2021: Social Media Trends and the Leisure Industry
2021: Social Media Trends and the Leisure Industry
A very happy new year to all our clients and readers! To kick-start January for you, we’re sharing some of our opinions and insights into upcoming social media trends in 2021 and what these might mean for us in the leisure industry. Which platforms will people be using, what content do they want, and how can we best use social media to reach our customers?
THE TIKTOK QUESTION
Will leisure operators start using TikTok?
With a growth rate from five hundred million to one billion users in the last twelve months, TikTok looks like an opportunity not to be missed. It has topped the app download charts several times in the past two years and enjoys the highest engagement rate per post across all social media channels. Its reach is highest amongst 18-24 year old females, so the platform looks ideal for engaging with generations Z, C, and Alpha.
‘Tiktok’ by Solen Feyissa. CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
TikTok is not without competition, though. Instagram have launched their Reels product, a very similar copycat product on its well-established platform. With TikTok banned in some countries, like India, Reels will almost certainly see a huge uptake in certain regions.
Businesses are beginning to harness the power of TikTok, and the platform has responded by creating a business arm, much like Facebook’s, which enables brands to create and run advertising campaigns featuring their own TikTok videos.
Of brands using TikTok, PPC Specialist Ashleigh Brown says: ‘success on TikTok comes from product placement, branding, viral content, influencers and soft-selling techniques. Paid advertising is a new thing on the network and brands are still finding out what they can achieve with the products TikTok provides’ (The Drum). With Costs per Click averaging around £7.50, it’s an expensive place to experiment.
There hasn’t been a big uptake in TikTok by leisure operators yet, but they’ve also had other priorities to distract them in the past nine months. A potential barrier to TikTok is that its effective use requires those familiar with the channel itself – those who use it on a day-to-day basis to either browse and/or post. Younger members of a leisure team are more likely to understand the platform and have the best ideas for content, so look to engage with these staff for their input and get on a new channel that will talk to an audience you might be struggling to reach.
FACEBOOK UNITED
Another social media trends we’re going to be hearing more about is Facebook’s plans to integrate its three messaging platforms, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and eventually WhatsApp. This last step will see them secure end-to-end encryption on all their messaging platforms.
Uniting the platforms is taking place to enable a simpler customer journey when it comes to messaging, requiring the use of only one app instead of having to choose between three. As well as simplifying the messaging process between friends and family members, this merger will also make it easier for consumers to contact brands and businesses.
Leisure operators need to prepare themselves for an increase in enquiries on these channels and to ‘meet people where they are’. Facebook’s gold standard for response times is within 15 minutes, but operators should be aiming to get back to customers within an hour. Operating procedures may need looking at to ensure this level of responsiveness, alongside some additional staff training.
THE RISE OF ECOMMERCE
The final social media trend for 2021 that we’ll be looking at is the growth of eCommerce on social channels.
Facebook is currently rolling out its Shops feature, which makes it easier for brands to operate an eCommerce site within the Facebook and Instagram platforms. Businesses can create a ‘shop’ for free, which can then be hosted on Facebook and/or Instagram for users to purchase from. It’s an entirely separate entity from the business’s website.
Further, Instagram has recently introduced its Product Tagging feature, which allows business to tag a product featured in their Instagram content (be that a grid post, story, or Reel), so long as it’s able to be directly purchased through the company’s Instagram Shop or website.
With 55% of online shoppers making a purchase through a social channel in the last 12 months, it is certainly worth exploring how your online processes could be improved. Is there an opportunity to vend short term impulsive membership options alongside your regular online joining options, for example? When was the last time your reviewed your online sign-up process?
Need help harnessing these trends?
Get In Touch
Masterclass Series: Complete!
Masterclass Series: Complete!
From the 8th-11th December, TA6 ran a Masterclass series designed to prepare those working in the leisure sector for 2021. The series featured an expert list of presenters discussing the following subjects:
- Sales
- Customer Service
- Communication
- Marketing
We are delighted to reveal that the Masterclass was an unbridled success and resulted in some outstanding figures and feedback, which we’d love to share with you.
Webinars
Organisations Attended
Individuals Attended
Overall Viewers
Minutes of Content
TA6 Launch Masterclass Series
TA6 are pleased to announce our Masterclass Webinar series running online on Zoom from the 8th to 11th December from 1.30-2.30pm.
Designed to prepare those working in the leisure sector for 2021, the series covers the following areas:
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Sales
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Customer Service
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Communication
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Marketing
Book your place on an invidual course for £25 per person per webinar, or purchase access to entire series for just £50 per person.
Learn More About the Series and Register Your Place
TA6 MASTERCLASS SERIES
Engaging With Your Customers During Lockdown
Engaging With Your Customers During Lockdown
Has lockdown forced you to close your centre? Although it may seem strange, now is not the time to go silent! Customers will be looking to your social media channels for information, so make sure you provide them with that along with some added extras to demonstrate your value.
To help you out, we’ve put together a series of tips and ideas to keep your membership engaged with you while physical sites are closed.
- Polls are really important – the more questions you can ask to keep people engaged the better. Make the most of built-in functions on some social media channels such as Instagram Stories.
- This lockdown is very different to the last one. With kids still at school and some activities still open it’s definitely not as restrictive as the previous one. People won’t have as much time on their hands as previously. Therefore keep engagement light, maybe even just branded morning motivational messages.
- Links to online classes are super important – the more you can offer the better, and remember to offer early morning and evening for those that are still working. Are you offering a special lunchtime workout for those looking for a break from the homeworking routine?
- If offering online classes both virtual and on demand, be aware of what licenses you may need
- Daily challenges are great – they should include challenges that also promote mental health as well as physical challenges – call a friend you haven’t seen this year, have a bath, light some candles, etc.
- Link to other sites/blog posts that offer things you don’t. Ideas include tips for keeping off the pandemic pounds, why it’s important to drink water, local outdoor areas for a wintery walk, 5 exercises you can do in your pyjamas, and more.
- It’s a nice touch to support small local businesses that will be struggling. Daily small business shout outs would be great – places you can buy your Christmas treats etc. If you’re not able to support individual shops then get behind campaigns to support the local area/high street.
- Non-fitness related content is a light-hearted way to get people engaged. Who’s put up their Christmas tree early? (there seems to be a lot of this going on!) – share your pictures. Are you planning on decorating the centres ready for re-opening? Maybe a virtual live Christmas lights switch on? Ask if you should go coloured or white bulbs? Fairy or star on the tree?
- Fun posts are essential this time around. You could try releasing Christmas-themed workouts (it’s only November but we need to take all the joy we can get!).
- Community Challenge – Can you run a mile in a month? Share customers progress on-line. Ask them to share pictures and video.
- Weekly focus – focus on a move each day, build that into a workout on the Friday.
- Create your own USP weeks depending on what you offer. Week 1 – Swimming takeover, tips on swimming, how to stay flexible, how to recreate at home. Week 2 – gym take over. How to train at home (all staff from this area involved) Week 3 – class take over
- Facebook take over – Week 1 talk to the manager, Week 2 chat with an instructor, Week 3, meet our reception team
- If instructors are leading live classes, get them to go online a few hours before to remind people you will be there. Promoting the classes is as important as delivering them as no instructor wants an empty class.
- Create a Spotify playlist for workouts, or moments of reflection away from the kids
- Food recipes to warm the soul, like this one.
- You can use Bitly to reduce the size of links within your social communications.
- National Days in November you could base content around include:
- 8/11 National Cappuccino Day
- 10/11 National Vanilla Cupcake Day
- 11/11 Remembrance Day
- 13/11 National Kindness Day
- 14/11 National Family PJ Day
- 15/11 National Clean Out Your Fridge Day
- 17/11 National Take A Hike Day
- 27/11 National Day of Listening
- 29/11 Electronic Greetings Day
Check out our monthly Social Media Guides for more detailed tips and tricks, as well as more awareness days and social media platform updates.
At TA6, we are completely dedicated to supporting the leisure industry throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. We have therefore created a free resource library for all operators to use, containing plans, templates, social media assets, and more, to help you through this challenging time.
You can browse our other Covid-19 resources, support tools, and services here.
Finally, if you would like to speak to us in order to discuss lockdown strategy, a comeback campaign, or any other kind of marketing or training assistance, you can contact us here.
Coronavirus Update: November 2020
As we reflect upon the implications of the announcement of England’s upcoming national lockdown, we at Alliance Leisure and TA6 are disheartened and concerned about the effects of the ‘second wave’ of the COVID-19 virus on our staff, clients, supply chain, and the health and wellbeing of the wider community.
We are working to continue delivering services and support to members of the leisure sector across the UK, as we were fortunate to be able to do throughout and ever since the first national lockdown.
We are dedicated to supporting the sector, and we continue to encourage our staff to actively help their local communities whenever possible.
Operator Resources
Follow the link below to access the free operator resource library built by TA6, which is updated regularly to contain the most relevant and helpful information and assets for you. Alternatively, you can contact TA6 if you would like to discuss other ways in which we can help, including planning your comeback campaign.
10 Tips for staying focused whilst working from home
Whilst we appreciate the thousands of key workers that are keeping our country running right now we also realise that there are a lot of people suddenly thrust into the situation of working from home. At TA6 many of us are used to home working on a regular basis and so we’ve put some of our top tips together to help you stay focused when working at home.
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KEEP YOUR ROUTINE
When suddenly given the opportunity to work from home it can be very tempting to switch off the alarm and take the advantage of some lazy mornings! However, you will find your day will go much better and you will be far more productive if you stick to your regular routine. Get up at the normal time and start your day in the normal way. If you can get up nice and early and start your day with a home workout that will put you in a great mind-set to stay focused during your work day. Save the lie-ins for the weekend!
2. GET DISTRACTIONS OUT OF THE WAY FIRST
If you’ve got a list of jobs that you know need doing in the day whether they be life admin, cleaning or shopping then get them done as early as you can in the day. If you know you’ve got things that need to be done they will be a constant distraction to you as you are trying to work. Set yourself 30 minutes to an hour first thing to get all those niggling jobs done and out of the way, then you’ve got the rest of the day to get on with your work.
3. PLAN YOUR DAY
This might seem like an obvious one but making a ‘To Do’ list can make the difference between a successful and a wasted day. Plan everything you need to get done and then work out at what time you want to do it and schedule it into your day. This way you will be focused on each task and ensure that everything gets done before moving onto the next thing. Even schedule in lunch and breaks!
4. GET OUTSIDE IN THE FRESH AIR
Sitting in front of a computer screen all day long can be soul destroying, especially when you’re not used to it. So schedule in some time to get out of the house and get some fresh air. If you have a dog then that’s a perfect excuse to get out of the house, otherwise maybe go for a short run or a walk just to clear your head. Don’t be tempted to take your phone with you and scroll trough social media at the same time – give your eyes a break!
5. NO TV!
It can be extremely tempting, when you’re working at home, to stick on the TV and catch up on your favourite soaps or start watching a new box set. If you do, before you know it, two hours will have passed and you will know all about what’s happening in Coronation Street but that spreadsheet you were supposed to be doing is completely blank! Save the TV for the end of the day when you can relax knowing you’ve had a super productive day.
6. TAKE REGULAR BREAKS
Whilst it’s important to stay productive it’s also important to take regular breaks. A good idea is to treat yourself after completing a block of work with a cuppa and an episode of your favourite TV show or a scroll on Instagram. Whatever tickles your fancy it’s important to congratulate yourself after a productive few hours of work. Don’t feel guilty for taking breaks – nobody can be productive all day long!
7. SET AN END TO THE DAY
When we are working from home work can often encroach into your home life. Whilst it’s great to be flexible and work at times to suit you it is equally important to set an end to your day. Don’t be tempted to answer emails into the evening if you started work first thing and have worked all day. Work – Life balance can often be more difficult when you work from home.
8. DRESS FOR WORK
When there’s no reason to leave the house it can sometimes seem pointless to bother getting out of your PJs! However, you will find yourself so much more productive if you get up and get dressed for your day’s work. There’s obviously no need to get suited and booted but getting showered and dressed will definitely give you more focus.
9. MAKE A WORK AREA
Not everyone has the luxury of a home office, especially if you’re not usually required to work from home. If you don’t, then it is a great idea to make yourself a specific work area. Make it comfortable and in an area away from distractions. If you work from a laptop then make sure it’s on a suitable table with a chair so you’re not hunched over sat on your sofa. Prolonged bad posture can cause back and neck pain so a risk assessment of your work space is a good idea and look at how you can raise the height of your screen or chair if needed.
10. INTERACT WITH OTHERS REGULARLY
There’s no doubt, working at home can be very isolating. Contact colleagues regularly via the telephone or online platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Skype. Set up a WhatsApp group for daily interaction and why not set up some fun challenges your teams can get involved in. If you can’t meet people in person then these things are so important, it can be very demotivating to have no interaction at all for weeks on end.
We hope you found these tips useful. If you have any tips of your own please feel free to leave them in the comments below. Please also share this post with your friends and colleagues who might need help with focusing when working at home.
Providing Support for the Industry – COVID-19 Update
Whilst leisure operators face the toughest challenges we have seen in decades TA6 have been working with our clients, partners and suppliers to offer support where we can.
Please download our Business Checklist which provides ideas and insight for dealing with the pandemic within your facilities.
We are also continuously developing a pack of assets which leisure operators can use to maintain communication with their customers.
Feel free to get in touch should you need any support during this time.
Coronavirus Update
All of us at Alliance Leisure are hugely concerned by the wide sweeping effect of the COVID-19 virus on our staff, our clients, our supply chain and the health and well-being of the wider community.
We are working hard with all of our stakeholders to continue delivering services in these challenging and unprecedented times.
We will do our very best to support the sector and at an individual level, we encourage our staff to actively help their local communities.
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