Fitness Club Marketing and Programming to Increase Retention and Sales

Due to relatively low barriers to entry the competition for customers in the fitness industry is fierce. And now, with a fitness facility in almost every shopping center, margins are shrinking and customer loyalty evaporating. To increase retention and sales, club owners must focus on providing excellent customer service and marketing that differentiates their services; or get out of the business before you go bankrupt.

As it turns out, more than one of the popular fitness franchises has gone belly-up. To keep your doors open, consider the following resource from Fitness Business Pro magazine:

Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro's online how-to section discusses customer retention, fitness facility sales, and exercise programming.

Here's what to look for in the "Step by Step" online section:

Step by Step: Clubs

Jasmine Jafferali, program coordinator for the Online Professional Certificate in women's exercise training and wellness, gives tips on how to work with medical professionals.

Step by Step: Personal Training

Patrick Rigsby, co-owner of the Fitness Consulting Group, tells clubs how to run their training department like a business.

Step by Step: Marketing

Leslie Nolen, leader of The Radial Group, talks about how to develop effective marketing materials.

Step by Step: Programming


Neal Pire, president of Inspire Training Systems, explains how to develop programming that increases adherence.

Step by Step: Retention

Thomas Kulp, executive director of Universal Athletic Club in Lancaster, PA, describes how to prepare a club for great retention.

Visit Step by Step to read articles from industry experts.

Building and maintaining strong customer relationships is key to retention. The most cost-effective way to stay in front of your existing customers, and harvest referrals as well, is email marketing. Email marketing returns $40 to $50 for every dollar spent based on industry research. Make sure you have a fitness newsletter that provides value, includes relevant content, and creates a call to action.

And that's not all, optimizing your website for local search (SEO) is more important now than ever. Around 70% of all Internet users (your prospects) surf the web to find local products and services. There are numerous ways to increase your online presence locally. Read this article on local search marketing strategies and SEO tips for starters.