7 Ways Fitness Businesses Can Attract and Retain Clients

One of the most challenging aspects of operating a fitness business is maintaining a good balance of new and current clients. You have to constantly look for fresh ways to grow your client base and keep classes full. Clients come and go, and attendance can vary throughout the day and week. Thankfully, your Mindbody software is the best on the market and has an arsenal of features to tackle these challenges and increase revenue.   

If you are unsure about how to attract new clients or retain your current ones, we've got you covered. Here are seven ways your fitness business can attract and retain clients and fill open spots at your studio or gym. 

1. Implement 24/7 client engagement

A business needs to be easily accessible to both current and potential clients. When clients can engage with a business at any time, even outside of regular business hours, it can help capture leads and address any questions they may have. On the other hand, if clients can't get in touch with a business, it can lead to missed opportunities and decreased client satisfaction.  

Chatbots offer continuous support, enabling clients to interact with your business conveniently. Messenger[ai] can convert missed calls into paying clients by providing real-time, 24/7 front desk support. You can customize Messenger[ai] to respond to inquiries and booking requests in your brand's voice. If a response requires human assistance, it's immediately flagged for follow-up. This helps enhance relationships with existing clients, streamline the sales process, and even convert leads by following up with potential clients and automatically selling packages and memberships through text and chat. 

2. Streamline sales with lead management

Effective sales pipeline management is essential for converting potential clients into paying members. How you engage with potential clients can make the difference between missing out on opportunities or gaining new clients, so your business needs a dependable process to manage follow-ups with prospects after their initial inquiry. 

The Lead Management tool within Mindbody allows you to track prospective clients easily. With easy-to-access client profiles, you can log notes about each client, schedule follow-ups, and view the sales pipeline from a dashboard. You can also automate the sales workflow and personalize your touchpoints. By monitoring where clients are in the sales funnel, you can ensure no lead slips through the cracks and maximize your chances of converting inquiries into loyal members.

3. Automate marketing engagement

Consistent and valuable communication, such as emails and text messages, is essential in keeping your business at the forefront of the minds of your current and prospective clients. For existing clients, this helps to keep them engaged and informed about the latest updates at your gym or studio. For potential clients, it ensures they are well-informed about the services your business offers and any promotions available, which can ultimately drive them to your business. You can create a well-thought-out marketing plan to strategically schedule and optimize these communications.  

Mindbody's Marketing Suite automates your outreach to current and prospective clients. You can set up automated emails and text messages based on specific client actions, like booking a class or exploring a new service. For instance, if a client has only taken yoga classes, you can cross-promote your Pilates sessions by sending targeted emails or texts. This keeps existing clients engaged and introduces them to other services, increasing loyalty and retention. As for prospective clients, you can send out relevant communications based on where they are in their journey. 

4. Try Promoted Intro Offers 

An introductory offer is any kind of promotion that entices new clients to try your fitness business. It's also a great way to encourage existing members to check out a new class or service at your studio or gym.  

The Promoted Intro Offers feature prominently displays your new client specials in the "Intro Deals" section of the Mindbody App, including the home screen. Opting in is easy and free—you'll only pay if a client books a class at your business. The fees are performance-based, which means it will cost you nothing if it doesn't produce results.

5. Use Dynamic Pricing 

Nearly half of fitness class spots go unfilled each day. However, when you provide the right price at the right time, paying clients will knock at your door in no time.   

Dynamic pricing optimizes revenue for popular and less popular class times. Clients who use the Mindbody app will pay a variable price for any class you select. This price fluctuates within the range you choose, based on demand. For classes that are not fully booked, the dynamic pricing feature helps fill spots with discounted rates. For highly sought-after classes, surge pricing helps you make more money due to high demand.

6. Take advantage of ClassPass

As a business owner, you understand that demand for your classes and services can fluctuate based on the day, time, and season. Since most fitness businesses don't operate at full capacity, it's important to fill empty slots during slow times. 

By listing your business on ClassPass, you can reach a new audience and fill up unused class spaces. ClassPass helps businesses drive incremental value by filling up unused class spaces and promoting studios to clients who may not have otherwise booked a class. 

Additionally, with our ClassPass Guarantee, there's no better time to try it out. Here's how it works: We'll prove that Mindbody customers who add on ClassPass for three months will see a revenue boost. If not, we'll write a check for two times the difference. (Terms apply.)

7. Leverage our Affiliate Network 

With so many digital marketing options available, it can be hard to know where to invest your advertising budget to attract and retain the right clients.   

The Mindbody Affiliate Network allows you to list your classes and appointments, expanding your reach to more people in your community. This tool helps boost your brand and market your services through our affiliates, FitOn Health, Tivity Health, and Google. They use your information from Mindbody to list your business in their apps and sites, making booking at your studio more convenient than ever.

It's never a simple task to get new clients through your doors. But, if you incorporate these tips, we're confident you'll experience an influx of fitness-minded folks ready to join your community in no time.