The rising popularity of yoga means there’s a sizable industry behind it. In fact, the global yoga market size is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% by 2027.

Industry predictions also continue to show that yoga will remain a constant fixture in the list of global fitness trends for years to come. For yoga studio owners, this means there’s a lot of opportunity—as well as a lot of competition.

To start the New Year off on the right foot, it’s important to make sure that your yoga studio has a comprehensive marketing plan in place that reflects the fitness industry’s transition to digital, and that it includes specific marketing strategies that outline how you plan to reach your target audience across various marketing channels.

In this blog, we’ll discuss four key considerations to keep in mind when creating (or revamping) your yoga studio’s marketing plan. 

The Basics

The first step to developing a strong marketing plan for your yoga studio is to define your brand, your target audience, your business goals, and your competitors.

Clearly identifying and outlining this information is critical as it will be the foundation for your entire marketing plan—it will drive your marketing strategies, help you identify the best marketing channels and methods to use, as well as the tone and voice of your communications.

Remember—it’s important to set clear and measurable goals that align with your business objectives, because that’s what you’ll use later as a benchmark to gauge the success of your marketing campaigns.

Invest In Digital Marketing

We live in a digital world, and you should assume anyone who is interested in yoga and considering your studio will visit your website before deciding if they want to further engage with your business.

When building—or updating—your yoga studio’s website, remember to always keep your target audience in mind. Consider what type of tone and imagery will appeal to them, and make sure your website is visually appealing, engaging, and makes it as easy as possible to locate important information like your studio’s location, hours of operation, how to contact you, links to your social media accounts, and a description of your classes and class schedules.

Content Is Still King

To market your yoga studio effectively, you need to consistently create compelling content tailored to your target audience and what they care about—things like social media challenges, educational articles, blogs, newsletters, infographics, webinars or videos.

By creating a knowledge hub of resources and information about topics and trends that matter to potential customers, you’re more likely to be discovered by the right audience and to grow an engaged subscriber base.

Use the Right Yoga Studio Management Software

EZFacility’s powerful all-in-one yoga management software allows you to create custom yoga studio membership plans and packages, manage contracts and renewals, automate reminders, streamline and track marketing campaigns—and so much more!

To learn how we can help you maximise productivity, save time, increase cash flow, and achieve peace of mind, schedule a free online demonstration and personalised product tour today!

Despite everything that’s been changing in the world—one thing most people still tend to agree on is that the beginning of each new year is “the time” (of all times) for us all to be optimistic, to set new short- and long-term goals, and to commit to improving ourselves and/or our respective circumstances over the course of the new year.

And so, every year, millions of people make fitness resolutions on New Year’s Eve and commit to joining a gym, working out more often, losing weight, and improving overall health.

But with 2022 just a few days away—it’s still a pretty stressful time for all of us, isn’t it? We’re all encouraged to find ways to be optimistic—while also grappling with the realisation that January 2022 means the COVID-19 pandemic has been a global scourge for almost two full years now—and none of us really know what’s going to happen as the Omicron variant continuing to spread worldwide. 

If you run a gym or fitness center, you’re most likely wondering what you can do to help keep your members optimistic, engaged, and motivated to pursue their long-term fitness goals throughout the year—and how you can avoid the dreaded member drop off as peoples’ commitments to their New Year’s resolutions begin to wane during the first few months of the year.

Here are a four retention strategies you can use to reach members before they get to that point:

1. Focus On the Member Experience

Today’s consumers are more empowered than ever, making it that much more important for you to focus on the customer experience you provide.

The member experience begins at the first point of contact with customers, and encompasses all of the touch points throughout the customer journey.

To ensure you’re providing a positive member experience, you need to continuously offer motivation, encouragement, exceptional customer support, and provide an atmosphere and community they can’t find anywhere else.

For more: The Importance of Member Experience, Now More Than Ever

2. Adopt the Hybrid Model

The hybrid model has become the new norm in the fitness industry—and that won’t be changing any time soon.

With the lingering uncertainty around the omicron variant of the coronavirus and the very real potential we may all be faced with another round of forced business closures and stay-at-home-orders, the hybrid gym model continues to makes a lot of sense—for you and your members.

On top of that, demand for hybrid fitness options will only continue to increase as consumers’ have become accustomed to the flexibility it provides.

For more: Hybrid Fitness Ideas for the Holiday Season & Demand for Digital Fitness Options Remains High

3. Host Fitness Challenges & Competitions

Fitness challenges and competitions are a proven way to boost member engagement and retention. They also help generate new leads, encourage referrals and maximise customer loyalty.

When it comes to fitness and workout challenges, the opportunities are limitless. You can choose to structure them any way you’d like, and it’s a great way to keep your online and offline customers engaged by creating a sense of community and rewarding members for participation.

For more: 5 Tips to Consider When Developing A Fitness Challenge

4. Ask How They’re Doing!

The best way to know how your members are doing and feeling is to ask them. Requesting feedback after key touchpoints during the customer journey shows your members you care about their experience and how they’re doing, beyond just securing their initial sign-up.

A general feedback/customer satisfaction survey is a way for you to check in with your members throughout the year to show you still value their input, and are actively looking for ways to continue improving their member experience. That extra point of communication also helps keep them motivated and working toward their fitness goals.

For more: How to Collect Customer Testimonials and Build Trust

Conclusion

As the buzz around New Year’s resolutions begins to fade in the months to come—consider implementing the retention strategies we covered above to keep members optimistic, engaged, and working toward their long-term fitness goals throughout the year.

To learn how EZFacility’s comprehensive software solution can help you manage member communication and tracking with ease, schedule a free personalised product tour.

Some fitness businesses are going “old school” and reverting back to a much simpler, highly effective, yet often underappreciated marketing tool—the good ole’ text message.

Given the increasingly competitive digital fitness landscape, it makes sense that SMS marketing is making a strong comeback, especially in the fitness industry.

In this blog, we’ll revisit the basics of SMS messaging, talk about why text message marketing is so effective, and discuss some of the key advantages of SMS marketing campaigns to promote your fitness business.

What Is Text Message Marketing?

Text message marketing—also referred to as SMS marketing—is when businesses send text messages to promote their products and services to consumers, provide important updates, and to maintain ongoing communication with their target audience to keep their fitness business top-of-mind. 

Text message marketing has come a long way since the early 2000s, and today it’s one of the most highly effective, and cost effective, marketing methods available.

And although text message marketing and email marketing work similarly—data shows that SMS marketing campaigns consistently outperform its modern-day counterpart, despite its simple and straightforward nature.

Does Text Message Marketing Really Work?

The short answer is—yes. And here’s why.

With the overwhelming majority of people now owning some type of mobile phone, and approximately 85% of mobile phone users having smart phones—everyone’s more connected, and constantly connected, than ever before.

And if you have a phone—which, statistically speaking, you almost certainly do—you know firsthand that a text message is nearly possible to ignore.

Don’t worry—you aren’t the only one who just can’t resist the urge. In fact, 98% of all text messages are opened—and, on top of that, 95% of text messages are read and responded to within 3 minutes of being received. Those are outstanding performance rates by anyone’s standards. 

Benefits of Text Message Marketing

Below are four key advantages of SMS marketing, and how it can help you grow your fitness business.

1. Cost effective

While text message marketing campaigns can sometimes be more expensive than email marketing campaigns (depending on your service provider)—they’re typically less expensive than many paid ad options, especially on popular social media platforms. And because SMS messaging campaigns offer such a high ROI, they’re considered cost-effective. 

2. Attract new customers

You can use text message marketing to attract new members to your fitness facility by offering a free day at the gym, or some free swag if they sign up to receive texts. If you’re currently using a gym management software that offers text message automation, you can easily schedule follow-up texts to be sent to those who didn’t fully complete the online sign up form. 

3. Upsell current customers

It’s often much easier to upsell existing members than it is to attract new ones. Because you want your members to get the most out of your gym, you need to make sure they’re aware of everything your facility has to offer. Use SMS messaging to inform existing customers of the benefits and added value of upgrading their memberships. 

4. Increase conversion rates

The average text message conversion rate is 30%—whereas the average email marketing conversion rate is 3.26%. Even more impressive, text message marketing’s conversion rates rose 102% YoY in 2020.

Conclusion

At a time when so many fitness business owners are still completely consumed trying to transition products and services online, while also redefining their business models to meet changing needs, something we can all learn from the ongoing success of text message marketing is that, sometimes, keeping it simple really is best.

To learn more about how EZFacility’s text message automation makes it easier than ever for business owners to connect with members, grow relationships, increase conversions, and drive sales, schedule a free online demonstration and personalised product tour.

The end of the year is a busy time for everyone, and it can be difficult even for avid gym-goers to maintain their usual in-person workout routines during the holiday season. In an earlier blog, we talked about the hybrid fitness model and the benefits it offers to both business owners and members—and the demand for virtual classes and online training is projected to keep rising as we enter the new year. 

In this blog, we’ll talk about five ways to maximise your hybrid fitness offerings to keep members active, engaged and on-track to meet their fitness goals throughout the holiday season.

1. Continue Offering Hybrid Fitness Options

Now that most gyms and fitness studios are back to operating from their brick-and-mortar locations, some business owners may be tempted to scale back on virtual classes and other digital offerings. But in actuality—there are a number reasons why continuing to offer hybrid fitness options can positively impact on your bottomline.

Online training is ranked as the top fitness trend by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), meaning the demand for hybrid fitness options will remain high throughout the holiday season and as we enter the New Year. When your members’ schedules are packed with holiday prep, events, and travel, they’ll appreciate the ability to continue working out from home while still feeling connected to the community.

2. Market Your Virtual Classes & Digital Offerings

You should start promoting your virtual classes and any holiday promos you plan to run as soon as possible. Utilise all of your marketing channels to get the word out and highlight the benefits of at-home workouts.

A few ideas include:

• Update your website to include your facility’s holiday schedule
• Post regularly on your social media accounts and share information that highlights the benefits of at-home workouts.
• Include links to sign up for virtual classes and where to access your on-demand library in your newsletters and social media posts

3. Tailor to Busy Schedules

One way to help members stick to their workout routines is to offer shorter classes during the holiday season. While many fitness classes can traditionally run between 50-60 minutes, consider offering shorter classes (anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes) during the holidays to give your clients more opportunities to fit their favorite ones into their hectic schedules.

4. Test New Class Types & Group Fitness Workouts

The holiday season is a great time to get creative and to test out new hybrid fitness offerings. The holidays are all about festivity, so lean into it and have fun. For example, consider adding a 15–20-minute relaxation and stretching routine to your digital library and market it as a way to unwind and alleviate some of the holiday stress. Any time you test a new class, be sure to follow up with your members to get customer feedback so you can gauge client interest and class success.

5. How You Communicate Matters

When your members opt to participate in virtual classes, fitness instructors can’t greet clients individually or offer tailored feedback the same way they’re able to during in-person workouts—but that doesn’t mean they can’t still create a sense of community and make class participants feel supported and encouraged.

Be sure to remind your fitness instructors that creating a welcoming digital environment is just as important as doing so for in-person classes. You should also ask them to explain each movement and modifications in advance so that members of all fitness levels feel comfortable and will be able to participate.

Conclusion

The holiday season can be a challenging time for facility owners and members alike. Help your clients stay on-track and engaged by utilising the hybrid fitness model to offer flexible workout options that can be done in-person or from the comfort of home. When handled effectively, virtual classes can have a big impact on your gym’s profitability, while also keeping your members happy and their needs met.

To learn how EZFacility’s comprehensive gym management software can help save you time and money during the holiday season, schedule a free online demonstration and personalised product tour.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics used to gauge progress toward a desired goal or target, and they provide focus for strategic and operational improvement by establishing an analytic baseline by which to measure success. By tracking and analysing these important values, you’ll be able to visually assess how effectively you’re meeting your fitness center’s goals and objectives.

But with so much data out there, how do fitness business owners decide which metrics matter, and which ones to track? Read on to learn five of the most popular KPIs used for operations financial benchmarking, increasing conversion rates, improving client retention rates, and managing facility center growth.

1. Revenue per Client/Member

The #1 most tracked KPI for gym and fitness studio owners is Revenue per Client (RPC), a simple calculation determined by dividing annual revenue by number of clients. RPC is a quick way for business owners to determine how many members they will need to be profitable, which then allows them to design marketing strategies with quantifiable goals.

2. Average Class Attendance

Average Class Attendance (ACA) measures the percentage of gym goers who attend fitness classes (spin, yoga, Pilates, etc.) on a daily basis. This KPI is extremely important because group class offerings are one of the largest draws and biggest selling points for many gyms and health club owners. Understanding your facility’s ACA is also critical because it will determine the breakeven point and profitability of each class, allowing you to adjust your class offerings and frequency accordingly.

3. Client Retention Rate

Client Retention Rate measures the percentage of total members retained at the end of each reporting period. Your client retention rate is a critical KPI because it’s directly linked to overall profitability and long-term success. For example, if you notice your client retention rate is low, you’ll want to identify the cause as quickly as possible to remedy it and reduce the likelihood of future loss.

4. Profit Margin

Profit Margin (PM), which is calculated as a percentage of sales, tells you how much money you have left after paying the costs to run your fitness center. Reviewing the PM for all elements of your business allows you to see which areas are profitable, and which may be lacking. Identifying the areas that need improvement give you the opportunity to consider what changes can be implemented, or what additional programs or elements can be added, to turn those numbers around.

5. Average Daily Attendance

Average Daily Attendance, cited as a top KPI by nearly a quarter of fitness studio owners, tells you how many people come to your health club or fitness center, on average, per day. While this is a popular metric to track, it lacks the same level of insight as other KPIs because it doesn’t tell you why they came in, or when they came.

Conclusion

While the five Key Performance Indicators we addressed in this blog are specific to the fitness industry, KPIs are relevant and applicable to all businesses to ensure long-term viability and profitability. EZFacility’s extensive reporting suite can help you get an in-depth look under the hood of your business–including financial, point-of-sale, marketing, payroll, membership and training reports. Schedule a free online demonstration and personalised product tour to

To run a gym or workout facility, you’re going to need some fitness equipment. But many gym owners struggle with the decision of whether to buy or lease gym equipment. Members choose which gym to join based on several factors, but one of the most important variables is the equipment that’s available.

Whether you’re just starting out, or looking to make upgrades to your existing facility, there’s a lot of thought that needs to go into your equipment. Gym-goers want to see fitness equipment that’s modern, up-to-date, and user-friendly. You also want your inventory to attract new members, while still meeting the needs of current clients.

Your fitness equipment is arguably one of the most important decisions you’ll make—and has the potential to be one of the most expensive aspects of your business—so to help you decide which option is right for you, this blog will cover some of the pros and cons of buying gym equipment versus leasing equipment.

BUYING GYM EQUIPMENT

The main difference between buying gym equipment versus leasing equipment comes down to ownership. When you choose to purchase the equipment, that ownership can add value to your fitness center in several ways.

Pros of buying gym equipment:

• You can customise it: Deciding on the aesthetics of your fitness facility is one of the most fun parts of opening a gym. If you purchase your gym equipment, you can customise it by choosing colours and branding your inventory to match the overall look and feel you want. Creating a cohesive environment also helps build a sense of community, which is attractive to both current and prospective members.
• It gives you an asset: Ownership of fitness equipment is an asset, which becomes especially important for gym owners who decide to sell their fitness facility. The added value of owning your fitness equipment means you can ask for a higher selling price, and it may also entice buyers who don’t want to spend the time or money to find new inventory.
• You can sell it to offset upgrade costs: Buying gym equipment is expensive, but another benefit to owning your own fitness equipment is that you can sell it to help offset upgrade costs. Not only does this help lessen the financial burden, it also keeps your facility modern and up-to-date, which is attractive to both current and potential new members.  

Cons of buying gym equipment:

• High initial purchase price: Whether you purchase the equipment entirely out of pocket or have to make a large down payment on a loan, the initial purchase price will require a large amount of your cash reserves. Purchasing loans that require high monthly payments can also put pressure on future cash flows of your business.
• Maintenance & upkeep costs: When you own your own fitness equipment, you’re the one responsible for covering repairs and maintenance costs. In addition to costing even more money, this can also be inconvenient for your members when the fitness equipment is unavailable.

LEASING EQUIPMENT

While buying gym equipment can offer several benefits like we talked about earlier, it’s not always the best option for gym owners. Leasing equipment can offer greater flexibility, and help you stay ahead of competitors.

Pros of leasing equipment:

• Lower upfront cost: One of the biggest benefits to leasing equipment is the lower upfront costs required. Although some lease terms may require first and last month’s payment right away, the cost will still be lower than buying gym equipment.
• Tax benefits: If you have an operating lease, you may be eligible to write off your monthly lease payments as an operating expense on your taxes. By deducting the monthly payments from your revenue, you’ll lower your taxable income.
• Flexibility to upgrade more frequently: When business owners decide to purchase the equipment, they’ll most likely keep the inventory for as long as possible. This means there’s a greater likelihood for the equipment to become outdated, or in constant need of repair. Leasing equipment provides greater flexibility for upgrades since the lease term is usually shorter than the equipment’s lifespan.

Cons of leasing equipment:

• Lack of ownership: The only reason for not leasing equipment is that you won’t have ownership of it. Some lease agreements allow equipment to be considered an asset (with corresponding liability) on the balance sheet, but that doesn’t mean you own it. Unless your lease includes an option to purchase the equipment for a reduced price at the end of the lease, you’ll need to return it once your contract period is up.

CONCLUSION

Deciding whether to buy or lease gym equipment can be daunting, but it’s one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a fitness business owner. To figure out which option is best for you, you’ll need to thoroughly consider your fitness center’s needs and available resources to determine which approach makes sense for your business at any stage of growth.

To learn how EZFacility’s gym management software can help you stay organised and on top of your finances so you can successfully grow your business, schedule a free online demonstration and personalised product tour.

Once upon a time, gyms were separated into two pricing categories—budget gyms and elite fitness clubs. Over the years, however, fitness businesses began expanding offerings and experiences, creating the need for new membership models and pricing strategies.

Today, many gyms use a variety of pricing models to satisfy their membership base and their bottom line. But with so many to choose from, it can be difficult and overwhelming to figure out which membership options and pricing models are right for you.

In this blog, we’ll compare a few different options to help you determine which best suits your business needs. 

What is a pricing strategy?

A pricing strategy is the approach you take to determine what you should charge for your products and services. It’s one of the most challenging and important decisions you’ll make as a gym owner.

If you set your prices too low, you’ll risk losing money and overcrowding your gym. On the other hand, if you set your prices too high, you’ll risk outpricing a large number of potential clients and may lose existing clients to competitors who charge less.

Popular Membership Options

When determining your pricing structure, keep in mind that cost isn’t the only important factor. Many people are actually willing to pay more if they feel the value and experience is worth the price. Conversely, others may be extremely cost-driven and base their decision solely on the cheapest option.

Below are three common membership options to consider:

• Monthly membership: A monthly membership fee is one of the most common types of pricing structure. With this model, members pay a set fee every month. Most gyms offer 12-month contracts to be paid monthly, or a set annual fee. Some gyms opt to offer contract-free memberships, but charge initiation fees.

• Pay as you go: The pay as you go model is an attractive option for gym goers who don’t want to feel tied down. This has become an increasingly popular pricing structure as fewer people want to feel locked into a contract when there are more flexible options available.

• Hybrid model: When the pandemic hit, fitness businesses had to shift to digital offerings in order to survive. And while restrictions have been lifted in most states, many people have become accustomed to the convenience and flexibility that digital fitness offerings provide—but they still want the option to visit a physical facility.

Under the hybrid model, your digital offerings are meant to complement your brick-and-mortar operations. A hybrid gym offers the best of both worlds, and includes a combination of in-person and online workout options. For example, your gym may offer in-person exercise classes that are also live streamed or available on-demand for members who want to continue with home workouts.

Conclusion

Determining the right pricing strategy for your facility can be the difference between success or failure. Your pricing will impact every aspect of your business, so it’s critical to do your research and invest the time to get it right. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so you may want to consider offering a combination of membership options at different price points to figure out what works best for you and your members.

To learn how EZFacility can help you streamline operations—from online gym scheduling and text messaging, to point of sale and automated billing—click here to schedule a free demo and live online demonstration.

In order for your members to reach their fitness goals, consistency is key. And to stay consistent, some people need a bit of extra motivation, encouragement and accountability. Fitness and workout challenges are a great way to help keep your members on track by offering an incentive—and a little friendly competition.

Workout challenges can also help generate new leads, increase referrals, and assist in building long term relationships with clients. They help your members set challenging yet attainable goals within a time specified timeframe—and when participants start to see the physical results, they’ll also start to associate your gym with success and be more motivated to keep coming back.

5 Tips to Consider When Developing Your Fitness Challenge

If you’re trying to decide what types of challenges to host, the first thing you’ll want to do is determine the end-goal and what you hope to achieve from a business standpoint. From there, here are five key things to keep in mind when developing a fitness challenge:

1. Once you set your duration for each challenge, be sure it’s communicated clearly to participants so they know what to expect.
   
2. Results can be tracked using a mobile app, a fitness tracker, or your staff can create a leaderboard and manually enter results.
   
3. An individual challenge has members working toward a set goal, such as running 100 within a certain time frame. Rewards are typically smaller with individual challenges since every participant could be a winner.
   
4. A competitive challenge has members compete against each other. Since awards are usually tiered and given in the order in which participants finish, rewards are usually larger.
   
5. Once you determine how many people will be rewarded for participating in your workout challenges, you must decide what the rewards will be. Popular rewards include free branded swag, a free personal training session, a discount on membership, or other items that can assist members on their fitness journey—for example, a fitness tracker or other wearables.

So, which fitness challenge is the best fit for your gym? Below, we’ve outlined some popular workout challenges for you to consider.

6 Fitness Challenge Ideas

When it comes to fitness and workout challenges, the opportunities are limitless. You can choose to structure them any way you’d like, and it’s a great way to keep your online and offline customers engaged. Feel free to create your own, or pull inspiration from the six popular fitness challenges outlined below:

1. Cycling Challenges
   
   Cycling challenges work especially well for members who may not be able to run. The challenge can be based on distance traveled, the speed at which it was traveled, or the duration.
   
2. Running Challenges
   
   Running challenges are one of the most common types of workout challenges because members can go at their own pace. The fitness challenge can be based on total distance, or the speed at which a certain distance is run.
   
3. Rowing Challenges
   
   Rowing is a popular workout because of its aerobic intensity and full-body training, so consider adding a rowing challenge to your repertoire. You can use the machine’s digital dashboard to set time, distance and speed challenges.
   
4. Calories Burned
   
   The Calories Burned challenge makes the goal an end-result, so it gives your members a little more freedom to choose the exercises they’re most comfortable with. Participants can choose to run, spin, swim, walk, or do any other type of physical activity. And, fortunately, there are a ton of apps that can calculate the total calories burned for specific exercises and the time spent doing them.
   
5. Most Club Visits
   
   Most Club Visits is one of the easiest gym challenges to set up and run, and there’s no better way to incentivise your members to come in as much as possible than with a total check-ins challenge.
   
6. Improve Your Personal Best by 10%
   
   Most people prefer certain activities and exercises, and this fitness challenge encourages members to reach their goals by improving upon their favorite workouts—whether that’s rowing, running, walking, or any type of lift. To successfully run this challenge, ask participants to come in on a particular day to record their best number to-date and document it.

Conclusion

Fitness challenges are a fun way to boost member engagement and retention, and they also help your customers reach their fitness goals by creating a sense of community and rewarding members for participation. After all, who doesn’t love to win prizes?

Have you held any workout challenges recently? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Maintaining ongoing communication with members is fundamental to maintaining your memberships, engagement and customer loyalty—especially in the wake of the pandemic, when face-to-face contact is at an all-time low while digital consumption is at an all-time high.

Fitness newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your audience on a regular basis and to keep them informed about your fitness business. But with the average person receiving around 121 emails per day, it’s critical to ensure your newsletters are captivating, relevant and tailored to your audience to avoid going unread or ending up in the trash.

You may be wondering if you really need to bother creating and sending fitness newsletters—and the answer is, yes. Regardless of the size of your business, email campaigns are still an extremely effective and valuable marketing tool. In fact, research shows that email marketing offers the highest ROI of any marketing channel.

But in such a competitive landscape, what can you do to increase open rates and the likelihood of your emails actually being read? Read on to learn how you can make sure your emails are the brightest in the inbox. 

What are fitness newsletters?

A fitness newsletter is a form of email communication that should be part of your larger content marketing strategy. Fitness newsletters can be used for a variety of purposes—for example, providing updates about your fitness business, sharing relevant industry news and fitness tips, or celebrating members’ milestones.

While the content will vary depending on the purpose and the audience, the ultimate goal of email marketing is to capture readers’ attention and keep them engaged.

What makes the best fitness newsletters?

Preparation is the key to success, so before you roll out your email marketing campaigns, you’ll need to start by defining your purpose and creating a strategy.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Set your focus & objectives: Starting with a clear understanding of your goals and objectives is critical to the success of your email campaigns. The focus of your emails will drive the content and design, as well as the relevancy to your recipients.

• Identify your audience: If you want to engage your audience, you need to know about them—for example, their likes, interests and other demographic data. By understanding who you’re talking to, you can create tailored content to pique interest and maximise engagement.

• Segment your email lists: Segmenting your email lists can take some time, but it’s extremely important to the success of your email marketing campaigns. Sometimes general information newsletters are appropriate to send to everyone, but creating tailored lists enables you to deliver the most engaging and consistent content to the right people. If you send too many emails that aren’t relevant to the recipients, you risk getting blocked or even reported for spam. 

• Determine the frequency: After you’ve defined your goals and identified your audience, you’ll want to create a distribution plan that outlines the emails you plan to send, what you plan to include, and when you plan to send them. Consistency is key, so outlining your dates and topics in advance will help you avoid the last-minute scramble. It’s important to be realistic with the goals you set, so if you’re just starting out, consider sending one or two emails per month—you can always increase the frequency later).

• Create a template: To make things a bit easier on yourself, considering creating several templates to use for different audiences and purposes. The templates you create will be the foundation of your email marketing campaigns, so it’s important to ensure your branding and tone is consistent in order to build trust and familiarity with your audience.

What’s Next?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to start creating and sending your fitness newsletters!

Here are some tips to help you create awesome email campaigns that catch readers’ attention:

• Write snappy, attention-grabbing headlines: The subject line is one of the most important parts of your email. We’re all busy people, and most recipients will make a snap judgment whether or not to read your email based on the headline alone. To entice readers to open your email, your headline should be a balance between being informative and intriguing.

• Include high quality, captivating visuals: Visuals are the first thing we look for, so the reader’s eye will be immediately drawn to whatever visuals you include. Using rich imagery is a great way to highlight an essential point and keep your readers engaged. But it’s important to find the right balance between text and imagery, because using too many images will increase your load times and risk losing the reader’s interest.

• Make your text scannable: The simplicity of your fitness newsletters is key to their readability. The majority of your subscribers will open your emails on their mobile devices, and long blocks of text can quickly cause readers to lose interest. Break up your content into shorter, more digestible chunks.

• Include a clear call-to-action: If you want your readers to take specific action after reading your email, tell them. Guide your readers to a clear call-to-action button so they understand the purpose of your email, and make it easy for them to do what you’d like.
  
• Optimise for mobile devices: The vast majority of your subscribers will likely be reading your fitness newsletters on their phones or other mobile devices. For this reason, you want to make sure your template is optimised for mobile use to provide a seamless user experience.

Conclusion

Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective and conversion-rich forms of digital marketing. Creating and sending fitness newsletters is a powerful way to build stronger relationships with members, improve conversion rates, and generate new leads.

To learn how EZFacility can help you create customised email marketing campaigns, click here to request a free trial and live online demonstration.   

As a gym owner, you’re constantly thinking about ways to retain your members and keep them motivated—especially considering 50% of members quit the gym within the first six months.

So, what can you do to help reduce membership churn?

One solution is to provide consistent motivation. And while motivational drivers vary from person to person, there’s some truth to saying “there’s strength in numbers.” In fact, a study published in the Journal of Social Sciences found that participants gravitated towards the exercise behavior of those around them, suggesting the healthy actions of others can rub off on us.

In this blog, we’ll talk about what small group training is, as well as how it can benefit your members and your business.

What is small group training?

Small group training is an instructor-led, group exercise class that typically includes between 2-10 participants. It’s essentially the same thing as personal training, except with a group instead of an individual working one-on-one with a personal trainer. 

How does small group training benefit your business?

If you’re wondering whether small group training classes are worth your while, here are just a few examples of how they can benefit your gym:

1. Small group training helps diversify your services.

Today’s consumers want options, especially when it comes to their workout routines. And one of the best ways to attract and retain members is to offer a diverse range of services. Not everyone can afford private personal training lessons—and not everyone wants to do a one-on-one workout with a personal trainer. Offering small group training makes your gym more inclusive and affordable for people from different backgrounds, which helps give your facility a competitive edge.

2. Small group training can be more profitable in the long-run.

Small group training classes can actually be more profitable in the long-run than traditional personal training sessions. Consider this—if your personal trainers are hosting individual sessions, they’re limited to one person at a time for a set price, whereas group training provides the opportunity to train multiple people at once. While the cost per individual may be lower, you can end up making a lot more even if you only have a few people in each group. 

3. Small group training can attract new members.

Each of your members will have different preferences in regards to their workout routines. Some will want to workout on their own, while others feel more comfortable going to the gym with friends or family members. By offering small group training, you can accommodate those who may have some gym-related anxiety by offering a comfortable atmosphere where they can exercise with others—which also benefits you by encouraging referrals and attracting new members.   

How does small group training benefit your members?

Now that we’ve covered a few ways small group training can benefit your business, let’s talk about how it can benefit your members.

1. Small group training is an affordable alternative to traditional personal training.

Individual personal training sessions may be too expensive for many of your members, but small group training offers them a similar experience at a much more reasonable price. It’s the sweet spot between keeping the fitness experience large enough to be fun, but small enough to be personalised.

2. Small group training helps members connect with other like-minded people.

Small group training classes are a great way for members to meet, interact and socialise with other gym-goers. It helps them bond with each other, and creates a sense of belonging at your gym. When you have a community of members that are excited to come to your facility and interact with one another, it creates a better overall environment for everyone. 

3. Small group training increases accountability.

Let’s be honest—it can be really hard for some people to stay motivated. But as your members connect and build friendships with other people in their classes, they’ll naturally be more motivated to keep coming back and working toward their fitness goals. A little extra support from your personal trainers and other group members can go a long way—and it can have a huge positive impact on your retention rates.

Conclusion

While many trends in the fitness industry come and go, small group training isn’t just some passing fad. It continues to rise in popularity given the number of benefits it can offer your members, as well as the positive impact it can have on your bottom-line.

To learn how EZFacility can help simplify member management and streamline class scheduling, click here to schedule a free personalised product tour.