The proliferation and popularization of online, on-demand fitness classes has revolutionized the way people worldwide workout. As your studio evolves amidst the coronavirus pandemic, well designed online workshops, training and special events are an essential tool in your reopening and rebuilding process.
Here’s how to create and package your online, on-demand fitness course offerings to maximize participation, community connection and ultimately, revenue.
Consider that right now, there’s an opportunity to offer strength, support and healing to your students who are struggling with the effects of the COVID crisis. The need for mind-body healing, paired with safe opportunities for human connection is at an all-time high.
As you create the content and structure of your online workshop or special program, keep in mind that that:
- Many of your students have not been keeping up with their previous workout regimen while staying at home.
- Access to props and special equipment is limited for students practicing or training at home.
- Your students are likely looking for tools to boost their emotional as well as their physical health and wellbeing.
- Goals on this list are higher than ever: weight loss, better sleep, stress reduction, peace of mind, feeling productive/working towards a constructive outcome.
- Connecting to others in a supportive and healthy/safe way.
- More than ever, your students will value structure, support and discipline.
Setting up a workshop or training program as an ongoing series gives your students the consistency and structure needed to build community and ensure that participants have the time to experience results, which builds momentum and motivation. This is exactly the type of energy you need to keep your favorite customers coming back for more, sharing their success stories with others and hungry for more.
One of the keys to success in the fitness business is getting as many of your students as possible into a regular work out, training or practice regimen that translates into value, prioritization, and ultimately those unlimited membership packages that provide you with consistent, predictable revenue.
Make sure that your on-demand fitness program includes:
- A clear, engaging course description with a list of all the valuable deliverables included in your program, and the promised results.
- A professional, friendly photo of the instructor and any related lifestyle features of your program.
- An easy way to register, pay and get reminders about how to access the course content and any live meetings or online community forums.
- A pre-recorded video content library that participants can stream on their devices at their own convenience. Using a studio management software platform like Punchpass with seamless Zoom integration makes setting up, recording and monetizing your content library simple and easy.
- An opportunity for students to interact with the instructor and fellow participants on a live platform. This can either be through a regularly scheduled live Zoom call, and/or a private social media group.
- When adding on the “perk” of a private social media group for your program, be sure that you have the resources to regularly post valuable content, moderate and generate supportive conversation, and the time to schedule regular “live” interactive sessions with your students.
- Supporting materials in email-able formats such as PDF’s. Special content could be tip-sheets, worksheets, check lists, additional readings, anatomy charts, nutritional advice and recipes, or journaling exercises. Get creative and make your content engaging, helpful and encouraging.
- Regular, supportive communications to check in, remind your students that you’re in this with them, and keep them on track to completing their program and getting the results they want. You can automate these as text or emails, or take the extra time and care to send out your communications in real time to your participant group. Punchpass’ email feature is a great way to set this up.
- Attractive marketing. In addition to adding your event to your Punchpass online schedule, you can create a special web landing page for your special programs, workshops and events and use the link in social media posts.
- A social media hashtag campaign featuring your students in their favorite moments. You can turn these into testimonials or a super fun live Instagram feed on your website to build community and social “street cred” with potential new students.
- A plan for how your students will communicate with the instructor during the program. Managing a large, online course over several weeks means you’ve got to have an organized way of taking questions and responding that doesn’t flood your inbox and become a huge time-suck. Consider using limited live appearances in your online forum, a weekly 30 min group check in call, pre-scheduled one-on-one coaching calls, or some other alternative to open ended email or text access.
Punchpass client Sarah Clover, owner of Breathing Space Yoga in the UK, just launched a four-week online meditation course offering her community an all-levels program that includes “simple tools to begin a regular meditation practice.”
It’s a course she normally runs face to face. But in light of current circumstances, Sarah is using Punchpass’ Zoom integration and content library to host and deliver:
- 4 video tutorials exploring what meditation is, how it works and why everyone can do it and explaining techniques.
- 8 downloadable guided meditations to build up students’ meditation practice gradually week by week so that it becomes an easy-to-achieve regular part of day to day life.
- 4 live calls on zoom to answer questions, discuss experiences and share live meditations together as a group. (Sarah records the calls so if someone can’t attend live they can submit questions beforehand and watch the replay on their own time).
Sarah is making these online resources are available to her participants to use for 12 months. Each week’s videos tutorials are uploaded on Fridays before the following week’s call. Replays of Q&A calls are uploaded a day or two after the call, so students can work through them in their own time.
She bundled this course into a series in Punchpass so her clients can book and pay for the whole package for her chosen price of £40 (about $50 USD).
With a bit of creativity and a solid platform, you can follow Sarah’s example and craft packages that your community will love and appreciate.
