Managing member retention is not an exact science. An individual’s experience is influenced by numerous factors, from the quality of the equipment to the availability of parking.
A good retention strategy will include a wide variety of activities and initiatives that will appeal to different members at different times.
One motivational initiative, that is simple to implement, is the introduction of a “Most active member”. This is an important driver for retention for the simple reason that the more frequently a member visits the club, the more likely they are to achieve their goals and have a positive perception in relation to the value that they get from their monthly membership fees. In ClubWise there is a report to show the top 20 members by attendance in a period that can be used to promote this activity. Once you have the results for the month you can decide how to publish the results and how to reward the highest attending members, incentivising other members to get themselves in to the Top 20. Some suggestions are;- Create a month by month league table and display this on the members notice board.
- Offer an incentive for the top 3, the highest climber and any new entries each month. This does not need to be a high value reward. The recognition is often sufficient but as an example, offer a £5 voucher to be spent in the club, or a free guest visit voucher or a free water bottle.
- Publish the Top 20 on your web site and social media sites together with a photo of the previous month’s prize winners. This creates positive awareness of your club as “more than just a gym”.
- Publish a blog to suggest how members can review their time pressures to create more time to visit the club ie: if they can’t visit the gym at lunch time, watch their favourite TV soap on catch-up during lunch and take the extra time in the evening to visit the club.
- In ClubWise reports enter “Top 20 attendance” in the search window
- Use the calendar windows to select the period ie ; 1st to 31st of the previous month.
- Select the report format and enter an email address if you want to send the report to yourself or a colleague.