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5 Post-New Year’s Promotions to Get New Gym Members

5 Post-New Year’s Promotions to Get New Gym Members

With 2020 just kicking off, people are eager to get in shape and start the year strong. Here are 5 post-New Year’s promotions to get new customers for your gym.

With a new decade kicking off, people are more eager than ever to get in shape and start the year strong with wellness resolutions. If you’re a gym owner or manager, you’re most likely looking for ways to entice new clients — and keep the buzz of the new year going. 

From refer-a-friend programs to monthly massages, there are plenty of unique ways to get people enthusiastic and eager to sign up for your gym. We’ve put together 5 post-New Year’s promotions to help you acquire new customers, create some hype, and ride the wave of folks’ ambitious fitness goals for 2020. 

 

Refer-a-Friend Program

When it comes to promotions to get new customers, refer-a-friend programs are always good marketing ideas for your business. There are hundreds of ways gyms implement refer-a-friend programs, all of which work to build community and increase membership. During the months following the New Year, friends want to work out with friends and motivate one another. That’s why it’s the perfect time to launch this particular sales promotion. 

The Type of Program

Before you can start a refer-a-friend promotion, you’ll need to choose the type of referral program. Will the potential new member receive a free month, too, and the current member be rewarded once that new member activates their account and begins payments? Maybe you’ll only reward the current member for the first referral — or perhaps, there can be infinite referrals. Once you decide on the type of referral program, you can dive into the member incentives.

The Incentive

With a refer-a-friend program, there needs to be a reward for the member who does the referring. A simple way to go about this is to give a month free for each friend who is referred and signs up for a membership. You can also hand out a month’s worth of free class cards.

 

Monthly Massages or Spa Treatment

Raise your hand if you enjoy a side of luxury with your gym membership! When people are just getting back on the workout bandwagon post all the holiday indulgence, they often want to be recognized and rewarded. Monthly massages or spa treatments are one of our favorite promotions to get new customers. After members have put in a good workout and their muscles are sore, a massage or spa treatment will do just the trick.

Massages 

If you don’t have an on-site spa area, consider hiring a masseuse for the day. You can offer new members a massage before their first workout — or after their first workout. Some massage therapists suggest clients wait for 24 hours after a first massage to workout or exercise strenuously (activities like power yoga, running, weightlifting). However, for healthy individuals, light exercise like walking or swimming laps is fine. 

 

Spa Treatment 

Several spa treatments are perfect for athletes, so using them as promotions to get new customers will draw people in and get them excited. To help the body with recovery from a workout, consider offering aromatherapy spa treatments to help members relax and relieve muscle soreness. Offering passes to a local spa so that current customers can use the sauna or steam room is a great idea, too (even better, if you have a sauna or steam room on-site in the locker rooms or by the pool area). Of course, offering a hydrating facial is a freebie that never goes out of style, especially after you’ve put in a good sweat at the gym.

 

Free Personal Training Session

When you’re looking for easy promotions to get new customers, a free personal training session will always be a good way to get people in the door. Lining potential customers up with a personal trainer will get them connected and familiar with the gym. It will help with technique moving forward and ensure that they begin to see results in targeted areas. 

Time Management 

Between work, school, and kids — people are busy. If you introduce them to a personal trainer as a new membership perk, they’ll be able to more effectively utilize their time at the gym. One hour with a personal trainer is often more effective than 10 minutes wandering from the treadmill to the weight area and another 10 minutes chatting with a friend by the free weights. 

Accountability

Personal trainers help to keep new members accountable for their workouts. If they have a free session, and like it, they’ll be more likely to continue with more sessions. Being comfortable with a personal trainer is the first step. After that, it’s smooth sailing towards workout perfection.

Emotional (and Physical) Support

A good trainer offers a lot more than just form suggestions on your plank or push ups. An enthusiastic and passionate personal trainer offers emotional support to new members who might otherwise be intimidated or weary of the gym. Walking around and wondering if people are judging your technique is a very real feeling for gym members. Ease the anxieties and get them into the flow of things with a free training session promotion. 

 

Monthly Discount Offer 

When your gym has slowed down after the New Year’s rush, it means it’s time to offer some monthly discounts. Potential clients who might not otherwise be able to afford a full-priced membership right off the bat (especially after all the holiday shopping) tend to look around for deals during this time. If you run a yoga studio or a gym where clients pay per week, you can also offer deals for signing up for the full month ($80 per month as opposed to the more expensive $25 per week).

One-Month Deal

Some companies offer membership promotions to get new customers that include one free month of workouts. With a free month, as opposed to a free week, clients can get into the swing of things with their workouts. Some folks can be apprehensive about whether or not a gym membership will fit into their daily or weekly routine and therefore wonder — is it worth the month? By offering a month free of charge, you’re encouraging new clients to not only test the waters, but to reap the rewards of a membership that molds seamlessly into their lives. 

All-Month Deal

Big gyms can sometimes run membership deals that last for the duration of a customer’s full membership. If you can afford to do this as a company, it’s a fantastic way to get people locked into a great price they’ll stick with. Sometimes, having a consistent member for a longer duration at a shorter price is better than having a higher-paying customer that ends up opting out of the membership altogether. 

 

Plenty of Perks

Whether you’re working in retail, at a gym, or anywhere else — people love free perks! Offering perks as promotions to get new customers gets potential clients eager to participate. From branded gear with your company logo, to a free class with a workout influencer, using perks is a good way to retain gym members but also, to promote your gym.

Hydration Station

Gym members love a good hydration station for water post-workout. Not only do these help to eliminate plastic waste, but they ensure members are getting adequately hydrated both before and after their workouts. Add the incentive of a complimentary reusable FloWater bottle to a FloWater station and clients can relish in the healthiest and best tasting water on the planet. 

Complimentary Gear Rental

Lots of gyms will charge for gear rentals — like yoga mats and towels. Instead of charging for these amenities, add them in as an extra perk. If members don’t have to worry about lugging their gear around to work for their evening workout, they’ll be more likely to show up. Little things like complimentary gear rental make working out easier for clients and make time at the gym as stress-free as possible.

Branded Freebies 

Branded freebies, like shirts with gym logos, hats, beanies, and sweatbands, are fun for clients and add to the appeal of joining a gym. As a bonus, encouraging members to wear gear with logos gets your company’s name out there and spreads the word. In the end, the gear will pay for itself (and in many cases, even make you a profit).

Between personal training sessions and monthly deals, we hope these promotions to get new customers have you feeling excited to embark on the year ahead.

After all, sometimes it just takes thinking outside of the box and sprinkling the gym with a little creativity to get potential customers buzzing and ready for their next big workout. 

From all of us at FloWater, thanks for reading! We look forward to keeping your new and current customers hydrated and happy.