The COVID-19 pandemic has affected fitness business owners in a variety of ways depending on where they live and what kind of fitness club they’re operating. However, there is a difference in how many businesses weathered the storm depending on how the owners were able to pivot in the face of a lockdown or outbreak in their area.
You may have already seen your fair share of lockdowns and quarantine and can learn from the harsh lessons of 2020. Alternatively, your region may have been largely unaffected until now and is facing the first major lockdown of the year. Whatever the case, there are plenty of ways that you can pivot your business based on what we’ve learned here at Arbox helping our customers weather this unprecedented storm known as COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know.
Constant Communication
Without a doubt the most important thing you can do as a fitness business owner when dealing with lockdown, members losing their jobs or rising numbers of cases in your area is to provide constant updates to your members. This includes your new hours of operation, guidelines that you will be enforcing within your gym or studio and new requirements such as daily health forms and smaller class sizes.
Maintain Your Community
In a similar vein to the above this open line of communication will help to reinforce your community of members while everyone is feeling isolated and alone. You can keep that connection alive and well by providing updates and simply being the coach that you know how to be so well. Answer fitness questions, provide tips for members to maintain their fitness levels from home and offer alternative exercises and workouts from what they’re used to doing at your club.
Shift to Video
Continuing from the previous point, a great way to provide a boost to your members and keep them connected from home is by providing video tutorials and explanations of key workouts and exercises. This applies to any type of fitness club – there are plenty of CrossFit, yoga, pilates, MMA and dance exercises that your members can do from the comfort of their own homes or yards.
Providing your members with videos will not only keep them engaged with you and your business but it will also give them reason not to freeze or cancel their memberships since they’re still getting in some great workouts.
Shift to Video, Part 2
If you want to strengthen that connection with your members even more you can keep up your club’s class schedule but provide it via video conferencing through Zoom or Google Hangouts. Doing this will not only keep your members engaged with you as a coach and trainer but it will also help them to feel that they haven’t skipped a beat when it comes to their workouts. They’ll stay healthy and happy no matter what’s happening outside their doors and you’ll feel as though this new normal is as close to the old normal as possible.
Make Sure You Stay in Control
We know how hard this year has been – we’re right there with you. That’s why you need to make sure that your business has the best tool out there: a fitness management platform to help guide you through the pandemic into the new year. Stay on top of your members, finances and every little aspect of your business by joining Arbox. Learn more about us right here.
