Stick Around Seminar – Thanks & Feedback

It was great to have so much interest in our recent Stick Around Seminar. Thanks to the really interactive room of delegates asking questions and sharing their thoughts and experiences with each other. And a big thank you to ProInsight and SWIMTAG for presenting their ideas and tactics for member engagement alongside our talk, and to Technogym UK for hosting and providing a delicious lunch.

We’ll summarise the various presentations here on the blog over the next couple of weeks, meanwhile, here’s a selection of feedback from delegates:

MyWellness Challenge - November - Team Running

Nearly November, let's get your members running again. It's cold outside, but show your members the benefits of using apps like Strava, MapMyFitness, RunKeeper, etc to track their movement outside the club, and you'll get all your members more active outside the club as well as filling up those treadmills!

Making this challenge team based could mix things up a bit... just make sure that the instructor who takes the running club out each week is limited on the number of members in their team, otherwise they'll "run away with it".

Stick Around Seminar - 10th November 2015 - Get your tickets here...

Member retention is not a secret. We all know what to do - engage and interact with members as much as possible... it's not rocket science. But so many clubs are still failing to keep members, and it's not down to competition or the economy, but basic member communication, and effective measurement of those communications.

How clubs need to be making better use of sms, email and letters (The Fitness Network)

Here's a transcript of my interview with Dan Holt of the Fitness Network (an excellent B2B resource of articles, advice and information for fitness businesses)

Intro:

With a background in IT systems, marketing and data analysis, Guy Griffiths is regarded as one of the industry’s leading experts in maximising retention rates for health clubs through data mining/processes and targeted communications. We met with Guy to learn how clubs could make use of SMS, email and letters to enhance their member engagement and reduce levels of attrition.

Keep them coming back for more Programme Reviews

Hairdressers do it, dentists do it, and the National Blood Service do it… SMS text reminders that your appointment is due. It’s important that customers show up for appointments, and keep coming back for more.

Many of these organisations don’t have huge IT budgets or high-tech systems, but they recognise the importance of keeping clients engaged. If you’re running a gym or health-club, sending a SMS or email out to members to remind them that their programme review is due is a simple but highly effective way to keep them coming back for more. The message itself doesn't improve retention, but if you deliver a highly motivating programme review, you’ll keep the member regular for another 3-6 months at least.

MyWellness Challenge - October - Classy!

A Class based challenge is ideal for October. The weather is starting to turn, you've got a bunch of new members who joined in September, as well as a few returners. So get them, as well as all your regular members involved in your fitness classes!

If your class timetable is full, now's the time to add a couple more classes. If not, the Class Challenge will fill it up for you.

What does LIW stand for?

Having worked in the banking industry where exhibitions and conferences were very professional but also very overindulgent (all inclusive party on an aircraft carrier in San Fransisco bay anyone?), Leisure Industry Week has always felt more understated.

Technogym Client Workshop - 14th Sept 2015

It was great to present to Technogym’s customers (and a couple of prospects) this week on the subject of Keeping Your Active Members Active. We often focus so much on engaging new members as they join, and on re-motivating ex-members, that it’s important to remember that if you keep all your active members active, then you’ll not have any absentees!

The GGFit presentation focused on three key areas: programme reviews, other member interactions, and challenges. You can review the full Prezi here, or check out the programme review advice in this blog post.

Other presenters on the day included John Stuart from Bounts, who talked about inspiring, rewarding and tracking members and then Martin Perry from Technogym who tied together how the MyWellness Cloud apps can help to keep your members active and motivated.

Forget Exercise Plateau, make Programming Achievable

How often should you be trying to review your member’s programmes? The “industry standard” of every 6-8 weeks is often unachievable, unless you are running a small, bespoke service gym where everyone gets a PT session once a month (in which case, you almost certainly have great member retention!)

MyWellness Challenge - September - Calorie Burn

In September, everyone's getting back into their routines, keen to work off those summer indulgences, or may even be joining your club for the first time, so you need a simple motivating challenge accessible to all. It's time for a Calorie Challenge!

The calorie burner is a great way of setting an inclusive challenge that will appeal to many of your members. It helps them to focus on what they're putting into their workouts, and will hopefully help them to get better results too...