What Are People Looking For In Online Fitness Classes?

Online classes can be a problem for gyms that want to offer them. Owners of fitness clubs may find it difficult to market these online classes and make the public aware that they are available. The gym-goer wants to get the best value for their money. Trainers may not always be able to manage their participants from a distance.

What are people really looking for in remote fitness classes? How do you make them attractive and how can you coordinate them to let your clients know that they exist? We’ll answer all of your questions.

What are the top online fitness classes?

Some of the best gyms and studios offer live streaming classes as well as on-demand content. This allows them to provide better support for their members. 75% of people who use virtual fitness also take in-person lessons. As of 2019, 57% of global internet users were active, which means that the online fitness market was prepared for the pandemic.

A hybrid model is a mix of online and on-site fitness solutions. This model has been adopted by the best traditional gyms, fitness clubs, and studios.

These are the top online fitness classes:

Virtual workouts are a great way to increase your in-person classes.
72% of fitness club owners started offering an on demand or live streaming service. This is an increase of 25% since 2019 [2021].
Working out in groups, whether it’s live or online, can help people cycle 21% more and make their exercise sessions 10% longer [2020].
Live streamers and on-demand trainers are 20% more likely to exercise per month than the previous year [2021].
The most popular online class is Yoga (32%), followed by HIIT (15.6%), Pilates (8.1%) and Barre (7.9%).

Access to more trainers and instructors

Online fitness classes don’t require you to be at a particular location or venue. This gives you the opportunity to attract new clients. New members invest in their health and the quality of their trainers and instructors when they sign up at a gym. You can make connections with potential members and convince them that you are a good fit for their business by making sure they feel comfortable in your instructors and trainers. To get feedback from your members, you can also run an online survey.

Flexibility to work from wherever you are

Online fitness classes offer a huge advantage: you can access them anywhere and anytime. Access your favourite class requires only a stable internet connection and a mobile phone or screen. Online classes make it easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle and fit in your busy life. Perfect Gym is the best gym management software to give your members this flexibility.

Training with a leading trainer: One-on-one guidance

Online classes offer many advantages, including access to quality trainers and experts as well as more time and availability to meet one-on-one. Members can relax and feel more at ease when exercising at home in a familiar and comfortable environment. Everybody wants guidance in order to reach their fitness goals. People often feel more relaxed when there is a screen between the trainer and them.

One-on-one sessions and classes will help you pay more attention to the individual goals and needs of your clients. It will help you to retain their loyalty over the long-term by giving a little more time to your clients. This is a way to show customers that you care. This can be included in your standard packages, or as an additional offering. It is certain that customers who value you and your influence will be open to meeting with you. Even if that means helping them reach their fitness goals.

The right pricing will give you value for your money

It’s not about how much you pay, but the value your customers get by switching to online classes or to a hybrid setup . Don’t assume that you have to offer discounts if you only switch to online classes for a short time. Your customers are an integral part of your community and will recognize your value as a fitness coach. One-to-one personal training is a time investment that is the same regardless of where you are located. No matter what medium you use to teach online, make sure your pricing accurately reflects the true value of the classes.

What should a gym owner do to prepare for online classes?

Online fitness is a trend that will not fade. Many people don’t like going back to the gym or the convenience of online classes. Online classes should be included in the gym’s offering to appeal to a wider range of customers. Online classes are a great way to meet the needs of your members. Managers and gym owners need to be able to communicate with them about their expectations and provide the best possible user experience. These are our top tips:

Create an online fitness schedule to plan ahead and let members sign up for one-on-one or in groups.
With the Capacity Manager functionality, you can show members how many spaces there are. This exclusivity can create excitement around popular classes and encourage people to attend as there is limited space.
Online members expect reliability, especially when they pay for their membership. This commitment should be made. You will need reliable streaming platforms to stream live or send pre-recorded material. Perfect Gym TV allows you to stream live classes and send pre-recorded content via the PGM. It’s so simple to use. Links can be easily distributed through the PGM with seamless integration of class schedules. Client portals or mobile apps can also be accessed.
You will need an online platform that integrates seamlessly with your club’s website if you plan to offer classes via the internet. Harder’s webiste provides an excellent example. Harder was able to integrate Perfect Gym’s webiste with PGM, so members could make class bookings, buy memberships, and make further changes via the webiste.
You can ensure that your members arrive on time for class by adding the live stream or on-demand class hyperlink to class reminder emails via the Streaming Link Tag. The streaming tag allows members of the class to prepare themselves before they start, so that they can be ready for class right on time.
One all-inclusive Hybrid gym management system will simplify running online classes, improve user experience, and increase revenue. Perfect Gym is the best choice for gym owners.
One all-inclusive Hybrid gym management system will simplify running online classes, improve user experience, and increase revenue. Perfect Gym is the best choice for gym owners.

How to market your online classes in fitness?

Many gym owners face the dilemma of whether to expand their business outside their local area. You need to consider the extra expenses that you might incur over the next few months. Decide what amount is reasonable and appropriate to spend on new members. These are some strategies that you can use to market your online classes over the next few months.

Social media advertising paid

The return on investment (or ROI) is one of the most important metrics in marketing. It shows how valuable your marketing efforts are. Your marketing budget (email marketing, social media, etc.) can be subtracted to calculate your ROI. Your increased revenue or profit growth. This number is a valuable reference when you are considering running a social media advertising campaign. Negative ROI campaigns need to be shut down or redesigned, while positive ROI campaigns can be extended and even expanded.

Many businesses across all industries are halting their advertising spend. Matteo Lopez, from Two Brain Business Radio, notes that the global cost per 1000 impressions (CPM) is low at the moment. This means that your advertising spend will be lower. Another reason could be that more people are now at home and are scrolling through their social media feeds.

Your ads’ content and copy will need to be updated to reflect the fact that your online classes are live. It is a good idea not to mention Coronavirus and any other pandemic. Instead, keep your eyes on the ways you can help potential members achieve their fitness goals by providing more value through their stay-at home workouts.

Referral programs or word of mouth

COVID-19 has led to many people being locked up. However, there is one way to expand your membership beyond your current base. Your members will be surrounded by family, friends, and others in their circle. This is a great opportunity to encourage your members to spread the word.

Use a referral programme to increase word-of-mouth. Referral programs for gyms and studios offer two main benefits. First, potential customers are not familiar with your marketing campaigns. These potential members are more inclined to trust a friend than a random marketing campaign.

Referral programs are a great way to retain members. Imagine members being reluctant to refer your services to a friend. This is a good opportunity to get in touch with them early to find out why they are reluctant to recommend your gym to a colleague.

Organic content

Your gym’s online content allows you to be creative. You can upload class photos and videos, nutrition tutorials, workout and nutrition tips, class times, motivational quotes and transformation stories. Sharing posts about member transformations can be very compelling. This will allow you to attract new followers and convert them into leads via targeted advertising.

Social media presence

It is a fact that you might as well not be present on social media if you don’t maintain a consistent presence. Regularly posting to social media is a long-term strategy to stay relevant. It may not result in immediate results. Facebook’s algorithm makes it harder for content to appear on the timeline. What’s the point? If you don’t update your social media accounts regularly, people will have a negative impression of your gym and might not come to you for business.

The general public will always view online activity favorably. People tend to believe that your business isn’t running or is doing something wrong if there is no activity.

Online classes available for free

It is hoped that gyms and studios will quickly adapt to the new norm of in-home fitness. Smart ones are hosting live classes online via Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram Live. This is a great idea to get people interested in your business, but you’ll eventually need to make them pay to help your business grow. You could post a live stream every other week that acts as a free trial. You could also password-protect the free trial to anyone who registers their interest via one of your lead generation channels.

Summary

The internet has the potential to make it possible for fitness professionals to stay connected with their communities, and possibly turn this into an opportunity for people to come together through online classes.

It is not easy to manage your online fitness business. It’s essential to keep as many members as possible in today’s world. Next, grow your gym by acquiring members and showing members that even though you have moved a portion of your services online it is still possible to provide great value and members experiences.