Your website is at the heart of all the marketing you run as a club. It shapes people’s perceptions of your services and facilities and it directly impacts the number of new members you’re able to sign up.
You see, gone are the days when potential new members simply just pop into your club without having done some degree of research and having qualified you to some level beforehand.
All of your potential members are connected to the web. Smart phones and computers, which provide them with everything that they want at the click of a button, are a part of their everyday lives.
Having a fantastic club with the best staff in the world is no longer enough if you want to maximise new member sign ups and the potential of your club. Why? Because if you aren’t making the right impression online, many potential members will simply never enquire or step foot inside your club.
Effectively portraying your club and building strong relationships online is paramount to the future prosperity of your business. Ensuring that you have an abundance of great reviews and that you continually re-engage with prospects during their research and consideration process when they’re on the look out for a new gym or club is of the highest importance.
But, more important than anything else, is your website!
Your marketing efforts to generate new member sign ups can either prosper or fail because of your website. Your website is at the heart of your online presence and, in 2019, it’s a digital extension of your club that (whether you like it or not) has a huge impact on people’s views of you as a business.
Having a great website for your business is no longer a choice – it’s a necessity.
Your website is directly responsible for prospects’ impression of you as a brand and it’s ultimately responsible for the number of enquiries and member sign-ups you’re able to generate as a club. A poorly designed website which is difficult to navigate around won’t help you achieve your core objectives as a business and will drive people away from your site (and club) for good. And, of course, that’s only great for your competitors.
Simply put, anything less than a great website will cost you members.
What Makes A Great Website?
A great website can be the difference between surviving and thriving in this industry. Your website should educate & inform your prospects, inspire them and accurately showcase your facilities & services and the fantastic benefits you have to offer them.
Here are some of the fundamental aspects which you need to get right on your website if you’re going to increase your membership numbers this year and beyond…
Conversion Optimisation
The primary objective of your website is to generate new enquiries for your club. The conversion rate of your website is simply the percentage of visitors to your website who turn into enquiries. If your website isn’t converting visitors into qualified enquiries, you need to address what’s going wrong.
There are a number of ways to improve the conversion of your website from improving the design to ensuring that it’s easy to navigate around to making sure that it’s straight-forward for a prospect to get in touch and leave their details. We’ll take a look at some of these things in more detail throughout this blog.
Design and Usability
Your club’s website needs to both look great and be easy to use. For example, as increasing volumes of traffic to clubs’ websites across the UK come from mobile devices, it’s essential that your site is fully mobile-optimised. It’s now more important than ever for your site to display well and be user-friendly on a mobile device. If your site doesn’t look great on mobile as well as on desktop and tablet and is difficult to use, it’s costing you enquiries and, therefore, revenue.
Inspiring Imagery
If your website isn’t rich in inspiring, high-quality imagery, you need to do something about it. Imagery is so important to get potential members excited about your club and all it has to offer them. It’s also important to assure your prospects that your club is going to be an enjoyable and pleasant place to spend time and achieve their fitness & health goals.
Social Proof
Potential members want to know what other people are saying about you. It’s estimated that over 90% of people use reviews as part of their research process when looking for a new club. Reviews build trust and help potential members become more confident that about choosing your club over your competitors. Reviews and member testimonials are so easy to get and shout about and are so, so powerful. Their role in driving member sign ups should not be underestimated.
And, your website isn’t the only place to share reviews. Google & Facebook are just a couple of other places which you can share all the positive things which people have to say about your club.
Informative
How much is membership? What are your opening times? What classes do you hold each week? What facilities are available at your club?
Your website should be deeply informative and answer all the questions potential members might have. The content across your site should also position you in a professional way that builds confidence in visitors. Try and put yourself in the shoes of your potential members and members alike. What information would you want? If your website is lacking in this department, it’s time to make some changes!
If your website is currently struggling to generate enquiries for your club or you have any questions about ways to drive increases in new member sign ups, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can contact us today by calling 01564 741 837.