How to retain fitness clients in a lockdown era

How to retain fitness clients in a lockdown era

The pandemic has been a lot of things, but reliable isn’t one of them. Cities and regions across Australia have been thrown in and out of lockdown, and businesses have been forced to adapt. Restaurants have switched to takeaway only, office staff have worked from home, and gyms and other fitness businesses have come up with their own creative home fitness and member retention strategies.

Let’s explore these strategies in a little more detail with some of our top tips for gyms, yoga teachers, crossfit trainers, and other fitness experts to not only survive but thrive during uncertain times.

Tip 1: Go virtual

Don’t give your clients a reason to hang up their boxing gloves and call it quits on your gym or studio. Instead, continue packing your gym memberships with value for money and run your classes online.

There is no shortage of streaming solutions for your home fitness sessions. Zoom is a popular choice among workplaces embracing remote or hybrid arrangements. Plus, you can run classes by invite-only and protect users by assigning each a unique password.

If you’re happy to give away a bit for free and have an engaged social media following, Instagram is a great place to promote your lockdown classes. Experiment with short-and-sweet Reels or run an Instagram Live. You might demonstrate some of the moves you’ll be covering in an upcoming class, offer a short meditation session, or experiment with a Q&A session.


Read more: How to flex your member retention muscle


Tip 2: Create and sell new products

Think about what your clients need to achieve their health and fitness goals – how can you help them get there? Your business is more than a physical space, and you have a wealth of expertise to offer. Consider how you can bundle your knowledge and passion into new, lockdown-friendly products.

Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

  • Balanced meal plans tailored to the client’s fitness objectives

  • Personalised workout plans

  • One-on-one virtual personal training sessions

Tip 3: Foster a sense of community

Lockdowns are tough, and not just on businesses’ bottom lines. We are all missing face-to-face interaction, and many of us are turning to social media networks to connect, communicate, and find a sense of community.

One of our top gym retention strategies is to create a closed Facebook group for your members. In the group, you can offer tips, words of encouragement, answer questions, and even post a daily or weekly workout video.


Read more: Client spotlight: Kaizen Fitness finds silver lining during COVID lockdown


Tip 4: Keep payments simple and flexible

Minimise business disruption and make your clients’ lives easier by streamlining your payments. If it’s too time-consuming or inconvenient to continue supporting your business, your clients might be more inclined to throw in the towel.

Here are three convenient payments features to be aware of:

  • Payment plan modifications

  • If you alter your service to meet lockdown restrictions, you might want to change the price of your memberships. With Ezidebit Direct Debit, you can adjust the amount and frequency with a few clicks.

  • Instant on-the-spot payments

  • If you start offering one-off products like virtual personal training sessions, fast and safe on-the-spot payments are critical to converting your existing membership base. Ezidebit’s online payments solution empowers your clients to make secure payments instantly.

  • Portable EFTPOS facilities

  • Having the ability to process payments on the go with a wireless EFTPOS machine is a reliable payment solution — especially if you have to run an outdoor bootcamp or move to a different location.

We take the complexity out of payments so you and your clients can move on to what’s important – finding time to nourish your mind and body. Contact us today to find out more.

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