Climbing gyms are inevitably reopening soon, thanks to the growing number of vaccinations and the result of year-long lockdowns and restrictions. Climbers will soon have the ability to go back to their beloved gyms again. Based on Vertical-Life’s Coronavirus Impact Study the second biggest challenge gyms need to face is to win back customers after the lockdown.
Boost your gym's reopening by providing information about your gym as soon as they are available, keep the safety guidelines, target and motivate your climbers so they will not only go back to your gym but will become returning visitors.
How to Boost Your Gym and Maximize Efficiency After Covid
Here are five ways you can maximize your gym’s efficiency - and grow your business again - following the reopening of your gym after covid.
1. Communicate when will your climbing gym reopen
It is easy to forget that your climbers are not necessarily up to date with the latest local news and restrictions affecting your gym.
To update your climbers about the status of your gym, try communicating frequently and consistently. Try using all of your available social channels and websites. Highlighting this information is recommended as a tagged post or a highlighted news so that your climbers will know exactly what is going on. Do not forget to stay consistent on all of your platforms. This may reduce the chance of getting lost between the channels. Elevation Bouldering Gym uses their Google Business account to provide updates on the gyms status on a daily basis.
2. Distancing and regular sanitizing
Vertical-Life’s study about the impact of covid says that even though 50% of climbers feel rather confident regarding the dangers of the pandemic, 30% of climbers are in a neutral mindset. To reduce risk and provide climbers a safe environment to go back to, many gyms have reacted instantly with new safety rules regarding distancing, regular sanitizing, and a reduced number of group training. As Chris Sharma has told in an interview with CBJ, the best thing you could do is to keep the local guidelines and provide extra care on reducing crowd gatherings.
"Your climbers should receive useful branded content regarding opening schedules and information about the gym"
3. Targeted digital marketing
Based on Mindbody’s research, 59% of customers say that email marketing campaigns influence their habits. Reaching out to your climbers with monthly newsletters and marketing emails is key to a successful reopening after the pandemic. On one hand, your climbers should receive useful branded content regarding opening schedules and information about the gym. On the other hand, they are, most likely, receiving thousands of emails per day, so breaking through the noise is crucial in getting your words delivered.One best practice to engage with your visitors is to personalize your campaigns and messages. Walls upgraded with Clift Climbing offer you insights into your climbers' habits and goals. This data helps you to not only target individuals but to provide them meaningful feedback about their climbing progression. Personalized offers and emails boost climbers' motivation level in going back to your gym as quickly as possible.
4. Organize digital competitions and challenges
Capacity restrictions should not limit the thrive of your gym’s community. Competitions and local leagues are the best ways to socialize in gyms. As restrictions limit gym capacity and may deny all group events, it seems hard to organize events in your gym. To get over this many gyms have started streaming their competitions live on their social channels. Clift can help you to take it to the next level. Digitally set routes and games can be shared online with your climbers. They participate in them whenever they would like to, no need for organizing big events. Climbers' progress can be followed on the online leaderboards, which not only start new conversations but motivates them to go back to their gym more frequently.
5. Motivate your climbers so they will visit again
Rebuilding walls is the most common way of motivating climbers, so they become returning visitors. Unfortunately, as capacity restrictions limit the time windows when visitors can go to the gym, closing down even one wall section can harm the gym’s performance, especially in the first period of reopenings. Walls upgraded with Clift Climbing let you set new digital routes or boulders in a couple of minutes thanks to the Clift Touch-sensors with built-in LEDs. The best part of it is that you don't need to purchase extra holds or new sets, as the sensors can be equipped for all types of holds, even behind your old ones. Letting your routesetters set routes digitally maximizes your efficiency and reduces the renewal time of your walls. This means your climbers won't get bored of your walls again.
In short, communicate regularly, keep the best practice rules, track your visitors so you can motivate them with digital campaigns and challenges. Combine these with digitally renewed walls and your visitor count will grow again!
Interested in trying Clift Climbing out in your gym?
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