Blog 146: Member-Get-A-Member Health Club Marketing

Member-get-a-member promotions have been around forever. Most health club marketers know them as “buddy referral promotions” where health clubs recruit members and prospective members and offer them an incentive for referring new members.

I personally love buddy referral promotions because birds of a feather flock together, people within the same income bracket hangout together, people like people who are like them, and people who train socialize with people who train as well.

When you have buddies as potential members for your health club, you increase your closing percentage or percentage of being able to lock up the relationship by at least 50%. Almost all of the work has been done for you. You already know they fit the same (or at least close to the same) demographic profile as the member they are being referred by. You know they have an interest in health and fitness because their buddies train. You know they have (or most likely have) the financial resources to pay for the health club membership because their buddy is a member of your health club, etc.

Ninety per cent (90%) of the work is done already before the prospective member even called or came in the health club. You just have to make sure you don’t do something, or say something wrong that will turn him/her off. The idea is to give enough of an incentive to your existing members to get them to bring in their buddies but yet not give them so much you take away from the income they are already providing the health club.

On MMC®’s website, we offer a free download (https://www.healthclubmarketingmmc.com/hc-free-download-registration/) that has a buddy referral sheet to help you get contact information from your members to engage their buddies. If you haven’t run a professional buddy referral promotion this year and you are in health club professional membership sales, you can easily take this buddy referral sheet and design something similar to it that is attractive to your prospective members.

Put it at the front desk and ask the staff to encourage each member to fill it out but don’t forget to give them some type of incentive. Maybe for every three prospective members your existing member provides you with their names and contact information, you will give them a free protein bar and for every ten prospective members they provide, you will give them a free training session. You want to make sure the valid phone numbers and e-mails are also provided.

It is a great way to introduce your health club to the new member by having that common denominator of the original member or training buddy referring them. Member-get-a-member health club marketing programs are excellent ways to grow your health club and grow your health and fitness career.

For more free tips on increasing your health club membership base through health club marketing, health club promotions, professional health club membership sales, and advancing your health and fitness career visit us today @ www.healthclubmarketingmmc.com or call 904-448-5727.