The 7 Ultimate Survey Questions for Gym Members

Member engagement is key to your gym’s success. But, how do you know what areas to focus on?

There’s no need for guesswork: let people tell you what they need. You’ll learn about your member’s goals and opinions, allowing you to make better decisions.

We’ll break down the benefits of these surveys, share two ways you can send them, and provide you with the seven ultimate survey questions for gym members.

• The Benefits of a Gym Member Survey
• How to Send a Gym Member Survey
• Fitness Survey Question Samples

The Benefits of a Gym Member Survey

There are four main benefits of sending a survey to your members:

1. A survey allows you to better tailor your services. For example, knowing what your gym members want allows you to offer the best programs or classes.

2.  You can divide your customers by goal or membership level and make your messages more personal. This is critical to your gym member retention program.

3. You get the feedback you need to troubleshoot issues. You might not know something is missing or broken until someone tells you about it. 

4. Members get the opportunity to speak about their experience and feel heard. 

So, with that in mind, what’s the easiest way to send a survey to your gym members?

How to Send a Gym Survey 

Want to send a general feedback survey that will help you improve customer satisfaction? Or a market research survey that will help you decide where to open your next location? 

You’ll need to figure out how to send it first. Here are the two most popular options.

Email Survey

One of the most common ways to distribute a survey is via email. To achieve this you traditionally include a survey link from Typeform or SurveyMonkey in an email and hit send.

If you already have an active email list, this is probably the quickest way to start getting responses.

Text Message Survey

Email is a great option for a survey questionnaire, but with email open rates hovering around 20%, it doesn’t always generate enough responses.

With a 98% open rate and a response rate 8 times that of email, text message surveys are a great way to solicit feedback.

Create an SMS Keyword

A keyword is an easy way to get your customers to respond to your survey.

Have your members text a word or phrase to your phone number to receive either a link to your survey or the survey itself. Put up posters in your gym that feature the keyword so your members can’t miss it.

Keywords can also be helpful in getting express written consent to text customers. This means not only are you getting valuable feedback, you’re also kickstarting your gym’s SMS marketing channel. 

Once you decide on how to send out your survey, you’ll need to choose what to ask your subscribers.

Fitness Survey Question Samples

The reality is, nobody is better at telling you what you’re good at (and what might need some help) like your members. Here are seven of the best survey questions for gym members.

1. What is your favorite class at our gym?

Answers to this question will tell you which of your classes is getting the most attention.

If your gym members tell you they can’t get enough of Zumba on Wednesday nights, you can then add another slot for that class. 

Member responses will let you know to buy more of a popular piece of equipment or add new perks to your gym memberships based on interest.

2. What’s your #1 fitness goal this year?

Knowing the goals your members are trying to reach will tell you which specific classes and equipment you need to make available. 

You’ll be able to account for everyone, whether they’re looking for weight loss support, marathon training, or bodybuilding.

This question is also helpful if you plan to send out reminders or encouragement to members. Your messages will be much more detailed and personal if you’re familiar with their goals.

3. How often do you work out?

Number your answer options 1-7 and keep up with the data you get back so you can get an idea of your members’ workout habits. 

4. Do you prefer solo workouts or group classes?

It’s helpful to know how your members prefer to work out. Their responses are the best tool to help you decide where to focus future offers and programs, as well as how to adjust your facility’s schedule.

5. What’s your motivation for working out?

This question will do more than make your members feel that you’re invested in their priorities. It will help you design your marketing or future offers to cater to their motivations.

6. If you could change one thing about our gym, what would it be?

Feedback on the areas where your facility or services are lacking is important. Give your members an opportunity to let you know about any issues so you can fix them fast and maintain your high standards.

7. How can we better motivate you?

Offer multi-choice responses with this question. These might look like:

• More group classes
• More personal trainers
• Reminders and encouragement

Use the answers you get to create your upcoming messages, offers, or marketing plans. 

Don’t Forget to Say Thank You

Finally, don’t forget to follow up with members that participated in your survey to make sure they are aware of your fixes. 

A personalized thank you email or text will improve your relationship with those members, and they will be more inclined to leave feedback in the future as they know you are listening.