April 2020 Newsletter
Membership retention is more important now than ever. Sales targets have been forgotten, and the main number on most fitness managers' minds is how many members we have left today.
The health and fitness industry is already suffering as a result of lockdown (we're two weeks in, here in the UK). But we are also a crucial part of the solution, helping people maintain their physical and mental health through the pandemic.
The fitness industry has shown remarkable adaptability, embracing technology at speed to deliver workouts, classes and challenges online. There's been some debate about freezing or maintaining membership payments, but the main message is to keep communicating with your members, and adapt or pivot your business where possible.
We hope the ideas here will help you and your members, or even generate more ideas that you want to share with your fellow fitness professionals in The Collective, or in the Independent Gym Owners group.
If you want to discuss any of these ideas or talk about how to help your business or your members, please just hit reply to this message or send your contact details to info@ggfit.com.
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Minimising Cancellations
You need to step-up your member communications right now, and choose your channels wisely.
e-mail
- the go-to bulk communication channel, but open rates have nose-dived
- check engagement - open, click, bounce, unsubscribe
- personalise email, use it for first attempt, follow-up with call or sms
phone call
- have a proper interaction with your members (or leave a message)
- ask what they want at the moment, and listen to them
- what else can you (or your staff or other members) do for them?
sms
- great as a follow-up, chaser, reminder
- easy for member to respond, especially if they're busy
- send links to surveys, webpage with WoD, app, etc. Better open and click rate than email
post
- it's harder to get members to click on a link in a letter, but it's impossible to send a protein bar by email
- post workouts or programmes to members who are less tech-savvy
- A resistance band (with instructions/programme)
Have other ideas you want to share? Head over to the GGFit Blog and leave your comments, or join the debate on the Collective
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Member Retention in Times of Crisis
[webinar commissioned by EGYM, with advice for all]
We recorded a 20 minute webinar talking about keeping members engaged digitally and using more traditional methods, keeping staff engaged too, and how to manage and minimise membership cancellations.
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Managing Gym Cancellations during the COVID-19 situation
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Latest articles
The latest Gym Owner Monthly is out today, with the usual quality content, and unusually, two articles by Guy Griffiths, and one by James Griffiths (no relation!)
You can also read both GGFit articles in full on the GGFit blog, with links to the online magazines.
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If you want to discuss any of these ideas or talk about how to help your business or your members, please just hit reply to this message or send your contact details to info@ggfit.com. We're offering free (normally £75) intro calls to chat through ideas and options for your business.
We're all in this together, and if we can help you to retain your members, we'll be helping the fitness industry and ultimately, world health!
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