The gym industry is changing. The gyms that develop a virtual strategy during this transformational time will thrive. The gyms that don’t will have to work a lot harder and will struggle to keep their business profitable.
A typical member who would come to the gym three times a week might decide, for safety reasons, to only come once every week. Some older members will not be coming to the gym for a while, and other members are getting virtual workouts somewhere else.
Gyms need to look for software systems that can extend their fitness expertise to these types of members. Keep in mind many members would still want some type of encouragement and guidance to train safely, wherever they are.
Here are five virtual strategies to look for that will have an immediate impact for your business short-term and long-term:
1. Virtual library of fitness workouts (sell for $15 monthly).
You should be looking for not necessarily a large set of videos, but a varied set that is easy to navigate. And you want them to be fun and educational. It should be a mix of workouts plus fitness information on topics such as nutrition, health and wellness.
2. Virtual program builder (sell for $100).
Members are willing to pay more for a structured or customized workout program that includes personal notes from the trainer, plus video guidance, each day. The best scenario would be for the member to purchase the workout program directly from your website, then each day, they log in to the workout portal and get the specified workout for that day.
3. Add your own video content (sell for $20 monthly).
Your members will always pay more if they get the video workouts from your trainers and instructors — they already know them.
4. Live remote training.
Many gyms are using Facebook Live and Zoom to handle live remote training — this is useful for members who want to attend a class but would prefer to do it in the safety of their home. Look for a system that can make this process secure for your members, and also provide reports to help you manage and measure this.
5. Existing and proven workout programs (sell for $50).
There are existing and proven workout programs from some trainers in the industry. Look for software that will let you re-sell these workout programs to your members.
Once your virtual strategy is developed, it will take minimal effort to scale and grow this new profit center for your business. What are you waiting for?
Larry King is the founder and CEO of ShapeNet Software, and can be reached at larryking@shapenetsoftware.com and shapenetsoftware.com.
