Consistently running amazing exercise classes will ensure members keep attending, reduce non-attendance and increase membership retention. Happy participants that keep returning will also increase new memberships through word of mouth.
Successful classes are full, and all participants have had a fun and challenging workout. This will make them more like to continue attending the class. It is six times more expensive to acquire a new participant than to retain an existing participant.
We have a listed a few tips to keep your exercise classes full.
Scheduling
The timing of your classes is very important and are often the main reason for attendance. Correct scheduling can make or break the success of any group exercise class.
Running classes at peak and off-peak times. Clubs are quieter during off-peak times this means running classes at those times, attendance will be lower than peak times. Try to schedule the classes when there are members in the club. Take into consideration the type of classes you are running at the similar times.
Class Formats
Make sure that the group classes you have follow a format. Using certified classes put together by professionals will produce great results and have participants coming back.
Certified classes take months to be created to ensure that all aspects are covered and provide fun, exciting and challenging classes. They are created so participants will keep coming back. You can tell when a class has been put together 10minutes before a session. These classes will leave staff stressed and members disappointed.
Instructors
Use instructors that are fully qualified.
Instructors have a huge influence on participants coming back to the class. Group exercise classes need to be fun, challenging and welcoming.
FloatFit Instructors receive comprehensive training to ensure they teach the best classes possible.
Build Demand
Having a demand for a class will ensure that the classes will continue to be popular and full of participants. We often see a huge interest in participants wanting to take FloatFit classes, it is key to make a good first impression and keep them coming back.
Allow potential participants to book classes early. Always give an option to book onto classes as soon as possible. Filling classes early will show that they are extremely popular and in high demand. Early booking is also useful to know what resources will be needed.
Make sure you have a waiting list and add interested people on to it. Rather than asking them to check back in the future, ensure when there is a free space they will be placed in a class. This creates an exclusivity for the classes. They are likely to attend as there is limited spaces.
Promotion
Promote the classes you have.
No-one is going to attend an exercise class if they don't know about it. Use posters, flyers, roller banners, social media, your website and anything else that will make your members aware of the classes you are currently running.
Open Classes
Open classes is a great way to get people interested. Sometimes members can be a bit hesitant to try a brand-new group exercise class. Getting them to try a class will make them come back and join a class every week.
Provide a free class. This will encourage them to try at no risk to themselves, this is a popular idea when introducing a whole new concept to a location.
Encourage them to bring a friend to a class.
Consistency
Constantly having a great class is what will bring regular participants to FloatFit Classes.
Keeping everything consistent every week and the participants will begin to form a habit, this will make classes full every week.
Try and keep the same instructor teaching the same class every week. Participants have often mentioned that instructors are a main reason for them to keep attending classes. Using the same instructors each week allows a great rapport to be built between participants and instructor.
Communication
Communication is integral to run successful group exercise classes. Create an open dialogue between everybody involved to ensure feedback is being received and the necessary changes are being made. If communication is poor, important information can be overlooked. This will lead to unsuccessful classes and unhappy customers.
Ensure regular communication with everyone involved.
Ask for Help
Ask your group exercise provider for help, experts will always be able to provide guidance.
The AquaPhysical team have years of experience and an extensive knowledge base. There is not a question that the team do not know. Any issues you have we are on hand to support you and ensure that your FloatFit classes are a huge success.
Subscribe to our Online Portal to download our white paper on how to keep your exercise classes full. This includes everything you need to know to make you group exercise classes a success. You will also receive full support and have access to a number of materials to help promote your exercises classes.