Lockdown restrictions have taken a huge toll on the fitness industry. As restrictions are gradually lifted the impact they have had on your studio or gym could have lasting effects. It’s now time to review, refresh and reset your business strategy in order to retain and even boost your clientele. To help, we’ve put together some useful ideas that you can work on to boost your studio’s clientele for the long term.
Refreshing Your Service Design
- It’s time to get creative! Do you have a clear, client-focused vision for your studio and staff?
- It’s important to create a vision based on your goals and aspirations for both your studio and staff. Your vision might have changed slightly after the lockdown, but it’s time to determine your new vision to boost your studio’s clientele.
- Are you offering flexible pricing and membership options?
- Some of your students are just as uncertain as you with what the next phase will hold. Offering a flexible pricing and membership option will give them a sense of ease.
- Adjust your business goals and targets.
- Make sure your goals are realistic in light of these challenging times. Setting unrealistic targets could dampen your motivation for your mid term or long term goals.
- Curate your space around your vision and any new restrictions.
- Surround yourself with things that will make you thrive in the space that will help you build activities to align with your vision. Adapt your space to any necessary government restrictions and to give your clients and staff a safe environment to be in.
Service Promotion, Promotion, Promotion!
- Promote your studio and vision on social media.
- Get the word out there! Set up a small budget that you can use to boost your social media adverts to gain more clients, or send catchy newsletters to get their interest.
- Offer discounts.
- Discounts that can be too good to refuse can help increase your client base. Discounts can be targeted at new joiners, people who bring friends or at your most loyal clients to thank them for their support.
- Host exciting events.
- We’re all longing for social interaction, having a small event will make your students and clients excited to get out of the house and be part of a community.
- Consider strategic partnerships that support good causes.
- Make an impact with a brand or company that is helping the community in some way. This can be based around an event you want to host, or a partnership for the long run.
Streamline Your Service Delivery
- Team work makes the dream work!
- Ensure your instructors / staff are all united towards your vision. If your instructors or staff are aligned with your vision, then your business will have a strong force with everyone working towards your vision and goals.
- Quality over quantity.
- Focus on providing a consistent level of quality with subtle delivery variation to keep client interest levels up. Making sure you stay consistent with improvisations is key!
- Focus on building relationships.
- A one on one conversation with a student shows that you as a small, medium or large business, truly care about your students. By providing personalised service and understanding each client’s needs forms the basis of every good client to business relationship.
- Provide a memorable experience (in a positive way).
- It leaves a lasting impression. Go that extra mile for your students and you will be sure to reap the benefits of returning students.
- Use a great booking system.
- A great online booking system can be the difference between winning or missing out on new clients. If you can offer your clients a seamless experience they’ll be more likely to stick around!
Following Up With Clients (Post Service)
- Ask clients for feedback.
- Whether you’re teaching online classes or in person classes, feedback is important to ensure that your students will come back and recommend your studio. Ask your clients how did they enjoy your service? How can you improve?
- Request client reviews.
- Don’t underestimate the power of reviews! Google uses the reviews to determine your ranking on search results. Plus new students will almost always read reviews before attempting to join a class. Select your preferred review channels (e.g. Facebook / Google etc) and ask clients to leave their comments.
- Rewards your most loyal customers.
- Remember to reward the customers who stick with you through think and thin. Think about offering a free class for them, or even giving a small thank you package.
- Incorporate your client feedback.
- When you receive feedback on areas where you can improve, show people that you value their feedback. Make improvements where necessary, one step at a time, no matter how small.
We hope these points will be of value to your business in the short term as well as for the long run to Boost your Studio’s Clientele.
If you’re a studio owner and are looking for information on how studios can adapt to a post COVID19 world, then read more here.
We hope that things will start changing for the better. That our world will take everything this year has thrown at us, learn from it, and make a positive change. From the environment, to supporting small businesses, to making a movement with #blacklivesmatter. The regrowth starts now.
