Virtual Fitness Tips for Business Owners & Instructors

If you're a fitness business owner or instructor who is new to running virtual sessions, you're probably still getting comfortable with the whole online thing. Having helped and seen a lot of our customers make the move online, we've decided to put together a list of tips to help your new virtual business get the best results possible. Keep in mind that perfection is not the goal or expectation, what matters is that you're showing up for your clients and giving them a way to stay healthy and connected whilst stuck at home.

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1. Make sure everybody's in the loop

If you haven't set up email marketing already - now is the time to do it. Add all your current clients and past clients to something like Mailchimp and begin your outbound. Here is an email template you can use.

Do the same with Social Media. We shared this image below with the attached content and it's been hugely successful!

This pandemic has been a massive blow to the world! It has affected our own business and other businesses, clients and everyone really!

This is the second month of lockdown in Ireland, but instead of focusing on what we can't do, we at __ are focusing on what WE CAN.

Over the last month or so, we've been making the move online so that we can keep helping our clients. We want to make sure that our clients stay healthy - and most importantly -STAY HOME.

If you're interested in learning more about our interactive virtual sessions then just send us a dm and we can set you up! If you've been affected personally and can't afford something right now I'm sure we can work something out!

Thank you to all of our clients who've made the transition so easy and the feedback so far has been fantastic.

You should also use email marketing and social media for more than just acquisition. It's your main means of communication during this pandemic with active clients, so weekly emails, newsletters, and posting as much as possible should become the norm!

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2. Explain the ground rules!

This is incredibly important. Whether its a person's first online session or 101st - you need to explain how virtual sessions work in general. Here are a few suggestions to mention at the beginning of all sessions!

• Explain the logistics of online sessions to your client or clients e.g. how the sessions are run, when the breaks will be, etc.
• Get clients to turn their camera's on (and at an appropriate angle) - otherwise, how can you properly coach/instruct them? We hear a lot of client concerns when it comes to this - but realistically, what do they do in a live session scenario when everyone can also "see them". The biggest advantage you have over our good friend Joe Wicks with interactive sessions is that you can see, coach, and encourage your clients!
• Mute Your Clients from the start. This not only will allow you to explain the logistics and get everyone to turn their cameras on, but it'll also improve the experience for all participants. With everyone being muted, participants will hear and see you only which is crucial. Also, there won't be panting and screaming coming through everyone's devices from people who are finding your session super tough.
• Tell your clients to wave or 'Raise Hand' (Zoom Feature) if they're experiencing issues.

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3. Use the same Zoom link every time

This is your new virtual gym/studio space! Use the same link so people can always join your sessions. This can sometimes be the most complicated part of setting up for virtual sessions. Luckily we've created a tutorial of how to set this up on LEGIT FIT so the process is really seamless for both you and your clients! (see below)

4. Be the facilitator

Now more than ever we need to cultivate the community aspect of our businesses.

People are at home, isolated, lonely, and probably sick of what seems like groundhog day. Can you be the facilitator of change? Can you inspire some hope and nurture some relationships during this time of need? Of course you can - so here are some suggestions from us ;)

• Run a quiz for your clients online every few weeks (use Kahoot for this)
• Run a game of Bingo maybe?
• Who wants to be a millionaire, anyone?
• Simply have a cup of good old fashioned Tae!*
• What about running something like a nutritional webinar or exercise specific webinar for people?

*We've actually heard of some customers doing this at the end of sessions and we think it's absolutely brilliant.

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5. Host Q&A sessions for clients and/or potential clients

Now that you've got some extra time, let's add some extra value to your service. Hold weekly webinars (same time, same place i.e. zoom) where you can answer any questions or queries your clients may have.

Give them the link before-hand and tell them to bring 2 friends so they can all ask questions completely free of charge. Your clients will be so grateful that you�re adapting to new circumstances and you might even get a few new leads in the (virtual) door.

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6. Send follow-ups and ask for feedback

This is going to be a new experience for most of your clients, and admittedly we're all figuring things out as we go. However, just because we're figuring it out as we go, doesn't mean that we should "take it easy" on ourselves. We need to (have to) get better for our business's sake.

That's why it's crucial that you take the time to reach out to clients after class - ask them how they liked it, what they'd like to see more or less of, and just generally let them know that you're still available, even if you aren't seeing them in person.

If you feel that they're holding back, we'd suggest sending them an anonymous survey to get some real insights. Here are the only questions you need to ask:

a. What did you like about the session?

b. What could we do better next time?

c. Is there anything we could change?

d. Any further comments?

This should yield some good insights and isn't too off-putting as it's only 3 questions really!

We hope you found some value from this week's blog post. If you ever need any help or have any questions, please don't hesitate and reach out to us. You don't have to be using us or switching to us to get help either! It's for the benefit of the whole industry that we work together - now more than ever we need to support each other!