Attracting New Members
Thursday, January 19, 2012 9:00Your group cycling class has the potential to bring new members into your club — especially those people who are already outdoor cyclists.
* Demographic surveys of your club should indicate what the general interests of your community are. If you are introducing an indoor cycling program in a community already friendly to outdoor cycling, your chances of attracting new members with this offering is good. Team up with local bike shops, and offer the owners and staff free trial indoor rides. If this is a positive experience for them, they will become walking advertisements for your program. This partnership works especially well if you promote their merchandise in exchange for their word-of-mouth advertising.
* Design a short one- or two-week “Adopt-a-Rider” incentive program, where current members bring their friends to try out a cycling class. Each recruit can count for 20 miles, and when members reach 100 miles, give them a new pair of bike shorts or some other cycling-related prize.
* Consider offering promotional memberships that are limited to indoor cycling. With this, potential members who are interested can take a few classes before they decide to join the club.
* Open your indoor cycling studio for weekly “cold season” group rides. Most bike shops sponsor weekly rides, so offer these riders a place to train when the weather is bad. This indoor ride will give cyclers the opportunity to train indoors while getting to know your club’s instructors and your indoor cycling program.
* Market your new indoor cycling program to local high school and university teams as a cross-training tool for pre- and post-season conditioning.
A well-thought-out plan that takes into consideration program promotion, new member recruitment, staff selection and programming will give the right start for your new indoor cycling program, and can determine its long-term success and profitability.