How to prepare your class-based business for the New Year and beyond

Running a business means you’re always thinking ahead. That means that the New Year is probably on your mind right about now. For class-based business (especially gyms!) January is one of the busiest months of the year. Resolutions and gift cards bring new prospects in the door, and strategy can keep them coming back.

Here’s what you should be thinking about now to optimize your business for 2018.

Adorn your content with holiday spirit

New Year’s resolutions may start January 1st, but people are thinking about them earlier than that (hint: now). Capture people’s attention as they’re shopping around for holiday gifts. If their New Year’s resolution is to go to the gym regularly, learn a new instrument or take up krav maga, they just might choose your business to start their journey. Or maybe your content will inspire a new resolution in them.

Make an impression on prospects now, so that come January 1st your business is top of mind. Then make sure you have some awesome January offers to help retain your new clients.

Get ready for the New Year rush

It doesn’t matter how many new clients you have walk in the door on January 1st if your business isn’t ready for them. Have special classes prepared for new clients trying out your business. These should be designed as a overview of your services that give clients an idea of what a membership at your business would be like.

To make your business even more appealing to prospects, offer special New Year challenges that span more than one class. Examples might include a weight-loss challenge or a course to learn an instrument in 12 weeks. Give your clients a goal to help them keep coming back each week.

Keep the rush going beyond January

The New Year’s rush will bring new clients to your business, but you’ll have to give them a reason to coming back. Only 8% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions actually keep them. To retain your new clients, try these strategies.

• Offer special membership deals to people who take one of your January intro classes. The best time to offer this deal is at the end of the class that they just had a great time in.
  
  
• Make a huge effort to learn your new clients’ names. It will make them feel supported and included in your community, making them more likely to want to spend time there.

The most important thing will be to make sure your clients have fun. At the end of the day, that’s the single greatest factor that will keep them coming back to your classes again and again.

There are a lot of ways to make your classes fun and keep your clients engaged. How do you do it? Let us know in the comments!