When you’ve successfully secured students and clients, that doesn’t mean you should stop your efforts in keeping them engaged. In fact, once you have regular customers – whether in person or virtually during lockdown – it’s important to find ways to show these folks your appreciation and that you are dedicated to their whole fitness or wellness journey. Part of your role as a health, wellness, or fitness professional is to create a journey so that they will want to continue on that path with you. Here are just a few ways that you can build loyalty and retain your students or clients:

Take note of their anniversary

Like any relationship, anniversaries matter! If you use a class registration system like OfferingTree, you should be able to easily look back at your registration records and find out when students or clients first came to see you for a class or service. Take note of this and find a way to celebrate! This might look like a simple thank you email for their business. Small gestures and appreciation can go a long way. You could also offer a special discount or perk for their loyalty.

Get to know your students and clients

This might seem obvious but taking time to learn names can really help students or clients feel welcome and like they’re part of a community. Also, make an effort to learn about what motivates your student or client to take your offering, whether it’s a yoga class, fitness boot camp, or bodywork. This will help your client feel heard, not to mention could help you in other ways. For example, if your client has a compelling story, you could ask them if you could write a blog or social media post highlighting their story. This leads us to another tactic…

Feature them in your marketing

Each of your clients has a story and while not everyone will want to be featured on your social media, newsletter, or blog, this is a great way to show that you’re invested in their journey. Not to mention this is another great way to build content for your marketing platforms!

Create a wellness or fitness journey

Think of your student or client’s wellness or fitness as a journey. They originally came to your offering for a reason but as time goes on, that reason might shift. Support their growth and keep them interested. Workshops, events, and special series are great ways to keep their experience with you dynamic and fulfilling.

Send thank you notes

In our digital world, handwritten notes have truly become a novelty. If it’s within your capacity to do so, consider sending your clients a quick thank you card or note – in the mail! This personal touch will surely be remembered and there’s a good chance they’ll mention it to you when they see you next! Another idea is to send cards around a major holiday like Christmas, New Year’s, or Thanksgiving.

Set up an online forum

This tactic works well if you have a group of regulars that come to your classes but even if you offer private classes or offerings, having an online group is an excellent way to foster community. Setting up an online community with a tool like Facebook Groups, is easy to do and will also provide your students with another avenue to stay engaged and supported. Remember, motivation, connection, and community are big reasons why people seek out group classes.

Building a relationship with your students and clients is an important part of your business and we hope this gives you some tangible ways to make that happen! OfferingTree’s suite of tools will help make it easy to keep track of your clients while implementing some of these ideas! We’d love to hear how you keep your students and clients engaged. Share with us at [email protected] or post a comment!