group. Others who need nutrition help could be in another. Then customize your email messaging accordingly to upsell the right options.
One more thing. Never underestimate the power of referral campaigns at your gym. Include a P.S. at the end of your communication, reminding members about incentives for inviting guests.
4. Former Members.
Similar to cold leads, just because someone has left your gym, it doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. As soon as someone submits their cancelation notice, add them to your former member contacts list.
Design your email marketing campaign around keeping the door open for them to return in the future. For example, after one month, send a quick check-in email to see if they’ve continued to stay active. Two months down the road, send a quick “we miss you” email and see how they’re doing.
If you have a gym event, send an email to invite them. Six months after they canceled, check in again and remind them about a few things they loved about being consistent at your gym. And finally, email them along the way with any membership promos you’re offering.
All of these touch points remind them that you haven’t forgotten about them, and keep your gym top-of-mind. Even though it’s a long-term play, former members are a great segment to increase gym revenue.
5. Former Visitors.
The final group - former visitors - are people who have actually walked through your doors but decided not to join for one reason or another. The key with this group is to find out more about the factors that went into that decision.
Once again, this email campaign can be aimed at long-term nurture. Keep it simple at the start, aiming to find out if they’re willing to share feedback. Perhaps it was as simple as not finding a class time that worked. Or more complicated, like being anxious in a group class atmosphere. By digging deeper, you can refine your sales script and help to overcome obstacles.
Then, don’t let passing time deter you from continuing to reach out. Ask them how their current fitness plan is going. Remember, you’re sometimes just one check-in or helpful piece of content away from gaining a new member. Do you have a helpful lead magnet on your website? Send it their way! And finally, remember to continue sending current membership information along the way. Eventually, it’s likely to pay off.
Pro Tip: Subject lines are crucial! With any of your audience segments, take the time to write subject lines that entice people to open the emails. This will help with future email delivery and build your email reputation score.
In Summary: Email Marketing + Automation.
Email marketing and automation are a powerful one-two punch to help you increase gym revenue. Not only will the time investment be minimal, you can use tools like PushPress Grow so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
To develop an effective strategy, there are five audience segments to focus on: Warm and cold leads, current and former members, and former visitors. By tagging each segment properly and crafting the appropriate messaging, you can drive both revenue and retention numbers for your gym.
