Element Fitness Health Club makes the most of Groupon

Element Fitness Health Club in the Melbourne suburb of Nunawading has gone from “waiting for customers” to “waitlisted classes”, largely thanks to featuring on online marketplace Groupon.

Just over a year ago the current owners took over what had been a struggling business with hopes of turning it into a friendly, successful neighbourhood gym. One of the early challenges they faced was engaging members who had become disgruntled from their experience with the previous management.

Initially staff went from cold calling to on-boarding members, communicating the change in management and gathering feedback during the process. However, knowing he also needed to focus on digital marketing in order to reach a wider audience, Manager Andrew Moore turned to  Groupon, which allowed the Club to offer trials to those who might not have been reached through traditional advertising.

12 months on, while the journey hasn't been easy, through great communication and clever marketing the gym is now thriving, having seen a marked increase in foot traffic, digital traction and many offline conversations, resulting in a new challenge - trying to fit people into the classes.

Commenting on the process, Moore explains “working with Groupon has been a very easy process and they have guided us through each step that it has involved. We really wanted to increase foot traffic through the Club, and our campaign has definitely exceeded that."

The Club offers a fully equipped 24/7 gym, with personal training, 50+ group fitness classes, a sauna, cycle studio and reformer Pilates. Catering to all demographics, Element Fitness prides themselves on their customer service, placing importance on listening and acting on what their members are saying.

Advising of how the Club targeted their campaign, Moore adds “each Groupon customer is offered a member induction which allows them to sit down with a personal trainer and go through their goals, their likes and dislikes, further education around the equipment and they are put through a workout as well.

“We also provided Groupon customers with a free water bottle or towel and this extra touch has had a great effect – who doesn’t like receiving free gifts? – (and) so far we have been able to turn these customers into paying members at a rate of 24.6%. This equates to just under 100 members for the club.”

Noting that he has been delighted with the result of this “fantastic campaign” and that putting together an irresistible deal was well worth it, Moor concluded “although it takes a lot of time and effort to provide great customer service, it has help our business grow dramatically. Working with Groupon has been a great experience so far and we look forward to continuing the relationship.”

Images courtesy of Element Fitness Health Club.