Lakeside Fitness Center: A Como Success Story
By Greg DiRenzo, Owner, Lakeside Fitness Center
I run a health club in Oakland, New Jersey, and up until fairly recently we didn’t have a lot of technology as far as for marketing, advertising, client retention, etc. We were more of a word-of-mouth and pen and paper organization. I was looking to provide an easier way for our members to do business with us and provide them with an easy and simple way to stay connected with Lakeside Fitness. Social media is huge, and smart phones are used more and more as “connection” tools. I wanted to capitalize on this and keep adding convenient ways for our facility to stay connected with our members.
We’re 100 percent in the service business. A lot say that, but as a health club, we sell value, comfort and “happiness.” Adding value is paramount within this industry. Eventually everyone cancels their membership, for reasons such as relocating to another area, having financial issues, feeling like they want to try something/someplace new, getting older, feeling bored, etc. Our job is to continually elevate our value and keep members as long as we can, and adding things like apps that help them stay connected with us gives us a much better retention rate.
When we took over over this location in January 2013 there were a few challenges to overcome. Sometimes, the culture of a fitness center isn’t where it should be, in terms of both staff and membership. Demonstrating the passion we need to show for helping our members was paramount. I want the club to be known as a leader in fitness and in customer service. Customer service is all about connection and staying positively engaged with our members, which develops trust.
Every quarter we add something of value. Maybe its new equipment, maybe it’s a more efficient process, maybe its several things.
I did a Google search to find out about creating a mobile app to help us better connect and engage with our members, and Como was the company I ended up choosing. I’ve been very pleased with the results so far. I like that I have control over the content. When I need to modify the class exercise schedule, I can do that in a matter of seconds. I like the template and formats that the app has; it made it a no-brainer to design a user-friendly and more than adequate app. It enables me to incorporate coupon cards, membership promos, pics, social media links, member acquisition tools – the list goes on and on.
Having an app has helped in many ways. We get more and better referrals from existing members. Digital drink and coupon cards are easier to create, and it helps with eliminating clutter and paper. And with all the snowstorms we had last winter, we were able to quickly and efficiently notify members of early closings or delayed openings.
The bottom line is that our members love it. They are using it daily and I am always getting positive feedback on how user-friendly and comprehensive it is.
In the future, I plan to be slightly more aggressive with it as a sales tool. We will be utilizing app promos more often going forward as well as a daily or weekly motivational message blast.
I have a message for anyone who is still on the fence about promoting their business with a mobile app: If you don’t think your business needs one, you are probably still playing cassette tapes! It is a requirement if you want to stay connected to your clients and potential clients. And Como makes it easy!