Times like these can be difficult, especially for fitness facilities. More often than not, the traffic of members coming to your facility can be impacted by unforeseen circumstances that provide you with little to no time to react. Regardless of the uncontrollable, there are a number of things you can start doing today to support your members and facility during a slow period. Many of these activities can be carried out beyond your facility’s slow period—providing a value add to your members year round.
Let’s discuss 4 activities that you can do during a slow period that will benefit your facility and members.
1. Support your members’ at-home workouts with ELIVATE’s Home Delivery Program.
We understand that your members might not be able to make it into the gym, so we’ve made it easier for them to maintain their fitness routine. We offer home delivery services for a variety of home care essentials that your members can use at their leisure. Plus, we have curated a selection of at-home workout products that you can recommend to members.
You will place the order for the member, which can easily be done over the phone. Once you have placed the order, we will pick, pack, and ship on your behalf. It’s also important to note that ELIVATE’s branding and logo will not be featured on the box or any of the contents within the box. This efficient and convenient process makes it easier for you to reach members while ensuring business continuity.
2. Offer educational content and live workout feeds that members can utilize on their own time.
A slow period is the perfect opportunity to educate your members on the different ways they can support their health at home. Whether you send out weekly emails with recipes, fitness tips, or meditation practices, or choose to post helpful information on your social media channels, your members will be listening. Consider hosting a Facebook or Instagram Live where you answer questions about different topics submitted by your members—the educational options are endless.
If you haven’t integrated live workout videos into your facility, now is the time. Live workout feeds are a great way to get your members on their feet while at home. This could also help retain gym memberships during a slow period of business since members will be able to access the information anytime, anywhere. If you have an existing website, you could place the workout videos behind a screen that is password-protected for members only, or you could choose to share the videos on social media channels.
Consider hosting one class a week on Facebook Live. Members could tune in to the live workout, or choose to participate at a later time since the video is available indefinitely after recording. Still not sure about livestreaming your workouts? According to Cody Rigsby, an instructor at Peloton, “Livestreaming connects you to a real instructor who wants you to achieve your goals just as much as you want to reach them.1” Help your members keep their fitness goals during a slow period by livestreaming workouts that are convenient for their schedule.
3. Take inventory of any product you retail and conduct a membership review.
If your list of to-dos has been growing over the past couple of months, now is the perfect time to cross off those administrative tasks. Start by taking inventory of all the products that you retail within your facility. By taking inventory, you can get a better grasp on the products that your members are buying versus the ones that are gathering dust on the shelf. This can also help you determine new product classes that you could retail to replace the ones that aren’t selling. Start with a small order to gauge whether or not your members will purchase those products at your facility.
Conducting a membership review is something that you should consider doing once a year. It’s a great way to determine who attends certain fitness classes, how long members typically spend working out at your facility, how many times the average member comes to your facility each week, etc. A membership review could also shed light on your current membership management systems.
4. Evaluate your retention strategies and brainstorm new ways to keep members during a slow period.
Retention is crucial to the success of your fitness facility, whether you are experiencing a slow period or not. Think about the ways you could improve how you serve your members. Reach out to all members during a slow period to see if there is anything you can do to assist with their workout routine or fitness goals. If you have a Facebook page for your facility, consider inviting all of your members to like the page. This could create a digital community for your members to share.
How do you personalize your members’ experiences at your facility? This is vital to retaining their membership. After reaching out to members during a slow period, offer a selection of products they could purchase to use for at-home workouts, or suggest they attend an upcoming live workout feed you have planned. Create a connection with your members by putting a face to your brand during a slow period. Remember that your members come to your facility for more than just a good workout.
Take advantage of the slow periods that your fitness facility may experience, as they are a great way to sharpen your business strategies, manage your gym memberships, and connect with your members when they are out of reach.
Get access to professional pricing when you create an account or contact your account manager at 1.800.537.5512 for more information.
References
1Lefave, Samantha. “Livestream Workouts Are Changing the Way You Exercise at Home.” Shape, www.shape.com/fitness/tips/live-streaming-tech-at-home-workouts?slide=fcd5cacd-d9b8-41e5-8563-a10c7a929f71#fcd5cacd-d9b8-41e5-8563-a10c7a929f71.
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