Staci Alden shares on building successful enrollment programs and ideas.
Enrollment programs are paid programs unique to your facility, progress in intensity or complexity, and are only available for a specific time. These programs are some of the secrets I’ve shared in previous columns to rebuild offerings and attendance in your group fitness program. With the right strategy and planning around these programs, you can add tremendous value for your existing customers and attract new customers looking for more advanced training and specialized experiences.
Let’s explore the two enrollment program lengths and how each of them can be woven into your annual program strategy.
Workshop Series
A workshop series consists of three to four weekends of 90 to 120-minute workshops that are related and progressive. Weekends are the best time for these workshops because they are longer and people tend to have a more flexible schedule on the weekend. Just be sure to look ahead for any holiday weekends or school breaks that might interrupt attendance. Participants register for the series and complete the whole series, or they could attend the first few if needed.
Here are some examples of the type of workshop series enrollment programs to consider offering:
Levels Based
Consider offering a workshop series for the various levels of clients interested in attending standard formats on your schedule, such as a beginner series for participants who are curious but intimidated by dropping into a class, or an advanced series for clients looking to progress. Examples are Yoga for Beginners or Advanced Pilates Reformer.
Trial
If you’re considering a self-defense or martial arts class, give a workshop series a try to see how many people sign up and complete it. Strategically offering a unique workshop series before committing to having it regularly on the schedule saves you from canceling anything that is unsuccessful and aligns expectations for the instructor teaching it.
Lifestyle and Recovery
Collaborate with other facilities or providers to offer workshops designed to help people improve their life, habits and well-being outside of “fitness.” These workshops include Meditation and Mindset, Foam Rolling and Myofascial Release, or a Diet and Meal Prep workshop series.
Long-form Enrollment Programs
Long-form enrollment programs consist of six to 10 weeks of classes that progress in either intensity or complexity. These classes can be offered multiple times a week during “prime-time” morning, mid-day and evening. Just like workshop series programs, it’s essential to look ahead for any holiday weekends or school breaks that might interrupt attendance. In addition, since participants who register for the class are committed to finishing the series, participants build camaraderie and relationships on a deeper level than in a drop-in class.
Here are some examples of long-form enrollment programs to consider offering.
Children, Youth and Teens
Enrollment programs are a great way to break young clients into specific age groups and keep attendance consistent with this unpredictable population. Examples of formats to offer include dance, swimming and cross-training to improve power and strength for whatever sport they might compete in.
Progressive Fitness
While working with a personal trainer might be the best way to get specialized attention to accomplish specific goals, many clients need options for accountability and goal setting on a budget. Programs that offer assessments for participants to set clear goals and work toward those goals with supervision in a group setting provide immense value. These classes can be made up of unique cardio and strength training combinations while offering fitness tests and bioelectric impedance assessments to recognize progress.
Winter and Summer Conditioning
Whether on land, on the snow or the water, many clients are curious about what it takes to train and feel more confident when trying a new seasonal sport. Where else to learn more about how to cross-train before hitting the slopes or surfboard than with personal trainers and instructors eager to share their knowledge? Explore your talent pool to discover who has experience, education and passion in a certain area and time the enrollment offering to end just before the season begins. Examples of these classes include Ski Conditioning, Water Sports Conditioning, Mountain Conditioning, and Running and Cycling Cross-Training.
I recommend working with your team to create and finalize these programs’ specific names, descriptions and formulas. We must also recognize the possibilities of how we offer these programs are endless. They can be delivered in person, outdoors, hybrid and online. We can provide relevant resources like a shared document, monthly newsletter or chat group to support what is covered in real-time. We can offer a la carte services participants can purchase in addition to that program to enhance their experience and increase their success rate.
The key to building successful enrollment programs is to create goals and strategies around the programs you plan to offer this year. How many do you want to provide, and how much revenue do you want to make? Then, meet with your team and strategize what, when, where and how you will offer new enrollment programs. Evaluate and learn each round to continue to improve these valuable offerings in this new world.
