Gyms are quickly evolving. Members are now looking way beyond just spaces to work out. They want a full gym experience that takes a holistic approach to wellness without all the hassle that used to entail.
Digital signage is a powerful tool that can help businesses and gym owners engage and motivate clients while empowering staff. It’s not about looking fancy — it’s a real solution to real problems.
Below, we’ll go over the basics of digital signage and explore both its benefits and how you can implement it into your wellness space.
What Is Digital Signage?
Digital signage refers to the use of digital screens to display dynamic and/or interactive content. In the specific case of business, digital signage also entails its use for advertising, wayfinding, and engagement purposes, among others.
For a clear example of digital signage, imagine a screen at a hospital. Usually, it will show several informative messages that communicate educational and entertainment content. This helps not only keep patients informed but also to accelerate visit times and boost retention.
Digital signage for gyms works to promote and show workout classes, schedules, promotions, motivational content, and several other media. Its uses are pretty much endless, and it ultimately represents the impression clients get of your business.
But how exactly does modern digital signage differ from other kinds of media shown on screens?
It all comes down to how the media is presented. Digital signage focuses on interactive experiences and dynamic content, which serves multiple purposes to keep residents engaged. It’s not just a board — it’s a communication hub.
Key Benefits of Digital Signage for Gyms
Implementing tech in an inclusive gym design is synonymous with dozens of benefits, and digital signage is no exception. The most obvious benefit is making the gym feel much more engaging. Enough of printed posters and wall art — screens offer a live-updating alternative. New members will be welcomed to a colorful, breathing business that showcases its main features at a glance.
Existing clients will be motivated to keep up with, for example, challenges and dynamic leaderboards. This translates directly to better engagement rates while informing them of current events happening in their fitness community.
You can also use these new digital spaces to promote health content. Nutrition tips, form and technique breakdowns, and motivational content can all keep your clients fully compromised of their well-being. As for you and your staff members, you’ll find that communication will be improved in pretty much all areas. Did a class get canceled at the last minute? Make the info go live instantly instead of overwhelming your front desk staff.
The possibilities are pretty much endless when it comes to digital content — and digital signage for gyms reaps all of them.
Types of Digital Signage & Best Use Cases
Here are a few common types of digital signage and their use cases:
- Digital displays: The most common type of digital signage refers to traditional screens displaying multimedia content.
- Interactive displays: Often used in retail, these allow the users to engage with the media.
- Kiosks: Overlapping with interactive displays, kiosks allow users to self-service parts of an operation (such as ordering food), ensuring immersive experiences.
- Mobile displays: These rely on the user’s devices to show important information.
- Digital billboards: These are ideal for scenarios that require media to be shown outdoors.
You could also divide digital signage depending on each specific function, such as advertising, information, and self-service. But let’s be real — that probably doesn’t matter much in the context of a gym. Your screens will, ideally, serve multiple purposes at once.
Digital Signage for Gyms
Gyms can reap pretty much all the benefits of digital signage. The modern, multifaceted approach to fitness aligns perfectly with the idea of having a central communication hub that’s synchronized across your gym. But what are some practical use cases for digital signage in gyms?
For example, you could show class schedules and availability. Instead of overwhelming your staff with hundreds of inquiries from members, you can just show real-time openings and hours. We also mentioned motivation before — digital leaderboards, daily challenges, and frequent competitions can all be showcased on your screens. We all know that a competitive member is, above all, an engaged member.
Proper form and technique tips and breakdowns should be part of any digital signage for a gym. This will not only save your trainers some time and effort but also prevent possible injuries in the long run. And, last but not least, never forget about announcing news and promotions! Use any opportunity to promote and highlight new equipment, discounts, upcoming events, and any other important info.
Digital Signage for Multifamily Housing & Wellness Spaces
Digital signage is usable in pretty much any context. Let’s look at another example closely related to the gym industry: large multifamily housing and wellness spaces.
Apartment complexes with integrated gyms can take advantage of digital signage to promote classes, programs, and community challenges. Once again, the core idea is to boost resident engagement and improve the quality of life for residents.
Wayfinding also has its place in large businesses and apartment complexes. Interactive maps and maintenance alerts can save a lot of time for residents — and quite a few headaches for the staff.
Even if an integrated fitness space isn’t available, owners can still take advantage of digital signage players to promote virtual fitness and wellness content. Yoga sessions, nutrition tips, on-demand classes, and dozens of other options will be just a few clicks away.
Key Components for Digital Signage Successful Implementation
The benefits of a well-implemented digital signage system are evident, but exactly what does successful implementation mean? Being such a large, interconnected, and synchronized system, digital signage requires its fair share of infrastructure before it can work properly. Below is a quick breakdown of a few key ideas to keep in mind:
User-Friendly Software Management
First of all, you’ll want to make sure you have a solid digital signage software infrastructure behind the scenes. Remember that this system will be used by your staff too, so avoiding long hours of training is paramount.
You don’t want a system that’s too clunky and slow. Relevant content should be dynamic — and the software behind it should reflect that. Updates should be a frequent part of the system to avoid bugs and optimization errors, so look for companies that stay on top of things.
A good platform should integrate smoothly with your current capabilities while being scalable enough to support future changes. This will handle the interconnectivity and foundations of your digital signage system.
You’ll also need a good Content Management System (CMS) to schedule and automate the content as needed. At Fitness On Demand, we provide exactly that — along with hundreds of hours of on-demand classes and fitness content.
If you’re meaning to create some media yourself, keep in mind that you’ll need a team and software capable of handling that, too.
Reliable Internet Connectivity
Without good Internet, there’s no interconnectivity or synchronization between the different screens. Some businesses may want to use Ethernet cables for this very reason. In that case, make sure you have the appropriate infrastructure to support the physical needs of wired connectivity.
If you’re meaning to use WiFi instead, run an exhaustive check for dead or slow zones. Keep in mind that members connected to the network will slow it down considerably, so you may want to create a separate network for your screens.
Strategic Content Creation & Placement
Once everything is in place, it’s time to start rolling out the digital signage content. You should have a solid plan by that point, targeting possible weak points in your gym according to feedback and data analytics.
It’s not just about delivering content — it’s also about what you show. First impressions matter, so entrance areas should showcase benefits and promotions to lure future members. Dynamic is the key concept here!
Near cardio machines will be your golden areas. People spend a lot (and we really mean a lot) of time here, so they’ll, sooner or later, end up paying attention to what’s on a digital signage display. Use this space to highlight announcements, classes, and promotions.
Inside the weight room, make sure to include media regarding form tips and techniques. Injury prevention is an often overlooked aspect of running a gym, and digital signage is the perfect way to do so without overwhelming trainers.
These are just a few basic member engagement ideas, though. Remember that it’s all up to you and your creativity!
Why Choose Fitness On Demand for Digital Signage?
At Fitness On Demand, we understand how technology can completely shape gyms and businesses for the better. Digital signage solutions are not the exception, so we took our time in developing a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform to solve your media needs. From virtual classes to engaging promotional content, you’ll be able to access hundreds of hours of videos and images for your screens. And the best part? Our expert team will help you set up a smooth transition to this new era.
No more idle screens — get in touch with us today to learn how Fitness On Demand can help.
Author
Luke Miska
Luke Miska is a results-driven business management visionary with a stellar record developing operationalizing strategies, experiences and measurable results that engage teams and customers to lead healthier lives. He leverages his passion for customer-centric strategies and aligns goals between customer needs and organizational priorities, catalyzing business success.
