All gyms are structured differently but one thing they have in common is that they need members to thrive and succeed. Offering trial memberships is a great way to market for new members without breaking the bank. Capitalize on your current members and your community.
FREE 2 Week Trial: Target Current Members
For your current members, you can offer them the option to give trial passes out to their friends and family to come try the facility. This is a win-win situation. Your members get to have a gym buddy for two-weeks and you will have new people exposed to your club, which will hopefully result in new memberships for your facility.
FREE Month Membership: Target Your Community
This type of trial membership is excellent for reaching out to new faces and also showing your community you care about their health! Choose a few local businesses in your community each month and pay them a visit to drop off passes. Explain that each month you provide free month memberships to different businesses in the community and this month you’re excited to reach out to them.
Important Tips for Trial Memberships
- Be sure to have a copy of their ID and a safety waiver signed before allowing trail memberships to begin- nobody should be using equipment or on the gym floor without a signed waiver in place.
- Always treat each trial member as a new prospect visiting your gym. Even if you know they are only there for a pass, give them a tour of your facility and go over membership options with them.
- Treat your trial members as if they are actual members.
- Check in with them throughout their trial period. If they are liking the pass, offer them an incentive to turn their pass in early and join. You can offer to waive the enrollment fee or offer them a free week of tanning.
- Consider offering a reward system for any current member that referred a new member to your gym. One idea is to put everyone that referred members to your gym in a monthly drawing and each month the winner will have their monthly dues waived or any prize of your choice. This will help to encourage others to refer new members.
Just remember that trial memberships are effective in a variety of ways. Oftentimes they will result in your club gaining new members and if your trial members don’t join right away, you are still gaining fresh exposure. For more ways to gain more members and retain your members, contact us so we can help!
