You know the Benjamin Franklin quote “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. The whole fitness industry is in a tough spot right now. To survive, you need to have a few different plans, contingencies, and ideas. There is a lot to be learnt from the last lockdowns, and lots of ways to survive and thrive when clubs re-open.
At the time of writing, we do not know when lockdowns will be relaxed and we can re-open. You might be busy running virtual classes, sending out programmes or remotely coaching members. But the most important thing you can do now is to reflect, listen to your members, and make more plans.
Lessons from previous lockdowns
Most countries and clubs have experienced more than one lockdown now, so there are lessons to learn from the previous episodes. Which communications and content work best to keep most members engaged? Which members keep active, come back first, or need more support? What return rate do you expect, and how long will it take to get out of the red and back into profit?
Email campaign reports
Study your previous lockdown campaigns. Lots of clubs rely too much on email and social media. Opens and clicks on email campaigns are typically low (1 in 5 emails opened, less than 10% of those clicked). Good subject lines and engaging content will boost these, but email is cheap for a reason. However, email campaign reports show you which members are interested, and you can choose another channel to contact the rest.
Pick up the phone
By having direct conversations with your members, you learn more about them, and find out what they need from you; now, and in the future. Even when you leave a voicemail, you are still showing you care about their health. Find the resource or prioritise your member calls (read on to find out how). Make a note of feedback, share and follow-up.
Alternate channels
SMS and postcards are options that successful clubs used to their advantage to keep in touch with members during previous lockdowns. A simple ‘how’s it going’ survey sent by SMS is a good way of gauging how your members are feeling and adapting your future content or virtual offerings. Postcards have been very effective at bringing members back. If you don’t have the budget to send post to all your members, then consider only sending to those who didn’t engage with email, SMS or phone.
You need to know what works for your club and your members. If you’ve not tried all these channels before, you won’t have any stats. Either try it and start learning, or learn from another club like yours who has tried.
When will they return?
Again, based on previous experience (and data), you should have a good idea of which members will be back into the club the day or week that you re-open. A lot of these members don’t need any messages of encouragement, they just need to know when. Some will return later in the month, perhaps once they have seen the latest procedures and policies.
Others will be waiting longer, perhaps they are shielding, waiting for their vaccine, or just lacking confidence to come back yet. Understanding these different types of member means that you can tailor your messages and offering to them.
Returning member categories
- Keen beans (Right back)
Members who will return immediately. Engaged online and kept active.
They just need the date.
- Baked beans (slow but steady)
Members who will be back within a month of re-opening.
Benefit from nudges; email, SMS, calls, etc.
- Has beens (need coaxing) Do not return for a variety of reasons; health, confidence, financial, etc. Find out reason, act accordingly, follow-up.
Looking back at the return rate of members from previous lockdowns will give you an idea of your member types. You cannot get all of them back on day one (it would be a social distancing fail anyway). Nevertheless, you do not need to do much to get your keen members to return.
However, the slow and steady members who trickle back could be encouraged to come back sooner. Some action or effort here will help to open your revenue streams faster.
Lastly, those members who need coaxing will take a lot of work, and there might not be anything you can do to get them back for the first few months. So, you must find out their needs and work out how you can still support them outside the club. Offering a reduced online membership can help to get members back off freeze. Something is better than nothing. There are a bunch more ideas in my recent articles and webinars, but the best ones are those that your members want, so call them up and listen to them!
Boosting income
Lots of clubs are planning to increase prices, based on support from existing members (especially the keen beans). This is another reason to understand who these members are, so you can target them with added value and member benefits.
Simply increasing prices will always lose some members, and this is likely to be intensified in the current climate. If you can give something extra to those who want to pay more, you will retain more members. Exploring new membership models is a much better way of increasing revenue from your existing members. Again, there are lots of examples in recent articles and webinars.
The growing sharing economy
As well as learning from your own experiences, there is an abundance of great forums, communities, and groups where you can learn from others’ experiences. Compare notes, share ideas, and test your plans out with other clubs or experienced partners who will support you.
The more action you can take to affect your recovery, the better. That action needs to start as soon as possible. Failing to plan means you are less likely to recover.
Book a one-to-one call with me to develop, refine, or update your retention strategy.
Although UK clubs are closed, it's still a busy time. We're helping operators to understand which members need more motivation through lockdown, which engagement channels are working best, and how to control and affect the number of members who will return when we can re-open.
There are still ways of supporting your members, maintaining income, and even building new revenue streams that will help you to bounce back stronger.
- One-off 1 hour call : £150
- Monthly 1 hour call & support : £150
- Bi-weekly 1 hour call & support : £250
Saving or adding 5-10 memberships in a month covers the cost of a call. We typically compound the effect over time, and while we're currently in unchartered territory, there are many more memberships eligible to be saved at the moment.
Book an appointment direct here: calendly.com/ggfit
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