If you want to build your gym and grow your membership base, there are certain things you will need to implement, including good use of relevant digital tools. With that said, below are 5 digital tools you need to run a successful gym.
Gym management software
Gym software is designed to address all of the key areas. It allows you to track your memberships, process payments, schedule appointments, and it even sends out automated email marketing so you don’t have to spend time on this yourself.
This software should be easy to use and will save time, preventing you from having to spend ages just trying to find the information that you need. Keeping track of your memberships, booking appointments and saving notes about certain clients can be a great way of improving customer service by being able to get back in touch with people easily.
Membership and scheduling software
To run a successful gym, you are going to need to be able to schedule memberships and classes. Most good gym software will include membership and scheduling capabilities that will allow you to track memberships, put together schedules and get out of the time-consuming task of scheduling manually. With this software, you will be able to look at the entire month and plan around your instructors and equipment availability.
Gym Management Software also allows you to check the schedule and plan for busy times. This takes a lot of pressure off instructors when they can see when there may be limited equipment or classes available because of other bookings. It is always much easier when people can see when places are going to be open or closed, whether it’s for private lessons, classes or even open gym times.
With this sort of software, you will be able to create classes and specific class types such as boot camps, bodybuilding, cardio boxing and yoga. With these class types, you will be able to track the attendance of the classes and see if they are successful in filling up your schedule.
Social media management tools
Social media management tools are an important part of running a gym because your social media marketing and presence is how you increase your exposure and build your brand. The idea is to use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube along with blogging to get your name out there. Being able to schedule posts in advance on these different platforms will enable you to grow your following over time without spending hours each day just trying to keep up with the marketing.
The main reason for this is that human beings are only going to be able to remember a certain number of things at any given time. Social media can be a great way for people to keep up-to-date on information and the mission of your gym, but it’s not going to mean anything if they have forgotten about you by next week.
Social media management tools need to be able to not only schedule posts in advance but also gather data on which ones are performing well. This will help you when it’s time to make new posts because the ones that are the most popular should be posted more often when it comes to time of day and user demographics.
Payment processing systems
You can’t run a gym without the ability to process payments for memberships and classes. Having a payment processing system that is easy to use and install will take away the need for expensive credit card machines that you have to hire.
The question of which systems are best can be answered differently depending on your needs. For example, one system may allow memberships to be purchased through an app but may not include scheduling, whereas another may only allow credit card payments but give memberships for free.
Some of the most popular payment processing systems include Stripe, Paypal and Square. These are all great examples of small business payment processing systems that can be used by gyms because they offer low fees and high security, making them the best options for managing your cash flow.
Email marketing platforms
Email marketing is how you, as a gym owner, will keep your clients up to date on the latest information. Whether this is new class times, special events or deals on memberships, it will be the easiest way to get out key information without your clients having to spend ages trying to find it themselves.
Sending out emails about new equipment, classes or deals for different types of people will help your business grow because clients who are interested in what you have on offer can sign up straight away. This means that they are less likely to forget about you, which will help your gym grow exponentially.
Of course, you also need to come up with an effective personal training marketing plan that goes beyond just emailing existing clients. If you want your gym to attract more clients and be a success, you cannot afford to overlook marketing strategy elements like branding, defining your audience, and social media marketing.
Conclusion
To run a successful gym, there are certain software and digital tools that you should be taking advantage of. As technology becomes more and more intertwined with daily life, successful gyms are using digital tools to help maximize efficiency.
