For Episode 052 we're joined by Simon Hall, Principal Consultant at Fitness Business Experts and the General Manager of MYPT App, to show us the strategies needed for leveraging technology and social media for generating leads, creating an engaging community experience, and increasing customer retention.
Even in our fast-paced digital world, we still see a serious lag in the adoption of social strategies and new technologies with many of today's clubs and personal trainers. This failure to take advantage of social platforms and new advancements in the fitness space will cause many facilities to suffer as others begin to offer a more exciting and emotionally engaging experience.
Coming up, Simon breaks down the concept of creating a "Club-Within-A-Club." With the recent success of studio and boutique training centers, he shares how larger gyms can create a similar appeal within their existing facilities by transforming the experience around exercise classes. We discuss how many forward thinking club's now have specific ecosystems for their group training programs through using new technologies, upbeat music, and specialized branding.
These features add a custom feel for the members and fosters a community around these segments of the gym that provide their own unique atmosphere apart from the main facility.
We also talk about the shocking statistics of members who aren't aware their gyms are even on Facebook. Simon explains the importance of having someone to be the technology "Champion" in the club, who takes charge of social media interaction, and leads the digital front for customer retention.
It's one thing to have the technology, but implementing and bringing it to the consumer in a seamless way calls for someone who is tech-savvy, enjoys creating content and posting on social platforms, and has a true passion for building a trusted bridge between their customers and tech.
With the high level of competition and rising consumer expectations in our industry, how can clubs and fitness professionals take advantage of new technologies and social platforms to offer a unique experience, build an engaged community, and increase member retention?
The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Simon Hall.
About Simon Hall
From hotel health club receptionist to respected industry consultant, Simon has held key roles: General Manager of Fitness & Marketing for the New Zealand YMCA, Manager of the Australian & New Zealand Fitness Industry Survey, consultant to many leading independent and popular fitness club chains. He was also Chairman / board member of Fitness New Zealand.
As Principle Consultant at Fitness Business Experts, he assisted all types of fitness businesses and operations to manage their business, improving operational efficiency, setting and managing marketing strategy, membership sales processes and training and anything to improve their bottom line.
Simon is also the General Manager of MYPT App, a mobile app development company. MYPT has created a Personal Training management platform for trainers to manage all aspect of their business from lead generation to accounts tools and client management.
Along with his proven insights on fostering a deep connection between clubs and their members, Simon is also revolutionizing how personal trainers manage their business with MYPT App. This incredible lead generation tool is opening the door to hundreds of new potential clients for qualified fitness professionals in their local areas, as well as offering the payment and accounting systems that trouble so many small business owners.
Listen To Episode 052 As Simon Hall Uncovers
How MYPT App is helping fitness professionals manage their business and attract new leads
Simon's volunteer work protecting his local beaches as a Surf Life Saver
The current digital strategies clubs should implement to increase retention rates
The power of creating a separate boutique "Club-Within-A-Club" experience inside larger facilities
Important trends in fitness technology that Simon has noticed over the past 30 years
How boutique clubs are utilizing new technologies to up-level the customer experience
Leveraging social media to engage with members, create a community feel, and increase customer retention
The benefits of sending fitness reports to your members after classes and workouts
How big-box clubs can implement a uniquely branded, high-engagement group exercise model
Why the boutique portion of your facility is a good place to begin implementing technology
The geographical location features of MYPT App that connects clients with qualified local trainers
Blending technology into the club to keep members motivated, active, and retained
New combination boutique studios that combine 2 or more offerings such as yoga, spin, boxing, group training, etc.
Top 3 Takeaways From The Show
Clubs have no choice and now must fully embrace social media as an important tool for customer retention and member engagement. Currently, even though the majority of clubs have Facebook Pages and most their members are on social media, many facilities are failing to leverage these powerful platforms to connect with their customers. Simon recommends simple actions like displaying your social feeds on screens in the lobby and having group trainers casually invite members to engage and tag their gym and workout on social media.
Many trainers have a difficult time with lead generation and managing the accounting side of their business. If a fitness professional would like to spend more time perfecting their training craft and less time attracting new customers, there are now technologies that can solve this problem. The MYPT App is creating leads by pairing trainers up with local clients in need of their services while also providing calendars, scheduling, reminders, payment processing and so much more.
Simon shows us the increased potential of fitness technology when combined with a "Champion" in the club who can lead the technology charge. In an era of exponential technology growth, what's most important to fitness professionals and operators is to understand where they are missing opportunities to engage and increase retention by formulating a trusted bridge between their customers and the technology.
Power Quotes From Simon Hall
"Owners and operators need to place a much higher focus on the two biggest challenges we still face in our industry: customer acquisition and retention." - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast
"Whether it's for social media or high-end features, clubs need someone to 'Champion' their technology, get people involved, and ensure a smooth integration with members." - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast
"Clubs who are taking their time to adopt new technologies need to quickly get on board. Consumer expectations are rapidly increasing and businesses who fail to implement new features and foster a community atmosphere though social media will be left behind." - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast
Resources Mentioned From Simon Hall
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