How to master the fitness studio customer experience and get more clients

If you’re a fitness studio owner, you know that the customer journey is important. Whether it’s yoga, pilates, barre, HIIT or anything else fitness, the experience your customers have is crucial to retention — from the time they learn about your studio till the time they leave their first class you need to make sure your clients have a positive experience in your studio.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in massive changes for studio owners, such as having to temporarily close their businesses.

Based on the title of this post, I can imagine that you are thinking to yourself: how can this NOT impact the customer journey does this impact the customer journey? Well evidently it has, but insofar as the customer journey is concerned, it has remained for the most part much the same.

Granted your customers can't be physically in the studio (only 25% of the puzzle!), but the majority of the ways in which you can retain current and attract new customers is in fact identical.

The customer journey is still circular - meaning you are continuously having to work to keep those clients coming back for more. You will continue to have to work to keep your existing clients engaged, feeding their personal motivation and invigorate the sense of community. Potential clients will continue to need to hear the benefits about your studio and your offering - why they should choose you. The bottom line is that communication is still the most important factor of the customer journey.

Throughout the stages of customer interaction, there is key information we should identify, understand and consider:

Tasks: What is the user trying to achieve?

• Questions: What does the user want to know?

• Touchpoints: How does the user interact with the business?

• Emotions: What is the user feeling at this stage in the process?

• Weaknesses: How does the business let the user down at this stage?

• Influences: Who or what is helping shape the user’s experience?

With all that being said, take a closer look at the graphic above and ask yourself, how can you use communication tools to replace those (temporarily) missing pieces to create an even stronger brand identity online?

Catalina's consultancy, Telomere Consulting, provides 1:1 coaching, strategy fitness consulting and marketing automation for fitness studios ('done-with-you' and 'done-for-you') looking to serve their purpose and become even more profitable. Catalina also coaches her clients with fitness consulting strategies for sales, pricing, and the creation of new revenue streams.

Telomere Consulting provides boutique fitness studio business plans through strategic insights and advisory services to clients in the fitness and wellness industry. Catalina and her team provide end-to-end marketing support on all things boutique fitness and would love to hear from you. Click here to book your free intro call. We want to help you treat your business the way you would treat your body – making the right choices now to optimize its potential for a long and healthy life. Visit us here to learn more.