For boutique gym and studio owners, summer can be a stressful time! With the allure of sunny days and outdoor activities, maintaining or increasing gym attendance can seem challenging. With that being said, summer also presents unique opportunities to attract new members and re-engage current ones.
According to recent studies, June and July are the slowest months for gyms. So, what does this mean for you as a gym owner? The answer is to use summer to your advantage! Instead of seeing problems, look for new and exciting ways to run your facility. Learn about 8 summer fitness tips to pump up your fitness business this year!
1. Get Creative with Summer Fitness Challenges
Organizing summer fitness challenges are a great way to get your members motivated and active! Summer-themed challenges are also a perfect opportunity to foster a sense of community among members. It’s important to be creative – your challenges should be exciting and make people want to try new things. You can even take it a step further and ask your members to share photos and videos of their summer-themed workouts on social media! Encourage and reward those who do. Below are 3 summer fitness challenge ideas:
- Summer Sprints: Set up a sprint challenge for your members. This can be done indoors, on the treadmill, or outside. Keep a list of the fastest sprints and encourage everyone to try to get faster over the summer months!
- Swimming Challenge: If your studio has a pool, summer is the perfect time to set up a swimming challenge! This could be a distance goal for members to achieve over the summer.
- Summer Body Transformation Challenge: Launch an 8-week body transformation challenge where participants work with trainers to set goals, track progress, and reach fitness milestones.
2. Offer Outdoor Training
One of the best ways to capitalize on the summer weather is by offering outdoor training. Not only does this provide a change of scenery for your members, but it also appeals to those who might not love the traditional indoor gym setting. If it’s not too hot, working out in the beautiful summer weather can be a great switch up! Whether it may be classes such as yoga, boot camps, or HIIT sessions, you can attract many new fitness enthusiasts. Make sure to advertise your outdoor summer fitness classes and make them sound hard to resist!
3. Offer Special Deals and Promotions
Summer is the perfect time to come up with new ways to attract people to your facility. Since people are often more active in the summer, this makes it a great time to offer enticing promotions! To create a sense of urgency, provide a clear timeline so potential members will “act now”! Below are 3 summer fitness deals and promotion ideas:
- Membership Discounts: Offer a special summer price for memberships or certain classes.
- Free Trial: Many people have more free time in the summer, so they’re willing to try new things. Let people try your gym for free for a week and they can see if they like it before they join.
- Giveaways: Who doesn’t love free stuff? Offer giveaways for members who reached a milestone or hit their summer fitness goal! Whether you give away a free month of classes or a t-shirt, the options are endless!
- ‘Bring a Friend’ Initiatives: Ask your current members to bring their friends and family to the gym! Many people are more likely to work out when they are surrounded by their peers. To make this even more appealing, you could give both the current member and their loved one a reward. Exercising with friends is always more fun!
4. Weekend Boot Camps
Boot camps are a great way to give your members an action-packed weekend! Like a traditional summer camp, fitness boot camps allow people to mingle with others, share similar interests, and learn new skills. Summer fitness boot camps help people meet their fitness goals in a fun environment, and maybe even in the nice fresh air! With trainers and fellow camp attendees to keep everyone accountable, your members can indulge in a weekend packed with heart-pumping movement!
5. Collaborate with Local Businesses
Think about working with other local businesses in your area! You could give your members a discount at a local smoothie shop or even offer a joint membership with a nearby swimming pool. By collaborating with local businesses, it is a win-win for everyone involved. This is an effective way to reward current members and advertise your fitness business to potential prospects!
6. Host Summer Camp for Kids
Parents are often looking for summer activities for their kids. Without school in session, it can sometimes be hard for parents to find the time to get stuff done. By offering a summer camp, you increase foot traffic in your gym and potentially gain more adult memberships as more parents may decide to join as well! Summer fitness camps can include activities like mini yoga sessions, sports drills, obstacle courses, and fun fitness competitions.
7. Prepare for the September Rush!
Besides January, September is the busiest month for gyms! The summer fun is over, and fitness-gym-goers are ready to get back into shape. The summer is coming to a close, which means kids are back in school and people are back to their daily routine. Consider these 3 tips when preparing for the September rush:
- Start Advertising Now: Social media is one of the most powerful tools to boost your online visibility and build a community. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to advertise broadly and enable you to engage in meaningful dialogue with your audience.
- Leverage SEO for your Website: Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for making your gym visible online. By optimizing your website with relevant keywords, you significantly increase the chances of potential clients finding you!
- Turn your Customers into Ambassadors: Your current customers might just be your best marketing tool! A referral program or ‘bring-a-friend’ campaigns are not only cost-efficient but also one of the most effective ways to attract new members.
8. Power up your Facility this Summer with RhinoFit!
Lastly, the most important summer fitness tip is to power up your facility with powerful gym management software!
Built for fitness facilities like yours, our software offers the best features at an affordable price. RhinoFit gym software comes packed with the essential features that you need to save time and money. This allows you to focus more on growing your business this summer!
Some of our top features include member management, automatic billing, gym check-in, website integrations, workout tracking, and more! With our unique tools and competitive prices, it is tough to beat RhinoFit! Schedule a demo and see why RhinoFit is the top software program for gyms!
