Chase the Turkey – Bonus December MyWellness Challenge

One of our clients has come up with a great festive ‘outside the box’ challenge for December that we had to share with you. It’s really going to get your members interacting, exercising, and having fun!

If you’ve already set-up your MOVE or Calorie challenge, you could tweak it, or save this for 2016…

MyWellness Challenge - December - MOVEs

So to round off the year, you could pick your best challenge to date, but otherwise, we'd suggest a simple, all inclusive, MOVEs challenge. MOVE for Christmas, MOVE to keep warm, MOVE to offset the mince pies, however you want to bill it...!

An individual MOVEs challenge, but limited to exercise in the club, will motivate a lot of members, but also prepares members for the Let's Move challenge in a few months time...

Keeping Active Members Active - Stick Around Seminar part 3 of 3

While there’s a big focus on new members in the New Year, this is nearly always to the detriment of existing active members, who make up the majority of memberships and income. 

Ensure your active members stay active three ways: with Programming, Classes, and Challenges.

Welcome Dormant Members Back - Stick Around Seminar Summary part 2 of 3

Another big focus for the start of the year is returning members – those who have been dormant but return.

If your systems will identify these members to instructors on their first return visit, this is invaluable, a you can interact with the member there and then. Alternatively, or in addition, you can trigger a welcome back message to be sent, and use this to produce a report of list of members to interact with.

Engaging New Members – Stick Around Seminar Summary part 1 of 3

If you missed our Stick Around Seminar earlier this month, here’s a summary of the first part of Guy’s presentation, “A member is for Life, not just for January”

To maximise engagement for new members, we are focusing on three key areas:- inductions, first month visits, and communications.

The induction (aka getting started, welcome session, stage 1, appointment 1) is critical for your new members, because it ensures they make one visit, and gives you the chance to encourage one more.

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.