Gaining and retaining more women gym members.

There are several effective ways to make your club more attractive and accommodating to women. It all starts with your culture, and the total fitness experience you offer to your members, regardless of gender.

According to our recent club trends, more women gym members are joining a health club for the first time since April of 2020 and, by our numbers, the majority are under the age of 35. If you want to attract more of this demographic to your health club, it’s crucial that you start being more intentional in tailoring your marketing and offerings to women.

Want to know how to welcome some of these new female members to your gym? We’ve gathered five ways to help earn women’s confidence in your club.

1. Help the women who work out at your club to feel safe and welcome.

Women’s fitness is as much about safety as it is about community and camaraderie. Creating a culture of safety in your gym is of utmost importance no matter what, but particularly if you’re looking to bring more women into your club. You don’t want to bring them into your gym, only for them to leave because the environment doesn’t feel comfortable.

Discourage disrespectful behavior aimed at women, and work proactively to mitigate any issues that may arise. Prominently display your gym’s code of conduct in all shared spaces, and enforce it at all times. Establish consequences for members who do not adhere to the rules, and follow through when incidents arise. Ensure you have a healthy male:female ratio of personnel, including personal trainers, all of whom are willing to stick to and enforce your facility’s code of conduct on behalf of all members.

2. Offer women’s fitness classes.

If you’re looking to bring more female members to your gym, offer fitness classes that feature workouts for women. Whether you host a weightlifting class for women or offer classes such as yoga or barre, creating a fun space where women can exercise together is an important way you can set your gym apart.

To gauge interest in women’s fitness classes, survey your members. Find out what your target market would be interested in at your gym, then try out a new offering. Before you commit, consider offering a class on a trial basis to get a feel for how your members and leads will respond. Learn what works, listen carefully to feedback, then go all in.

3. Speak directly to female gym leads and members in your messaging.

Women’s fitness is an important part of messaging for any gym. Create a segment in your fitness management system for members interested in information pertaining specifically to women’s fitness and related topics. Then, create newsletter content and outreach (such as SMS messaging) tailored especially to that segment to keep your members in the loop.

A fitness CRM software can help you and your team follow a targeted marketing and outreach strategy that’s personalized to your leads’ and members’ interests and needs. When you have news, upcoming events, or new class offerings to share, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can use tags in your club management software to organize and separate your members by interest.

4. Feature female staff and club members in your marketing.

Featuring women at the gym in your social media and content marketing will give your potential members an inside look at how your facility accommodates women, and how women of all shapes and sizes fit into the culture. With permission, share images, videos, and posts of your female members thriving in your space. Additionally, consider showing off your staff members, sharing their bios and expertise in the fitness realm. This information can resonate with women gym prospects who are on the fence about joining your club.

5. Consider affiliating with the Women in Fitness Association.

The Women in Fitness Association (WIFA) is a global nonprofit that connects women in the fitness industry. WIFA is a dynamic and engaging community created to champion diversity and inclusion in fitness. They’re a valuable resource for the information you need to make your club more attractive and accessible for female members.

Consider having one of your club team members join as a representative, sponsoring an event, or becoming a corporate partner. Getting plugged into organizations like WIFA can help you up your game and keep your gym a safe and enjoyable place for your female members to work out.

Wrapping Up

Welcoming a diverse array of people from all walks of life into your health club is a goal that’s worth continual effort. As you create an environment that feels inclusive and safe to all people, you will naturally attract more women gym members.

Want to know more about how to segment your audience to get the most out of your marketing outreach? Take a look at our eBook on CRM and Lead Management Fundamentals for Gyms to learn how a fitness CRM can help you tailor your communications to a wide range of members and leads.