As the seasons shift, so should your engagement strategy. If you’re heading into a slower period, it’s worth doubling down on member engagement. Why? During this time, customers might not feel enough value from your core offering alone to justify holding onto their membership, so engagement efforts can make all the difference.
But, why focus on engagement instead of attracting new members? A good membership engagement strategy leads to customer retention, and membership retention is vital to a healthy bottom line. According to Gartner, 80% of your company’s future revenue will come from just 20% of your existing customers. The takeaway? Make sure your existing customers continue to derive value from your club—even when it’s your slow season—because they have the potential to drive future revenue.
This guide will dive into what membership engagement really means, how to help your customers see value beyond your core offering, and practical ideas you can put into action at your own venue.
What is customer engagement?
Customer engagement refers to the feelings your customers have when they interact with your brand (Qualtrics), and is driven by relationships at every touch point (Forbes). In essence, it’s the measure of how connected your customers feel to your business.
Now that you understand what membership engagement is—and why it’s key to membership retention—let’s dive into why unengaged customers leave and ways to improve member engagement to keep them.
Why do members leave?
The number one reason members leave, or anyone leaves a business for that matter, is a lack of perceived value for their investment. All the ideas below—poor membership engagement, bad experiences, seasonality limitations, and high prices—all feed into this sense of lost value.
Let’s look at an example: your customers can easily justify the cost of your facility if they feel they’re getting a great playing experience, a sense of belonging in the community, or extra perks as members. But the moment that sense of value fades, churn begins. So, while it may seem that the only way to provide value may be the activity itself—like tennis, golf, or pickleball—there are plenty of other factors that influence their decision to leave or stay. Later on we’ll cover membership retention strategies to keep your venue thriving year-round, even in the off-season when play slows down.
- Poor membership engagement
- Little to no interaction with your venue beyond core activity
- Members don’t feel recognized or valued as part of your club
- Lacking a sense of community at your club, no socialization opportunities
- Bad experience or inconvenience
- Facility is too crowded
- Booking is difficult or slots are always taken
- Equipment or facilities are outdated or poorly maintained
- Seasonality limitations
- Weather conditions contribute to lack of play
- Holiday slow-downs
- Peak-season bottlenecks
- High prices
- Tiered memberships feel unfair
- Seasonal usage doesn’t match cost
- Competing options are cheaper
Reflect on your current membership engagement strategy
Now that you have a clear understanding about the factors that affect membership retention, let’s take a moment to reflect on your current engagement model so you can spot areas to improve member engagement while building on what’s already working.
As a venue owner, take time to ask yourself a few key questions to better understand what you think members value most at your venue.
- What do your members love most about your facility?
- What would your members miss if they left your venue?
- Why do people currently cancel their memberships?
- What would make your members feel even more valued?
Now, let’s take a step back and put yourself in your members’ shoes. Answer these questions as if you were a member, or better yet, ask your customers for feedback on their experience at your venue through a quick survey.
- How do you currently feel as a member?
- How do you want to feel as a member?
- Is there anything that you’d like to see as a member?
- What do you enjoy most about being a member here?
- What’s one thing that would make you more excited to renew your membership?
The question now becomes, how can you use these new insights to improve member engagement when your core offering—like tennis or pickleball—is seasonal?
Membership retention strategies
Personalize member experience
81% of customers prefer brands that provide personalized experiences (Forbes). Why? Because it taps into two core human needs: connection and recognition. This type of engagement helps members feel seen, understood, and valued, which are essential to creating a successful membership retention strategy. Below you’ll find actionable ways to create a personalized experience for your customers.
Celebrate milestones
When your customers feel appreciated, they’re more likely to have a positive association with your club. Make them feel special by celebrating their wins with them.
Strategies that could lead to retention include:
- Posting about anniversaries on social media or in-club
- Giving members an increasingly bigger gift with each anniversary
- Host an “anniversary” celebration once a year to acknowledge long-standing members
Customize communication
Connection has always been at the heart of effective messaging, but in the age of technology, that personal touch in emails, texts, and support chats isn’t just appreciated—it’s expected. According to McKinsey & Company, 71% percent of consumers expect personalized interactions, and 76% feel frustrated when it doesn’t happen. Keep your customers happy, and watch membership retention grow by making communication feel personal. Even something as small as using their first name in messages has a huge impact.
Unique tips for members to up their game
Add that “extra touch” to your members’ experience by sharing tips unique to them that’ll help them improve. Whether you run a pickleball court, an art studio, or a therapy clinic, your clients will value advice from an expert. It shows that you care about their progress, not just their membership.
Recognize + reward loyalty
Make your members the ‘winners’ with a loyalty program. When they feel like they have the best deal in the house, or they are working their way up to a reward, they’re more motivated to stay engaged and keep coming back, making this a critical membership retention strategy. The numbers don’t lie: 46% of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for businesses that have good loyalty programs, with 39% having chosen one brand over another, even if it is more expensive, simply to earn more points in a loyalty program (Forbes).
Offer flexible membership options
Consider adjusting your memberships with the seasons. That way, when the off-season arrives, members don’t have to choose between paying full price during downtime or canceling altogether. When the busy season comes around, you could offer seasonal passes to capitalize on demand without forcing clients into long-term commitments.
Offer membership perks
When your clients feel like they’re getting an extra benefit, they’re more likely to associate your business with goodwill, leading to membership retention.
Ideas for membership perks include:
- Partnering with local businesses to provide year-round discounts to members
- Access to one free coaching session or 1:1 lesson
- Club cash for referrals that could go to purchasing a lesson, equipment, or merchandise
Reward loyalty
The easier it is for your customers to earn rewards, the more effort they’ll put into staying engaged.
Consider improving member engagement by giving out:
- 1 free session for every 10 bookings
- A gift card for the member with the most referrals
- Discounts for long-standing members
Build a community
Who doesn’t like feeling part of something bigger than themselves? As a facility that brings together people passionate about the same hobby, you’ve probably seen first-hand how quickly friendships form around shared interests. Why not lean into that and give those connections more room to grow with these membership retention strategies?
Host invite-only events at your venue
Create exclusivity at your club and reward those with memberships with get-togethers. This not only rewards their loyalty, but incentivizes those at a lower tier to upgrade.
Ideas for invite-only events:
- Complementary industry-adjacent workshops (i.e. Tennis clubs may want to host a yoga session, or pottery studio may want to host a gallery walkthrough)
- Seasonal pizza parties for members and their families
- Educational seminars on topics related to your club
Create a Facebook group exclusive to members
An exclusive Facebook group is a powerful way to improve member engagement. It creates a dedicated space to share information, connect with one another, and keep members engaged between visits. Consider creating your own and inviting your members. Here’s ours at AllBooked as an example!
Encourage members to share wins
When members share wins on social media, they not only get positive feedback from peers, but also end up organically promoting your venue. The benefits to your business are twofold: existing customers feel validated by others (which strengthens their perception of your venue) while others who weren’t familiar with your venue now are.
Ideas to consider:
- Create a hashtag for your venue and encourage your members to share their wins on social media with the hashtag
- Encourage your members to post progress updates on skills in your Facebook group
Friendly challenges
A little friendly competition can go a long way. Coming together, having fun, and working toward a common goal strengthens the bonds between members and with your venue. Plus, if you’re a sports facility, chances are your members already have a competitive streak, making them especially receptive to these kinds of events.
Some challenges to consider:
- “Member vs. staff” competition events
- Add members to teams and host tournaments
- 20-day challenges (i.e. art studios could have members post their art online for 20 consecutive days)
Create development opportunities
Chances are, when members visit your venue, they’re looking to escape the daily grind and participate in hobbies that enrich their lives. Capitalize on this by creating an environment that encourages them to pursue their passions and improve their skills.
And when the off-season brings a natural lull in activity, it’s the perfect time to implement a membership retention strategy that ensures customers continue to find value in their membership—even when they might not be able to do the activities they normally would at your venue. Here’s how.
Provide learning opportunities
Those who are passionate about a hobby usually want to keep improving. Consider offering members opportunities to grow their skills through workshops, seminars, or 1:1 lessons. Not only will this keep them engaged, but it’s also a great way for them to maintain their skills during the off-season.
Bring in industry-experts
Host networking sessions with industry professionals to add extra value to your members’ experience. These events give members exclusive access to expert advice while also helping them connect with each other—making their membership more rewarding and memorable.
Peer-to-peer learning
Your customers each bring a unique perspective and set of experiences to your club. Why not create opportunities for them to share knowledge through workshops and group sessions? This can help strengthen bonds between members, while empowering the ‘teachers’ to feel valued for what they can contribute.
To recap, customer engagement is key to retention—and retention is the foundation of a healthy business. Perhaps even more importantly, these strategies help you create the kind of environment both you and your members are excited to be part of.
Now that you’ve got the tools to strengthen retention, start putting these strategies into practice at your venue to keep members engaged year-round—no matter the season.
To see how AllBooked can help your venue create a fantastic customer experience, reach out. We’re here to help!
