Ultimate 7 Step Guide to Boosting Membership Sales Funnels for Gym Owners

Are you struggling to attract and retain members for your gym, fitness studio, wellness center, or health club?

Well, buckle up, grab a coffee, and find somewhere quiet to digest the Ultimate Guide to Boosting Membership sales in 2023.

As a marketing agency that specializes in gyms, yoga and pilates studios, wellness centers, and health clubs, we’ve seen our fair share of marketing strategies (like paid ads, Search Engine Optimisation, and organic social) and sales funnels to attract and retain members.

In this article, we will explore how gym owners, boutique fitness studio owners, and health clubs can develop a sales strategy that increases awareness, and boosts conversion rates by understanding the 7 Step sales funnel. We will break down the sales funnel and provide actionable tips on how to optimize your marketing strategy to build a raving community of fitness enthusiasts.

As a gym owner, having a strategic sales plan can be a game-changer for your business. Let’s explore how to optimize your strategy for each stage of the sales funnel to attract more members and increase sales.

What is a 7-Step Sales Funnel?

A sales funnel is a marketing concept that describes the journey that a potential customer takes from the point of initial awareness of a product or service to the point of making a purchase or becoming a loyal customer. The funnel is divided into different stages, with each stage representing a different level of engagement or commitment on the part of the customer.

The typical sales funnel has several stages, including:

1. Awareness: The customer becomes aware of the product or service through marketing efforts such as advertising, social media, or word of mouth.
2. Interest: The customer expresses interest in the product or service, perhaps by visiting a website, filling out a contact form, or requesting more information.
3. Consideration: The customer considers the product or service in more detail, perhaps by comparing it to other options, reading reviews, or speaking with sales representatives.
4. Decision: The customer decides to purchase the product or service.
5. Onboarding: The customer is welcomed and onboarded into the company’s processes, services, or products, to make their experience smooth.
6. Retention: The customer continues to use the product or service and becomes a loyal customer.
7. Advocacy: The customer becomes an advocate for the product or service, spreading the word and recommending it to others.

The goal of a sales funnel is to guide potential customers through each stage of the journey, ultimately resulting in a conversion or sale. Effective sales funnel management involves creating targeted marketing campaigns, providing valuable content, building trust and relationships with customers, and continually analyzing and optimizing the sales process to improve conversion rates and customer retention.

Stage 1: Building Awareness for your Gym, Yoga & Pilates Studio, or Health Club

Boosting your awareness for potential new members

The first stage of the sales funnel is awareness. This is where potential customers become aware of your fitness studio or gym. To attract potential customers, your marketing strategy needs to incorporate a multi-channel approach for the most effective awareness campaigns. As a starting point, you want to select social media platforms where you feel comfortable building a community. Secondly, you might want to look at other groups, communities you can join, and other local businesses you can collaborate with.

When building an awareness strategy, your content plan needs to ensure your business has consistent brand guidelines, design, tone of voice, branding, and imagery to display your gym’s unique features and offerings consistently across all channels. We recommend that you invest in high-quality images, and videos, and develop clear and concise descriptions of services, with a compelling tagline. It’s equally important to understand the local competition in your area and how you plan on differentiating your strategy to appeal to local customers.

High-quality images & videos

Visuals are essential when it comes to fitness studios and gyms. You want to showcase the facilities and equipment that you offer using high-quality images and videos. This can be achieved by investing in professional photography or a social media management team who can accurately represent your gym through compelling content. Make sure to display these images and videos prominently on your website, social media channels, newsletters, and other key landing pages on your website.

 

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Clear and concise descriptions

Your content should have clear and concise descriptions of your services and facilities throughout your social campaigns, paid advertisements, and website landing pages. This means avoiding technical jargon and using language that your target audience can easily understand. Use bullet points and headings to break up large blocks of text and make it easier for visitors to scan and understand. To boost your awareness on Google, Bing and other search engines, consider hiring an SEO company to perform an audit for your services to develop a clear content plan that is keyword optimized for your local area.

Compelling Tagline

A compelling tagline or positioning statement for each of your services can help differentiate your gym from the competition and capture the attention of potential customers. Your tagline should be short, memorable, and convey your gym’s unique selling proposition. For example:

• “Functional Fitness Gym with Class Variety”
• “Building Strong and Lean Bodies”
• “Reconnect Your Mind, Body & Soul”
• “One-on-One Tailored Personal Training”
• “Holistic Mental & Physical Health Centre”

The tagline should support your business’s point of difference. Every gym, yoga studio, or health club has a point of difference, this needs to be clearly described in your content.

Stage 2: Creating Interest in your Membership & Services

Don’t try and sell, focus on solving an interesting problem.

Once potential customers are aware of your gym, the next step is to get them interested in your product or service. The quickest and easiest way to achieve this is by showcasing how your services solve real problems, for real people. The common mistake we see at this stage with gym owners is they’re focused on selling and describing “What They Do”.

Generating interest in your business requires careful thought as to “How and Why” your service solves a problem. Creating content that described the outcomes and expertise of your services will people engaged in your content on each particular platform. It’s important to understand what content user’s like to digest on each social platform and cater your content strategy to these particular channels.

👉 Ensure you avoid these 10 common social media mistakes.

Methods for creating interest in your members can be achieved through informative blog posts, videos, and social media posts that provide valuable information about fitness, health, and wellness. Your website should incorporate blog section that contains informative keyword-optimized articles that engage users and appeal to your target audience with well-articulated benefits of your services and how they solve a problem.

Blog Posts

Blogging is a great way to attract potential customers to your website through search engines and showcase your expertise in the fitness industry. Write search-engine-optimized blog posts that provide valuable information about fitness, nutrition, and health. Use keywords and topics that are relevant to your target audience and include high-quality images and videos to make your content more engaging. Ensure your content is solution focused and does not promote your packages, but talk about how the services that you provide solve the particular problem.

Videos

Videos are another powerful way to engage potential customers and showcase your gym’s facilities and equipment. Create videos that highlight your gym’s unique selling proposition, such as state-of-the-art equipment, expertise, or highly trained staff addressing unique problems. Post these videos on your website and social media channels to attract potential customers. Ensure that video content is optimized for the channel you’re posting on.

Social Media Posts

Social media is a great way to build a community around your gym and engage potential customers. Post regular updates about your gym, including class schedules, special promotions, and customer success stories. Use social media to interact with your followers and respond to comments and messages promptly.

👉 If you’re looking for additional tips and tricks for increasing your engagement on social media click the following guide.

Stage 3: When Members Start Considering Your Service

The easiest way to improve your conversion rate of membership sales

At this stage, potential customers are considering joining your gym or health club. To help them make an informed decision, your website should have a pricing page that clearly outlines the different membership options and prices. It’s also important to provide customer reviews and testimonials on your website as social proof to build trust and credibility.

 

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Optimizing Your Website for Consideration

At the consideration stage, potential customers are weighing their options and considering whether your fitness studio is the right fit for them. To optimize your website for this stage, you need to provide them with all the information they need to make an informed decision. This may include frequently asked questions, descriptions of the packages you offer, various services, and a breakdown of the benefits that each membership offering provides.

Website Pricing Page

One of the key elements of the consideration stage is the website pricing page. This is where potential customers can see the different membership options and prices. Make sure that your pricing page is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Avoid using confusing jargon or hidden fees. Instead, provide a breakdown of what each membership option includes and how much it costs.

Your website pricing page should be easy to find and navigate on your website. Clearly outline the different membership options and prices, including any discounts or promotions that you are currently offering. Make sure to include a call-to-action (CTA) on your pricing page that encourages potential customers to sign up or schedule a consultation.

Example: Membership Pricing Page

Testimonials

In addition to the pricing page, it’s important to provide customer reviews and testimonials on your website. These can help build trust and credibility with potential customers. Consider creating a separate page or section for customer reviews and testimonials. You can also sprinkle them throughout your website, such as on the homepage or next to the membership options.

Educational Content

Another way to optimize your website for the consideration stage is to create informative and educational content that speaks directly to your target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, and social media posts. By providing valuable information about fitness, health, and wellness, you can establish yourself as an authority in your niche and attract potential customers who are interested in learning more.

Stage 4: Decision Time: Creating Effective Call-to-Actions

Encourage users to take an action! Make it easy

The decision stage is where potential customers make the final decision to join your fitness studio. To encourage them to take action, your website and social channels need to have a clear and effective call-to-action (CTA).

Make Your CTA Stand Out

The CTA should be prominently displayed on your website and should be visually striking. It should clearly communicate the action that you want potential customers to take, such as “Sign Up Now” or “Join Today”. Make sure that the CTA stands out from the rest of your website and is easy to find.

In addition to the visual design, the language that you use in your CTA is also important. Use action-oriented language that creates a sense of urgency and encourages potential customers to take immediate action. For example, instead of saying “Learn More”, try using “Join Today and Get Started on Your Fitness Journey”.

To further optimize your CTA, consider offering incentives for potential customers who take action. This can include a free trial, a discount on their first month’s membership, or a free consultation with a trainer. By offering these incentives, you can encourage potential customers to take the next step and join your fitness studio.

Offer Incentives

To entice potential customers to make a decision, consider offering incentives such as a free trial or discounted membership for the first month. This can help overcome any hesitation they may have and encourage them to take action.

Use social proof

People are more likely to take action when they see that others have already done so. Use customer reviews, testimonials, and success stories on your website to show potential customers that your gym or fitness studio has helped others achieve their fitness goals.

Stage 5: Onboarding New Members

Streamlining the process for Repeatability is key to leveraging sign ups

Once a potential customer has made the decision to join your fitness studio, the next step is to onboard them effectively. This includes providing them with all the information they need to get started and making the process as easy as possible.

One way to optimize your website for onboarding new members is to create an onboarding page that outlines the steps they need to take to become a member. This can include filling out a membership form, setting up their account, and scheduling their first workout. Make sure that the onboarding page is easy to understand and provides clear instructions.

Streamline the process

The onboarding process should be as smooth and efficient as possible to ensure that new members have a positive experience from the start. Use online forms to collect information from new members and provide clear instructions on how to set up their accounts, book their first workout, and access any additional resources. There are several tools that you can implement to massively reduce the time it takes to onboard members.

Offer orientation sessions

Orientation sessions can be a great way to introduce new members to your gym or fitness studio and help them feel more comfortable. These sessions can include a tour of the facility, an overview of equipment and classes, and an introduction to trainers and staff. Consider implementing an appointment-setting tool to create more conversions and reduce wasted time on repetitive calling, texting, and messaging.

Provide a Welcome Package

Another way to onboard new members effectively is to provide them with resources that can help them get started. This can include workout plans, nutrition guides, and instructional videos. By providing these resources, you can help new members feel confident and comfortable as they begin their fitness journey.

Welcome packages can help new members feel valued and excited about joining your gym or fitness studio. Consider including a welcome letter, branded merchandise such as a water bottle or t-shirt, and any other resources that can help them get started.

Stage 6: Focus on Retention

Build a loyal community of enthusiasts

Attracting new members is essential for the growth of your gym, but retaining existing members is just as important. A member who is satisfied with their gym experience is more likely to renew their membership and recommend the gym to others. One way to keep members satisfied is by providing personalized experiences.

Using member data, you can create customized workout plans, nutrition recommendations, and class schedules. By offering personalized experiences, you can show members that you value their goals and are committed to helping them achieve success.

Encouraging Community Building

Building a sense of community is another effective way to improve retention rates. Members are more likely to stick to their fitness goals when they feel that they are part of a group that supports them. You can encourage community building by hosting events, creating social media groups, and offering group classes that promote camaraderie.

By fostering a community, you can create a positive gym culture that keeps members engaged and motivated to continue their fitness journey.

Rewarding Loyalty

Rewarding members for their loyalty can also help increase retention rates. Members who have been with your gym for a long time have invested in your gym and are more likely to continue their membership if they feel appreciated. Consider offering rewards such as discounts on membership renewals, free personal training sessions, or branded merchandise for long-term members.

By offering loyalty rewards, you can show members that you value their commitment to your gym and appreciate their business.

Stage 7: Encouraging Referrals for Gym Owners

The cheapest source for new membership sales

Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools for gyms and fitness studios. Members who are satisfied with their gym experience are more likely to recommend the gym to their friends and family. You can encourage referrals by offering referral incentives such as discounted membership fees, free personal training sessions, or branded merchandise.

By incentivizing referrals, you can encourage members to spread the word about your gym, helping to attract new members and grow your business.

Highlighting Success Stories

Success stories from current members can also help attract new members and encourage advocacy. Highlight these stories on your website, social media channels, and in promotional materials. Success stories can be in the form of before-and-after photos, testimonials, or personal anecdotes.

By highlighting success stories, you can show potential members what they can achieve by joining your gym, and inspire existing members to continue their fitness journey.

Responding to Feedback

Finally, responding to member feedback is crucial for improving retention rates and encouraging advocacy. When members provide feedback, whether positive or negative, make sure to respond in a timely and respectful manner. This shows that you value their opinions and are committed to providing the best possible experience for your members.

By responding to feedback, you can show members that their opinions matter and that you are dedicated to continuously improving your gym. This can help improve retention rates and encourage advocacy from satisfied members.

Final Comments for Gym Owners

In conclusion, developing a strategic sales plan for your gym or fitness studio is critical to attracting and retaining members. By understanding the 7-step sales funnel and optimizing your marketing strategy for each stage, you can create a highly effective sales funnel that increases awareness and boosts conversion rates. From building awareness through high-quality visuals and consistent branding to providing valuable content and building trust with potential customers, every stage of the sales funnel is essential to your success.

If you’re struggling to boost your gym’s membership sales, we encourage you to book a free 30-minute strategy session with our team. We can help you develop a personalized plan that is tailored to your unique business needs and goals. Don’t hesitate to take action and start growing your gym or fitness studio today.