Category: Blog

As we kick off the new year, it’s critical to have your gym’s 2023 fitness marketing plan in place—or, at least in the works—as well as your updated fitness content calendar.

While creating your annual fitness marketing plan is no easy feat—it’s worth investing the time upfront to think through and develop a comprehensive plan of action to serve as the roadmap to guide all of your marketing efforts for the year ahead and keep everyone on the same page.

When utilised correctly, fitness newsletters have the ability to transform leads into paying customers, upsell your current customers, and re-engage lapsed members—all while simultaneously building up brand authority and improving brand loyalty

A newsletter also helps you build a brand personality and familiarity, making you instantly recognisable in a crowded inbox. By creating and sending regular newsletters, you are keeping your fitness brand at the top of your customer’s minds. You’re building a relationship that other brands aren’t.

So, no matter what type of fitness business you run, let’s jump into how you can craft the perfect fitness newsletter for your audience.

Do I really need a fitness newsletter?

In the age of social media, you may be wondering if you really need to bother with fitness newsletters anymore? The short answer is, yes.

While some marketers may think email is dead—the statistics prove otherwise.

Don’t let contemporary communication methods distract you from one of the oldest, yet most effective strategies—email marketing. In fact, email marketing boasts the highest ROI of any marketing channel.

Here are some other staggering email marketing statistics for you to consider: 

• Email marketing is 40x more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined
• 50% of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month
• Nearly 22% of all email campaigns are opened within the first hour of sending
• 59% of respondents say that marketing emails have influenced their purchases

Another huge benefit to using email to communicate with members is nearly everyone uses email.

So, yes–regardless of the size of your gym or fitness facility, you should absolutely have an email marketing plan in place and you should be utilising gym newsletters correctly and effectively. 

Best practices for fitness newsletters

To create an effective fitness newsletter, there are some best practices and key considerations to keep in mind.

Define your goals & objectives

Starting with a clear understanding of your goals and objectives is critical to the success of your email campaigns.

You’ll want to define the specific goal of each fitness newsletter you send as that will drive the content and design, as well as the relevancy to your recipients.

Identify your target 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 maximize engagement.

Segment your email lists

Segmenting your email lists can take some time, but it’s necessary to ensure the right content is going to the right people.

Segmentation places subscribers into more specific lists based on their interests, whereas personalisation entails using the recipient’s name, or reaching out to them on their birthday or to celebrate other milestones.

Sometimes general information newsletters are appropriate to send to your entire distribution list, but you’ll want to proceed with caution. If you send too many emails that aren’t relevant to the recipients, you risk getting blocked or even reported for spam. 

Determine distribution frequency

After you’ve defined your goals and identified your target 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, consider sending one or two emails per month—you can always increase the frequency later.

Design your templates

To make things a bit easier on yourself, consider creating several templates to use for different audiences and purposes. The templates and features available to you will vary by your service provider.

Keep in mind that 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. 

How to write an effective fitness newsletter

The primary purpose of a fitness newsletter is to keep your members informed, connected and engaged with your facility—but to do so, you’ll have to catch their attention first, and then keep them engaged.

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 recipients 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 newsletter, 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.

Include important links

Don’t forget to tell subscribers where you need them to go (and make sure the link works)!

Something as simple as a missing, broken or easily overlooked link can make a huge difference.

Content ideas for your gym newsletter

When defining your email marketing content strategy, it’s important to plan and map out content ideas that will be timely, relevant and important to members throughout the year.

Try to limit your e-newsletter content to two or three topics, with about 200 words of descriptive text per topic.

Here are some email marketing content ideas to get you started:

Facility news

Your gym newsletter is the perfect opportunity to share facility news and updates, exciting announcements, and other general news or developments with your members.

Help keep members in the loop and informed about new classes, class schedules, staff changes, and anything else that may help them feel connected.

Showcase staff members

People relate to people. You can help build trust, comfortability, and nurture relationships by showcasing staff members in your fitness newsletters.

Interview different staff members and ask them to share the story of their personal journey, what keeps them motivated, their favourite workouts, and other information your members may find relatable.

Diet & nutrition tips

Nutrition is probably the most crucial thing for balanced health and fitness—because staying fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not easy.

Ask your personal trainers, nutritionists, or health coaches to lend their expertise and share some of their favourite tips, tricks, or links to their favourite healthy recipes.  

Special offers & promotions

Are you running a promotion on personal training services? Do you have a membership drive coming up? 

Don’t forget to let your customers know! 

Class schedules & registration links

Do your classes change from week to week? How often do you add new options?

Keep members in the loop by providing a detailed class schedule. Make it easy for members to access up-to-date class schedules and registration links.

Scheduling information is especially important for gyms that rely on drop-in attendance or class punch cards, as members may need to be reminded of classes to keep attendance up.

Upcoming events

Promote upcoming events by including a brief event overview and link to the social media pages, or the website registration page.

You can also share a post-event recap that includes a brief summary, a list of noteworthy attendees or sponsors, and a few select photos.

Client success stories & customer testimonials

Help keep motivation high by sharing member success stories—include before and after pictures, discuss their weight loss journey, and provide additional information to help your readers believe they can achieve their fitness goals, too.  

This is also a perfect opportunity to work in some testimonial marketing by asking readers to submit their own success stories, provide feedback, or leave a review.

Customer reviews and testimonials are a powerful way to showcase results, build trust, demonstrate your ability to deliver an exceptional member experience, and offer social proof that you’re able to help clients achieve their goals.

Fitness industry news & events

Share the latest industry news, events, videos and happenings with your subscribers.

Not only is this a great way to keep your content relevant and timely, but it also helps establish your credibility.

Motivational quotes & images

Who doesn’t love ‘em?

Keep things light and help members stay motivated by including some of your favourite motivational quotes or imagery. 

Multi-Channel Outreach

Reach current and prospective members with multi-channel messaging. Use email to schedule informative branded content. Employ text messaging to deliver quick, relevant information within seconds. 

Template Library

Save time on design to focus on high-quality messaging. Choose from 500+ customisable email templates to kick-start your outreach. Select, edit, and apply templates to automated campaigns. 

Advanced Messaging

Create advanced email campaigns to develop new customer relationships or nurture leads throughout the buying process. With instant sending options you can ensure delivery when contacts are most likely to engage.

Targeted Campaigns

Increase the efficiency of your email and text messaging campaigns with targeted marketing. Send emails and messages to all contacts or apply filters to create specific cohorts. 

In-Depth Reporting

Use in-depth reporting to track, measure, and optimise campaign performance. Report on client referrals, lead conversions, promotion engagement, bounced emails, and more.

Optimise Lead Touch Points

Boost sales with increased lead touchpoints. Meet your prospects with the messaging they need at just the right time. Create more opportunities for inquiries and engagement with calls-to-action that move contacts through your funnel. 

Conclusion

When utilised effectively, a fitness newsletter can be one of the most useful, efficient and cost-effective marketing tools at your disposal.

Did you know EZFacility can help automate and improve your email marketing campaigns from one intuitive, responsive platform?

EZFacility’s full suite of marketing tools makes it easy to customise and send advanced email marketing campaigns to develop new customer relationships or nurture leads throughout the buying process.

With automated email and text message functionality—you can ensure your clients receive the right information at the most opportune time.

Want to learn more? Schedule a free, no-commitment demo and product tour today.

According to the IHRSA, 81% of health and fitness businesses fail within their first year but despite this the fitness industry continues to grow.

In fact, projected revenue for the U.S. fitness industry is expected to reach £356.87 billion by the end of 2028, representing annual growth of 33.10% from 2021-2028.

Have you been wondering how to increase gym revenue and take profits to the next level? Owning a gym can be a very lucrative business venture, but only if you understand how to turn gym revenues into profits.

The good news is you don’t need a financial expert to understand the foundation of gym valuations. We know it can all be a bit overwhelming, so in this blog we’ll cover the basics of assessing gym profitability and what you can do to lower costs and increase revenue, thereby also improving profitability. 

How to evaluate profitability

Did you know your business can show a profit without actually being profitable?

When you do your quarterly financial reports, you may show a profit at the end of a quarter which effectively means your gym made more money than you spent. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re bringing in enough income to remain in operations for the long haul.

This is why it’s important to understand the difference between profit and profit margins.

How to calculate gross profit

Gross profit (also referred to as gross income) is the amount of revenue left after subtracting the cost of goods and services (COGS). To calculate your gym’s gross profit, you’ll need to calculate the total amount of earnings, in addition to the cost of selling your products and services.

Then take your total sales revenue for a designated period of time, which is typically either by month, quarter or year and subtract total expenses. What’s left is your gross profit.

Total revenue – total expenses = gross profit 

How to calculate net profit

The major difference between gross profit and net profit is that the latter also accounts for the cost of operations. For example rent, utilities, wages, salaries, insurance etc. And subtracts those from total revenue.

For this reason, net profit is a more precise assessment of a gym’s profitability, but gross profit is still a suitable calculation to give you a general idea of your gym’s performance.

How to calculate gross profit margin

A gross profit margin is a metric for analysing sales. And although gross profit will show whether or not your gym is running in the black, it won’t tell you if you’re getting enough return on your expenses to stay viable. For this, you must calculate and consider your gym’s gross profit margin.

To calculate the gross profit margin, take your gross profit and divide it by total revenue to get a percentage.

Gross profit ÷ total revenue = gross profit margin

Example:

Let’s suppose your gym made £50,000 in total revenue last month and your total expenses were £30,000, leaving you with a profit of £20,000. Divide the £20,000 profit by £50,000 in income to get a profit margin of 40%.  

£50,000 – £30,000 = £20,000 gross profit

To calculate your gym’s gross profit margin, divide net profit by revenue:

£20,000 ÷ £50,000 = 0.4

Finally, multiply your gross profit by 100 to determine your gross profit margin percentage:

0.4 x 100% = 40% net profit margin

Your gym’s profit margin is one of the biggest key performance indicators (KPI) because it shows how much return you get from the money you’re spending. The larger the percentage, the more profitable the business is.

Most gyms will have a sales mix, meaning they sell multiple products and services. Therefore it can be helpful to calculate the margin mix for all products and services individually, as this calculation can help you determine which are the most profitable. 

How to increase your gym profit margin 

Profitability is the difference between your gym’s revenue and expenses. If your revenue is higher than your expenses, your gym is considered profitable. Conversely, if your expenses are greater than your revenue, your gym is not profitable.

Most gyms typically have diversified income streams, meaning they bring in revenue from a variety of sources. This includes memberships, class fees, personal training fees, as well as apparel, food, drinks or supplements.

Your expenses account for all the costs you pay to keep your gym in operation. This includes rent, utilities, staff, equipment, marketing, and more.

Generally speaking, one of the fastest and easiest ways to increase profitability is by lowering costs which could include anything from your utility bill to the costs associated with hiring and firing staff.

With the competitive market also anticipated to continue growing rapidly, it’s imperative for gym owners to be proactive about improving profitability. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take today to give your gym’s bottom line a boost.

Here are three examples:

Streamline operations

Gym management software—also referred to as membership management software, a facility management system, or a gym software solution—is a platform of tools that will centralise and streamline your gym’s operations. In other words, gym management software serves as a central hub for gym owners to better manage and oversee their facilities finances, staff, memberships and more.

Value-based pricing

One of the most obvious ways to increase your gym’s revenue is to increase the cost of your memberships. In addition to bumping up revenue, it can also boost the perceived value of the membership.

What you’ll need to keep in mind however, is that this only works if you deliver on that added value; otherwise this strategy could have the opposite effect and lead to a loss of members.

Add revenue streams

Some of your clients will want personal training, while others will want group classes and within those classes, you’ll need a range of levels.

Why not provide both, but limit the numbers in your group classes? Your best clients will pay more because they are receiving more personal attention than they otherwise would in a larger group class.

You might also want to consider adding new types of classes or increasing the number of your most popular classes. To figure out which are the most profitable, you can calculate the gross profit margin for each.

Conclusion

For a gym owner to be successful in today’s increasingly competitive fitness market, it’s imperative to get on board with the shift to digitisation and to invest in a gym management system that can accommodate changing business needs, in addition to the needs of employees and consumers.

Why not get started today?

Give us a call and try EZFacility for free! 

By Kira Razavian

Keeping up with evolving technology is every modern business’ struggle, and gyms are no exception. Clients will be expecting more and more of your gym as their own personal tech grows and changes.

This list gives you a preview of the fitness technology to look out for this year. Invest only in what makes sense for your business, but always know what’s out there!

Wearables

Wearable technology is popular for personal use but can also be used at gyms. Most wearable gym tech monitors heart rate and other vitals to give the wearer deeper insights into their performance. There are a few different types.

Wrist monitors

This is what most people think of when they hear “wearable fitness tech.” The Apple Watch and FitBit are some examples. Amazon even has its own version.

While many gym-goers have their own, it may be wise to have a few you can lend to members. Just make sure you have a good system for checking them in and out, so they don’t get lost. 

Chest monitors

These work similarly to wrist monitors except they wrap around the wearer’s chest. Heart rate monitors on a chest strap are commonly used in group classes with heavy cardio so participants can see their progress against their target heart rate.

Rings

For those who don’t want something around their wrist or chest, new fitness-tracking rings offer a smaller alternative. They go around a client’s finger and monitor their heart rate from there.

Smart gym equipment

Have you ever wondered if you’re doing an exercise correctly? Of course you have. Smart gym equipment can answer that question for you with real-time feedback and built-in fitness tracking.

Many smart equipment companies also offer class subscriptions. Live and recorded classes can stream right to the device, where participants can monitor their progress on the same screen. Some products also gamify workouts, making the fitness journey more fun (and a little addictive).

Weights

New machines can automatically adjust resistance, track motion, show classes on a mirrored screen, and more. Consumers are impressed.

However, these machines are also very expensive for the average home-gym builder. Adding equipment like Tonal to your facility can bring in curious clients who want to give it a try.

Cardio

Treadmills, rowing machines, and stationary bikes are also getting smart. Companies like Peloton are leading the way, and customers love the ease and benefits of smart cardio. They can follow along with instructors and simultaneously monitor their heart rate.

Another example is the newest model of the Peloton stationary bike. It automatically adjusts resistance based on the class leader’s instructions. Expect to see more equipment on the market that does the easy work for you, so fitness can be the only manual task.   

Smart scales

Your gym likely has a normal scale that simply tells you a person’s weight. But newer, smarter scales are available to help your customers on their fitness journey.

Smart scales can connect to apps on members’ phones, break down body composition details, and calculate body mass index (BMI). Some scales can also connect to other fitness-related apps so all of one’s fitness data can be viewed in one place.

The best part? Many of these scales are under £100. Adding a few to your facility’s locker rooms is attainable and beneficial.

Gym management software

Paper sign-in sheets? Please. It’s 2022!

Gym management software is no longer a nice-to-have. Gym goers expect you to have it. They want their membership easily managed and a smooth, high-tech customer experience.

That’s where software like EZFacility comes in. Extensive features for gym owners and members alike make management easy.

Scheduling

Gym software enables your staff to schedule in one place and avoid overlaps. Members can more easily see the lineup of classes and availability of personal trainers, private rooms, etc. Users can also search the schedule to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Membership management

The hardest part of being a member at a gym should be the actual workouts, not managing a membership. The right software can give power to members so they can see and edit the details of their membership.

Members can also sign up for leagues, tournaments, and individual trainings on their own. This makes it fast for them and reduces the time your staff has to spend coordinating member activities.

Gym staff will also be able to automate fee collection, make different types of memberships, and manage valuable client relationships. Billing and payments are all handled in the same place. 

Point of sale

In an ideal gym world, products for sale don’t need to be in a separate system from memberships and other client info. EZFacility makes that ideal possible since it can act as a POS.

Reporting

Member stats and financial records can be visualised with the right gym software. You can learn more about your clientele and get ideas for business improvements.

Staff and personal trainer management

Members aren’t the only people gyms need to manage. EZFacility gym management software makes managing staff and personal trainers much easier than chasing around emails and phone calls.

Virtual classes

In this age, your gym is not only competing with other local gyms but also competing with online services that offer live and on-demand classes at members’ fingertips. It’s easy to pull up whatever class they want, and they don’t have to leave the comfort of their homes.

So how do you reel in those customers who are tempted by the at-home wellness and fitness tech experience? Add your own virtual experiences to your gym’s repertoire.

Video library

Your gym’s website can do more than offer basic info and schedules. Record some classes and add them to a video library just for members.

You can host this on password-protected parts of your website or a private YouTube channel if you want to restrict it to members only. However, a free YouTube channel may also be a great way to bring in new clients!

Live streams

You can also try live streaming some of your popular classes. Do this on your website or start simple and stream it free on your social media pages.

You may be surprised by the response you get. Just make sure to promote the stream so people know when it starts and how to tune in. You could also partner with other gyms or influencers to do joint streams. 

Virtual reality (VR)

Ready to get really futuristic with your fit tech? Virtual reality is gaining popularity in the gaming world, but it’s coming for the fitness industry, too.

Get ready to see more fitness programs for VR headsets. Your members may appreciate the immersive experience.

Fitness recovery tech

Recovery is essential for continued fitness success and growth. It completes the fitness regimen and gets gym members ready for their next round.  

One of the most popular recovery tech companies is Therabody, which manufactures tools such as massage guns, vibrating rollers, compression systems, and more. These devices are well-known in the fitness community and may have a place at your facility.

Soreness/stiffness

Hand-held massage devices can help knead the soreness and stiffness out of post-workout muscles. Therabody’s popular Theragun products come with multiple attachments and massage types.

Whatever brand you go with, offering massage guns to gym members can remind them that you care about their whole fitness process, not just the workout.

Muscle Conditioning

Muscle-simulating electrical pulses can aid recovery and condition muscles. These devices stick nodes onto the skin and can connect to apps that control intensity.

Fitness apps and trackers

The majority of People in the UK – a whopping 92 percent – own smartphones. Not incorporating that into your gym programs would be a missed opportunity.

Fortunately, many of these apps are cheap or free. We’ve listed a few different types below.

Workout class apps

Subscription workout class services often have their own apps. Users can log in and have an organised video library ready to go.

Your gym could incorporate one of these apps into memberships. Or create an app with your own video library to really stand out to your members.

Workout trackers

Fitness enthusiasts can use apps to track all their workout stats now. From mapping an outdoor run to recording calories burned during a HIIT session, gym-goers want a way to see all their stats in one place.

Calorie trackers

Apps such as MyFitnessPal help users keep track of their meals, calories, and macros. Adding these types of applications to your gym’s programs can up your training game. 

How to incorporate new technology in your gym

The wide variety of fitness technology available on the market today can be overwhelming. Here are three steps to keep you focused as you add some of this new tech to your facilities and

programs.

1. Survey your members

Send out a survey to your current members to determine their interest in new tech. It’s always better to hear from your customers rather than take a guess and make the wrong investment.

2. Start small

It’s tempting to overhaul everything at once. While large-scale tech updates are impressive, they’re also expensive.

Make investments in new technology little by little. Replace a few machines at a time or add online classes one type at a time.

Going slowly will also give your gym members time to adjust. It can be intimidating if everything changes overnight. 

3. Stay up-to-date

Your fitness facility’s future success depends on keeping up with consumer demands, and that includes having the latest technology. Keep up with industry news and make it a goal to invest in a few updates every quarter. 

Final thoughts

Your gym doesn’t need to have all the latest devices to be unique – your community, staff, and leadership give your gym the heart customers want. But offering advanced devices never hurts!

As you learn about what your customers want, make sure you’re still taking a step back to look at the full picture. Your job is to provide a place where fitness thrives, not just a place where a bunch of fitness technology sits.

How is your facility treating the whole individual and supporting their goals? All of your gym and fitness tech should revolve around that question first. 

When customers join your gym, they’re looking for one main thing: results. Implementing a fitness assessment system will not only enable your customers to effectively measure their results, but also give you insight into your customer base.

Here, we break down what a fitness assessment is, what factors to consider, the measurements you should include, and how to assess fitness goals.

What is a fitness assessment?

A fitness assessment is a short survey used to evaluate a gym customer’s current fitness level, fitness history, and their goals.

The format can be as simple as a quick Google Form, or you can add in some personal physical assessments.

The benefits of fitness assessments

Fitness assessment data is much more than just a client check-up. Gym owners and other fitness industry professionals can use them to foster community and get new ideas.

Set benchmarks

A well-designed fitness questionnaire can determine a gym client’s current level of wellness. Their results can be used in the future to see how far they’ve come.

These benchmarks can also be used gym-wide. Can your fitness community raise their average scores together?

Understand your clientele

If you organise your assessment data in easy-to-read dashboards, you can see where your gym members’ fitness levels are. Are your customers already very fit and looking to maintain? Are they elite athletes? Or are they average and trying to get better? Knowing where they stand will help you see your business in a new light.

Plan new programs

When you understand your gym’s customers better, you can build your business around their needs. Fitness assessments can help you get ideas for new offerings or exercise programs to go beyond the trends. 

When to offer a fitness assessment

These questionnaires can be offered as often as they are relevant. Here are a few ideas for scheduling your assessments.

New membership

Offer an assessment as soon as someone signs up for a gym membership. It shows the customer that you are invested in their wellness, and you get valuable data on new members.

Changing goals

Fitness assessments aren’t always one-size-fits-all. Someone looking to pack on muscle and someone looking to lose lots of fat may want very different benchmarks.

Encourage members to fill out a new assessment whenever their goals change. Make sure you have a few different sets of fitness survey questions prepared for these goals ahead of time.

Monthly or quarterly

Many gym members are looking for consistency – and consistent progress. If their goal is long-term, ask them to fill out a survey every month or every quarter.

This will show them how they’re performing against their benchmarks. It will also give gym owners and personal trainers an idea of how effective their programs are.

Elements to consider

When building your facility’s fitness assessment, these basic factors will affect your customers’ answers – and what you do with them. Ask about them directly on the survey and keep them in mind when interpreting answers. 

Age

Different ages have different recommended amounts of weekly exercise.

Physical ability

What is impacting your members’ level of physical ability? For example, someone who uses a wheelchair will have different abilities (and needs) than someone who doesn’t.

Previous injuries

Past injuries can affect a member’s current abilities. You may want to ask about affected body parts and how long ago the injuries occurred.

This can also inform the types of exercise and warmups you recommend. For example, a member may have the goal of increasing their running distance but have a history of shin splints. Knowing to recommend pre-run stretches will be good for them and improve your client relationship.

Exercise experience

Some of your gym’s members may be seasoned workout professionals. Others may be working out for the first time in their lives.

A member’s experience level will not only affect their answers on your assessment, but also how they interpret their results and recommended course of action. Frequent exercisers will understand gym jargon, but newbies will need a little more handholding.  

Diet

A gym member’s diet can help or hinder their progress. If you don’t ask about it directly, make sure to offer more information on diets that will contribute to fitness success.

Capacity and time

How much time at the gym can your customers realistically handle? This will vary depending on family situations, careers, or even how close someone lives to the facility.

Customer goals

The most important thing to keep in mind when someone fills out your gym’s assessment is what their goals are. Their satisfaction with your facility depends on the results they see and knowing their goals will help you push them toward the results they want.

You can also realistically evaluate their goals using the assessment and the other elements above. For example, say that one of your customers has a goal of losing twenty pounds this month but only has a couple hours a week to come to the gym. Use this to spark a conversation about shifting either their goal or their time commitment.

What to include in a fitness assessment

Before diving into goals and timelines, your fitness survey should start with very basic health questions. It will almost feel like the paperwork you fill out at the doctor’s office.

Then you’ll get a little more granular with some fitness-related assessments. We used this info from the Mayo Clinic for some standard guidelines.   

Height and weight

After name and birthday, ask about height and weight. For those looking to lose or gain, this will act as a benchmark. It will also help you determine the customer’s BMI.

Body mass index (BMI) is one of many ways health professionals can determine if someone has a healthy weight. This calculator from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute uses height and weight to calculate BMI.

Keep in mind that BMI is not always a reliable indicator of a healthy weight, especially for very muscular builds. This is because it doesn’t distinguish between excess fat and excess muscle.

Body fat

In this section of the questionnaire, take some body measurements that will help you determine the customer’s body composition. One important measurement is the waist-to-hip ratio.  

Using a tape measure, record the circumference of the smallest part of the waist and largest part of the hips. If the waist is larger than the hips, that may indicate a health problem.

Next, get a little more technical by breaking down the body composition and measuring body fat percentage. You can do this with simple tools like skinfold calipers or a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) device.

A person’s body fat percentage reflects how much of their body is composed of fat. On average, women’s body fat percentage will be higher than men’s. These charts from Medical News Today break it down further by gender and age.   

Heart rate

Measuring heart health is an important part of getting the full picture of someone’s fitness level. Start with resting heart rate.

Resting heart rate

Your resting heart rate is a measure of how many times your heart beats per minute when your body is at rest. A healthy resting heart rate is usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

With regular exercise, a high resting heart rate may become lower over time. Get your baseline with the fitness assessment and see how it changes after a few months.

1.5-mile run

Another way to measure your heart health is through an aerobic fitness test, such as running a mile and half. The ideal run time varies by age.

Table from Mayo Clinic

Strength and endurance

Use pushups and situps as strength tests to get a baseline level of a gym member’s muscular fitness.

Pushup test

Find out the maximum number of pushups your gym customer can do. They can self-report this, or a trainer can observe them.

On average, men should be able to do more pushups than women and younger people should be able to do more than older people.

Table from Mayo Clinic

Situp test

Count the maximum number of situps your customer can do. They can self-report or get help counting from a personal trainer.

Table from Mayo Clinic

Flexibility

There are a few different ways to measure flexibility. Start by asking if the gym member can touch their toes from a standing position. Many people measure their own flexibility by this one factor, so it’s good to take note of it before starting an exercise program.

Sit-and-reach is a standard test of flexibility. To get this benchmark, ask the client to sit on the floor with their legs outstretched.

A yardstick should be placed between their legs with their feet landing on either side of the fifteen-inch mark. Ask them to reach as far as they can past their feet, holding for one full second. Use the best of three tries.

Table from Mayo Clinic

Building fitness goals into the assessment

Once your customer knows where their fitness level stands, it’s time to record their goals so they can track their progress.

Don’t just leave a blank space where clients can write down whatever goals they want. At the end of your assessment, build in goal-oriented questions that follow the S.M.A.R.T. format.

Specific

A goal like “I want to lose weight” is flimsy, and flimsy goals are hard to stick to. If a gym member wants to lose weight, ask them to be specific. How many pounds and ounces are they looking to lose?

Measurable

A specific amount of weight loss is one example of a measurable goal. Some others include adding a number of reps to a weight lifting set, running a mile a few minutes faster, or losing an inch and a half off their waist.

Every time someone retakes the fitness assessment, make sure to check these goals and record updated numbers. They could also record their own progress if they have personal fitness technology.

Achievable

When asking about their goals, make sure the customer knows whether the goal is realistic. Losing 40 pounds in a month is a stretch, but five might be a good place to start.

Relevant

A customer might think they can get their ex back with a little bit of training, but that’s not something you can actually measure at the gym. Remind customers that their goals should be directly related to what they can accomplish at your facility.

Time-bound

Each goal should have an associated time limit. Whether it’s in a day, a month, or a year, ask exactly when your client wants to accomplish their goal.

Final thoughts

Providing a standardised fitness assessment to your gym customers is the ideal way to make them feel like you’re invested in their progress. A thorough questionnaire that helps members track their goals will help you stand out from the rest of the fitness market and set you apart as a gym owner that cares.

Using this article as a basis for your questions, create a survey that works for your gym. Your facility survey will help current members improve and attract new members.

Whether you’re looking to spread the word about your fitness club’s grand opening (or a new product or service offering), add additional streams of revenue, increase your social media presence, or build brand awareness, fitness events are a fun way gym owners can promote their facility and any summer promotions they may be offering.

Why Host Fitness Events?

As a fitness club owner, strategically incorporating multiple revenue streams is the best way to create a solid foundation for financial success. Fitness events also help build a sense of community, which will keep current members engaged while also attracting new ones. Additionally, posting about your upcoming event on social media will help generate brand awareness and build your online presence.

Fun Fitness Event Ideas

When deciding which event ideas are the best fit for you, be sure to consider your target audience, goals, and budget to ensure you’re hosting events that your current members will love to keep them engaged, while also attracting new potential members.

Looking for some creative event ideas for the summer? Start here.

1.   Socials

Socials give your members and potential members a chance to connect and interact with each other, with the primary goal being to nurture bonds and build a sense of community. Socials create a space for connections so your local community can grow in and outside of your fitness club. Types of social events can include a special after-hours personal training session for a select group, a non-alcoholic night out, or a healthy eating event.

2.   Pop-up fitness class

A pop-up fitness class gives gym owners a way to generate buzz in a new location or with a new class offering. These types of events can attract a new demographic, spread awareness in previously untapped locations and generate more brand awareness. Consider using parks or other public spaces by arranging partnerships with local businesses.

3.   One-off free fitness class

If you’re getting ready to launch a new fitness class or just hired a new instructor, consider offering a one-off free fitness class event. It’s a great way to give potential members an experience with your gym before they commit to a membership. You can invite influencers from the local community to your launch event to generate more buzz around your new class or fitness instructor.

4.   Workout challenges

Workout challenges are a fun way to keep members engaged and working toward their fitness goals. They help your members set challenging yet realistic goals within a time specified timeframe—and when participants start to see the physical results, they’ll also start to associate your fitness club with success and be more motivated to keep coming back. Workout challenges are also a great way for gym owners to generate new leads, increase referrals, and assist in building long term relationships with clients and the local community.

5.   Health and fitness retreats

Health and fitness retreats are growing sectors. They do require more planning and monetary investment, but they can generate a steady stream of income for gym owners. Yoga retreats, mindfulness breaks, and weekends away give your members the opportunity to connect with your fitness club on a personal level and elevate the brand. Fitness retreats can target current gym members and non-members, and can be held at locations all over the world.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking to create a buzz around a launch, generate additional revenue streams, or build brand awareness—the possibilities are endless when planning fun summer fitness events! With a thorough understanding of your target audience, goals, and budget, you can create a fitness event that your current gym members love, while also attracting new members and building stronger relationships within your local community.

We all know there are gyms and health clubs all over the place–and, at their core, they all offer essentially the same thing: a place to work out and improve physical health. With so much variety among competitors, it can be challenging to figure out how to attract potential clients and retain your existing ones.

To remain competitive, it’s important to stand out rather than to fit in. So, what can you do to differentiate your gym from competitors?

Read on to learn four ways you can make your gym shine and stand out amongst your competitors.

1.    Focus on the Member Experience

In today’s increasingly digital world, ensuring a positive member experience is more important than ever. A great customer experience provides your business with a competitive edge, improves customer satisfaction and customer engagement, and helps you attract potential clients. Conversely, a bad experience has the opposite effect, and can quickly lead people to cancel their memberships, or leave negative reviews online and on social media.

The experience you provide is what makes your gym unique, and it’s what attracts people to your products or services over your competitors. Providing a great member experience gives you a competitive edge, and it’s critical to creating a positive association with your brand, and building a community of loyal, engaged members.

The member experience begins at the first point of contact with customers and encompasses all the touch points throughout the customer journey. To ensure you’re providing a positive member experience, you need to continuously offer exceptional customer support, anticipate customers’ needs and expectations, and make your members feel like your gym offers something they can’t get anywhere else.

2.    Expand Your Digital Fitness Offerings

Online training and on-demand classes were perfect solutions for fitness businesses trying to stay afloat and generate new income streams during worldwide lockdowns and forced business closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The demand for digital and hybrid fitness options isn’t going away any time soon. Many members have grown accustomed to the flexibility, and they still want the option to go to the gym a few days a week, or to get their workouts done at home.

To stay competitive in 2022, fitness businesses should continue to focus on expanding, improving, and marketing online fitness offerings. Consumers now expect a hybrid combination of in-person and online workout options, and they want to be able to research, book services, and communicate with brands easily.

3.    Showcase Online Reviews & Member Testimonials

When it comes to business, nothing speaks louder than results. And in the fitness industry, customer reviews and testimonials are a powerful way to showcase results, build trust, demonstrate your ability to deliver an exceptional member experience, and offer social proof that you’re able to help clients achieve their goals. 

Your online presence will affect everything from how many people follow you on social media to your company’s bottom line. For fitness businesses, a positive reputation can help attract new potential clients, entice a better selection of prospective employees, create more business opportunities, improve your local search engine rankings, and more. Conversely, a negative reputation can lead to loss of sales, membership churn, high employee turnover, and other costly consequences.

When a potential client is considering making a purchase decision, they want to make the best choice—and they base their decision on which product or service appears to be superior. Nearly 90% of consumers worldwide make an effort to read reviews before buying products, and 86% of customers rely on word of mouth recommendations and online reviews. These statistics illustrate the importance of your online reputation and digital footprint, as well the impact of positive reviews.

4.    Streamline Operations

Gym management software continues to grow in popularity given its ability to increase efficiency and productivity, reduce the risk of human error, save time and money, and enhance the member experience. On top of that, the low upfront cost structure of a cloud-based software solution makes it a financially attractive option for fitness businesses of all sizes.

Gym management software—also sometimes referred to as membership management software, a facility management system, or a gym software solution—is a platform of tools that will centralise and streamline your facility’s operations.

Gym software makes it easy for members to update payment information, pay outstanding balances, view your calendar, schedule sessions, purchase packages or memberships, register their kids for summer camp or soccer clinics, and more—all online, and all on their own.

Conclusion

For a gym owner to be successful in today’s business climate, it’s imperative to get onboard with the fitness industry’s shift to digital, and to invest in a gym management system that can accommodate changing business needs, in addition to the needs of employees and members.

To learn how EZFacility’s comprehensive gym management software can help you easily connect with members and potential clients, convert leads into long-lasting relationships, and streamline operations so you can focus on the most important aspects of running your business, schedule a free demo and personalised product tour today.

Workout challenges are a fun way to keep members engaged and working toward their fitness goals. They help your members set challenging yet realistic goals within a time specified timeframe—and when participants start to see the physical results, they’ll also start to associate your fitness facility with success and be more motivated to keep coming back.

From a fitness business standpoint, workout challenges are also a great way to generate new leads, increase referrals, and assist in building long term relationships with clients.

Key Considerations When Designing Workout Challenges

When it comes to 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. 

Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

• Once you set your duration for each challenge, be sure it’s communicated clearly to participants so they know what to expect.
• Promote your workout challenges on your social media pages to generate buzz and encourage more sign ups. 
• Results can be tracked using a mobile app, gym software, or your staff can create a leaderboard and manually enter results. Participants can take pictures of their results, if need be.
• 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.
• 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.
• Once you determine how many people will be rewarded for participating in your workout challenges, you must decide what the reward(s) will be. Popular rewards include free swag, a personal training session, or a discount on membership.

Read on to learn six of the most popular types of workout challenges.

Six Popular Workout Challenges

So, which workout challenges are best for your fitness facility? The great news is that you can structure them however you’d like—feel free to create your own, or pull inspiration from the examples outlined below:

1. Most Club Visits

Most Club Visits is an easy challenge 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.

2. Improve Your Personal Best by 10%

Most people enjoy certain activities and exercises, and this type of workout challenge encourages members to work toward their long-term fitness goals by improving upon their favourite workout routines—whether that’s rowing, running, walking, or any type of lift.

To successfully run this challenge, ask everyone who wants to participate to come in on a particular day to record their best number to-date and document it.

3. 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.

4. Running Challenges

Running challenges are one of the most common types of workout challenges because members can go at their own pace. The challenge can be based on total distance, or the speed at which a certain distance is run.

5. 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.

6. Calories Burned

This 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.

Conclusion

Workout challenges can benefit your fitness business by improving member engagement and retention rates, generating new leads, and increasing referrals. They also benefit your members by providing a fun and competitive setting for members to pursue their fitness goals, make friends, and develop a sense of community and belonging. It’s a win:win.

What workout challenges have you held at your gym? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

By now, we’ve all seen the extent to which COVID-19 has disrupted the fitness industry—from the physical location where people work out to the heightened expectations consumers have regarding how gyms should operate and what health and safety protocols should be in effect. 

Fitness business owners should understand that gym members’ expectations have changed dramatically since the pandemic hit. And with more fitness options than ever before—in-person workouts, online classes, and hybrid options—you need to determine your gym’s competitive advantage, and really hone in and highlight that in your marketing materials to attract new gym members, keep current members engaged, and improve member retention rates.

5 Ways to Increase Member Retention Rates in 2022

Getting new members to join your gym is only half the battle. Once new members join—how do you keep members engaged and member retention rates high?

Below are five easy strategies to give your gym retention rates a boost.

1.   Communicate health and safety protocols

With the Omicron BA.2 Subvariant sweeping across, health and safety protocols are once again top-of-mind for most gym members. Customers now expect gyms to have health and safety standards in place to minimise the transmission of COVID-19—and they want to know what specific steps you’re taking to help keep them safe and comfortable when visiting your gym.

Consider creating a one-sheeter that outlines what steps your gym or health club is implementing and post it throughout your facility, ideally in highly trafficked and visible locations—for example, at the front desk, near the water fountains, on the bathroom doors, etc. You can also easily copy and paste the information from the one sheeter into a newsletter template, and send out an email blast to your database

2.   Focus on the member experience

In today’s increasingly digital world, delivering a positive member experience is more important than ever. Providing an exceptional member experience not only helps you attract new gym members—it gives your facility a competitive edge, and improves customer satisfaction and retention rates.

It’s important to remember that the member experience extends beyond just signing up members—it needs to be emulated across multiple platforms and touchpoints. Additionally, you need to understand how your members think, and what they want.

3.   The hybrid model

The hybrid gym model has become the new norm in the fitness industry. With a hybrid gym model, your digital offerings are meant to complement your brick-and-mortar operations. A hybrid gym offers the best of both worlds. It 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.

Because the pandemic continues to create new challenges and restrictions on society, a hybrid fitness model puts gym owners in a more secure position to navigate the current climate, as well as future obstacles that may arise.

4.   Small Group Training

As a gym or health club owner, you’re constantly thinking about ways to keep members engaged and improve member retention rates—especially considering 50% of members quit the gym within the first six months. One solution is to provide consistent motivation.

Small group training classes are a great way for gym members to meet, interact and socialise with each other. It also 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 member experience for everyone. 

5.   Utilise gym management software

If you’re a gym owner, you already know how much time and energy it takes just to manage the day-to-day operations. From scheduling staff and fitness classes to overseeing equipment maintenance and inspections, the number of moving parts at any given time can be overwhelming.

Gym management software continues to grow in popularity given its ability to increase efficiency and productivity, improve communication, save time and money, and enhance the member experience. On top of that, the low upfront cost structure of a cloud-based software solution makes it a financially attractive option for fitness businesses of all sizes.

Conclusion

The fitness industry is still treading uncharted waters, and the pandemic will continue to impact the ways consumers engage with gyms and health clubs. During these uncertain times, maintaining ongoing communication is fundamental to attracting new gym members, as well as keeping member engagement and retention rates high.

To learn how EZFacility’s comprehensive software solution can help you create custom membership plans and effectively manage gym member relationships, schedule a free online demo or personalised product tour today.

If your background is in sports and athletic coaching, you may find yourself struggling to understand “the whole marketing thing”—let alone, which strategies and tactics you can use to effectively promote your youth football program, increase registrations and enrollments, and build stronger relationships with your team, players’ parents and the community-at-large.

But that’s why we’re here to help!

Read on to learn why building a strong, seamless online experience is more important now than ever, and three things you’ll want to keep in mind when developing a digital strategy for your youth football program. 

The Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Football

The COVID-19 pandemic completely disrupted youth football participation when local governments began imposing business closures, stay-at-home orders and social distancing policies. On top of that, online usage and mobile rates skyrocketed as more people flocked to their phones than ever before.

And now that many children and families are ready to re-engage with youth sports, it’s important to understand how the landscape has changed so you can figure out how to assist and improve future registrations and participation.

Three Ways to Build Your Youth Football Leagues Online Presence

Here’s a rundown of three things to keep in mind as you build your online presence:

1.     Keep your website up-to-date

It’s not enough to just have a website—you need to make sure your website stays up-to-date, and that it’s mobile responsive. When players’ parents are looking for youth sports programs in their area, their first stop is likely an online search engine or social media platform. To appear in searches, make sure your club is updated regularly with recent and relevant content.

Make sure you create noticeable links or buttons on your site so that players’ parents can find them easily and be able to follow them. This will also help minimise the amount of time your staff has to track down various practice schedules, tournament dates, and so forth.

2.     Use your social media accounts

Social media is an easy and free way to help parents looking for local activities to enrich their kids’ weekends and summers. Having a strong social media and online presence for your youth soccer program is important as it can extend your reach and spread information quickly.

Another easy way to build up interest in your youth football program is to regularly post photos of players, their parents, and any related events you may have. People, especially youth football players and their parents, love seeing themselves being featured in Facebook posts.

3.     Keep in touch with the community

Stay in touch with both past and present players and their parents. Use your email database to easily send reminders on the new programs, check up on the ones who have missed registrations, and let them know why they should not miss the next.

Offering incentives, referrals, or discounts for early registrations or referring new players is another effective way to give your registration numbers a boost.

The complete solution for your youth football league

Your youth football league’s path to success involves everything from facility scheduling to online registration and more.

Here are three ways our comprehensive software solution can help:

1. Registration: Provide clients the flexibility to register as a team or as individuals. Utilise online waivers and simplify fee collection with the use of registration deposits and a variety of processing options.
2. Scheduling: Generate schedules for your leagues and tournaments reflecting team preferences, venue availability, bye-weeks and tournament seeds using our automated scheduler.
3. Public Website: Provide clients real-time access to view standings, stay up to date on current league leaders, check scores and even browse through classified ads from teams looking for players.

Want to learn more? Schedule a free demo and personalised product tour today.

When you manage a sports league, the most important job during the offseason is promoting your league and securing players. The nature of your sports league will dictate your target audience and potential customers—so the first step is to figure out who they are, what they want, and what forms of marketing they’re most likely to respond to and engage with.

Once you have a solid understanding of your target audience—which, for the purposes of this blog, we’re assuming you do—you’ll be able to effectively utilise the strategies outlined below to guide your marketing efforts, as well as the tone, language and structure of your communications.

Read on to learn five quick and easy ways to increase your sports league’s online registration numbers.

1.     Organic Social Media Efforts

Consumers are more dependent on digital content than they’ve ever been in the past. In fact, one recent global study found that engagement on social media has increased 61% over regular usage rates since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two of the hottest and most rapidly growing social media platforms you should consider using to generate more online registrations are TikTok and Instagram.

TikTok

TikTok has overtaken Google as the world’s most visited online destination, and boasts a staggering 105% user growth rate over the past two years. TikTok is a free, short-form video and social media app, and is available for download on both Apple and Android devices. The major difference between TikTok and other social media platforms like YouTub, is that TikTok is based on small, short video clips.

When utilised as a part of your larger social media marketing strategy, TikTok can be a great way to promote your sports league by creating fun video content, tapping into a niche community, and engaging with a younger demographic (if applicable to your league).

Instagram

Instagram now has over 1 billion users worldwide, and the social media giant has been shown to have a strong impact on consumer opinions. With the right approach, you can utilise your Instagram page to increase your number of followers, build meaningful connections with your audience, increase your sports league’s online registrations, and gain unfiltered feedback that you can use to evaluate the success of your league management.

2.     Paid Ads on Social Media

As of January 2022, there are 3.96 billion total social media users across all platforms. With the average consumer now spending an unprecedented amount of time online, utilising targeted advertising is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. And, fortunately, there are a number of tools at your disposal that make it easier than ever, regardless of which social media platforms you choose.

3.     SMS Marketing / Text Message Marketing

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

With roughly 97% of people 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. On top of that, the average text message conversion rate is 30%.

It makes sense, then, to utilise SMS marketing to promote your sports league’s online registration page. It’s also a great way to touch base with your contact base, keep them informed of any important changes or updates, and to continue building the relationship in a nonintrusive way. Keep your texts short, friendly, and informative, and be sure to let subscribers know where to find your online registration.

4.     Email Marketing

With time and resources limited, it’s understandable that you’ll want to make sure your marketing budget is being allocated wisely and effectively. You may be wondering if email marketing is really worth it, considering all the other marketing options available to businesses nowadays.

The answer is yes—and here’s why: Beyond being able to use scheduling software to create and distribute tailored email marketing campaigns to encourage more online registrations, email marketing has also been shown to be an extremely valuable tool in building upon existing relationships with customers, in addition to reaching new potential customers. 

Keep your emails short and sweet. The copy should be upbeat, visually appealing, easy to skim, and clear in nature. This applies to the subject line as well. And don’t forget to include a clear call-to-action button with a link to your sports league’s online registration page.

5.     Sports League Management Software

EZFacility’s sports league management software gives you a complete set of features bundled into one intuitive, responsive platform. Our cloud-based, comprehensive SaaS service simplifies the scheduling and management of fields, courts, leagues, tournaments, teams, coaches, memberships, and more.

Conclusion

All successful businesses—including sports leagues—are built on strong relationships. The stronger the relationship, the deeper the level of customer loyalty and repeat business.

Since successful league management is reliant upon community involvement and engagement, it’s absolutely fundamental that you clearly define—and understand—your target audience so that you can create a solid marketing plan around their needs and preferences to build long-lasting relationships. 

To learn more about EZFacility’s comprehensive sports league management, contact us today to schedule a free no-commitment demo and personalised product tour.