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With the continued increases in the cost of living, it could be a tough road ahead for businesses like gyms & leisure clubs selling ‘non-essential’ goods and services. Consumers will be looking for ways to save a penny wherever they can, and unfortunately for some people a gym membership can sometimes be one of the first things to go.
So what can your club do to minimise the effect of increased living costs? You’ll always get the odd member who genuinely can’t afford their membership. Instead of cancelling these ones off straight away, give them the option to freeze it for a month or two until things settle. But for some members, it’s not always affordability, it’s priority. Some would simply rather spend £30 on a round of pints than on a month’s gym membership.
So, can we do anything to change this?
Speaking with Business Development Manager Harry at Creative Fitness Marketing (CFM), he says “as a health club operator, you can play a direct part in influencing your members mindset. As fitness professionals, we live and breathe exercise. We see and experience its value, and the key is to help your members see the same. To take it from being a ‘luxury’ in their eyes, to a ‘necessity’. Showing them how good they feel when they are in your club, and when they achieve their results. And this starts from day one. From the marketing messages you present, through to the way your team communicates with your members during the sign-up process.”
Most budget, low-service clubs simply don’t have the manpower to spend this time with their members.
This is why the marketing and sales strategy CFM utilises is so unique and effective. With a focus on building up the value of the membership offering and educating members on the benefits of long-term exercise, they are setting new members up with a great foundation for their exercise journey.
Recently CFM have helped many clubs with these type of marketing campaigns to boost their numbers with long term members, including Juvenate Health and Leisure, a 3D Leisure managed club. Here they sold over £248,000 worth of gross memberships in only 6 weeks.
To find out more about how a CFM marketing campaign works, you can check out their website www.cfm.net or call Harry or Jonny on 0115 777 3333.
*3D Leisure are a contract management company who currently work with over 125 clubs nationwide. They support clubs in their day-to-day management to drive performance.
