How to Get the Most Out Of Your Gymnastics Membership Referral Program

Gymnastic membership referrals are a must-have for growing your gym and bringing in new members. Referrals are the gold standard when it comes to member loyalty and building up your reputation. Whether you are newly launching a referral program or beefing up an existing one, here are some best practices to keep in mind to build the success of your gymnastics membership referral program.

Spread the Word:

One of the best ways to find new members is to spread the word in your community. Use social media to your advantage! You should be sharing posts and content as often as possible, but the key is to be consistent and on target with your audience. The posts don’t have to be complicated, but they can become a great way to be engaged with your current membership base. Encourage your current members to announce and post their own content based on your gym to their pages as well, this could bring in the introduction to having gym ambassadors or other influencers to spread the word about your gym and create an influx of new gymnastics members.

Another great way to spread the word is by developing community partnerships. Get involved with daycares, schools, PTA, churches, dance groups, and other organizations that can benefit from your gym. The more you get out there and become a familiar face in your community, the more likely people are going to look back to you when they are looking for new opportunities.

Start creating segmented lists for your new community partners and ambassadors. Send them pertinent information that is specific to them and their referral incentives vs. parent referral incentives.

Develop A Solid Referral Program:

There are many ways to set up referral programs, but the most successful ones have the key focus on how you incentivize each referral source. You need to consider the unique value of each source.

Your referral sources include:

  • Your Staff: Things they value can include bonuses, recognition, gear, and swag
  • Parents: Things they value can include class discounts, credits, and points
  • Your Ambassadors: Things they value can include money, bonuses, and exposure
  • Your Community Partners: Things they value can include cross-promotion and value discounts for their community

Create An Overview Page On Your Website:

Instead of having all the information for your members and ambassadors buried somewhere in your current site, create a dedicated referral program page on your website. This will allow current members to feel official and have a place to address concerns. This will also promote organic traffic and capture new membership leads.

Create an FAQ Section:

When you get new members (and even existing members), there are bound to be questions about how your referral program works. Including a FAQ section on your website will help reduce the number of questions you may receive.  You’ll want to include the most common questions on this page, so your referral members can get answers quickly and refer someone faster. You can present this information in a video, a visual step-by-step, or both! In this section, include the steps you have planned out in your program that refer to what current members will gain from referring new members.

Create A Tracking System:

As a gymnastic club owner, there are bound to be a lot of different tasks you are juggling. Creating a tracking system will let you keep close tabs on your gymnastics membership referral program without all the extra steps that require your attention 24/7.  Some ideas for building tracking and fulfillment processes include:

  • Using Referral Codes
  • Using a tracking software for referrals
  • Educating your staff on how to manually track referrals

A successful gymnastics membership referral program can make your gym more profitable. Keep in mind that what you put into your referral program is what you will get out of it. Be diligent and your gymnastics memberships will increase day by da