Member retention is one of the best ways to drive revenue at your studio. Whatever the reason is that they’ve left, there is a win-back campaign that will draw them back into the studio.
Member retention is one of the best ways to drive revenue at your studio. Did you know it costs five times more to get new members in the door than it does to retain existing ones? But, despite your efforts, it’s only natural to churn some members due to circumstances outside of your control.
Whatever the reason is that they've left, there is a win-back campaign that will draw them back into the studio.
Why run win-back campaigns at your studio?
Win-back campaigns re-engage churned members through automated emails. They start with a nudge, and once you have positive signals from a member, you can then give exclusive offers to entice them to come back.
Why do win-back campaigns work?
It’s easier to win over a customer who is familiar with you than it is to engage someone who is just learning who you are and what your studio offers. In fact, the conversion rates of returning customers is 9 times higher than new customers.
Bring them back with win-backs
It’s quite easy to start your own win-back campaign that collects new revenue from old friends. Here are a few strategies to engage members during and after a win-back campaign.
To properly win back churned members, you need to discover why it is that they left in the first place. Perhaps they’ve become too busy, their budget has changed, or they moved and can’t visit your physical studio location anymore. Having this intel will inform the offer you need for them to give you another shot.
Get started: When someone cancels their membership or hasn’t come to a class in a while, send out a survey to see why exactly they don’t want to visit anymore. Also, don’t forget to give members an option to write their own responses.
When you know exactly why your churned members left, mention that when you re-engage with them. You can also take this opportunity to remind churned members why they chose you in the first place, and what won them over.
Get started: Invite them to see what’s new and exciting in your studio, and what you have changed that may intrigue them. Even if they don’t immediately come back following this email, they now know that you have addressed their concerns.
Don’t discount the power of a great subject line. According to research, subject lines on win-back emails that included phrases like “miss you” or “come back” had the read rate jump from just 1.8% to 13%! Remember, you’re engaging with someone who isn’t a warm lead anymore. They need to be treated as if they are at the beginning of the customer journey, because they are.
Get started: A/B test your win-back campaign emails with different subject lines to see which one performs stronger. Experiment with what works best, and don’t be afraid to try personalizing the emails with dynamic content.
No need to drone on and on in your win-back emails. Readers don’t need an elaborate story that ultimately says nothing; instead, they’ll appreciate you going straight to the point. Also, your emails should give them an appropriate call to action that reflects their level of interest.
Get started: Try to keep your message contained in one or two short paragraphs. Ask yourself, if you received this email from someone you hadn’t heard from in a while, would you feel compelled to respond or take action?
Promotions and bonuses are simple, but powerful tools for influencing member behavior to drive excitement around re-engaging with your business. Offering a bonus for coming back will encourage your churned members who are most likely to return.
Get started: Don’t forget to spread the word that your studio offers a bonus when you return. Your studio commitment is tight-knit and talks to one another. Whether it’s recurring social posts, in a footnote in your emails, or at the beginning/end of a class, let your current members relay those messages to churned members.
Need help engaging members at the right stage in their journey? Download our latest e-book, The Studio Owners Guide to Optimizing Your Customer Journey, and learn how to unleash the power of Mariana Tek to surge engagement!
As COVID-19 has taught us, life can change in an instant. Businesses that can pivot to provide what their customers need are the ones who succeed. Customers expect businesses to compromise and meet them halfway if they are willing to commit. Retaining a member and making them feel heard is worth any losses you might incur from providing a discount.
Get started: Set up alternative membership models to offer your churned members. They can’t afford their current membership? Find a payment schedule that works best for both of you. Did they move away from your studio’s location? Roll access to virtual classes into their membership costs so they can participate online anymore.
Many companies that operate on a subscription model incentivize their customers to pay yearly by offering a discount. Let’s think about this through the context of a boutique fitness studio. Even if someone paying monthly pays more in a year than their counterparts who pay yearly, the yearly customer is much more likely to pay more for extra items.
Get started: If a member says they can’t afford their current membership, offer one for 15% for a 6-month upfront commitment. Encouraging longer commitments from your members means you get more face time with them to strengthen your relationship. And, you can have peace of mind knowing that they won’t drop suddenly.
The most cost-effective way to win back members is to not lose them in the first place. So, your studio needs preventative measures to roll back churn wherever possible. The most common reasons members churn is because of costs, time, or location, so focus on those areas when considering if you are offering the best possible service you can.
Get started: An intuitive, integrative boutique studio management software, such as Mariana Tek, will identify leaks in your pipeline that could be losing you revenue. Also, it will find and note members who are at risk of quitting, so you can reel them back in.
To learn more about ways to boost revenue and retention at your studio download The Studio Owners Guide to Optimizing Your Customer Journey.
Deliver the right message to the right person, at the right time. Our platform combines best-in-class studio software with engagement tools to help you act on key moments in the customer journey.
Mariana Tek’s integrated marketing automation machine—formerly known as BrandBot—runs the win-back campaigns you need to get churned members back in the door.
Need another reason to get in touch? How about a demo? Request one now and we’ll show you why you won’t want to wait any longer to switch to Mariana Tek.
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