Five Ways to Improve Your Fitness Studio's Member Retention during the holidays
Gifts and Events to Make Your Studio Merry
Take a moment to think about your die-hard gym members. The clients who happily pay even if they don't attend. The ones consistently sharing your Instagram posts and events. Your gold-star members who are in class every morning. Those are your cheerleaders who, if you're anything like me, make running your studio feel worth it, even on the hard days. Let's agree that you want to keep those members happy and committed, so they don't become someone else's dream members. With the holidays approaching, it's the perfect time to focus on increasing your gym's member retention and making your clients feel appreciated.
We've talked about celebrating your clients via milestone programs, and I'm always a proponent of member appreciation week, but let's dive into holiday parties and member gifts. You have a million things to do to prepare for the holidays but stick with me. Your retention gifts can be simple and inexpensive and still make an impact.
Christmas Cards for the Whole Studio
Nothing says, "We're a small, heartfelt studio that cares," like a handwritten postcard. Create branded postcards on Canva with a sweet, "We're thankful for you this holiday season"-esque message. Leave room for a handwritten sentence from you and print one for each member. If you have the budget, companies like Vistaprint will even address them. I had my front desk team choose from three different 1-2 sentence messages that were appropriate for various client types and sign them from me. Is that cheating? Maybe. Did anyone notice it wasn't my handwriting? Nope.
Now each client gets a sweet, personalized note and feels valued.
Up-Level Your Christmas Cards
Have the budget to take this up a notch? Think about small but meaningful gifts you can give your members without breaking the bank. Important- I don't mean kitschy trinkets that will be tossed in the trash (step away from the key chains and koozies unless you know your clients will use them). Bonus points if it's also a marketing expense.
Depending on your member count and budget, here are other inexpensive gifts. :
BPO-free branded water bottles (roughly $3 each)
Grippy socks ($6-$9)
Branded hats ($6-$8)
Branded towel ($3-$5)
Tote gym bag ($2-$5)
Vinyl car sticker ($1-$3)
My favorite studio-wide gift was vinyl car stickers. We taped the stickers directly to the Christmas card and added a fun surprise. If one of my staff saw your car with the sticker around town, you got a "parking ticket" under your windshield wiper. That ticket said, "You've been spotted! Bring this to the studio for a $20 credit." When I tell you that we saw our logo EVERYWHERE, I am not exaggerating. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving; our town was full of our branding driving around. It was amazing marketing and fun for our members to feel like they were a community in and out of the studio.
MVC- Most Valuable Client
Remember when I asked you to think about your ride-or-die clients who have been with you from the beginning? Take a moment to list 10-20 clients who:
Refer the most friends
Spend the most money each month
That is your MVC list, and they deserve special recognition. We want to retain your best clients, especially if they're recruiting friends.
You need to be a bit delicate. No one likes to hear that Sarah got a gift because she spent more money. However, your big spender is likely also part of another group (like most classes attended). Advertise that instead. You don't need to hide these gifts from the rest of the clients- simply say, "as a special thank you to our top attending and top referring clients, we have a little gift at the desk. Thank you for your support!"
We purchased stainless steel water bottles the first year we did MVC gifts. They cost me around $11 each, but they retail for about $32. We lined them up behind the desk with handwritten letters from me and texted each client to let them know they had a surprise. The response was unreal. Clients teared up, re-shared it on their social media (hello, free marketing), and told their friends, but- most importantly, they knew that I noticed their dedication to the studio and felt appreciated.
Boutique fitness is more competitive than ever before. Now is the time to tell your clients, "I see you, I appreciate you, and I'm thankful for you."
Gifts we love:
Branded stainless water bottles
Special retail that no one else gets
Rhinestone or unique grip socks that stand out
Yoga straps/ Bag with an identifier as MVC
Branded tote bag with goodies (remember to make sure they'll actually use them)
Gift certificate to a local partner
An MVC invite-only class or workshop
(Screen shot from our 2018 gift announcement post)
Holiday Parties and Events
The holiday season is already packed with events. You can decide whether you want to add to it, but we love to offer an invite-only class for members to have fun.
"Ugly Christmas tank top" class (I had way too much fun with this and went as an elf one year)
Christmas "barre-ty" with class and then festive drinks afterward
DJ class (maybe with Xmas music, you choose)
Sip and shop- clients can shop for new or discounted retail for friends with some bubbly
Parent's Night Out-we watch the kids with creative movement or kids yoga while mom/dad go Christmas shopping
Relaxing pre-holiday sound healing or restorative class focused on decompressing
Vision boarding event to plan for the new year(after the holiday)
12 days of Xmas with a different event/activity/sale each day
If you host a holiday party, try focusing on togetherness rather than elaborate menus. You don't need to have a catered cocktail party (unless you want to). You simply want to take time to be together in a fun, spirited way. Remember your bottom line- if you're going to lose money, don't do it.
Ugly Xmas Tanktop DJ Yoga Party
The Studio Gift
This is a tradition that I love. Each year, we purchase a gift for the entire studio and let them guess what it could be on social media (easy engagement). It's always a new prop for class, like ankle weights, kettlebells, resistance bands, etc., that we'd buy anyway, but we make it fun by having the clients "guess what Santa brought."
We're all about showmanship, so we put big bows on the boxes and let them guess all month. The winner gets a branded item from our retail shop, and all the guessing drives excitement for the new props and classes. What are you thinking about buying for your studio this year? Purchase in December and capitalize on the holiday excitement (and end-of-year tax write-off).
Studio Christmas Gift Announcement
What About Your Staff?
Should you get your staff a gift? Let's reverse this. If you work for a company, would you appreciate or even expect a token of holiday acknowledgment? I tend to go with yes. Again, it doesn't need to be expensive, but it should make your staff feel noticed and valued. My favorites:
Specially branded apparel that's for staff only. Important note- this has to be something your employees will wear. Have something made especially for them that displays that they're a celebrated member of the team.
Gift cards. Is it particularly creative? No. But it's always popular! Aim for something they'll enjoy, like a local boutique or, when all else fails, Lululemon.
A holiday bonus! Don't underestimate how nice it is to receive $50 with a "have dinner on me" note.
Possibly more important than the gift is the sentiment of "I appreciate you." A staff get-together increases engagement and job satisfaction. This is your chance to get your team in the same room simultaneously (nearly unheard of in our industry) which helps them forge connections that will ensure they stay connected to your community.
Teach a fun staff-only class where they participate rather than work. Make it fun with a workshop, private sound healing/meditation, or chair massages afterward.
Invite the whole group over for a Christmas movie and cookie-decorating party. Ugly sweaters optional.
Have dinner catered or take the group to dinner. You'll have to splurge, but you get your team's undivided attention for a few quality hours.
Participate in an activity as a group. Paint night, escape rooms, wine tasting, Christmas shopping. I have a studio that rents a limo, and the teachers pile in and drink bubbly between shopping stops. It's an annual favorite, and all the studio shells out is $200 for the limo and a few bottles of Prosecco.
Studio Ownership isn't always exciting, so take out your jingle bells and let yourself lean into the holiday spirit this year. It's excellent for studio engagement and crucial for increasing your gym's member retention. Maybe most importantly, it's also essential for your own job satisfaction. You get to build the culture you had in mind when you first decided to start a studio. Have fun, and Happy Holidays!
