How to Rebuild Your Fitness Business: Industry Tips and Best Practices
August 23, 2024
Over the course of the past year (and a few months), fitness business owners were forced to drastically change the way they ran their studios. Routines were disrupted. Challenges were presented. Most businesses had to shut down temporarily to protect their communities. Others had to shutter their doors for good. In order to deliver wellness experiences to clients and allow your business to thrive, fitness business owners had to get creative. Ironically, even though sheltering-in-place meant that folks couldn’t frequent their favorite gyms, the importance of taking care of our wellness and fitness routines seemed to skyrocket.
This makes total sense given the results of our most recent Mindbody Wellness Index—more than four in ten Americans reported that this added stressor affected their physical health, and 45% said it negatively impacted their weight. On top of that, more than half (53%) said it negatively affected their mental wellbeing. Do you know what this means? 2021 presents the opportunity for you to maximize on this re-prioritization of self-care.
Most studios are still under a strict mandate of how they operate. Whether this means you’re embracing a completely virtual business model, hosting socially distanced in-person classes, or a mixture of both, revenue might not be streaming in as easily as it once did before the shutdowns. However, with vaccines becoming more readily available each day, we are now able to start envisioning this pandemic as a thing of the past. With that, more and more clients will feel comfortable jumping back into their regular fitness routines (yay!).
To prepare your fitness studio for your comeback, here are some best practices for rebuilding your business to help you get your revenue stream and that sense of community back to where it was pre-pandemic.
How to have a top-notch hybrid fitness business model
Virtual is here to stay. Even though most people will be eager to get back to that in-studio experience, the ease and convenience of being able to livestream classes from virtually anywhere is something fitness aficionados want to keep around. Here are some resources—from business plan templates to livestreaming tips from experts—to help you create a profitable hybrid fitness model:
Hybrid fitness model templates and worksheets
The way your fitness business operates has changed significantly over the course of a year. By adapting your business plan and operations tactics to cater to this new normal, you’ll be able to provide clients with the best experience possible. Use these templates to help get you started.
Best practices for your virtual offerings
From tips from filming experts to industry-proven ways to attract and retain clients with livestreaming and video on demand, here are some educational resources to help you take your virtual offerings to the next level.
- Tips for Filming Pre-recorded Workout Videos from an Expert
- Tips for Live Streaming Fitness Classes
- Tips for 1:1 Virtual Fitness Sessions
- Takeaways from the Top—How 3 Fitness Brands are Leveraging Virtual
- Creative Ways Yoga Studios Are Using Online Classes to Retain Clients
- 4 Virtual Models That Drive Growth for Fitness Franchises
- 5 Ways Mindbody’s Virtual Wellness Platform is Different from Zoom
Attract and retain clients in a snap
You’re ready for your comeback—and so are your existing clients and prospects. With a healthy mix of profitable intro offers, effective marketing tactics, intriguing membership plans, and an unbeatable customer experience—you’re well on your way to increasing your bottom line and growing your fitness community. Here are some resources to get you started and/or keep you going:
Perfect your intro offer strategy
It’s time to develop intro offers your clients can’t refuse. While it may seem tempting to simply offer a free class—this type of offer can end up hurting your business. With so many different types of offers floating around the fitness industry, how can you be sure which one willl help you turn a prospect into a lifelong customer? We’ve got you covered:
Take your marketing efforts to the next level
We’re constantly rolling out exciting features to help you stay connected to your clients. With the ability to make your clients feel seen and heard with Messenger[ai] and easy-to-use campaign templates available in Marketing Suite, client acquisition and retention is easier than ever.
Unique ways to increase revenue
This past year forced fitness business owners to get creative. As you work to rebuild your business, it may take some time for some of your clients to feel comfortable coming back for the in-studio experience. Or maybe some of your customers really do prefer the convenience and ease of working out from home. While it is true that your virtual offerings may not be as profitable as your in-studio experiences, there are several tactics you can incorporate to keep the revenue streaming in.
- Now's the Time to Rent Out Your Fitness Equipment
- Thinking Outside of the Gym: Taking Classes Outside Due to Coronavirus
- Creative Ways Fitness Businesses Are Approaching Life in the COVID-19 Landscape
- 11 Ways to Maximize Revenue Without Increasing Capacity at Your Fitness Business
These resources aren’t the only things that can help you get your business back to where it once was. The Mindbody One community brings together thousands of Mindbody business owners and managers just like you, all offering support and collaboration. If you're interested in connecting with other fitness business owners who have tips to help you come back better than ever, then make sure you check out Mindbody One.
