As the warm summer weather begins, more people are making their way outside. Instead of heading to the gym, they take part in outdoor activities. So how do you market to keep people in your gym?

Keeping members interested and retaining them in the summer is easy with Darwill. Our proven strategies help gyms and fitness centers stay full year-round.

We'll help you incorporate the following strategies into your marketing campaigns.

Seasonal Membership Promotions

Running promotions for each season can help keep members engaged by creating excitement. These promotions may include free classes or training, referrals, complimentary trials, and more.

For the summer, you may consider a seasonal promotion to win a grill. You can pique interest by displaying the grill in the lobby so that members pass it at each visit. Furthermore, you can spark some friendly competition for promotions by posting results. You may decide to measure this by the number of visits within a given time frame or how many classes a member attended. This will motivate members to come in and work out for the chance to win a prize.

Darwill can advertise these promotions in both your direct mail and digital marketing campaigns. We’ll help you spread the word and get existing and new members in the gym.

Member Retention

Promotions will help keep your existing members involved so that they stay through the season. Rewarding attendance can be a great way to incentivize members. Get them excited about hitting attendance goals and winning branded swag, discounts, or free personal training that can drive revenue for continued training.

Motivational challenges can help to keep members committed and coming in to complete the challenge for a sense of accomplishment. Your gym may consider implementing weekly or monthly challenges to get members pumped up.

Another option to consider is hosting non-fitness events such as social gatherings. A BBQ in the parking lot during summer may be the way to go. This is an opportunity for members to meet each other, build a sense of community, and even find a workout buddy. Having a workout buddy helps gyms and fitness centers because members are more likely to be consistent and show up as they don’t want to let the other person down.

Member Prospecting

With Darwill’s expert Data Science team, we can pinpoint who your ideal prospects are and target them with direct and digital marketing. Once we know who your ideal audience is, we can send them messaging about special offers, promotions, and events to encourage them to come check out your gym.

For prospecting, we recommend offers such as 7-day free trials to give potential new members a first-hand look at what their gym experience would be like. Upon completing their trial, we make sure to follow up with marketing to remind them to officially become a member.

Another method that gym owners and managers should try this summer is getting active in the community. Going to community events such as fundraisers or fairs helps get your brand out there and staff can make some friendly connections with locals that have yet to join the gym.

Maximize Your Gym Memberships

No matter the season, Darwill’s data-driven campaigns will have your gym or fitness center seeing an increase in membership sales and member retention. We’ll build a custom plan based on your gym goals to increase revenue. Learn more about our response lifting campaigns, contact us today!

Written by: Mike Mills