Gyms in England finally got some good news! ???? The country’s recovery roadmap sets out the 12th April as the reopening date for all indoor and outdoor leisure facilities. Time to start re-engaging with members!

With mass vaccination in progress and COVID cases decreasing by the day, it’s hard not to feel the joy. This might be the last time we ever have to isolate ourselves and stay at a distance from loved ones and our favourite activities. While the path to full recovery is still a long one, there are many things you can start to implement in your gym’s marketing strategy.

Let’s look at a couple of fitness content ideas for your newsletter that will be beneficial to your exercisers right now!

. . .

1. Nutrition is as important as exercise

Anyone who’s trying to make a lifestyle change, whether their goal is to lose weight or bulk up, knows how important it is to follow a good food regime. What to choose for your diet, however, becomes an impossible task.

Today’s social media is saturated with work out tips, clips and motivators. While nutrition is often covered in the description, it’s almost never the key focus. At the same users are likely to get influenced by sponsored content from local restaurants or friends who post “guilty pleasures” (in other words, their latest takeaway).

According to Statista, 60% of young adults increased their delivery frequency during the initial months of COVID. By the end of 2020, delivery orders reached a surge of 400%.

???? Shooting and sharing On Demand content is not just about exercising.

The content we are exposed to — on social media and elsewhere — influences our food choices.

So why don’t you use the existing relationship you’ve built with members of your gym to share best practices not only with exercise but also with food habits?

Providing nutrition content can increase the engagement with your fitness club’s newsletter and start a conversation in a different, more meaningful direction.

. . .

2. Don’t overlook mental health

1 in 4 people experience mental health issues each year. These vary from eating disorders and depression to burnout and chronic stress.

More recently, Statista found a drop in the level of happiness with one’s own “emotional health“ and depression spikes during the pandemic.

As a consequence of the pandemic, adults worldwide are expected to have suffered long-lasting mental health. While physical activity is highly recommended for a good overall wellbeing, you can’t just cut corners when it comes to mental health.

????‍♂️ Wearing the hat of a “life coach” could improve your fitness reach. 

Motivation comes in many forms. Educating your community about mental health and offering content that can help them throughout the challenging times will pay off. Not only will you position yourself as a trustworthy source of information and support, but you will also increase the engagement time with your gym-goers.

How can you introduce a mental health section in your newsletter?

• • Add guest posts from your PTs who do yoga or meditation classes
  • Look up videos that show breathing techniques
  • Check out the Mental Health Foundation for inspiration
  • Offer 1-to-1 wellbeing consultations

. . .

3. Get personal with staff members and PTs

Before we make a buying decision today, we are likely to do some research online and find out more about the available options. Similarly, before users really engage with a brand, they often like to learn more about the people on the other side.

Using your newsletter to tell more about your facility and employees is an easy and effective form of content marketing.

???? Focus on the staff members that would welcome members back to your facility.

Raising the profiles of your team members is likely to encourage more engagement with your brand. Share what staff members have been up to during the lockdown and throughout the preparation for reopening. This could include anything from home workouts and food regimes to the latest Netflix shows watched.

Making your marketing more human starts with your team.

Listen to Neil Haughin, one of the UK’s leading experts in gym and health club pre-sales, for more digital insights.

. . .

4. Who’s your member of the month?

Working out remotely with members is just another opportunity to nurture and strengthen your fitness community.

Think of online coaching sessions as one of the elements to a digital gym membership. The clients that joined those virtual classes might be the ambassadors for your new hybrid offerings post-COVID.

????‍♀️ Let your gym members be the happy faces that speak on your behalf.

Reach out to your most active members that have been engaging with your Zoom classes or social media content, or even opening your emails, and get their permission to shout about how awesome they are. Better yet, ask them how they’ve been doing lately!

Here are 6 simple open questions that will allow you to keep a friendly tone while also hearing more directly from your most engaged members:

• • What you love / miss most about the gym?
  • If the pandemic was a workout, how would you call it?
  • What does the future of fitness look like to you?
  • Have you picked up some new hobbies during the lockdown?
  • What’s your biggest health or lifestyle goal for 2021?
  • Do you have a favourite motivational quote you’d share with our community?

. . .

Time to start writing!

It’s hard to imagine that in the past year fitness clubs have spent more months closed down than open. COVID-19 accelerated a digital transformation that was already in the making. So throughout the social distancing, gyms had no other choice but to become content creation machines in order to stay connected with members. Use the current opportunity to share some good news with your gym-goers and reinvent your newsletter.

As your team prepares to re-open and welcome back members, use the knowledge of the past year and make your fitness newsletter the email your exercisers are excited to open and share with friends. ????