Drive revenue with your own virtual content

If you’re not weaving virtual content into your in-person offerings to create an ecosystem of value for your clients, your business is critically missing out. Providing synchronous (livestream) and asynchronous (on-demand) experiences can help your business retain clients by allowing them to enjoy their favorite providers at home or on the go. Then, when clients are on the go they can spread the experience to others by showing off the accountability and community they have with the facility they choose to invest in. 

Digital offerings retain your instructors by giving them a platform where they can be compensated for being their most authentic selves, sharing content they are most passionate about, and having the ability to review and improve their craft. A common excuse I hear from owners and operators is that creating digital content is too much work. With today’s technology and tools, that’s simply not true. Curating an organized digital product with the right systems and vision does not have to break the bank or burn you out. Let’s review how.

Providing livestream and on-demand experiences can help your business retain clients by allowing them to enjoy their favorite providers at home or on the go.

Organize Your Clients' Digital Client Journey

Virtual fitness should be treated like a product that is thoughtfully organized with a clear understanding of what your ideal client's journey to learning and growing with your facility looks like. Take a moment to determine your collections, purchase options, filters, and production timeline.

Collections

These are based on the specific experience you provide. Here are some examples of how to easily separate your virtual offerings into collections:

1. Provider Intros: These short intro videos serve as a window to learning more about specific talent and can also include some nice b-roll footage for people to see a sample of the exercises and energy they may experience in their content.
2. Livestream: Sessions that happen in real-time, are unedited and interactive.
3. Repurposed Livestream: Great for those who can’t attend at a specific time but don’t mind the more raw experience of a live class. Whenever you give an online class using TeamUp's Zoom integration, you can set up your Zoom account to automatically record and post the classes.
4. Tutorials: Short informative videos about specific poses, exercises, equipment, or lifestyle tips.
5. Workshops/Courses: Opportunities for clients to dive deeper into their practice and knowledge of whatever your facility’s specialties are.
6. High-Production Content: On-demand content filmed in as high production quality as possible with the budget, knowledge, and skills available.

Note that what you call collections is absolutely up to you and your brand; you may have collections that behave like the above ideas but have a much more catchy title that is on-brand for your facility. You don’t need to have all of these collections included in your digital offering—pick and choose where to start.

Purchase Options

Next, you’ll want to determine your purchasing options, determining which collections are available based on the membership types you’d like clients, subscribers, or potential clients to have access to.

Determine which clients may be granted access to which collections, who needs to pay, and how much.

• Free Content: Determine the content you are okay with offering for free. Provider intros and tutorial-type videos and maybe 1-2 featured livestreams and high-production videos are usually enough free options to entice new clients.
• Single Purchase: Specialized and high-value content, like workshops and courses, can easily be sold as a one-off purchase. With TeamUp, you have the option to sell single videos in your online store. So while current and potential clients are browsing your memberships, supplements, and swag, they can purchase a single video!
• Subscription: It’s highly likely your in-person clients have friends or family who are not local but would be interested in paying a monthly subscription to access your facility’s content. There may also be clients who will be gone for extended periods of time, and instead of canceling or freezing their in-person membership (no revenue for you), they can switch to the online subscription (continued monthly revenue). 
• Membership: For clients who pay a monthly membership for in-person services, you can either provide your digital content as a complement to their membership for no additional charge or control membership tiers. An example of these tiers could be Level 1 - access to pre-recorded, Level 2 - access to pre-recorded and livestream, Level 3 - access to pre-recorded, livestream, and workshops, or the ability to meet a provider once per month for a virtual session. 
  
  

Filters

After you’ve determined the collections you’ll create and how the business behind your offerings will drive revenue for your facility, you’ll need to clarify the organization of each collection. Here are some examples of filters you can create for your offerings.

• Time 
  • Duration: 15, 30, 45, 60+ minutes
  • Livestream Day and Time of Day 
  • Time of Year: Seasons, Holidays, Month-Long Observances 
• Type 
  • Equipment: Mat, Dumbbells, Bike etc.
  • Intensity: Easy, Medium, Hard
  • Experience Level: 1, 2, 3 or Beginner to Advanced
  • Format: Mind-Body, Cardio, Strength, etc.
• Talent
  • Instructor Name
  • Music/Vibe: High Energy, Hip Hop, Dance/EDM etc.

Produce Like a Pro

While your facility may not have the production time, energy, and budget that companies like Peloton and Apple Fitness+ do, that doesn’t mean you can create excellent videos on a budget. With the right planning, you can also record a lot of content in a short amount of time. Here are some strategies to make producing and recording content valuable, easy, and low-cost.

Digital offerings retain instructors by offering a platform where they can be compensated for being their authentic selves, share content they are passionate about, and improve their craft.

Designate a Digital Team

When organizing and overseeing who is responsible for delivering and producing the content, ensure these roles are considered, trained, and reviewed regularly for continued quality control.

Talent

Select instructors who can:

• Interact with the camera as if it were a person.
• Mirror their physical and verbal cueing to the opposite right/left.
• Receive and act on direct feedback in real-time.
• Demonstrate perfect form while exaggerating movements.
• Teach with little to no music.
• Use specific exercise names for digital content so they stay consistent for the viewer.
  
  

Production

The team that determines the content schedule, organizes the shoots, and films the videos.

Post-Production

The team who edits and uploads each video.

Marketing

Ensure your marketing team has the content calendar along with short, bite-size videos, and dynamic screenshots to create fun reels, posts, and embedded content for websites and marketing emails.

Welcome Desk and Membership

Educate other departments on when, where, and how clients can access digital content. 

Save Time and Money

As mentioned before, the most common reason facilities no longer create their own digital content is the additional time and money required. The value is clear for clients, but it’s up to you to determine the budget for both time and money and act accordingly. Here are some strategies to save on both:

1. Schedule: Create a production schedule that allows your team to “batch record” enough content for at least a quarter. Prepare and script as much as possible to avoid retakes so there is less time spent on post-production editing. With the right talent, there should only be some trimming, adding music, and possibly adding a pre-recorded intro or outro required when editing.
2. Invest in Audio: A phone with enough storage is all you need for a quality video. You should only spend money on microphones. Most viewers are not watching intently. They are more than likely on the go or too distracted at home to notice if the video quality isn’t perfect, but if there is an echo or low-quality sound coming through their headphones, it will be a painful experience. 
3. Music: Unless you want to pay Beyoncé directly for the licensed music an instructor played on their device during a recorded class, add unlicensed music in post-production. It’s also a much better experience for the viewer.

Evaluate and Act

Review content and take action on improving the experience and metrics (in ways that don’t cost more money). Here are some things to look out for:

Experience

• Camera Angle: Would the viewer feel like they are meeting eyes with the instructor, or is the instructor looking up or down on them?
• Lighting: Does the lighting match the energy of the video while breaking up the talent from the equipment and their surroundings?
• Backup Dancers: Consider inviting other instructors or clients to participate as backup energy or to demonstrate options for exercises. Some might accept a gift card or even volunteer to do this.
• Wardrobe: Avoid dark colors and distracting patterns on clothing. Solid, bright colors look the sharpest, break up talent from the background, and are the easiest to follow for the viewer.
  
  

Monitor your Data

Ideally, the platform you use to upload and sell your content can help you track and evaluate the success of individual videos and even offer filters to plan your next production schedule with these values: 

• Total Views
• Watch Time
• Device Used
• Feedback/Reviews

Schedule time with as many members of the digital team as possible to discuss how you can continue to create unique content that is relevant to your current clients while attracting new ones. 

In today's digital age, integrating virtual content with physical offerings is essential for businesses aiming to enhance client engagement and retention. By providing both synchronous and asynchronous experiences, such as livestreams and on-demand classes, businesses can cater to clients' preferences for flexibility and accessibility. This approach not only helps retain clients who can continue their fitness journey remotely but also empowers instructors by allowing them to showcase their expertise and creativity. Contrary to common concerns, creating digital content can be efficient and cost-effective with modern tools and strategies, ensuring a seamless client experience and sustained business growth.

👀 Check out our guide on Creating and Monetizing Your Own Digital Content to drive revenue at your facility!

Staci is committed to helping fitness managers and club operators elevate their programs, instructors, and leadership. As an experienced consultant and strategic planner for digital and in-person offerings, her clients range from large luxury health clubs and international companies to small studios. She has designed world-class studios on a tight budget, launched signature formats, and built turnkey solutions for enhancing systems, leaders, and talent. Staci is also a master instructor and established presenter, podcaster, writer, and YouTube influencer, regularly interviewing and collaborating with industry thought leaders.

Click here for more information on working with Staci, or email her at contact@stacialden.com for more information.