Best Practices for Client Retention

As many business owners know, client acquisition has never been as important as it is now in the wake of covid times when things are getting back to normal. However, something a lot of owners and directors are overlooking is the act of customer retention and re-acquisition. The act of retention is keeping your current clients so happy that they do not wish to go to another gym or studio for the same services.

Unfortunately, most companies focus more on new client acquisition over current client retention. The fortunate thing is that the most important decision is always the next one. And the next step for any studio or gym owner in the current climate, when all their competition cares about is new revenue, would be to shift their model to focus on both. Current client retention is of equal importance to acquisition as it provides a company with vital recurring revenue.

At Bsport we identified this massive challenge for certain businesses and have turned it into a huge opportunity for them. The practice of client retention is what has supplied many businesses with a steady revenue to help them keep consistently hitting their targets.

Along with the help of our clients, we have identified some of the methods which we helped our clients implement that have provided them with client retention the most.

1. Smart lists

A manager's first step is usually identifying their client's habits and needs. This can be done through the use of online smart lists or a tag system that identifies what type of content and marketing efforts clients are interested in and how much they interact with various methods. For example, things such as special offers, social media posts, and newsletters can all be exercised and after examination, identified as successful or unsuccessful. These smart lists of data, which we frequently focus on at Bsport, then become the tool that is used to make more informed decisions as to what it is that is working that keeps your customers happy and in turn, retains them.

2. Email marketing

The use of email marketing is one of the most researched and effective marketing methods in the current business world. It gives you direct access to the client's inbox and therefore has a more effective and personal approach than just common non-targeted social media posts and ads. Including such things as people's names and relevant personal tidbits of information shows clients that you care about them by putting in the effort to write them a personalized email. This resonates with people and creates personal relationships which strengthen the bonds within your community.

3. Client reward programmes

The utilization of client reward systems is a huge incentive for clients to keep returning to their chosen studio or gym as they feel much more appreciated and motivated. This can be done through the use of tag management and the separation of clients based on their loyalty to your business. The most loyal clients who show up and pay for the more classes get free passes and services. Which incentivizes less active members to come to more organized classes, and in turn spend more money on your business which is vital for increasing revenue.

4. Going the extra mile

As you may have noticed the common theme of this article is to always do more than your members already expect of you. Things like customer surveys and taking time to receive feedback from clients personally shows how much you care about them. This creates a reputation that is invaluable for a company's brand. Asking for customers' opinions through tools such as surveys and one-to-one communication through reaching out individually, shows how much you are willing to listen to your members' opinions and how much you value their input. This lets clients know that they are not just a number but rather valued members of a community of people all striving towards the same goals. Whether that is constant improvement or relaxation through exercise. It also sends a message that you care about upholding your brand's reputation and are constantly striving to improve. Simultaneously people aspire to align themselves with brands that have a good reputation and which they feel reflect the version of themselves they want to be seen as, as it is a reflection of their choices and by extension their personality.

Summary

These are just some of the trends and personal touches which we have seen success with and received feedback on from our studio partners. Developing a follow-up model along with any of these methods is a common key to their success. The most consistent methods are normally the most successful ones. Implementing follow-ups to all these steps is what shows your clients that you care. And showing you care about your clients, as we have reiterated throughout this article, is what makes them loyal to your brand. Implementing these strategies is at first sometimes challenging, but hugely beneficial when the process starts to give studio and gym owners huge noticeable returns. If you wish to know more about implementing these strategies into your business model with our help, feel free to contact us here at Bsport where we would be more than happy to guide you through the process pain-free.