For fitness studios, the last year and a half has been anything but business as usual. But with creativity, dedication, and hard work, your studio has weathered the storm and the time has come to open the doors and welcome your students back to class. This return to the studio brings with it a variety of new and returning priorities to ensure clients have a good experience and stay committed members of the studio.
To help with this transition back to in-person classes, we have broken down three of the most important priorities to ensure you are taking advantage of this opportunity as effectively as possible.
Looping in Lapsed Clients
Even studios that were able to maintain classes via Zoom and other channels will likely have a large group of clients that have not taken a class since the studio closed. Getting in touch with clients to alert them of the reopening should be a top priority. While some may have formed new fitness habits in the interim, there will be many who are eager to get back to the normalcy of being in the studio for class.
A good first step in this outreach to lapsed clients will be an Email Blast that can serve as a blanket announcement to anyone who has been gone from the studio for, say, 365 days to alert them of the reopening and prompt them to view your schedule.
In addition to a general blast, the automated campaign will include a series of outreach emails to lapsed clients specifically designed to bring them back into the studio. These emails can be updated as needed to fit the specific needs of the reopening.
Appreciating At-Home Users
While getting lapsed clients back into the studio is a high priority, it is equally important to recognize those clients who remained active with your studio throughout the shutdown. This loyal base of clients will likely be some of the first to book for in person, so it’s important that they are aware of the new status.
If your studio is using the Loyalsnap Virtual system to facilitate the sending of your virtual class links, you may consider updating the thank you email template to highlight the re-opening and encourage clients to get back into the studio.
Getting Back To Basics
As your business returns to normal, it’s important to remember the fundamentals of growing and maintaining a solid base of members. To that end, studios should work hard to highlight their introductory offers and get new clients in the door to take the first steps towards membership. You can find additional tips for targeting new clients in this blog article.