Have you noticed a drop in the number of members at your gym? Perhaps you’ve noticed a significant increase in cancellations and want to do something to bring these people back. Perhaps you’ve made changes, offered new classes or simply feel that they haven’t taken advantage of everything your gym has to offer.

Whatever the reason, know that winning back former members is essential for the long-term success of your business. Investing in those who already know your brand is much cheaper and more effective than attracting completely new customers.

In this article, we’ll give you some tips and strategies for winning back members.

Why are former members so important?

Firstly, we need to define who is considered a former member. It could be someone who only stayed for a month or someone who was in the gym for years. Of course, each case is different, and the approach to winning them back must be different.

However, they all have something in common: they have already shown interest in going to the gym, which makes it easier for them to return. What’s more, winning back former members is much cheaper than attracting new ones. Digital marketing, for example, has a high cost per click, while email marketing, ideal for contacting former members, is much more affordable.

Divide former members

Not all former members have the same value for the Gym. Let’s analyse some factors in order to divide them:

• Plan type: Members who had premium plans, which included personal trainers and all classes, are more valuable than those who had the most basic plan.
• Subscription length: Someone who stayed for a month is unlikely to have the same commitment as someone who went to the gym for several months.
• Training frequency: Someone who went to the gym once a month for six months may have left due to lack of use. You have to assess whether it’s worth investing in getting this person to come back.

How to win back former members

• Prevent them from leaving: The best way to win back members is to never lose them. Keep your current member base happy by offering good service, offers to refer friends and discounts at partner shops.
• Exit survey: When a member asks to unsubscribe, ask them to answer a quick survey. Find out why they left so you can approach them more assertively in the future. For example, if the person is moving to another town or city, there’s no point in offering discounts.
• Use the cancellation window: Most gym memberships are on a monthly basis. This means that you have time between the cancellation request and the last day of access to try and convince the member to stay. Take advantage of this period to offer discounts or free personal training sessions to motivate members to keep going to the gym.
• Incentives and offers: Offering discounts is a common strategy for winning back members. However, it is necessary to analyse the profile of the ex-member so that the offer is valuable to them. There’s no point in offering a major discount to someone who used to take advantage of deals and would then leave immediately. For premium members who regularly attended the gym, a discount can be a good incentive.
  • • Tip: Offer to waive the enrolment fee for former members.
• Gym updates: It’s not always possible to offer discounts or make renovations. In these cases, keep in touch with former members by sending them relevant content, such as healthy recipes, exercises to do at home and motivational tips. Be careful not to send emails too often. A weekly email and a monthly newsletter may be enough.
• Call the most important members: Making personalised calls is more efficient than mass emails. Call members who had premium plans and frequently went to the gym. Ask them why they left and try to convince them to come back.

Winning back former members is key to your gym’s success

By focusing on winning back former members, you’ll be investing in people who already know your brand and your services. This means a faster return on investment (ROI) and an increase in customer loyalty.

Remember:

• Divide your ex-members: Prioritise those who had premium plans and went to the gym frequently.
• Offer personalised incentives: Discounts, enrolment fee waivers and free personal training can be good options.
• Stay in touch: Send emails with relevant and informative content, such as health and fitness tips.
• Make personalised calls: Show interest in winning back the most important members.

With a little effort and dedication, you can win back many former members and increase the success of your gym.