8 Ways to Fuel Your Studio’s Growth

Why is member retention so important? 

When you think about marketing your boutique studio, your focus immediately goes to attracting new members. 

You want to get as many new members through the doors as you can. As you get more new members, your business can grow even more. But don’t forget that your success is also built on your existing members.

We’ve put together 8 comprehensive strategies to help you focus your membership retention efforts, each packed with tips and tactics you can put in place now.

1. Enhance your members’ in-person experience 

The first step to a better retention strategy is to make sure that your members have a great time whenever they visit. 

It sounds simple, and in many ways, it is. Most of your members don’t want anything complicated. They just want a simple, efficient, enjoyable way to workout. Make every visit a great one by focusing on the small details and little additions that can improve your members’ experience and put a smile on their faces.

Here are a few simple ways to improve your member’s training session:

The more you can use technology to streamline processes and support your members’ workouts, the easier their visits will be. When a training session is easy and hassle-free, your members are far more likely to keep coming back. Bringing more technology into your equipment and into members’ training sessions will also enhance their experience—especially if it helps them reach their goals. If members can’t track their progress, they’re less likely to hold themselves accountable to their goals.

Finally, a member’s experience in your studio is only as good as the equipment they use. Broken machines are a top reason for members to report bad experiences. Be sure to check all your kit regularly, act fast when equipment breaks, and keep your members informed of repair progress.

2. Improve their online experience 

When your members are training, they can see, feel and experience all the benefits that come from their membership. But when they’re at home, it’s easy to forget. 

That’s why you should make it as easy as possible for your members to stay connected with you. The first place to start is your website, ask yourself: 

Ask yourself the same questions—and go through the same processes—if your studio has an app too.

Even though the need to connect digitally has drastically dropped, your members may still want access to on-demand, online workouts and classes. Regardless of whether they are coming to your studio or joining virtually, use your tech to reach out to members when they’re away from the studio to stay connected:

3. Personalise interactions with members at every opportunity

Members want to interact; they want to feel valued and want to know you care about them and their business. In fact, according to data from IHRSA, 90% of fitness studio members love the greetings, suggestions and encouragement your team can give.

They don’t want to feel like just another number. They like and want that communication for a better experience. To do that well, you need to:

4. Automate wherever you can to streamline operations

Research from IHRSA shows that the more times a member hears from you, the more likely they are to visit—and the more likely they are to stay a member. But the challenge with personalisation is that it can be time-consuming. Tailoring all your communications to each individual member could be a huge task… unless you automate it. 

Automation can free up your team’s time to focus on other retention efforts. It can streamline your operations and save you money. Most importantly, it’s a highly effective way to give your members the seamless experience they want. 

Which processes can you automate?

Using Xplor Insights, you can see who’s lost motivation, who came to regular classes but has suddenly stopped, and who used to come twice a week but has only visited once in the last two months. Give them a nudge, tell them you’re thinking of them, and ask if there’s anything you can do to help.

5. Flex your memberships to meet your members’ needs

If your members think they’re paying too much or not getting enough value from their memberships, they’ll think about leaving. But sometimes it’s simply a case of repositioning and re-framing their membership with a little more flexibility.

If your members say this, respond with that:

Some members may not like paying the highest price for their membership, but still want all the features and access they get with that top membership tier. Create a ‘premium’ membership product, with additional features at a much higher cost. This will anchor the cost of your original memberships, and they’ll suddenly seem like great value for money. 

6. Emphasise your value wherever you can

You provide huge value to your members, more than they probably realize. All the little ways you add help and support, and all the extra features members use every time they visit, tend to go unnoticed after a while. 

You can demonstrate your value in multiple ways:

Your members need to be told. So, tell them.

7. Explore more ways to help your members’ wellbeing

The best way to add value to your memberships and retain more members, for longer, is by finding out what your members are looking for, and offering it to them. Sounds simple enough, right?

Studio members want more than just fitness services from their studios; they’re expecting a more holistic offering to improve their health and wellbeing. 

How to deliver more wellbeing and wellness at your studio:

If you can add value by including more of these services and supporting healthy lifestyles, your members will appreciate their membership even more. It’ll match their needs, and they’ll be far more likely to stick around. If they decide to leave, they won’t just lose access to your studio, they’ll lose all those extra wellbeing benefits too.

8. Build a sociable, connected community

It’s human nature to be sociable, to want to belong. Bring in more community activities and social events, and you will meet the demands of your members, giving them more and more reasons to stick around.

Here’s how to create a more bonded, social experience:

Wrapping Up

More experiences available + more value = more retention

If you want to retain more members, you can’t just focus on fitness related strategies and offers. Exploring one or two options won’t be enough either. 

The more experiences you can offer, the more value your members get. And the more value your memberships have, the more likely your members are to stick with you. Simply put, with so much value and a great experience every visit, your members won’t be going anywhere.

When you offer everything, your members want and expect—all in one place—they won’t have any reason to quit. The secret is a holistic approach to retention, one that prioritises the ecosystem of boutique fitness. 

With Xplor, seamlessly connect both in a great experience on and offline, and promote it to all your existing members.