Join WIFA™
Back to Blog

Reopening Safely At The Right Time Using The Right Channels

blog business diversity fitness global health instructor member member benefit member love members press release social media the women in fitness association wellness wifa wifa ambassador women women in fitness women in fitness association women leaders women owned women supporting women womeninfitnessassociation Jul 14, 2020

As the Fitness Industry reopens there has been a strategic effort across the globe to address
concerns. For example, Adam Zeitsiff, the CEO of Gold’s Gym was featured on CNN to address
how their brand is restructuring their company to remobilize their facilities experience for their
members so that it can be a daily environment once again. As well as reasons on why gyms
should be considered essential businesses.

As we all know, text messaging has a 98% read rate within three minutes on average so using it
in your communication strategy at any level will increase the impact of your campaign. So how
exactly should you if you are a gym trying to reopen? Here are some ways:

Virtual Tours Of Safely Updates

Words can only paint a picture so vivid, but sometimes you have to see it to believe it. If it is in
your health club's resource, try creating a virtual tour, providing visuals or video content that
show the initiatives you are launching to support a safe reopening. If you use a direct channel
like SMS messaging to bring awareness, you can be sure that the effort from your staff is
known.

Updates On In-Facility Safety Initiatives

Send messaging campaigns that let your members know about facility measures you are making
to ensure the social distancing rule, sanitation and safety. Let them know that your team has
created signs that promote the rules of the environment, gym equipment spacing policies, and
staff PPE (personal protective equipment) requirements.

Facility Capacity Updates

One measure we are seeing a lot of gyms develop support around is capacity limits. Since there
are policies about social distancing one way to ensure it is being practiced is by limiting the
number of members in the gym at a time. That way, gym equipment rules can be adhered to
and managed more easily. As well as equipment sanitation. Facilities can alert their members
about these policy updates through SMS messaging campaigns.

Workout Time Availability For Specific Members

Another measure we are seeing a lot of gyms develop is workout time slots for specific
membership groups, segments or types. This is a great way to augment the flow of traffic within
your gym based on member visitation behavior. Let’s say you have members that come into the
gym in the mornings, afternoons or evenings. You could send them a text to let them know that
they can still get their workouts in at the times they usually do.

Engagement Consistency

The reality of engagement puts pressure on your campaign timing. You have a valuable
message but may schedule it at the wrong time for your recipient, so they may miss it. Try
reaching out to them in different ways and times during the day. Perhaps try reaching them in
the morning on one day of the week and then in the afternoon on another day of the week.
Drawing from other sources that help you analyze this behavior will benefit the impact of your
engagement.

Take It Step-by-step

Let your audience know that you are following public safety instruction and news daily so you
may not have all areas of your facility open just yet. Just controlled environments that your
team can make sure are sanitized and kept in an organized fashion.

Textmunication has been a cloud communications market leader in health and fitness for over
10 years using one of the most traditional forms of engagement, SMS (short message service).
Which is why we have a corporate social responsibility to make sure we support the health and
fitness ecosystem.

Although by no means are we writing this to motivate the health and fitness council and leaders
to rush the reopening process and go against public health official instruction. We are just
providing education on how to reopen safely and under consideration for when the time
comes. The health and fitness industry is not the only vertical that has to reimagine their
operational structure and the concepts expressed here can also transfer to your business. Our
team at Textmunication hopes this helps.

Resources:
- https://twitter.com/CNNnewsroom/status/1257729494133157893?s=20
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_distancing
- https://www.investopedia.com/how-to-reopen-your-small-business-safely-4844160

 

Author: www.textmunication.com