Pilates Business Podcast

Why 5-Star Reviews Aren’t Enough - And What Really Sells Boutique Fitness Memberships

• Seran Glanfield • Season 23 • Episode 223

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In this insightful episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield pulls back the curtain on one of the most powerful (yet often overlooked) marketing tools for boutique fitness studios: client reviews and testimonials. If you've ever felt like you're shouting into the marketing void, wondering why your efforts aren't converting or why retention feels so elusive — this episode is for you!

Seran dives into the psychology behind why testimonials drive trust and conversions, how to strategically use them throughout your marketing funnel, and why not all testimonials are created equal. Studio owners will walk away with actionable tips on how to collect story-driven reviews that actually move the needle for their Pilates studio, barre studio, yoga studio — or any boutique fitness business.

Tune in to learn how to build credibility, increase conversions, and fuel retention using the voices of your happiest clients.


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Speaker 1:

You've probably heard that testimonials and reviews are so important, but do you know why they work so well? Well, quick hint for you. It's not just about having stars on Google or lovely words on your website. It's about how we make decisions, who we trust and what gives us the confidence to buy and commit as consumers. So in today's episode, I'm going to talk you through why client reviews are one of the most powerful forms of marketing you can use to grow your studio business and how to make sure you're getting the right kind of testimonials to drive conversion and retention. Well, hi there, I'm Saren Glanfield. To drive conversion and retention strategies the right mindset and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real-life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio.

Speaker 1:

This is the Pilates Business Podcast. Welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm so glad that you're here. Business Podcast I'm so glad that you're here. I'm Sarah Glanfield. I am the founder of Spring 3 Studio Business Consulting and for over a decade now I have been helping studio owners to build and grow and thrive as business owners, and over the time, there are some things that have come and gone when it comes to marketing and growth strategies, and there are some things that have stood the test of time, and what we are talking about today is one of those things that is always going to be a key, critical component within sort of your marketing tool kit.

Speaker 1:

Now, if you're like most of the studio owners that I'm very fortunate to work with, you know that your studio delivers incredible value. You hear it all the time from your clients. They feel stronger, they feel more confident, they feel more connected to their bodies and so many other amazing outcomes, and they love what you do. They love the experience they have within your studio. But what we often find is that it's quite challenging and often impossible for many studio owners to really be able to share that value beyond the four walls of the studio. How do you capture that incredible energy that your clients feel when they get those amazing results? And the question I often have and one of the things that we break down when I work with my clients is how you can make that value visible to the people who don't yet know you Are your prospective clients, the people who perhaps are in your orbit but are not yet fully committed or even have even stepped foot inside of the studio yet are they seeing proof that your studio delivers some incredible results for your clients, things that they're actually already looking for.

Speaker 1:

So I want to talk a little bit more today about what I consider to be often one of the most underrated and underutilized tools in studio marketing, and that is client reviews and testimonials. And this topic is so important because we live in a world today where buying decisions are shaped by trust. People don't just want to know what you do, they want to know if it works, they want to know if others love it, they want to know what others get out of it and, most importantly, they want to know if it's also going to work for them. And I will be quite honest with you we can spend hordes of time perfectly crafting your marketing copy, but that really doesn't quite compete anywhere near as well when it comes to genuinely sharing clients sorry, clients, genuinely sharing their success stories. So why I want to talk about this today? Well, again, it's something that is often overlooked, and I see that they are so essential for building credibility amongst those people within your world who are perhaps not quite convinced, or not quite as convinced as you'd like them to be, that this is the place for them, because I've seen time and time again that those testimonials, those reviews, truly do influence conversions and retention in your business, and I want to make sure that you're using them in a way that actually moves the needle. So let's start off with talking a little bit about the psychology behind why testimonials work. I'm a big believer in not just telling you the strategy, but also in giving you the reasons why it works, so you understand what you're doing in your business. When I work with studio owners, I'm not here just to give you the toolkit. I'm also going to show you how to make the most of all of the tools in the toolkit right, because your studio is different to all the other studios out there. I know that to be 100% true, which means that some of these tools are going to be used in slightly different ways in your business compared to in some other businesses.

Speaker 1:

So most studio owners think of testimonials as nice to have things. It's something that they post. When they post can't think of anything else to post something that perhaps you put on a testimonials page on your website. You collect them very randomly whenever you hear someone say something nice about you, and maybe there is not even a process there at all. But in reality, testimonials tap into something much, much deeper, and that is social proof.

Speaker 1:

As humans, we are hardwired to look to others for guidance, especially when it comes to making decisions in areas where they feel a little bit uncertain, which might be like trying a new studio or perhaps joining a new membership. So when potential clients see real people just like them getting results, it bypasses the skepticism and instead builds trust, which is what we want. And this is really why it matters so much that we are focused on reviews and testimonials and so on is because people don't typically trust businesses outright. Then we are all more likely to trust other people, right, and we are more likely to trust other people who've had experiences similar to us that feel relatable and that feel authentic and feel real. And so people want reassurance that if they commit their time, their money, their energy, that they will get what they're looking for in return. So if you want to increase conversions and you want to increase client retention, we have to lean into this what we know to be true about us as humans, right, and so we want to make testimonials and reviews a very intentional part of your marketing strategy.

Speaker 1:

Now, what I often find is that studio owners feel pretty stuck when it comes to their marketing because they're feeling like they're perhaps shouting into a void. They're posting, they're running ads, even they're sending emails, but they're not seeing sort of an instant impact of those, of all those activities, and often what's missing is is not that there is not the quantity of marketing that is being done, but often the the quality of it. Right, and you can send email after email and post after post about perhaps that promotion and that discount and that new offer and that bundle, and that you know, whatever it might be, but if you are not sharing content that is also building trust you shouldn't expect people to take action. So if they don't believe that you deliver, if they don't trust that what you're saying is true, if they don't really know you deliver, if they don't trust that what you're saying is true, if they don't really know you and you're not sharing with them anything about who you are and what you're doing, then you shouldn't really expect those emails that are simply perhaps a promotional email to really get the results that you're looking for from your marketing efforts. And what we know is that these reviews and these testimonials are trust building. This is your trust building content.

Speaker 1:

And when people who are in your world, who perhaps are warm leads, perhaps even cold leads, see proof on a regular basis that your studio creates an incredible experience, delivers an incredible experience, delivers an incredible experience but also creates incredible results, what will happen is people will start to recognize you as the authority in your town for what you do. That's called credibility. That's called knowing that what you do works and that people are aware that what you do works. And so when we see this type of content shared on a regular basis, very consistently, your credibility will improve. And when credibility improves, what we see is conversion rates follow. So, instead of thinking of testimonials as that thing you post when you have nothing else to post, think of it as perhaps one of the core pillars of your overall marketing content strategy will move from perhaps looking or that in that introductory period or that trial, they convert at a higher rate into that next cell, into that package, into that membership and so on.

Speaker 1:

And sometimes we know that even when people convert into that next cell, we also find that at some point clients often leave. And that's really where we start to look at retention data, and often retention can feel quite elusive to studio owners as well. It's something that we talk about a lot, but what does it really mean and how can we really impact that? And when we see members drop off after a few months and maybe you're not sure why, it could also be down to perhaps not knowing about what's possible, not feeling a sense of value or belonging. And this is again where we can use reviews, testimonials and success stories in our marketing strategies. So we're going to use them at the top end of the funnel, and we're going to use them at the top end of the funnel and we're going to use them in the conversion stage of the funnel and we're going to use them in our retention efforts at the bottom end of the funnel as well.

Speaker 1:

And so what we know is that retention is fueled by a few different factors. Number one is results. People get results. They're going to stay, but it's also fueled by a sense of belonging and a continued sense of belief and hope that this is going to continue to deliver results right. And so what we know is that we need to be focusing on all of these different elements to really make sure that your retention is maximized and optimized for your business. So what we know is that when we see clients and those clients see other clients celebrating success in your studio, it often reinforces their own sense of commitment to results and re-inspires them to continue moving forward and staying part of your business.

Speaker 1:

So testimonials don't just attract new clients. They remind your current clients why they chose your studio in the first place. So when your clients feel proud to be a part of your amazing community, where you get these great results, you feel fantastic, you make great friends and you have fun doing it, they're more likely to stay engaged and continue on with their memberships. So we don't want to just use testimonials in external marketing to our cold audiences at the top of the funnel to get new leads, but also inside at the studio as well, to maintain that high level of motivation and consistency. So be sure to not ignore that part of your marketing efforts as well.

Speaker 1:

Now you know I want to also highlight a bit of a mistake that I see popping up when it comes to testimonials, because not all testimonials are created equal and not all testimonials will get you the marketing results and performance that you want for your marketing efforts. So the generic praise like great instructor or great class or love this class, might not quite move the needle, and what works and what we see more of working more often than not, is a story driven testimonial, one that speaks to a change or an impact or results that is relatable to many of your clients. So this is why, you know, we look at traditional sort of marketing in the fitness and health and world. We often see those before and after pictures because they are quite powerful and that's what most people are looking for. Is that? Here is where I am today and here's what I want to get to. And when people other people, maybe not us share those pictures, it's so impactful, right, and that's why they work so actually very well to capture people in that moment, and so I'm not suggesting you do that at all, but I do want you to think about this in sort of a before and after story. So perhaps the before is that your client may have struggled with back pain or may have struggled to find a movement practice or a workout that they enjoy and can keep coming back to and have fun with, but after perhaps a couple of classes or a few months of taking classes or sessions at your studio, that changed for them and then being able to describe a little bit about what that change looks like.

Speaker 1:

These are the types of testimonials that are gold for marketing, because they speak directly to the hopes and the fears of people across the customer journey. So you want to be very intentional about how you ask for and how you use testimonials, and this is exactly what I show my studio owners how to do inside of Thrive. I teach them and show them how to gather the right testimonials in the right places and then how to use them very strategically throughout the customer journey, from the top end of the funnel all the way through to the conversion and to your ongoing retention and engagement efforts as well. And step by step by step, we give you the templates on how to do that and then talk you through how to utilize that and how to leverage that within your specific marketing strategy for your studio business. And we do that each week inside of our coaching calls. So if you want to learn a bit more about how Thrive works and how it might help your studio, you can go to the link in the show notes or go to spring3.com.

Speaker 1:

Forward slash thrive, alrighty. Let's recap so client reviews and testimonials are not just a nice to have, my friend. They are one of the most powerful levers you can pull to really build credibility, increase conversions, drive retention and ultimately strengthen your brand presence, and all of that will lead to better retention and stronger revenue growth. And they work so well because we people trust people and because that kind of level of proof is actually what sells, and so what we know is that you need to be very intentional. You need the right kind of testimonials, used in the right places, to really create that trust and to ultimately drive the action, which is what we want them to do. Right, we want them to take action. We want to book a class, check out your website, pick up the phone, make a call, whatever it is that you. However, you want them to book that next class. So if you're wondering how to do that, like I said, without adding one more complicated thing to figure out on your own, this is what we do inside of Thrive.

Speaker 1:

So I hope this episode gave you a little bit of insight and value as you go about building your boutique fitness studio business, and if you really enjoyed what you heard today, I'd be so grateful if you could take a quick minute to rate and review this podcast. Studio owners and teachers just like you, to feel supported and get the encouragement that we all need from time to time on this journey as a business owner in this industry. Thank you so much being here and I'll see you in the next episode. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And before you go, one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do, only your way. So whatever it is that you want to do, create or offer, you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.