How to Turn Your JCC and YMCA Website into a New Membership Machine

Is your YMCA or JCC website not generating the number of new member signups you hoped it would? Are you finding that potential members are not converting once they visit your website? The playing field is becoming increasingly competitive in the fitness world. On one side are the big-box gyms with glossy advertising and celebrity endorsements. On the other are community-focused organizations like YMCAs and Jewish Community Centers (JCCs). 

To stay relevant and attract new members, YMCAs and JCCs need to make their websites more visible and user-friendly. This means using effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to ensure potential members can easily find your site. It also means creating a visually appealing website, easy to navigate and filled with content and calls to action that turns it into a membership machine. By making simple changes to their online presence, YMCAs and JCCs can stay competitive in the ever-changing fitness landscape. Let's dive right into how to make your website work harder for your JCC and YMCA.

Table of Contents

• Average Lifetime Value of Your Member
• Landing Pages
• Story Branding
• Calls to action
• Featured Membership Machine Tools

Average Lifetime Value of Your Member

Using your website as a digital marketing tool can create huge opportunities for membership-related revenue. Your site is an important tool to reach new members and can help your organization meet monthly revenue goals. We can help you calculate the average lifetime value of your member so you can see your JCC and YMCA's potential revenue!

First, let's start with how much your average monthly membership rate is. We will use $100 just as an example. Let's say the average years that a member stays at your facility is 5 years (60 months). That means the average lifetime value of a member is $6,000!

If your website can help your recreation or community center brings in 5 members a month, that's $30,000 every month! Your potential membership revenue gained per year would be $360,000.

Not too shabby for a "salesperson" that you don't have to pay weekly. You can check out our Lifetime Value Calculator to plug in your exact numbers.

Landing Pages

A landing page is a key tool in any effective marketing strategy, and this is especially true for YMCAs and JCCs that offer a variety of programs. A landing page allows potential customers to quickly and easily learn about the different programs a facility offers, and it also provides an opportunity to highlight each program's unique features. 

For example, a fitness program might focus on the benefits of exercise, while an aquatics program might emphasize the importance of safety. By carefully crafting each landing page that shares your program's story and its benefits, your recreation facility or community center can ensure that potential customers have all the information they need to make an informed decision about which program is right for them. A well-designed landing page can be the difference between success and failure in today's competitive market.

Story Branding 

Storytelling is a powerful tool that helps brands connect with their customers on an emotional level. And while there are many different ways to tell a story, one of the most effective ways is through story branding. Story branding uses narratives to make an emotional connection with customers that is unique and memorable. When done correctly, story branding can be highly successful in driving website traffic, engagement, and conversions. In a world where consumers are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily, story branding allows brands and organizations to cut through the noise and connect with their audience on a deeper level. How does this translate into the content on your JCC or YMCA website?

Let's take an aquatics program, for example. Traditional aquatics content would lead to the programs offered, times, and pricing. If you take a story branding approach, you want to position your messaging to help people see and feel how they will be confident swimmers by the end of your program. Think about your audience viewing this content. Most of them are probably parents looking for lessons to help their children learn how to swim and be efficient and safe in the water. Your organization can help make an emotional connection with these parents by showing them how their kids will finish your aquatic program as assured swimmers. 

Calls to Action

Calls to action (CTAs) are essential because they help to guide users through your website and funnel them towards your goal conversion. The best thing about these imperative sentences is there is no such thing as too many calls to action. 

These action messages can come in the form of both hypertext links and buttons throughout your website. A strong CTA tells the visitor exactly what the action means. Examples of this includes:

• Book a Meeting
• Sign up for a Free Tour
• Become a Member
• Join the J
• Join the YMCA 

A well-built landing page has a wide range of CTAs. It's a best practice to have a mix of messages that discuss problems, solutions, and guarantees. Here's why. Every person has a different bias. For example, one person might be more inclined to sign up for an aquatics program because of a problem such as their toddler's inability to swim. Another person might be inclined to set up because your aquatics program guarantees you can learn how to swim in 3 months or less. Just remember, you can't overload with too many great CTAs!

Featured Membership Machine Tools

You might wonder what Membership Machine Tools are, and we're here to tell you. Examples of these tools include:

• Alert bars on your homepage
• Popup boxes prompting email sign-ups or news-worthy updates
• A Silent Salesman widget with a free pass to visit your facility
• A countdown timer for registration

Membership Machine tools are important elements to add to your JCC or YMCA website for several reasons. 

1. They help to increase a sense of urgency.
2. They provide a clear and visual way to highlight special deals or promotions.
3. They give site visitors an easy way to take advantage of these offers before expiration.

These tools can help increase conversions, making it essential for implementing and turning your website into a Membership Machine. When used properly, they can be highly effective at driving results.

Ready to turn your JCC or YMCA website into a Membership Machine?

If you find yourself ready to make your JCC or YMCA website a membership machine, we are here to help you can turn your website into a salesperson you don't have to feed or pay. We work with JCCs and YMCAs all over the country! Reach out to our team for more information, and someone will be in touch with you. We look forward to hearing from you!

Here are some other articles you might enjoy reading:

Leverage Your JCC Website to Promote Summer Camps

How to Use a Sales Lead Flow to Promote Your JCC and YMCA Aquatics Program

Increase Conversion and Revenue with Landing Pages For Your Jewish Community Center