How to Increase Gym Revenue: 25 Different Ways

Even if you’re doing well financially, learning how to increase gym revenue can take your business to the next level.Within this article we’re going to break down 25 viable options you can implement into your existing business, in order to increase your revenue.

These will be split into the following subcategories:

• Pricing
• Service
• Marketing

Before we get started, though, a specialist qualification can help separate your gym and its employees from the crowd. Get started with our Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course as you can offer both personal training and nutrition advice to help clients reach their goals much faster.

Find out more by downloading our course prospectus and enquire today!

Pricing

One way in which you can increase your gym revenue is to influence the financial elements of your business. 

This will naturally be the point that many individuals think of first, but how can you implement these financially focused changes?

#1 - Consider Your Pricing Point

Let’s discuss the most obvious point first, when businesses are looking to increase their revenue many simply hike up the prices of their service. This is due to the fact that, sadly, no one can afford to remain stagnant forever.

Forbes discusses this phenomenon and reports that certain clients are willing to pay for increased prices as they are simply unaware of the existing market. They note that:

Clients use price as a stand in for quality

Meaning that most consumers typically assume if something is of a higher pierce, it is of better quality. Just think how many times have you personally paid extra, simply because something has been listed as ‘premium’. 

Forbes elaborates by stating:

Especially when they’re (clients) not very confident about being able to discern quality in their own right, people who are unfamiliar with a market will be especially led by price increases to go in that direction

Please note, this could initially drive some clients away from your business, but if you execute this correctly you won’t be affected financially.

For example, let’s say you have 10 gym members paying the original price of £20, but you then increase the price to £30 per month. Hypothetically speaking, say you lose 3 customers as a result of this decision, you’ll still be earning more thanks to this price increase.

What once resulted in monthly revenue of £200, will now see you earning £210, whilst this isn’t much it’s still an increased revenue for your gym.

The key is to not increase these prices dramatically, your services should still be somewhat affordable to your current base of customers.

#2 - Create Varied Pricing Structures 

Whilst staying on the topic of how much your clients are willing to pay, let's look at pricing structures.

Some may think that an easy way to increase revenue would be to either increase prices slightly, or lower them in order to meet competitors. However, this doesn’t have to be the case as you could also offer a tiered pricing structure.

If you currently have a set fee for members at your gym, consider making this the entry tier and building up from this. 

For example, if members are currently paying a flat fee of £20.00 per month for access to your gym, your pricing structure may now look like this:

• £20.00 - Entry Level
• £27.00 - Mid Level
• £34.00 - Elite Level 

Now in order to increase gym revenue you’ll naturally need to make the more expensive options appealing to clients. 

This means offering these members exclusive luxuries that they can only get should they pay to enter a higher tier, an example of which can be found below from PureGym.

Clients are going to be attracted to the Core and Plus pricing options, as they provide them with luxuries that aren’t provided to off-peak members. 

However, that isn’t the only thing working in your favour when displaying pricing options in this manner. 

Research has even proven that, when several options are displayed before us, humans are always likely to be drawn to the middle offer. 

Therefore, we could recommend creating a pricing structure, as this will increase gym revenue through a variety of ways that play into the client’s behaviour. 

Not only will they want access to a plethora of benefits, but they’ll naturally be drawn to this higher price through their own instinctive bias. 

#3 - Offer a Combination of Free & Discounted Trials

Anything that is free is considered to have no value, which is why you should always avoid using the word ‘free’ in relation to your gym.

Instead of using the phrase ‘free trials’, swap this out for the likes of ‘7-day memberships worth £40’. By mentioning a price, this will reframe how potential customers view the service subconsciously.

You could even dub this period a ‘7-day kickstarter program’, which can guide the potential members through an induction process into your facility. 

Ultimately, offering a free service can provide insight into how your gym operates. This will tempt clients to sign up for paid sessions, as they will know exactly what they’re purchasing following their trial. 

However, in the interest of discussing how to increase revenue, we’re aware that not every gym can financially afford to give out free trials. 

In this instance, paid trials can help to secure a return investment, as payees are more likely to be dedicated to their initial appointments and classes.

Paid trials will see clients receiving a substantially discounted price from your regular fixed packages. 

With this, we’d personally advise trying to keep this consistent with the amount of days you’re offering. For example, if the trial lasts for 7 days, charge the client a total of £7.

Whilst differing slightly in execution, the purpose behind free and discounted trials remains the same, and that is to attract more clients to your business. 

Once clients know what they’re investing in, they’ll be more likely to commit to a full-time package.

#4 - Train Your Existing Team in Sales 

Let’s be completely honest, you could have the most competitive prices in your local area, but if your team doesn't know how to sell memberships, your business won’t last.

Learning how to sell your products to clients is a lot more complicated than it sounds. Whilst the demand for gyms is very much ever-present in society, the slightest of mistakes can deter clients, who will just as easily go to a competitor.

The sale process can be broken down into several key stages, such as:

• Generating leads
• Qualify those leads
• Determining whether those leads have a need or want for your gym
• Make a proposal to the client
• Complete the sale 
• Upsell 
• Deliver a quality product 

This is commonly referred to as the sale pipeline: Which refers to the process that takes a general member of the public and turns them into a paying client of your establishment. 

Each step of the pipeline influences the next. For example, if you fail to generate an initial lead you therefore have no one to convert into a paying customer. 

Therefore, we can say with confidence that learning how to sell is an absolute necessity should you wish to increase your gym's revenue.

However, you as a single individual cannot be expected to make enough sales to sustain an entire business. Therefore, you must ensure that each staff member of your gym has the knowledge and skills to secure sale’s of their own. 

If done successfully, this will guarantee an increase in gym revenue, as new clients and leads will be constantly being generated by yourself, and your wider team.

Check out our guide on '7 Key Skills A Gym Manager Needs' to find out more about the skills required to succeed.

#5 - Change Your Payment Methods and Offer Delayed Payments

Whilst discussing money and revenue, we must acknowledge that there are now more ways than ever to pay for commercial goods and services, so why just restrict your business to cash or card? 

Whilst these methods are universally accepted by most, by going the extra mile and introducing alternative ways to receive payment you can open your business to other clients who would have otherwise chosen a competitor.

As a business owner you should create an infrastructure that is supportive of all the desired clients within your industry. 

By doing some simple market research, we have found that within the fitness industry the most popular alternative payment methods are:

• Paypal 
• Stripe 
• WorldPay

By simply offering alternative payment methods you can potentially increase gym revenue by opening the doors to members who don’t like using cash, credit or debit. 

Whilst on the topic of creating appealing payment methods you could also offer deferral methods, which will help to make paying a membership fee a little more financially manageable.

This deferral method can see a membership payment spread across an entire month, rather than being paid immediately in one lump sum. 

For example, if your membership costs £40.00 per month, this could see clients paying £10.00 every week instead.

You still get the same transaction, and the client can pay in a method that suits their financial needs better.

What we can learn from both of these methods is that it pays to adapt to your clients financial status. By asking them what method will work best for them, you can really help to increase your revenue and retention levels.

#6 - Retain Existing Clients 

By keeping your existing base of clients appeased you can gradually increase your gym revenue, without the pressure of having to constantly make an initial sale.

Small businesses should focus on upselling and cross-selling to their existing customers. Not only is this easier on your stress levels, but it’s also cost effective and can guarantee a greater profit.

This is backed up by market research conducted by Bain and Company, who found that by increasing retention by just 5% you can see a total increase of 95% of profit. 

This is due to the fact that these individuals are likely to spend more on your products because they are familiar with them

In contrast, the same research found that trying to attract new customers can cost you up to 5 times as much money, through means of advertising alone. 

This money does not have to be spent with repeat customers, who can in fact do their own advertising for you through customer referrals. 

This was certified by business analyser Yotpo, who discovered that over 60% of existing customers will discuss your brand with their social circle. 

Therefore, in order to learn how to increase your gym revenue, you need to implement customer retention strategies such as:

• Building a rapport with your clients
• Making your brand exciting 
• Tracking and recording progress 
• Reward schemes 

#7 - Target Former Customers 

To conclude the pricing section of our list, we’ll teach you how to increase gym revenue by attracting former customers back to your business. 

Your past customers are invaluable, as they already understand your product and service, they don’t need an introduction to your brand and will have prior knowledge to pull from. 

Sometimes, all you need to get a client back to your business is to remind them that it exists. Whilst other instances will require you to work harder, changing their opinions and perceptions of your product in order to satisfy their current needs.

Before you can attract anyone back to your business you first need to determine who you’re targeting. For example, have they:

• Made a purchase within the last 3 months?
• Subscribed to your email list?
• Used a rewards card?
• Re-joined following a past promotion?

You then need to determine what made these customers turn away from your business in the first place. This could be discovered through conducting surveys, in which you can establish these problems and find a way to alter your gym to address and amend them.

In short, the campaign to recapture previous customers should be focused on repairing the disconnect between your brand and the client. 

The effectiveness of this process boils down to how well you communicate a new offer to the former customer. You need to consider both the content of your message and who you’re targeting in the first place.

For example, if someone left due to membership being too expensive you could send them a discount code via email. 

However, if the issue is more personable such as a staff member was rude to them, it may be worth personally calling them to apologise and resolve the issue. 

Following all of the above points, you should have a better understanding of how pricing elements can influence your gym. However, whilst we have a natural tendency to focus on financial elements of business, there are other points of focus that deserve your attention.

Service 

The quality of the service you provide overall has the potential to make or break your entire business.

Be honest with yourself - as a consumer, would you personally tolerate a subpar product? The same logic should be applied to your business, and if you intend to increase gym revenue, we’d advise focusing on the following elements.

#8 - Rent out Spare Space

If you own a large gym, community centre, or fitness facility, renting space out to other businesses is a great way to increase revenue. But how do you go about determining what businesses to partner with your own?

Well, as an industry that places a great deal of importance on health, wellness, and fitness you won’t want to partner with the likes of a greasy fast food organisation, as the two simply don’t compliment each other.

In a business-to-business sense, it will be worth matching up your company’s products or skills with something that can help your gym to grow. 

These businesses can pay a flat monthly fee, or alternatively you could work out a deal that sees your business split a fraction of their profits.

Sports Massage Therapists:

When running a gym there is always a chance that a client could potentially injure themselves on site. 

It could therefore be beneficial to have a qualified sports massage therapy business on hand to help alleviate any pain immediately. 

This is exactly what the popular gym chain GymBox did when they partnered with Capital Physio. In the instance, if a client sustained an injury in the gym, they would be referred to the sports massage brand for treatment. 

Through a similar partnership, you're able to extend the services your establishment offers, capturing a market that would have otherwise gone financially untapped prior to your partnership. 

Naturally, it will be down to you and your business partner to negotiate the finer deals of this partnership. However, if executed correctly this can be a highly lucrative deal for both parties, helping to increase gym revenue significantly.

Yoga Classes: 

Yoga is one of the most popular types of fitness classes, but there isn’t typically much of a crossover between regular gym-goers, and dedicated yogis.

Think about this partnership as targeting a niche group of clientele, who would otherwise be inaccessible had you not chosen to offer these classes. 

One way to go about this could be to hire a freelance yoga instructor to teach at your gym 2-3 times every week. These kinds of roles are incredibly common in fitness facilities across the country, as evident from this advertisement featured on Indeed. 

Using this example, you could realistically pay a freelance yoga instructor a total of £40 every week, and if you charge clients £10 per class, you’d only need to sell 5 placements in order to earn a profit. 

Wellness Treatments: 

Whilst this may be somewhat confusing to read, providing your clients with wellness services can increase your gyms revenue. These services can include the likes of:

• Hairdressing 
• Spa services
• Massages 
• Eyebrow treatments
• Waxing services 

Nuffield Health is an example of a popular gym chain that offers these kinds of services, and for an idea of how lucrative they can be, please refer to the screenshot below.

This can significantly increase gym revenue by targeting clients who require additional treatments before or after their workout. Who wouldn’t be tempted by a soothing massage and spa treatment following an intense workout? 

This can be marketed as a luxury experience that is only available at your gym. As we have discussed previously within this article, if a client perceives your service to be something unique, they will be more inclined to spend more money on it.

#9 - Invest in Lockers 

Adding lockers to your gym is a simple, yet effective way to increase the overall revenue you take in. 

When working out on the gym floor no one likes to carry around all their valuables, as they could easily be stolen or damaged beyond repair. 

Lockers provide the reassurance that these personal items are stored somewhere safe, where neither of these negative instances can happen.

Lockers can be purchased for cheap prices from sites such as Gumtree, an example of which can be found below:

Through this one-time purchase you can help to increase your gym revenue, by charging your clients to gain access to this service.

One way you could do this is a flat monthly fee - for example, a frequent client could rent a locker for an additional £10 a month, on top of their regularly paid subscription fee. This would grant them exclusive access to their own private space, no one will have access to this locker, only that specific client.

If you followed this business model and proceeded to purchase the proposed ad above for 12 lockers, this could bring in an additional £120 every month. Note, in this instance, you will need to provide a lock and key for this service.

Alternatively, you could follow a model that is similar to The Gym Group, which includes access to lockers as part of the membership fee. However, if a client does not have their own lock, they’ll have to pay an additional £5 to receive one of the brand's custom-made locks.

Clients value their privacy and the safety of their valuables, which means that, even if they’ve only forgotten their lock in this singular instance, they will still be willing to pay this fee for peace of mind.

Whichever business model you choose to follow, be sure to select the right choice for your business. You know your clients better than anyone else, therefore you should be able to determine what they will be willing to pay.

#10 - Offer Online Services

One thing to note is that your gym won’t be accessible to everyone, for example, some may be physically unable to attend as a member due to their geographical location.

Let’s be honest, there is only so much money you can make from clients within your local area. You can do everything right to increase the gym’s revenue, but eventually, you may notice things become somewhat financially stagnant.

Therefore, in order to expand your market outside of your local reach, it may be worth offering online services. 

This will allow others to sign up for classes or receive services (like personal training) that do not require them to be physically present. 

Take a look at the London-based studio LDN FLY as an example, which offers clients the chance to sign up for both in-person and online memberships.

By creating regular video content for members, you can increase your revenue through making your teachings more accessible to others. 

However, please be aware that clients should feel incentivised to purchase these online classes. One way to do this would be to ensure that the content is exclusive, meaning that they are only accessible to those who pay the online subscription fee. 

As discussed previously, by creating a feeling of exclusivity you increase the value of a product. If clients know this content won’t be available anywhere else, you could even sign individuals up for both online and in-person classes. 

#11 - Provide Private Sessions and Classes 

When it comes to learning how to increase gym revenue, one tried and tested method is to offer clients the opportunity to book one-to-one sessions. 

To maximise this revenue stream, you need to focus on the way in which the gym staff and members communicate with each other.

For instance, the way in which these private sessions are initially communicated to members should be done using low-cost, easy-to-use measures, such as:

• Posters throughout the gym
• Gym social media posts
• Interactions with clients on the gym floor
• Through your company website 
• E-mails 

Much like with any of the marketing strategies, your main goal should be to ensure that every client knows that this service is available.

The popular chain Village Gyms prominently displays these opportunities throughout their website. As seen in the screenshot above, they strive to put clients in direct contact with a PT in their local area. 

To be clear, whoever is leading these private sessions and classes should hold a personal training diploma. 

This qualification will equip the individual with the knowledge and skills required to plan and lead private PT sessions, that are specifically centred around the client’s existing skills and goals. 

Without it, the trainer won’t be able to help the client in an accurate manner, resulting in your gym being portrayed in a negative light.

Remember, with success comes to an increased revenue for your business. If you can utilise private personal training sessions you can aid clients in reaching their goals faster, which in turn will make them want to stay with your service.

Find out more about marketing aspects of your business with our article 'Gym Business Cards: Why You Need Them, Examples & More'.

#12 - Sell Retail Items 

When questioning how to increase gym revenue, many will immediately jump to the concept of selling, and ensuring that you have a continuous stream of money coming into the business. 

We have already discussed services you can sell, such as yoga sessions and massage treatments, but you can also sell retail items in your facility too.

You may be questioning whether this is a valuable commodity, but you’d be surprised by how frequently clients will arrive at the gym only to discover that they have forgotten some of their gear at home.

You could sell products along the lines of:

• Water bottles 
• Protein supplements 
• Snacks 
• Clothing 

This is a convenience that practically sells itself, and when promoted in the right way these items will sell themselves. 

If your clients see you selling a specific product they will subconsciously see this as a note of endorsement, trusting your assessment of the brand.

However, if you have a dedicated enough following at your gym you could increase revenue with your own branded products. 

For example, PureGym sells commercial goods in vending machines, whilst also offering their own padlocks and towels, branded with the company fitness logo.

Just be sure that this stock is displayed in plain sight in communal areas such as the reception. This will ensure that they stay at the forefront of your client's mind as they enter and leave your establishment.

#13 -  Ensure You Follow Up After Purchases 

According to the Harvard Business Review, it’s 25 times more difficult to sell to a new client than it is to an existing one. 

However, by conducting simple follow ups, you can target the much easier to please audience of existing clients in order to increase gym revenue.

The period immediately following an initial sale is the ideal to strike with a follow up, as clients will be at their highest level of excitement.

Your attitude and that of other gym staff is crucial in this period for ensuring further sales. You need to use this time to build a future relationship with the client, so regardless of whether they’ve purchased in-person or online, implement some of these follow up strategies.

Send a Thank You Note: This can be done both in person or virtually, but regardless of what method you choose a simple thank you note can make a client feel welcomed into your establishment.

You can include a message such as ‘we appreciate your business and are here to support you’, in order to reassure them of how much they mean to your gym. However, this must not be a generic statement sent to everyone, and should include personable information about the individual in question.

By implementing this simple strategy you can make clients feel that they are valued, increasing their enjoyment of the service and ensuring they keep returning.

Check-In: Just dropping a simple message or email to a client asking how they’re getting along with their training can make all the difference. 

Be sure to keep a constant line of communication, always reassuring the individual that you (or your team) will be on hand every step of the way.

Regular communication will help you to understand a client’s mindset better. This will allow you to craft a second sale that is perfectly suited to their needs, meaning you can increase gym revenue from tailored sales. 

Offer Additional Services: During these check ups you could also offer a client additional services, such as:

• Bring-a-Friend passes
• Free branded merchandise (like a keyring or small gym towel)
• Free body analysis check-up
• One free sports massage

These offerings would not only highlight the various services that your gym offers, but they don’t necessarily have to cost you a great deal of money.

#14 - Personally Provide Nutritious Meals

As a service provider, you could provide health and fitness advice until you become blue in the face, but that doesn’t mean that clients will instinctively follow it. 

However, if you’re already a qualified nutritionist and want to put your passion to good use, you could personally prepare and provide these nutritional meals at your gym.

Much like the retail items, if client’s are constantly made aware of the availability of these products they will be more tempted to buy them and spend money within your facility. 

So, be sure to advertise these nutritional services throughout your gym, particularly if you’re intent on increasing your revenue. 

Alternatively, you could combine this point with one we mentioned earlier and become business partners with a health food provider. 

One gym that did just that was Liverpool’s Rise Fitness Studio, who partnered with Nude Kitchen back in 2019.

By offering this service in your gym clients will be able to pick from a healthy selection of food and drinks before or after their workout. 

You may even want to go the extra mile and create a seating area for clients to eat this food within your facility, functioning as a cafe of sorts. 

Providing this service makes your nutritional advice immediately actionable. Instead of waiting to get home and potentially ignoring the recommendations, clients can simply walk a few meters through the gym in order to purchase healthy products.

#15 - Offer Childcare 

To conclude this topic of additional services, one extra step you can implement to increase gym revenue is to offer childcare for members.

Some individuals may believe that they simply do not have the time to attend the gym, due to the high demands that come along with being a parent.  

However, by providing a space and care for the children of your clients, you can open your gym to an entirely new group of customers who would otherwise go untapped. 

These clients can workout with the peace of mind knowing that their child is somewhere safe, happy, and within their immediate point of contact.

This could help to increase the revenue of a gym as it can be viewed as an additional service that you charge for. 

Many gyms, such as Nuffield Health, will even introduce children to health and fitness from a young age, allowing them to explore activities like:

• Swimming 
• Dance
• Ballet 
• Judo 

Whilst this has the potential to increase gym revenue, this venture can also be somewhat challenging and time-consuming, due to the fact that there are obviously several laws and legal requirements surrounding childcare.  

For residents of the UK, you can head over to the Gov website to learn more about joining the childcare register and selecting the documentation that specifically applies to your gym.

Therefore, we can confidently state that the services you provide at your establishment can influence the revenue your gym brings in. 

However, not every one of these services will be suitable for your business, be sure to try a multitude of our suggestions to see what works best for your personal circumstances.

- - - - 

If you’re interested in learning about how to increase gym revenue, we think you may like these other OriGym articles:

• How to Be a Good Gym Manager: 7 Tips for Success
• How To Make Money As A Personal Trainer
• How To Have A Successful Gym: 13 Crucial Tips

Marketing

Some would argue that this is the most important element to factor into your business plan. Without marketing your gym in the correct manner, some customers may not even be aware of your brand's existence.

This section is dedicated to discussing how you can implement marketing tactics to increase your gym revenue.

#16 - Find Your Niche and Market It!

Niches refer to a section on the market that you have tailored your unique service towards. For instance, some gyms (such as Liverpool’s The Rydal) may cater specifically towards boxing and other forms of combat training.

Choosing a niche for your gym can be influenced by a variety of factors such as: 

• Your personal passion and experience 
• The experience and interests of the gym’s staff
• What competition in the local area are offering - This will allow you to offer something different from the competition.

Naturally, your personal experience and that of the gym’s staff is going to influence the kind of nice you offer. For example, if you hold a Kettlebell Instructor certification this may be what you choose as a chosen niche.

Learning how to find your niche is a challenging process in itself, one that you shouldn’t rush into. 

Take time to really consider what you want to offer, and whether clients within your local area will actually benefit from it. 

Once this has been determined you should focus on advertising this niche prominently throughout every platform that is available to you. 

Brands such as SoulCycle have mastered how to market to their niche audience, and should be looked at for sources of inspiration and guidance. 

By following in their footsteps, you can increase gym revenue by attracting a dedicated customer base, who will be willing to pay extra for the practice they love.

#17 - Set Up A Website

In the age of technology, every business needs some form of online presence, and a website is a great way to advertise everything your gym has to offer. 

Without a website, your chances of growing your client base and increasing revenue is significantly restricted to those who are already aware of your gym’s existence. 

In contrast, with a website, some clients may stumble across your practice by chance when searching for gyms within their local area. Therefore, we can say that creating a website will help to increase revenue by simply making more people aware of your presence. 

For those who have never created a website before, we’d advise using sites such as:

• Wix
• WordPress
• SquareSpace

All of which are super easy to use, and can help even the most inexperienced individual create a site that accurately reflects their brand

But what should you include on your website in the first place? To answer this question, let’s have a look at the independently owned No Limits Liverpool, who’s expertly crafted site can act as a blueprint for others.

This site tells users everything they’d need to know about the facility including:

• What equipment is available on the gym floor
• How much membership costs
• What perks come with membership
• Package deals and offers

We’d highly recommend you follow suit and deliver a website that shares similar information regarding your own gym. 

This will help you to increase gym revenue as potential client’s won’t have to second guess whether your service is suitable for them, as all of the necessary information will be readily available.

Ultimately, being too vague will be to the detriment of your business’ revenue. There is no such thing as too detailed, so be sure to offer as much information as possible in order to attract a wider customer base. 

For an in-depth look at how you can create a website, please refer to our article analysing some of the best personal training websites for further ideas and inspiration.

#18 - Create A Google My Business Page

When running a modern business, you absolutely need an online presence. Whilst most entrepreneurs focus on the likes of Instagram and professional websites, a Google My Business page is absolutely essential for attracting clients.

For those who are unfamiliar with this functionality, Google My Business allows business owners to advertise their services on the search engines’ map feature.

Google users who are conducting specific local searches have a ‘high intent’, meaning that they know exactly what they’re looking for. 

For reference, these individuals will be searching things along the lines of:

• Gyms Near Me
• Gyms in (INSERT CITY NAME HERE)
• Where Can I Find Gyms in (INSERT CITY NAME HERE)?

Adding the location at the end of a Google search is what makes it a local search - if you’re a gym owner in Liverpool, you’re not going to want to target clients based in London. 

Focus on garnering the attention of clients within your immediate area and you can guarantee to increase gym revenue. 

According to Search Engine Land, 80% of high intent searches lead to sales, a site visit, or consultation within 24 hours. 

Furthermore, this research also states that 92% of customers will choose one of the first three businesses listed. 

This point connects to the one mentioned above, as you can also link your gym’s website to the Google My Business page free of charge.

Should your listing prove to be popular, you’ll gradually move up the ranking of Google’s recommended businesses. 

Over time, you’ll eventually land a coveted spot within the local 3 pack, a term used to describe the first three listings to appear. 

If you’re interested in learning all about how your gym can rank within the local 3 pack, be sure to check out our article analysing how to use Google My Business.

To conclude, we can say that Google My Business is a vital tool that any business owner can use to their benefit. 

It’s completely free to sign up, and can help to attract more of the desired customers within your local area.

#19 - Utilise Email Marketing 

From a business perspective email marketing is traditionally used to encourage customers to spend more money at a facility, which is exactly why you should use it when looking to increase gym revenue.

Most people that subscribe to your email list will be existing customers, so you can effectively use this marketing tool to advertise the services your gym offers.

You can also use this to create tempting discounts that are exclusively for clients on the email listing. 

By making this deal sound urgent, and incorporating an expiry date, you can incentivise clients even further, especially if they feel as though they may miss out on something.

An example of how to increase gym revenue in this manner could be to offer a coupon for your most expensive package. 

Clients will see this as a desirable commodity, as they will receive several more perks for a discounted price.

The idea that this discount is an ‘invite only’ exclusive, will create a sense of luxury and exclusivity surrounding your brand. By restricting the access to a deal, you will in actuality be increasing its desirability.

Clients that would otherwise not be interested in the package's original price will see it as an ideal opportunity to make the jump, spending more money than they currently are in the process.

Whilst this works best with gyms that already have a large email listing, you can actually use this idea of an ‘exclusive offer’ to get leads in the first place. 

On your website, implement a pop-up that promises an exclusive voucher to anyone who signs up for said listing.

#20 - Improve Your Website’s SEO 

For those who are unfamiliar with the abbreviation, SEO stands for search engine optimization, which influences how your website ranks on sites such as Google.

As a practice, SEO is constantly evolving, and as a business owner you need to meticulously stay on top of all these changes. 

If implemented correctly, SEO can push you to the top of Google ranking which helps to generate more sales and increase revenue for your gym.

But why is ranking so important? Well, data collected from Firstpage.com in 2022 proved that:

• 39.6% of Google users are likely to click the top-ranking result
• 18.4% to click the 2nd result 
• 10.1% to click the 3rd

With the large discrepancy between each ranking, we can see how important your position is. Just a few positions can make the difference between earning more revenue or less. 

Therefore, if your site fails to rank on the first page altogether, then you can forget about readers bothering to find it.

Whilst there are several ways you can improve your SEO and drive more traffic to your website, we are going to focus intently on the method of improving the keywords on your site.

Without integrating keywords into your content, desirable clients aren’t likely to find your site. 

For example, if you specialise in weightlifting you’re obviously going to want to rank for the keyword 'weightlifting gyms’.

However, there are other keywords that are similar to this that clients will also search, which can be difficult to determine. The trick is to find these words through using SEO sites such as Ahrefs. 

This site allows business owners to track main and secondary keywords that can be integrated into their content to optimise their SEO.

By integrating all the right keywords into your online marketing you can draw in your exact desired client, increasing your gym revenue in the process. 

#21 - Invest in E-Commerce Marketing

Now that you have created marketing material, you can distribute it to the right clientele using e-commerce marketing tools. 

For example, with Google Paid Search Ads, you can effectively buy your way into the top ranking results on the search engine. 

Earlier in this article, we discussed how to do this naturally with Google My Business, but this option will provide you with more immediate results. 

For a set fee, you can ensure that your gym will appear as one of the top results for local searchers.

For reference, take a look at the screenshot we have provided above when searching for the best gyms in Liverpool. Here we can see that the two top results have been marked with the phrase ‘Ad’.

Investing in this kind of advertising can see an increase in gym revenue through the amount of traffic the ad drives to your website.

In doing so, you can generate a higher quality of leads, landing better engagement with customers who are genuinely interested in joining your gym and paying for additional services. 

One of the benefits of using this Google service is that it allows you to target these individuals directly using the ‘audience’ feature. Never again will you have to cast a wide net and hope the right clients find you. 

#22 - Build Trust Through Customer Reviews

You should always be encouraging existing clients to review your gym whenever possible. This will create a sense of peer trust in others who are considering signing up to your service.

This process is commonly referred to as social proof and is one of the strongest tools you can implement within your online presence. 

Customers are more likely to invest in a product that they know is effective, think about it this way: if you saw a 1-star product on a site like Amazon, would you bother ordering it?

No, you wouldn’t, instead, you’d opt for something that has a higher rating, or one that has overwhelmingly positive written reviews instead.

Whilst a simple star tactic is implemented by some sites such as Amazon, other ways to build social proof could be:

• Customer testimonials
• Case studies 
• Blogs 
• Awards from governing bodies 

Social proof essentially covers every single positive thing that clients have said about your brand. 

You can realistically display this social proof in any way you deem appropriate, the only important thing to consider is that it’s visible at all times. Once potential clients see that your facility comes heavily endorsed by others, you can expect to see an increase in gym revenue.

#23- Influencer Marketing 

In a similar fashion to working with other business owners (as discussed within the services section), you could choose to partner with popular influencers who can help to promote your gym to their dedicated followers.

This kind of advertising can help to increase gym revenue through simple promotion. An influencer's audience will trust them explicitly, so if they endorse something then their following is likely to endorse it too.

Whilst some may view influencers as simply a face on a phone screen, they can actually help a business to:

• Create engaging and innovative content 
• Embrace authenticity  
• Directly integrate customers into a brand’s identity

You could talk positively and promote your own gym continuously, but some clients will still doubt your authenticity, especially as it’s your own product you’re advertising.

to offer. For example, influencer Jack Fette regularly advertises for PureGym on his social media accounts such as TikTok. 

Ideally, you’ll want to hire influencers who have an existing interest in health and fitness. This will ensure that their content is targeting the right audiences, and if done successfully their fans will become yours through relation.  

Hiring this type of influencer will also ensure that the deal is reciprocal, as no one will advertise for free. 

Generally, influencers will want to be rewarded with something tangible for promoting your business, such as:

• A set fee for every post they make
• Free products and commodities - Such as gym memberships
• Percentage of commission on every referral they make 

If you opt for the latter of these three, you can give the influencer a unique referral code to distribute to their followers. 

Should one of their followers sign up for your gym, you can then provide them with a small percentage of the profit.

#24 - Affiliate Marketing 

Affiliate schemes work in a somewhat similar way to that of influencer marketing, the only difference being that you don’t need a huge following to be an affiliate.

This process simply requires you to give a referral code to other individuals or associated businesses. 

These partners will then begin to promote your gym wherever possible, in return for profit should their referral lead to a direct sale for you.

The good thing about this is that you don’t need to pay high rates to receive this kind of endorsement. Whilst influencers will have a series of requirements that must be met, affiliates don’t need a lot in return for promoting your business. 

One well-known brand that has mastered the affiliate marketing program is Reebok. Their program pays affiliates 7% of total sales, averaging to a value of £60 ($80) per order.

Running an affiliate program is a cheap but effective way to receive advertisements. You don’t have to pay anyone unless they help to make a sale, so in essence, it's like having your own team of freelance marketers.

#25 - Create Competitive Marketing Material  

Simply put, we can analyse all of these points and argue that if you’re interested in learning how to increase your gym’s revenue, you need to be aware of your competitors. 

Doing some simple market research will allow you to stand out from the existing crowd, and provide the best possible service within the local area. 

This can be achieved through analysing what said competition is doing right, and what it’s doing wrong. 

Following this, you can make any necessary adjustments to your gym’s business plan by comparing the two. 

When researching competitors, some of the factors you may want to consider analysing include:

• Membership prices
• Services included/excluded with membership
• The number of available staff at any given time
• Special conditions/amenities 

During this market research, it’s absolutely vital that you find one area where your business excels against competitors. 

This will allow you to create unique advertising materials that will help you to stand out and attract more clients. 

For example, if your business provides access to a sauna with the membership price, be sure to feature this unique selling point prominently throughout marketing material, including:

• Posters
• Your professional website
• Google My Business Page
• Social Media Pages  

Additionally, following this process you can also make adjustments to areas in which you’re underperforming. 

For example, if competitors charge less money you may want to consider offering a different pricing structure in order to attract different types of customers.

Creating marketing material is a super straightforward process, as evident from the mock advertisement we created above using the website Canva. 

Be sure to advertise your unique selling points prominently through a variety of materials, this will help to ensure that clients know exactly what separates you from competitors. 

For more insight on how you can successfully market your gym, click here for further tips and strategies. 

Before You Go! 

You need to be subjective when selecting which tips to implement into your own business. There isn’t a blanket solution to increase gym revenue, and you may need to test a variety of methods before determining which works best for you.

Remember, offering a unique service can help to increase gym revenue, especially if there are no other providers within your local area. By specialising in Level 4 Sports Nutrition, you can increase the quality of your service by offering both personal training and nutrition to help clients see results at a quicker rate.

See what other services you can offer by downloading our course prospectus here.