Why Gym Reviews Are Important and How to Get Them

Managing a marketing budget can be challenging. One of the main goals, apart from getting great leads to convert, getting a good return on your investment. One of the more cost effective ways of marketing your business is gym reviews. Members posting positive reviews about your business is a fantastic way to build the reputation of your gym or studio and make your services more attractive in the eyes of potential members. 

Consumers regularly consult reviews before making up their minds. Nielsen found that 89% of people will make a purchase within a week of visiting and 29% purchase within a day. Reviews are the first, and sometimes the last, thing that a customer sees when facing a new business or product. The same applies to people who are considering joining a new gym.  

The influence of online reviews can’t be denied, and in this article, we’ll see why reviews are so critical, but also where and how you can get more. So, stick with us until the end to find out exactly what you need to do to get more reviews in the future.

Skip ahead to:

• Why are Gym Reviews Important?
• Where Can You Collect Reviews?
• How to Set Up A Review Collection System for Your Business

Why are Gym Reviews Important?

Gym reviews are important for multiple reasons. Both negative and positive ones contribute to improving the quality of your gym.  According to recent findings, you can increase your conversion rate by 270% if you display reviews!

Gym reviews can:

• Attract new members.
• Improve your search engine rankings.
• Be an example of the effectiveness of your customer service.

Positive feedback can be a determining factor for new customers to pick your gym. As much as 87% of consumers read online reviews, and 73% decide to trust a local business after reading positive reviews. Therefore, positive reviews have a direct impact on the number of new members and your revenue. With negative reviews, you obviously want to avoid them. But they can also have some benefits.  Negative reviews can point out all the things you need to work on. And by replying to negative feedback and trying to resolve issues customers may have, you can turn a negative review into a positive one. This will help you improve the weaker parts of your business.

Where Can You Collect Reviews?

Depending on the type of business, there are several sites where you can collect reviews. As a gym owner, you can manage your reviews on:

• Google Reviews
• Facebook
• Tripadvisor
• Yelp
• Your Website

Let’s take a closer look at each of these individually.

Google Reviews

Google is the first place where people go to do their Internet searches. Use Google My Business to claim your Google business listing, enabling you to update it regularly with all the necessary information. In this way, you can control how your gym appears in search results. Google collects reviews from licensed third parties, and based on these reviews, determines ranking on the search results page. Check out this article we have written on managing Google Reviews. 

Facebook

One of the most popular and most used social media platforms globally allows users to leave reviews on any Facebook business page. These reviews and rates will often appear on the Google search page as well. 

Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor reviews might not be relevant for your local gym members. However, there’s always a possibility that someone might move to your city or town. And Tripadvisor will most likely be the first place they will consult for any recommendation they might need, including gyms.

Yelp

Yelp is very similar to Tripadvisor, only more diverse with its categories. People often go to Yelp to find reviews and recommendations for local businesses like gyms, dentists, spas, etc.

Your Website

Yours gyms website showcases everything you offer as a business. It would be a good idea to showcase reviews here also. Either set up a system that allows members to leave reviews on the site or copy over reviews from other platforms like Google Reviews. 

3 Ways Reviews Can Affect Your Business

Your gym reviews can impact your business in several ways. They can attract new members, position you as trustworthy, improve your rankings, and be an example of your customer service and relationship with clients.

Attract New Members

The most significant impact reviews have on your business is the increase in those interested in a gym membership. It’s more likely that the customer opts for a business with more ratings when choosing between two businesses. This means that if you and another local gym have the same strength training lessons, the same number of employees, and similar personal training options, the customer will always choose the one with more reviews online. With more reviews, customers will feel like they can trust you and your business. This is how they learn new facts about your gym and feel confident before contacting you.  

Show That Your Gym Is Trustworthy

Your online reviews are your Internet reputation. Once upon a time, people relied on the word of mouth recommendations for just about anything. Then came online reviews. This modern way of showcasing your reputation in the virtual world can allow customers to see your community members appreciate you and they can trust you. Why would anyone visit your gym if they don’t have any input about the way you work with your clients or how good your training sessions are? Your online reviews will do the best part of your marketing for you. But, keep in mind that positive reviews have to be earned and not forced.

Promote the Quality of Your Customer Service

Negative reviews will happen, and the best way to handle them is by responding immediately and working towards a solution. The way you handle your negative reviews can be a huge plus for potential new customers. Moreover, it can also turn negative feedback into a positive one. Any potential member who goes through your reviews will be able to see that you wanted to fix the problem and that you care about your gym members. On the other hand, if you have negative feedback repeating around the same issue, you might be in danger of losing both new and old customers. 

How to Set Up A Review Collection System for Your Business

Setting up a review collection system can give you control over the reviews that your business gets. With a review collection system in place, you will ensure that you get as many customer reviews as possible. Let’s see how you can set up a review collection system for your gym business and build up a positive reputation. 

1. Have Review Instructions Everywhere 

To get your members to take an action on something, one of the best ways is to make sure the instructions are laid out clearly for them to follow. In your studio area you should have posters ups that give instructions on how to leave these reviews. This will make sure the idea is in their heads – especially after they’ve had an enjoyable class. 

Another way you can let a member know of the review process when they sign up. Have the instructions to review in your business in the welcome pack so they know exactly how to leave a review from day one. They may likely leave a review early in their membership when their enthusiasm is at its highest. Digital communications like emails, text messages and online class sign up links are other places you should place review instructions and prompts. 

2. Include Review Links in Your Emails

Emails are probably the main communication channel between you and your members so this is a great place to include links to where they can make a review. Emails are probably sent out on a regular basis, be it for online class links, fitness challenge updates or just general updates and news about your studio. 

Your email must have your signature and a short link next to it to lead the recipient to your review page. Make sure to point out this link in your email and choose your words carefully when asking your customers to give you a review. You should avoid offering anything in exchange for the review or be pushy in any way. The best practice is to kindly ask them and say that your gym appreciates their opinion and feedback very much. 

3. Simplify the Review Process on Your Website

Make your review page as interesting and engaging as possible. But don’t overdo. Asking too many questions can drive the customer away. Rating and reviewing your gym should be an easy process. For example, you can leave a simple 5-star and comment section, with an additional questionnaire like:

Tell us about your experience with our studio:

1. Tough workout!
2. Feeling ok. 
3. Didn’t feel much of a burn.

Visitors to your website can find this engaging and motivating, which might inspire them to leave you honest feedback. 

4. Create Polls on Social Media Accounts

Creating polls on your social media is an easy way to determine the weakest and strongest sides of your gym. This way, you can fix any current issues before anyone can leave negative feedback.  Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer the option to create timed polls. 

You can use these adjustable polls to ask any question and get answers quickly. Questions like “Rate our pilates sessions,” “Do you like our aerobic classes?” or “ How do you find the group classes in our gym” can be quite helpful. Using the power of social media to your advantage is a good strategy. Try to be active on various platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, since it can impact your popularity among your social media followers. 

5. Consider Signing Up on a Review Automation Platform

Lastly, there’s one other thing that you can consider implementing in your review collection system. And that is signing up for a review automation service. Nowadays, several budget-friendly services might help you with your mission in acquiring more reviews. 

With these services, you could automatize a significant number of things like doing a follow-up with past clients via text messages or email or even requesting reviews from clients on your email list. 

Moreover, automated platforms that help you with your reviews will promote positive reviews as much as possible. So, if you don’t have plenty of time to deal with reviews on your own, this is one possible solution you should consider.

In Summary

Getting feedback from your customers is crucial for the future of your gym business. By encouraging customers to leave reviews, you’re increasing your chances of being discovered by new members as you’re improving your ranking on search engine platforms. What is more, by actively working on getting more reviews, you can turn negative feedback positive. 

Every hard work pays off in the end. And customers appreciate hard work when they see one. The amount of work you’re willing to put into obtaining more reviews will directly impact your gym’s business and your gym’s overall opinion within your community.