While all industries have been severely affected by the global outbreak, non-essential sectors like hospitality, fitness, and dining are feeling the brunt of the health crisis. Fitness facilities are expected to be petri dishes for the coronavirus, and states across the country have either decided to shut gyms down or keep them open under strict precautions.
Whether you’ve physically reopened your facilities or put a halt to operations, gyms have to get creative in order to sustain membership retention.
In this post, we’ll explore how gyms can and are able to keep themselves afloat during these precarious times.
Create Personalized Home Workout Routines
Even if public officials deem it relatively safe to reopen the economy, a lot of your members will still be wary of working out inside the gym. There’s a higher chance of getting infected in an enclosed space with other people, so some of your members will want to train themselves at home instead.
While home workouts can be effective to an extent, not having the proper guidance or structure slows down the time it takes for people to see results alone. To help your members stay fit (and persuade them to keep their membership), it would be great to create personalized home workout routines for those who prefer to get jacked at home. Your team of trainers can also provide assistance and guidance to members who are having difficulty with staying fit at home.
Keep Your Members Updated
Of course, it’s important for your members to be aware that the gym they’ve chosen is still alive and kicking. As more and more establishments close their doors permanently, you’ll have to show your members that you’re still operating despite being under difficult times.
One way to do this is by constantly updating your social media pages. It’s one of the best ways to connect with your members and this can also get your establishment’s name out there. Another way to keep your members up-to-date is by launching an email or text campaign. Through these methods, you can send them notifications on what services you currently offer, how they can maximize their current membership, and even just build knowledge on how to keep yourself safe.
Add Value to What You Offer
Because your gym is operating at a limited capacity, it’s best to take focus on the kind of services that will benefit your members during the pandemic. Your members need to know that you can provide more than what the typical gym offers — and this will help boost retention rates for your gym.
Nowadays, stress is at an all-time high, and your gym can go beyond providing people with guidance on how to enhance their physical health and fitness. Encouraging practices that improve mental health and resilience is sure to be appreciated by your gym’s members. To this end, resilience coach L. Barbour recommends mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation, as well as spending time outside or with other people. Gyms can meet these recommendations by hiring a good yoga teacher to improve their current program and setting up an outdoor virtual workout session for members to enjoy. This in turn, will enhance the value of your gym’s membership.
Stick to Health Guidelines
If you do decide on opening your gym with limited operations, it would be a disservice to your clients if you don’t enforce strict health guidelines. These include requiring anyone who enters to wear masks, frequently sanitizing equipment and surfaces, and encouraging gym patrons to practice social distancing.
But in order for these safety measures to stick, you should constantly remind both your members and staff how they can sanitize and why. You can do this by installing signs that detail how easy it is to get infected if basic hygiene measures are ignored. Furthermore, you should also spread sanitizing stations and disinfectant wipe dispensers all over the gym. These can then help encourage your members to play an active part in keeping your gym clean, and also boost their confidence in your establishment.
exclusively written for gleantap.com
by Kelsey Thomas
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