Let’s talk Memorial Day gym promotions. The national holiday is only five weeks away — what about using it to increase your membership numbers while expressing gratitude for those who’ve given their lives in service to our country? 

What is Memorial Day? 

Memorial Day is a federal holiday established in 1868 to honor and remember United States personnel who died while in service in the U.S. armed forces during both wartime and peacetime. A commemoration organized in 1865 by formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, is the first known recognition of the day, which was frequently called Memorial Day within the Southern states.  Also known nationally as “Decoration Day,” it was officially renamed “Memorial Day” in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, as reported in Military.com. It is a solemn holiday and different from Veterans Day, which celebrates and thanks the living who served our country. 

Take the time to understand your community before planning a Memorial Day Promotion.

In spite of it being a national holiday — can you say “Monday off?” — Memorial Day is still a time for remembering those who’ve given their lives for our country. Before designing a campaign, evaluate the demographic makeup of your membership and local community so you can respond respectfully and accurately. 

Ask yourself before launching a Memorial Day gym promotion:

• Is there a large military community, retired or active, living near your gym?
• Does your membership include a significant number of veterans or military families?
• How physically fit are your members? 
• What are your goals in regard to your fitness club: are you interested in building membership, growing gym loyalty and camaraderie, or both? 

Here are five ideas for celebrating Memorial Day at your gym.

1. Promote Memorial Day by recognizing the sacrifices of the fallen. Decorate the gym with banners and materials educating members and guests, and acknowledging the day, their families, and the lost. Build goodwill by offering discounted rates to those with military identifications and their family members, or design a promotion offering one free personal training session for veterans. Finish the month by publicly observing the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 27, with a moment of silence. 
2. Hold a gym-wide promotion to build membership by raffling off a prize in exchange for referrals. Our client Core Fitness of Alabama did just this. Read the details in this blog,. Members who referred friends were entered into a drawing for Memorial Day giveaways, as were those who “liked” them  on social media or who wrote Google reviews. In the past, the couple have raffled off big-screen televisions and gas grills at their promotions. Each community event netted dozens of new members. 
3. Recognize and have fun with the holiday by offering short-term combat-style classes, or rename current classes after military divisions. What about the Army Ranger Body Attack Class? Or the Special Ops Small Group Fitness Company?
4. Hold a modified Murph competition or a military fitness challenge. The Murph is a terrorizing one-mile run, including 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and another one-mile run combo — ideally done while wearing a weighted vest.  If any version of that is too outrageous, check out West Point’s Army Pocket Physical Training Guide conditioning drills for ideas. Whatever you decide, limit sign-ups to control the event, follow best practices by requiring members to sign waivers, and train employees in moderating or managing the competition. If you’re holding it on a single day, consider hiring a medic or ambulance to be on site in case of an emergency. 
5. Partner with local first responders and take the day to its highest level. Reach out to local first responders and coordinate a fitness challenge between them and your toughest members. Encourage the fire department to bring along a truck. Hold the event outdoors and promote it throughout the gym and on social media. Make it sweeter for the fire/police/EMT/or military community by offering it as a recruiting event for their organizations.  

What are the advantages to Memorial Day gym promotions?

The most obvious advantage is the goodwill built among members and your neighborhood. Burnish your gym’s reputation by recognizing the day accurately and by respectfully acknowledging the sacrifices men and women have made on behalf of our country. Good taste is never out of fashion.

Second, the social media opportunities are endless. Competitions generate colorful and interesting content that is easily shared. Membership drives asking for Google reviews, Facebook “likes,” and other forms of digital praise are easily followed and generate long-term value for your gym.

Finally, it’s just cool to break up the year, isn’t it? Gosh, summer’s nearly here and the days are growing longer. Remind your members how much fun it is to exercise, meet up with friends and support each other at their favorite ‘home away from home.”  Show them through a Memorial Day gym promotion how important fitness is year-round.

Gym Insight

Thanks for reading our latest blog. We are a gym management software development firm in business since 2008. Gym Insight prides itself on a user-friendly interface, easy-to-use and -train software, detailed reporting capabilities and — most importantly — no access to your revenue. We are not a merchant facility, payment facility, or any other type of payment processing company. With our software, you pick a merchant account and we never touch your funds. Sounds crazy, huh? But it’s true, most gym management software companies do not want you to know how much money you’re bringing in each month. They only want you to know how much money they’ve returned to you. With Gym Insight, we provide business-ready software and you handle the sales. Just as it should be. For a free demo, contact us at 855-FOR-GYMS and ask for Anthony or Natalia.