5 Winning Strategies To Grow Your Studio

Summer is here! As exciting as that is, it can also be a little stressful for fitness businesses. Why is that? Well, Summer is an interesting season for fitness professionals. Outside of work, I’m sure most people are enjoying more daylight and warmer weather but when it comes to studio attendance, you might be seeing clients less frequently. Kids are out of school, clients may be going on vacation, or clients may just genuinely want to be more active outside and in nature.

All of these are normal things in life but what can we do about it if you want to continue to grow your studio in the summer months? Let’s talk about 5 strategies to implement for a more robust summer season.

1) Seasonal Challenges, Workshops, and Special Events

Not only do you want to offer classes and events that are appropriate for the time of year, but you’ll also want to make sure you’re thinking about how this season is impacting your clients directly. For example, do you have a lot of Mom’s in your studio? If you do, would you entertain experiences for both Mom and their child(ren) to attend? It’s important to think about opportunities like that because once school is out, it’s really hard try and figure out how to manage personal schedules while entertaining kids too.

For clients that don’t have the childcare aspect to worry about, you could think about what experiences are they wanting more of with nice weather? Maybe you would entertain the idea of a weekend Yoga class at a local vineyard or something else fun and unique to nicer weather. Bottom line, try to be hyper-attentive to the needs of your clients during this season so you can maintain your attendance and revenue.

2) Seasonal Deals, Sales, and/or Giveaways

If your studio is already seeing a dip in attendance, one thing that may motivate new clients to come in and try your classes would be through some deals, sales, and/or discounts. Of course, the important thing to remember here is that those lower cost offers are only available during your slow time.

Depending on where you are located, you may want to create a special deal for those that vacation to your area. You could also look at building a giveaway or prize based reward system if clients accomplish certain things in the Summer season. For example, you may want to start a “Summer Attendance Challenge” where you display a public board so everyone sees their progress and where they fall in the group to inspire a little bit of healthy competition.

3) Cultivate Local Relationships

We’ve mentioned it slightly before but one of the biggest reasons Summer is a “pull” on studio attendance is because your clients probably feel like it’s time to get outside or go do things they can’t in the Fall and Winter months. So, one way you could work on increasing Summer numbers might be by building fun offers or experiences with other local businesses.

This could tie in to the first strategy where we shared the idea of building special events. It could also look like a special deal if a certain business refers clients to you and they buy a package or contract. There is no limit to your imagination but ultimately, if your clients are showing up to class less frequently and you know they are enjoying themselves out more, take a moment to see if there are ways your businesses could work together for added revenue on both sides.

4) Share Your “Why We Started” Story

Summer is stereotypically a fun season in part due to a lot of additional events going on and things to do. So, your clients may just need to hear your studio’s story again to help keep them from "falling off the fitness wagon" and staying consistent.

It may seem simple, but if you had a lot more things pop-up on your social calendar and you maybe forgot why you started your fitness journey, it could easily fall off the priority list. Stay engaged, stay motivational, and help your clients remember their own goals to stay on track by sharing your own.

5) Build Your Own “7 Dimensions of Wellness”

Something else that comes with Summer is the feeling of “newness,” so use that to your advantage. Pulling from the AFPA “7 Dimensions of Wellness,” (below) we encourage you to make your own.

Why? Well, the reason that this holistic approach to health was originally created is because one human is more than just the type of fitness they participate in. There are a lot of factors that go into a general overall feeling of health and that includes finding balance in other areas. So, to help promote a more well-rounded health perspective in your clients, ask yourself "What other ways can I and my studio support them as a whole?" Offering other things that may indirectly benefit them will keep them engaged and learning throughout the year.

What’s the take-home message?

The Summer season pulls everyone out of their normal routine in different ways and for a variety of reasons. But, if you look for ways you can compliment that seasonal pull versus fight it, you may not only retain clients, but grow your fitness business too.

Resources:

https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/an-introduction-to-the-7-dimensions-of-wellness