As a gym owner, manager, multi-location fitness business owner, or group fitness instructor, you want to boost your group fitness classes.
Fitness has simply become more available to people thanks to technology. Hybrid offerings that blend the in-person and online experience, digital and streaming fitness, a surge in popularity of wearables, and online fitness communities.
Health clubs have embraced these technological advances. Thanks to the sheer amount of data that fitness business owners now have at their fingertips in order to understand client behavior and improve member experiences.
Another part of the race to adopt the technology within the gym setting was the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic and the worldwide closures of health clubs.
Now, as the industry moves forward with digital fitness clearly here to stay, gyms are now trying to repurpose technology in order to get group fitness attendance back up where it once was.
Members seem to be more than ready to jump back into group fitness classes as many reported that they missed the connection and social aspect. Group classes have always been a way to form a mini-community while challenging oneself through fitness.
Business owners can use their current use of technology to improve class attendance and profitability. EuropeActive’s European Health and Fitness Consumer Survey conducted in January discovered that “equipment and social experience are key fitness club USPs.”
If you want to fill out your class roster, check out these 4 tips for leveraging technology to sell out your group fitness classes.
1. Blogs & SEO
If your gym or health club doesn’t have a website with a blog attached, you’re missing out on a key sector of the market. Create high-value content and share it with your audience. Both members and potential ones. This is the number one way to keep clients engaged and recruit new ones.
Know that the vast majority of people turn to Google when they look for something. That is why it is the most reasonable place to start filling your group fitness classes. Write high-quality blog posts and articles for your gym or health club.
Strive to use popular keywords to draw in users searching for fitness classes. You can discover the most popular keywords in your area by using tools like Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner. Then create engaging, informative articles around these keywords.
Avoid “keyword stuffing” as this is a turnoff for Google search as well as potential readers. Take the time to craft an article that is genuinely interesting.
Always strive for a clear message behind your blog content. Fill group fitness classes with articles that talk about the benefits of your classes. What to expect in a particular class, highlight an instructor or client with great attendance, etc.
2. Social Media Marketing
You might be attracting clients with social media marketing, but are you doing it correctly?
Social media marketing can be overwhelming for fitness business professionals since there is a myriad of channels available. Don’t try to create a presence on every single one. The best approach is to research where your target clients spend their time and focus on those social media channels only.
For example, a gym and health club favorite right now is Instagram. IG boasts roughly one billion monthly users , with 157 million users in the US alone. Instagram is used most by 18-24-year-olds (30%) and 25-34-year-olds (31%). So if your group fitness classes are for people in those age brackets, Instagram is an excellent place to focus on.
Currently, Reels and Stories are the most highly performing options on IG as of the writing of this article. Use the tools to record a portion of your class, interview a class member, film yourself setting up and preparing for class, ask for feedback on a group class playlist, or reminder followers of the times of specific classes.
Don’t forget to include as much information as possible, including tagging your location (a helpful addition for attracting new local clients), the class times, costs, and specifics.
Your social media marketing will always foster brand awareness to build a relationship with current and potential clients!
3. Word of Mouth Through Social Media
Your current members and group fitness clients are arguably the best (and least expensive) marketing tool in your arsenal.
Word-of-mouth testimonials are a marketing tactic since the dawn of time. In the digital age, they only got stronger. So give your group fitness members something to share and talk about!
People love to show off their workouts, their sweaty selfies, and their progress. You can (with permission) take your own photos or snippet videos during class to post and encourage attendees to share.
Create fun challenges within the class or games that clients can compete in, offer prizes for attendance or performance, and include a killer burnout that clients can’t stop talking about once they leave. Create whatever makes sense for your class and your community.
Encourage clients to take their own photos and videos, and remind them how and where to tag your gym/instructor. The more eyes that see posts and videos they share, the more attention comes back to your classes!
4. A Branded Community App
Finally, building out a supportive community is an underrated way to harness the power of technology to fill your fitness classes. Turn your group classes into a fully functioning online social community !
An app like Virtuagym PRO+ is a complete hybrid fitness experience, completely personal to your gym or health club. Use it to create a place for your group fitness members to feel supported and connected. Offer a space for clients to connect, ask questions, and even sign up and book future classes .
Virtuagym is here to help your business grow in the online and digital technological world fitness finds itself in 2022 and beyond.
Fitness classes are now more than ever what gym members are looking for, both for the sense of camaraderie as well as for their workout.
Leveraging your health club’s use of technology will help you adapt to this demand and opportunity in the current market.
Health club management software is the easiest way to efficiently manage group fitness classes, increase attendance and retention rates, satisfy current and potential members and improve overall profitability.
