Last year brought changes not only in the way we move but the way we live, interact, work and teach. Many of the shifts we’re currently experiencing are a direct result of pandemic survival. We’ve spent a year ‘social distancing,’ but as humans, we crave human connection, we want to feel a sense of belonging–belonging to our family, friends, and community. Human interaction and connection are essential to our wellbeing.
So lately we’ve been asking ourselves, how can we return to sparking that ‘feel good’ reward of connection and movement, embrace the joy of music and beat, and help our communities reconnect, relieve stress and feel part of something bigger?
As many places start to emerge from isolation, here are a few tips we’ve rounded up for re-engaging and reigniting your members and community:
1. MAKE IT ABOUT COMMUNITY
Limited access to social interaction in 2020 has caused a LOT of people to feel isolated, alone and craving human connection. Gyms and health clubs have long been a place to congregate, have a healthy date or quick ‘sweat-working’ session, but brands should go the extra mile and use their voices to promote connection.
For POUND®, community and inclusion are equally as important as the workout itself and something we continually speak of in our communications. Having a sense of compassion, vulnerability and accessibility to each other creates a lasting bond and nurtures a sense of belonging. We are their support system, their accountability partner, their encourager, and their family. We need each other now more than ever!
TURN IT UP: Check out the marketing materials in our venue hub for shareable POUND assets with messaging like Join the Band and Rock with Us
2. INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY
We all get by with a little help from our friends, and local and small businesses need our support more than ever in this time–show your community you support them by partnering with like-minded local businesses. Host a few free classes for frontline workers or partner with a nearby coffee shop to provide free coffee for your members on select days.Talk to the businesses in your area about reciprocal discounts you can provide to your members and vice versa–again, we need each other!
TURN IT UP: One of our favorite ways to bring the community together is through an event called “POUND + Pour”. This can be put on by gyms or Pros and consist of a 30-minute POUND class followed by drinks (beers, coffees or smoothies)! We also provide specific marketing materials just for these events! Check them out here.
3. CREATE A SAFE SPACE
Be sure that your environment is a safe one that people will feel comfortable returning too! Be sure to follow the CDC regulation in your area and socially distance your participants. Check out this blog on POUND’s recommended safety protocols. Another great way to show your members your commitment to their safety and cleanliness is to post a picture on socials of your class space to make people feel comfortable returning to your venue.
In addition, be mindful that the space is ‘emotionally’ safe as well. Social separation and lack of interaction have different impacts on all of us as humans. Have your staff and Pro be aware of and honor all emotions – POUND is a place to LET IT ALL OUT! Use this flagship brand pillar to inspire and motivate those to remember why they loved POUND to begin with aka RELEASE OF THE INNER ROCKSTAR!
TURN IT UP: Have your Pro hand out Mantra Cards (available in your Marketing Materials) to help inspire, motivate, and uplift your Posse. This is a simple way to show your members love and help them feel connected.
4. MAKE MENTAL HEALTH A PRIORITY
If anything has come out of this last year of isolation, stress and uncertainty (other than how to navigate Zoom), it’s that focusing on our mental well-being needs to be a top priority. People will be looking for ways to relieve anxiety and boost their mood and fitness and holistic wellness will be a huge part of that. Mental Health has always been central to POUND’s mission, so we’re excited that this critical component of overall health has been getting more attention.
We celebrate putting minds before bodies, lifting spirits, getting people to TUNE IN to themselves, and helping people all over the world release their inner rockstars while leaving stress and other negative junk (frustration, aggression, sadness and more!) on the workout floor. “Drumming emphasizes self-expression, teaches how to rebuild emotional health, and addresses issues of violence and conflict through expression and integration of emotions,” says Music Educator Ed Mikenas. Over the last decade, various studies have shown how drumming has been successfully used to improve social functioning and treat mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, addictions, aggression, and PTSD symptoms.
TURN IT UP: Have your Pro create a Facebook Page for your gyms posse members. Some Posse members need the love and support outside of class just as much as they do in class. Knowing that their Pro is there for them outside of the gym setting is reassuring and holds them accountable to come back to class each week!
5. ….AND DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN
With all the complete HEAVINESS this last year has brought, we’re craving some good ol’ fashion FUN. Have a random costume contest for a free month or class pack. Throw an outdoor POUND + Pour with your local brewery or wine bar to welcome Spring. Contests, special events, special touches at the front door or in the locker room help to create positive memories and give people something to look forward to.
BONUS MATERIAL: In addition to hundreds of assets available to market and promote your POUND classes, we’ve created a few special videos and stories to help our venue partners REIGNITE their community–enjoy! And if there’s anything else you need assistance with, our team at POUND HQ is more than happy to help. We’re here for each other and together we’ll ROCK 2021!
