Undoubtedly, summertime can equal no fun time if you’re in the gym business. All of the extracurricular activities people get involved with over the summer leads to less time in the gym and most likely, either cancellations or putting their memberships on hold. Since you still have to pay bills and ultimately don’t want people to regress on their fitness journey, it would benefit you to find some way to keep members engaged throughout the summer.
Student Summer Specials. Many students are home from college or just not doing anything over the summer. Why not take advantage of this by offering a low-cost membership for the three months of summer? You’ll get the students working out which could potentially lead to their parents, if they aren’t already doing so. Another benefit of this is maybe since a student is now working out with the parent, the parent will be less likely to put their membership on hold.
Summer Specials. Jumping on board with the student special, offer discounts on memberships throughout the summer.
Outdoor Workouts. If you live near a body of water, maybe you can organize a group workout outside of your facility. Be sure to bring post-workout snacks and beverages so people can mingle afterwards. This will create a social network within your facility.
Social Media. People will be taking trips and spending a lot of time away from your gym. Instead of shying away from it, try embracing it. Post daily workouts people can do while they are away. You could also post daily videos or posts with quick tips people can do while they are on vacation. This will keep them engaged with your facility and keep you in their thoughts while they are away.
Contests. Create contests within your gym. Simple things like the top 5 members with the most gym visits for “x” month will receive half off their next month’s dues. Try doing a summer transformation challenge as well. Set up a closed Facebook group just for contestants where they can encourage each other and your staff can encourage them as well.
Whatever you decide, be sure to create a systematic approach and a way to track your success.
See you in the gym!
Don Suarez is the manager of The HitFit Gym. Email him at dons@thehitfitgym.com.
