STRATEGIC GUIDE: How UK Public Leisure Operators Can Sustain Summer Enthusiasm and Avoid a Winter Slump
Public leisure facilities in the UK often experience noticeable seasonal trends, with a significant increase in member engagement and sign-ups during the summer months followed by a potential slump as winter approaches. The summer boom is largely driven by the freedom afforded by the school holidays, and the desire to get in shape...or, dare we say it 'get beach ready'. However, as the seasons change, so do the habits and motivations of members, leading to a potential decline in return footfall and new member acquisition.
Maintaining the momentum gained during the summer is therefore crucial for ensuring year-round revenue stability. Join us as we explore various strategies that UK public leisure operators can implement to sustain summer engagement and avoid the dreaded winter slump. From creating indoor-friendly programs to leveraging technology to optimise member acquisition strategies and data-driven approaches, these actionable insights help keep communities engaged and facilities thriving throughout the year.
Analyzing Summer Success: What Worked?
The first step in maintaining engagement beyond summer is understanding what drove the initial success. During the summer months, several factors contribute to increased participation in leisure activities. School holidays bring families together, with children and parents alike seeking activities to fill their time. Warm weather encourages outdoor exercises like swimming, running, and cycling, which naturally boosts participation in related classes and events. Additionally, many leisure centers capitalize on this period by launching special promotions, outdoor fitness classes, and family-friendly events that appeal to a broad audience.
For example, some UK leisure centers have successfully increased summer engagement by offering outdoor boot camps, pop-up yoga sessions in parks, and summer sports leagues. These activities not only attract new members but also engage existing ones, creating a vibrant community atmosphere.
Understanding the Winter Slump: Common Pitfalls
Conversely then as winter approaches, leisure operators often face challenges that can lead to a decline in engagement or participation. Colder weather, shorter daylight hours, and the busy holiday season all contribute to reduced motivation for physical activity. Members who were once eager to attend outdoor classes may be less inclined to venture out in the cold, leading to a drop in indoor attendance too.
This seasonal decline can have a significant impact on revenue and long-term member retention, not to mention how it affects the ROI of any ad spend put into attracting new footfall.
A decrease in engagement not only affects immediate income from membership fees and class attendance but also undermines the sense of community and momentum built during the summer months. Over time, this can lead to increased cancellations and a greater challenge in re-engaging members once the new year begins, not only making the competition of the January sign-up period harder, but potentially making the cost per acquisition (CPA) higher.
Want To Optimise Lead Generation?
In this micro guide we focus on optimising the pre-sign-up experience, providing actionable tips to make information discovery about your facility a frictionless, enjoyable experience for your prospective members, making them more likely to walk through your doors.
.png)
Strategy 1: Create seasonal, indoor-friendly programs that engage your current community and attract new members
One of the most effective ways to combat the winter slump is by offering seasonal, indoor-friendly programs that cater to the needs and preferences of members during colder months. These programs can help maintain engagement by providing activities that are accessible, enjoyable, and aligned with winter interests.
Tailoring programs to the season ensures that members have relevant and appealing options to stay active, regardless of the weather. Indoor fitness classes, wellness workshops, and family-friendly events can all play a role in keeping members motivated.
Steps to Implement:
Develop a Winter Schedule: Create a schedule of indoor fitness classes, workshops, and events that focus on winter activities, such as indoor cycling, strength training, and hot yoga. Incorporate seasonal themes to make the offerings more engaging.
Promote Warm, Indoor Environments: Highlight the comfort and warmth of indoor facilities in your marketing campaigns. Emphasize the benefits of staying active indoors during the colder months.
Quick Tips:
Introduce winter-themed challenges, such as a "Winter Wellness Challenge," to keep members motivated.
Promote family-friendly activities that cater to all ages, such as indoor swimming sessions or family fitness classes - these needn’t be limited to summer months!
Highlight the health benefits of staying active during the winter, such as boosting immunity and improving mood in the seasons where sickness and can prevail and mood can decline.
Think differently:
Collaborate with local health experts to offer winter wellness workshops that provide members with tips on staying healthy during the colder months.
Create a winter loyalty program that rewards consistent attendance with perks like discounts on classes or free guest passes.
Strategy 2: Maintain Consistent Communication and Marketing
Effective communication is key to keeping members and prospects engaged throughout the winter months. Consistent, reliable and targeted communication ensures your community is reminded of the value of staying active and kept informed about upcoming events and promotions.
Regular communication keeps your facility top of mind and helps maintain a connection with members and prospects, even when external motivation may be low.
Steps to Implement:
Develop a Year-Round Content Calendar: Plan a content calendar that includes a mix of email newsletters, social media posts, and SMS campaigns focused on winter engagement.
Remember that your content calendar is secondary to the member journey. The most important communication your members receive is unique to their interests and goals. These automated interactions should always take precedence, read more on member retention strategies via data-driven approaches here.
Use Multiple Channels: Utilize email marketing, social media, WhatsApp and SMS to reach members through their preferred communication channels. This multi-channel approach increases the likelihood of your messages being seen and acted upon.
Multiple Channels with multiple language options as standard: The need to offer communication options is equally true for member acquisition - providing multiple, responsive communication channels for membership prospects is key to beating out the local competition - remember, as a public leisure facility you aren't just competing with other local authorities or trusts, you're likely also competing with nearby high-value-low-cost (HVLC) operators too.
Quick Tips:
Schedule regular newsletters with winter workout tips, healthy recipes, and member success stories to inspire continued engagement and sign-ups.
Share success stories of members who have maintained their fitness routines through the winter, using these stories to motivate others.
Offer exclusive winter promotions or discounts, such as reduced membership rates for new sign-ups or special offers for current members.
Think differently:
Use data analytics to personalize communications based on member preferences and behaviors, ensuring that each member receives relevant and engaging content.
Invest the time or technology to reach members who haven’t visited recently, encouraging them to return with targeted offers and reminders.
Strategy 3: Foster a Strong Community
Building a sense of community within your leisure facility can significantly enhance member retention, particularly during the winter months. When members feel connected to others in the facility, they are more likely to stay engaged and continue attending.
A strong community transforms a leisure facility from just a place to exercise into a social hub where members feel a sense of belonging and motivation.
Steps to Implement:
Host Regular Social Events: Organize social events, challenges, and group activities that encourage members to interact and build relationships. These events could include holiday-themed parties, group fitness challenges, or charity events.
Encourage Group Participation: Promote group classes or team sports that foster camaraderie and accountability among members.
Quick Tips:
Organize seasonal group challenges, such as a "Winter Fitness Challenge," where members can work together to achieve their fitness goals.
Offer member referral incentives, encouraging current members to bring friends or family to the facility.
Celebrate member milestones, such as anniversaries or personal achievements, to make members feel valued and recognized.
Think differently:
Develop a member ambassador program where long-term members help welcome and guide newcomers, creating a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Create online communities or forums where members can connect outside the gym, share tips, and support each other’s fitness journeys.
Strategy 4: Enhance Your Community's Experience with Technology
Integrating technology into your gym’s operations can significantly enhance the member experience by making it more convenient, engaging, and personalized. In a world where digital interactions are becoming the norm, offering technological solutions like mobile apps, wearables, and online booking systems can keep members engaged, even if they are not physically present at the facility.
Steps to Implement:
Launch a Mobile App: Develop a mobile app that offers features like workout tracking, virtual classes, and easy booking systems. This ensures that members can engage with your facility from anywhere, whether they’re at home or on the go.
Incorporate Wearable Technology: Encourage members to use wearables and fitness trackers that sync with your gym’s systems. This allows them to track their progress, set goals, and receive personalized feedback based on their activity levels.
Leverage AI with Natural Language Processing: Never miss an opportunity to book a tour or convert a lead. Connect with every lead on every channel, in every language, 24 hours a day. By utilising advanced, yet highly affordable AI technology to engage and convert your prospective members regardless of the time of day, you are a million steps ahead of your nearest competitor by exceeding consumer expectations.
A whopping 64% of Public Leisure emails went unanswered vs 33% in the UK Multi-sites camp. In addition. Neither UK Public Leisure or UK Multi-sites are capitalising on the 5 minute golden window of reply in email, with 0% of responses being sent in that time frame.
Quick Tips:
Encourage Goal Setting: Use your app or website to help members set and track their winter fitness goals, keeping them motivated and engaged.
Send Push Notifications: Utilize your mobile app to send motivational push notifications or workout tips, ensuring that members remain active and connected to your facility.
Evaluate your response rates to enquiries: Do you currently know how many of your membership inquiries are being answered? Do you know how long on average it takes your team to respond? And how many enquiries are you successfully turning into tours and memberships? These are questions we highly recommend you address. Knowing these facts and figures is key to understanding your top-of-the-funnel performance and the first step in optimising it.
Think differently:
Use AI for Personalization: Implement AI-driven tools within your app to provide personalized workout recommendations based on a member’s fitness level, goals, and preferences. This can greatly enhance the user experience and keep members engaged with their fitness routines.
Incorporate Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR): Take engagement to the next level by offering VR or AR experiences in your facility. This could include virtual fitness challenges or immersive workout environments, making exercise more fun and interactive.
Strategy 5: Focus on Member Retention with Data-Driven Approaches
Data-driven decision-making allows gym operators to identify at-risk members and tailor retention strategies to keep them engaged. By leveraging data analytics, you can monitor member behavior, predict churn, and implement personalized retention campaigns that address individual needs and preferences.
Steps to Implement:
Monitor Member Behavior: Use data analytics tools to track member attendance, engagement, and participation in different programs. This will help you identify patterns and potential issues that could lead to churn.
Develop Personalized Retention Campaigns: Based on the insights gained from your data, create targeted campaigns that address the specific needs and preferences of at-risk members. This could include personalized offers, invitations to special events, or check-in messages to show that you care about their progress.
Quick Tips:
Track Attendance and Engagement: Regularly review attendance and engagement data to identify members who haven’t been as active. Reach out to these members with personalized messages or offers to re-engage them.
Send Re-Engagement Emails: If a member hasn’t visited the gym in a while, send them a personalized email with an offer or an invitation to a special event. This can help rekindle their interest and bring them back into the facility.
Offer Targeted Promotions: Use data to identify what types of promotions are most likely to appeal to specific members, and tailor your offers accordingly.
Think Keepme:
Implement Predictive Analytics: Use predictive analytics tools to forecast membership trends and identify which members are most at risk of leaving. This allows you to take proactive steps to retain them before they decide to cancel.
Use Machine Learning: Continuously improve your retention efforts by using machine learning algorithms that learn from past data and successes. These tools can help you refine your retention strategies over time, making them more effective at keeping members engaged and loyal.
Avoiding the winter slump requires a proactive approach that combines seasonal programming, consistent communication, community building, and the effective use of technology and data. By implementing the strategies discussed, operators can maintain high levels of engagement, enhance member satisfaction, and the ROI of acquisition campaigns.
Now is the time for public leisure operators to assess their current strategies and make the necessary adjustments to keep their members engaged and their facilities vibrant, even as the seasons change. With the right approach, the winter months can be just as successful as the summer, leading to higher member satisfaction, increased retention rates, and improved revenue stability.
