There's no denying that gyms, fitness centres and dance studios have been amoungst the hardest hit in this pandemic.
Rather than give up, Kylie & Jamie, owners at FiT Gym continued to communicate and care for their members online with free classes on how to count calories and macros and even FiT Gym Pub Quiz nights!
On March 23 2020 from their home garden, the owners made the announcement to their FiT family on their website, social media and with an email that they were closing their doors due to COVID-19.
Managing memberships and keeping their gym culture alive
"We had to make quick-fire decisions on memberships and how to keep our gym culture as alive as possible over the coming weeks and potentially months."
Kylie says that they advised all their valued clients that they could put their memberships on hold if they liked but, after further consideration decided it was the right thing to place all memberships on hold until lockdown was over. They’ve since been overwhelmed with the support from their FiT family and the positive feedback they’ve received.
Staying connected with free online classes during lockdown
FiT sprung into action as you’d expect from this highly innovative and agile team. They’ve been releasing daily workouts and classes online, some have been live and some pre-recorded using platforms like Zoom and YouTube to facilitate these.
Linking your website and social channels
FiT Gym have updated their website with a COVID-19 message that links to their social media where they've been very active daily offering free online classes not only for members, but anyone wanting to stay fit during lockdown.
A range of bootcamps, circuit workouts, Yoga and nutrition workshops to something a bit more light hearted like recipes, funny videos and general updates from their home kitchen, can be found on the FiT Gym Facebook page free of charge during NZ's level 3 and 4 lockdown.
An event that proved quite popular recently was a trivia night Kylie and Jamie hosted one Sunday evening from the comfort of their couch.
Planning for all NZ COVID-19 alert levels
- Alert level 3 & 4: doors are closed, and online classes, workouts, workshops and frequent FiT Fam communications are being implemented
- Alert level 2: Will include elements of the above level. We can reopen our 24hour door as we need to be able to trace all people who have entered our building on any given day. We will run reduced class sizes to accommodate the physical distancing rule and we will ensure all hygiene is to a gold star level.
- Alert level 1: Will incorporate all of the above and we will look to increase class sizes and a fuller range of services.
Kickstarting business at level 2
At level 2 bookings will commence again from their Rocketspark website.
At that time, members will be invited to take their memberships off hold if they're able to (they can self manage their accounts from the website), and in return they'll receive a coupon code with a 2 month free membership redeemable at fitstate.co.nz to gift to a friend or family member. An incentive is a great way to encourage your customers to take action and reconnect with your business/services, and it's an opportunity for you to generate new business.
