How often do you perform a quick Google search to help you make a decision? Maybe you’re trying a new restaurant or finding a new daycare center for your child. The reviews you find may sway your decision.
Your leads go through the same process when considering your gym. If you don’t have reviews, you're missing out on business.
Reviews are an important part of the decision-making process. In fact, 98% of consumers view online reviews to evaluate local businesses. A bonus, reviews are a free way of marketing your gym!
If you’re not actively gathering reviews and encouraging members to provide social proof - you’re losing business.
Where to Gather Reviews
Do you have your Google My Business page set up? If so, you have access to a direct URL for members to leave reviews for your business. And, with 81% of consumers using Google reviews to evaluate local businesses, this is a great place to collect reviews for your gym!
Google boosts businesses with more reviews. So accumulating Google reviews can help your gym appear in search results, bringing more traffic to your website (and through your front door!).
To find your short URL:
1. Go to your Google Business Profile Manager.
2. On your homepage, click “Share My Review Form.”
3. Copy the URL and add it to email/SMS communication with your members.
Facebook is another easy place to collect reviews. An optimized Facebook Business Page can increase your organic traffic – meaning more leads! Rather than ask for reviews, Facebook collects “recommendations,” which tend to be more interactive and descriptive than the 2-5 word reviews that used to be commonplace on the platform.
The best part about Facebook is, with 2.6 billion users worldwide, almost everyone already has an account! This makes it easy for members to leave a recommendation with a few simple clicks.
To enable Facebook Recommendations:
1. On your Facebook Business Page, click Settings.
2. Under Templates and Tabs, ensure the toggle for Reviews is on.
3. To find your URL, go to the Reviews tab.
4. Copy the URL from the address bar.
5. Share with members via email or SMS.
Testimonials
Testimonials are a powerful way to show off your current members and attract new ones. In fact, 88% of consumers trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations. Whether you’re using them on your website, social media, emails, or turning them into success stories, testimonials are easy to collect and great to have at your disposal.
Questions to ask when collecting testimonials:
1. Why did you join us?
2. What has been your biggest accomplishment since joining?
3. What are you currently working on?
4. What is your favorite memory at the gym?
5. What motivates you to continue training here?
When to ask for reviews
After deciding where you’d like to collect reviews for your gym, it’s time to figure out who to ask. Ideally, your reviews will be a positive reflection of the impact of your gym. However, this isn’t to say one bad review will hurt you.
In fact, taking time to respond to a negative review shows you care about your customers and can reflect your gym in an overall positive way.
Although negative reviews aren’t necessarily bad, you should focus on gathering positive reviews from your members. Not only does this mean that you need to target the correct people, but you should also be strategic when you ask.
Ask a member for a review when they:
- Reach a PR or milestone
- Make a recent referral
- Are a few months into their membership
- Upgrade their membership
- Make a purchase
Asking members for reviews when they've had recent, positive experiences increases the likelihood of receiving positive feedback.
When asking for reviews, ask loyal members who have been at your gym for at least a few months. These members will be more knowledgeable about your gym and provide helpful reviews. And asking for feedback is a way of nurturing your clients to make them feel valued!
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