January is an exciting month for the fitness industry! Most people are full and exhausted from all the holiday feasts and festivities. They’ve found a renewed motivation to kick off the new year by making a serious change in their health and fitness routines, making it the perfect time for you to attract new gym members!
But how do you get them to stick around longer than January 31st? When the fun and motivation have faded, and the reality of the work required to reach their goals has set in?
How can you leverage this time of motivated new members into long-term gains for you and a potential lifelong impact for them?
Our Video Production Manager here at Loud Rumor, McKenna, sat down with Patrick, our Director of Revenue, and they hashed out exactly what your studio should be doing right now, and every year, to leverage the New Year’s resolution boom!
When To Start Preparing For The New Year
No, it’s not January 1st, or even December 31st.
Your studio should start planning offers and advertising starting in November and early December. Ironically, many studios actually turn off ads during this time because the return on their investment is typically lower.
But the reality is, buyers are making decisions about their New Year’s resolutions long before January 1st. If you’re not grabbing their attention early, you’re missing out.
Where You Should Advertise
Patrick says everywhere possible! Don’t limit your own potential by having a single-channel mindset when it comes to ads.
Where are the people you want to attract spending their time?
- YouTube
- TikTok – Watch this video on how to get your studio started on this growing social media platform!
The key is to try them all! Run a few tests and see what platform works best for your studio and the content you produce. That’s the only true way to know what will yield the highest return.
Advertising Budget
Most studio owners look at this question from the perspective of “what is the minimum amount of ad spend for the highest level results?”
This is the wrong mindset! Flip the script! The real question is “What is your threshold for pain?” You need to spend WHATEVER YOU NEED.
Patrick shared that at a minimum, gym owners should be shelling out $1,500 per month on Meta’s platforms and at least $2,000 on YouTube. There’s a little bit of sticker shock with numbers like these for some studios.
But how many new members would you need to cover that cost in just one month? Ten? Twenty? And if you attract new gym members from your ads and they stick around for three to six months? The math here is a no-brainer.
The holidays are generally more expensive in terms of advertising due to more people entering the marketplace and clogging up the works. Don’t be afraid to throw more fuel on the fire over the holidays! That’s when your New Year’s resolutioners are making decisions about their January plans.
To learn more about digital marketing and how to attract new gym members, schedule a free strategy session here with our team of experts and get some clarity on what will have the most impact for your studio!
Offers And Deals To Attract New Gym Members
Now that you’re motivated to advertise, what are you going to say? If your goal is to get leads, to get people in the door of your classes, you MUST have an AMAZING offer!
Free Month
We already know you need to start running ads in November or December, consider offering December for free. Get them in the door now and they don’t have to pay a dime until January.
Leverage Their Time In Your Studio
You’ve gotten them in the door, now offer free classes, and require a minimum attendance. You want them to experience the actual benefits of working out at your gym, that’s how they’ll get excited to come back.
Upsell Ideas
Revenue possibilities go beyond just the membership fees. Consider adding these upsell ideas to create a compelling new member offer:
- Body scans
- Studio swag and gear
- Supplements – Watch this video on how to sell supplements at your fitness studio!
- Nutrition consultations
If you’re worried about giving away too much too early, make sure you at least stay top of mind. Lead with value! Offer holiday nutrition guides, at-home workouts, or something else they can utilize NOW.
Keeping New Gym Members Engaged
Now we’ve crossed the January threshold and they’re here! How do you keep New Year’s resolutioners engaged and IN the studio?
This is where your team plays a huge part in attracting and keeping new gym members. Figure out how your leaders and trainers can help each new member get the best results. The RESULTS are why they came.
If they’re getting results in January, keep reminding them of their goals. Encourage them to continue working on those goals into February and beyond! Make their results be the motivation.
You want them to actually use their membership, ALWAYS book them for their next session while they’re still in the studio. This helps them see their fitness journey as a real commitment and plan around their next workout.
Prepare Your Team For New Year’s Resolutioners
Your team is the first line of defense in keeping new members! You need them on board and bought into your vision in order to leverage the New Year’s resolution boom at your studio.
Do your team members have the right mindset? Are they incentivized to sell? Prepare your team with monthly objectives and results, and how to reach them.
Your team should be following up with leads, calling, and texting to check in. Train your team to do effective follow-up and automate this process as much as possible. Selling like a top fitness studio takes dedication, skills and consistency. If your team needs a refresher on how to keep and attract new gym members, join GSD 360!
We offer loads of scripts, ready-to-go resources, guides, templates, and checklists. Our program was created to help train your teams so you can spend more time working on the business and not stuck working in it.
👇On average people in our GSD 360 program see these results in the first two months!👇
