Climbing gyms across the country made the hard, right decision last month to shutter their doors. They did this to protect their members, their employees, and their broader community. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the only responsible option available.
In this ever-evolving situation, gyms have done a remarkable job of answering a question they never planned to face: how do you maintain a community and serve your members when your most important offering is no longer available? Gyms have shifted to an entirely new content model, giving members access to yoga and fitness classes that they can take part in between Zoom calls from their new home office. This strategy of engaging members has likely done a great deal to retain and motivate their core members.
Unfortunately, though, the impact of these closures is not likely to stop the moment the doors reopen. Sure, the core climbers will be the first to come back on opening day - but what about everyone else? Will guests be able to afford the luxury of a day pass and gear rentals? WIll birthday parties want to pack close together and share holds with hundreds of strangers? Will all of the newer members, those just getting started in the sport, come back?
The industry was on the verge of a shift, even without COVID-19. As more gyms open year over year, major metro areas have started to become saturated. Gyms must compete with one another for a limited pool of core climbers.
The 2020 (now 2021) Olympics will introduce a whole new set of people to the sport of indoor climbing. As gym owners with large numbers of daypass guests will attest: when new climbers come through the doors, they don't often stay. For a gym to grow and retain existing memberships in this changing environment, they must think about how best to find and engage members and guests.
In other words: right now is the time to analyze your sales funnel and marketing plan.
So how can a climbing gym that's already facing so many new challenges prepare their marketing to face whatever comes?
Step One: Know your members. To build your membership, start with what you already have. Before you can grow your membership base and a stronger community, you must know what motivates your current members, and why people come to your gym. The difference between smart, professional advertising and a slapdash approach is research.
Many gym owners and operators make the mistake of assuming their members are just like them: dedicated climbers with a long history in the sport. They may assume that their members are outdoor climbers using a gym to get stronger for trips to the crag. This may be the case for some of your members, but it is not universal.
Many modern indoor climbers seldom climb outdoors, especially in areas far from great crags. These indoor-focused members are motivated primarily by fitness goals and social interactions in the gym. To appeal to these members, a smart gym owner must find ways to engage them based on their motivations - not those of a stereotypical climber.
We recommend interviews with a wide array of members, surveys, and focus groups. Every gym is different, and all of their members are different. You might be surprised by what you learn about your members if you ask the right questions.
Step Two: Build relationships with infrequent guests. When people think about modern marketing, they picture TV ads, billboards, and targeted web ads. These can all be effective ways of reaching a wide audience (more on web ads below), but they are not the only tool on a smart gym owner's rack.
Due to the waiver process, gyms have a unique advantage: a large list of people who are definitely interested in their services. In marketing speak, we'd call this a "pre-qualified lead. When someone comes to the gym on a guest pass, they're telling you they're interested in climbing.
Many gyms don't reach out to these visitors at all. If daypass users get any emails, it's likely to be the same newsletter or rundown of upcoming events that all members receive, with nothing targeting them specifically.
Businesses are often hesitant to use email marketing because they don't get a great clickthrough rate. This is often a symptom of what they're sending, not the format itself. According to a study by invesp, the average welcome email is 86% more effective than a standard newsletter.
A simple email, going out to every new visitor within 24 hours, can have profound results. Don't make this too complicated: thank them for coming, and give them a reason to come back. A discount on their first month's membership is ideal, there's no better time to get someone hooked than right after they tried climbing for the first time.
Step Three: Welcome new members. Veteran climbers forget how intimidating it can be to get started in the sport. There's a whole new language to learn, skills and safety habits to develop, and existing social dynamics in the gym that can seem cliquish to an outsider. The climbing community that keeps many of us obsessed with the sport isn't something that most jump into overnight.
Plus, climbing is expensive. A climbing gym membership can be two to three times the price of membership at a standard gym.
According to a report by the Climbing Wall Association in 2017, for every 100 new members, only 40 stick around for a full year. The standard benchmark for the fitness industry as a whole was 67.2%. In fact, retention for climbing gym memberships after one year is less than it is for other fitness clubs after two years. Gym owners must be deliberate if they want to fix this.
A simple email sequence geared towards engaging and educating new members can go a long way towards alleviating the intimidation factor that new members face. Four or five emails on topics ranging from safety to basic technique to etiquette at the gym and crag should go out to all new members, spread out over their first two weeks.
There's a balance between too much marketing and none at all. Set expectations early. Let people know that they'll get a few emails from you, and that they'll include important information on how to get started as members and, if relevant, as climbers.
To be sure, marketing is far from the only step to keep people motivated and interested when they first discover climbings. A gym should make a point of talking to these members, learning what brought them in, and planning programming to engage them where they are. Regular social events for new members, staff belay hours, and classes geared towards entry-level technique and route-reading are all great ideas that some gyms have implemented.
This is stewardship. Informal mentorship at the crag isn't much of a thing anymore. People learn at the gym, and gyms have a unique ability to help turn new climbers into responsible, engaged members of our community.
It isn't just good for business; it's good for the sport.
Step Four: Look outside your bubble. So far, we've focused on ways to work with the people already coming through your doors. Outside advertising is almost non-existent in the climbing gym industry, with most facilities relying on word of mouth to attract new guests.
Anecdotally, many non-climbers have some vague degree of familiarity with the sport, primarily from sources like news reports on major achievements and recent films, such as Free Solo and Dawn Wall. For many of these people, climbing is interesting, but not relevant in their lives. They have no interest in a trip to Yosemite, but they will often express an interest in visiting a gym if presented with the opportunity.
Gyms rely on informal ambassadors in the form of their dedicated members to attract these guests. A climber may have a conversation with a coworker who heard about climbing in the (rescheduled) 2021 Olympics, and then invite her along for a session. This word-of-mouth approach can be an effective way to bring in new guests, but it relies on a preexisting relationship with someone who already climbs. Often this leads to bringing in more and more members who look like the members you started with. It also leaves a lot on the table.
According to a 2019 survey by Marketing & Research Resources on behalf of The North Face, 30% of the general population is interested in learning to rock climb. Your members cannot reach all of them for you.
Through targeted social media advertising, gyms can reach a much more diverse audience. Facebook and Instagram are tools that most gym operators are already familiar with, and a paid advertising campaign can elevate this to a higher level. By finding and focusing on people who have similar motivations to your current members, which you've already researched, you can easily move them along the funnel that we've created in the above steps.
Special events like birthday parties and corporate team-building exercises are another great opportunity. For many climbing centers, this is already a core part of their business. The target markets for these offerings are not the same as the core membership of climbers that form the backbone of a gym. By targeting the demographics relevant to these programs, you can not only grow that piece of the business, but find some of the most profitable new members.
Be Intentional. For many of us, the best part of climbing is the community. Climbing gyms provide a "third space" outside of work and home for socializing and building meaningful communications. We climb because we love the challenge, the movement, and the joy that comes from celebrating great sends with our friends. We get better because of the encouragement and help from our partners and, sometimes, complete strangers in the gym.
The gym is the hub at the center of this great community. It's where we find new partners and friends. Speaking personally, losing that community has been one of the hardest aspects of my local stay-at-home order.
These communities don't happen by accident. They take a deliberate, concerted effort. They take an intentional strategy, and that carries through into member communications and marketing.
I approach marketing with a simple assumption: doing the right thing (by your customers, your employees, and your community) is good business. You, as a leader of a climbing gym, are the central pillar of a community that is important to a great many people.
By starting with your core values and clear goals, you can find a strategic approach to fostering a great community, no matter what may come.
Invitation
GrayMatter Media is launching a pilot program designed specifically to help climbing gyms increase and retain members through smart, community-focused marketing. Gyms who join this pilot during the COVID-19 shut down will get an exclusive price with most of the payment not due until after they reopen.
To schedule a time to talk about this, contact GrayMatter at the form below.
GrayMatter Media is a marketing firm focused on providing data-driven marketing strategies to companies of all sizes. Founded by a climber, GrayMatter is committed to creating effective marketing plans that don't compromise the central values of the climbing community.
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