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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Mar 14, 2019 in Marketing |
The Yelp sales team is aggressively targeting My Gyms along with many other small businesses. MGE does not have an official Yelp rep, and we advise against advertising with Yelp for many reasons. Why shouldn’t I advertise on Yelp? Here are the top 5 reasons: People find you on Yelp….for free. When your clients run a Google search, your free Yelp listing is very likely to come up in the results. This happens organically, for free. Yelp’s targeting is very limited. You cannot target moms or people in certain ages, for example. Minimal transparency – Unlike Google AdWords where you have complete control over which keywords and topics you “buy,” you are very limited with Yelp ads and are therefore wasting money. There is also no way to tell the difference between a paid click and an organic one on Yelp advertising. This, along with other tracking issues, makes it significantly more difficult to determine your ROI. Yelp is not the most important review site. Many studies have found...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Mar 14, 2019 in Marketing |
Hello… We wanted to give you a heads-up that you might be seeing My Gym video ads running on YouTube in all My Gym markets in US and Canada starting this week! Videos are targeted geographically and at women with children who search for anything related to baby/child services, programs, consumer products, toys, hacks, DIYs, etc. Don’t worry if you don’t see ads yourself; these ads are very targeted. You may not be the demographic; the budget may be exceeded, or Google/YouTube knows you don’t have kids (Yes, they know everything!). We are currently testing out the Moments that Matter video and will rotate in other short videos as well. One of the great things about YouTube advertising is we are charged only when a video is clicked on or when it’s watched past 30 seconds. So that means TONS of views and impressions are completely FREE (and still My Gym branded)! ...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Mar 11, 2019 in My Gym Foundation |
We are just over a month away from this year’s National My Gym Foundation PNO Fundraiser. We were overwhelmed with last year’s support and cannot wait to see what this year brings! NEED TO KNOWWe are here to make this as easy and fun as possible. Social image posts, flyers, a Facebook event cover, raffle instructions and materials, and an email template are available in their respective areas of our marketing asset libraries. All specifics can be found in the Directives document here. We will also send you a box of goodies (!!!) by the second week of April. This box will include: Coloring ActivityStaff T-ShirtsRaffle Tickets and Raffle Goodie BagSpecial new My Gym Foundation Stamp (to be used year-round as you see fit)And more! Please email Aleah (awhaley@mygym.com) if you have any questions or need assistance....
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Mar 8, 2019 in Strategic Partners & Sponsors |
Thanks for making this partnership so successful and so much fun for the kids! The PJ Masks partnership is now complete. You can take down the posters in your gyms. But, please hang on to the hanging hardware for future use. We are currently putting together a partnership recap for the PJ Masks team. If you have any great photos or videos that you haven’t shared with us already, please send them our way. We would also love to hear your feedback on this partnership. Any quotes or feedback you have from parents or kids would be greatly appreciated. Send us a quick note at...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Mar 1, 2019 in General |
Megan Gold recently purchased the Kailua, Hawaii location. You can congratulate her at...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Mar 1, 2019 in Marketing |
Welcome to your Social Media Roundup! We are cruising through March, and April will be here before we know it. Let’s take time to slow down and celebrate all the little moments, for they are what make magic at My Gym every day! For further questions, please reach out to marketing@mygym.com. DOWNLOAD: Social Media Roundup – March...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 28, 2019 in My Gym Foundation |
The MGCA team has been working tirelessly to expand our reach, build stronger connections with My Gym staffs and members, and increase the number of children we help every year. With this continued expansion, we are excited to announce our new name: My Gym Foundation As the My Gym Foundation (MGF), we will continue our mission to help children facing severe physical and cognitive disabilities and aim to expand this influence around the globe. We realize there will be a transition period adjusting to this new name and logo, and we are here to make this transition as seamless as possible. During this time, both logos and names will be relevant, and you can still leave your MGCA poster on display. In the coming months, our marketing materials will be updated with the new logo, and we will send you some new goodies just in time for the My Gym Foundation Annual PNO Fundraiser in April! We look forward to this new change and hope you do too. Please...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 28, 2019 in My Gym Foundation |
Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 21, 2019 in Support & Programming |
We are in the beginning stages of planning Training Seminar 2019 and would love your input. It is always our top priority to provide the most needed training meetings and relevant topics at our seminars. Please click here to submit topics and give your input for seminar. Please complete the short survey by February 28th for your input to be considered. More information including registration, pricing, and hotel will be released over the next 2 weeks. Please email afoote@mygym.com with any seminar specific...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 20, 2019 in Technology |
Per our update on February 11, we are taking several steps to ensure reliability and security in our systems. One of those steps is a server move; the website will be moved to its own server on Sunday evening (February 24) beginning at 8:00 PM EST. MGM and the website will be unavailable for approximately 5 hours during this time. We will send another reminder on the morning of Sunday, February...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 20, 2019 in Strategic Partners & Sponsors |
We have aligned with Caribbean Sol because we believe in providing the best products and services to our families. And, since we encourage our My Gym Kids (and parents) to be active outdoors, Caribbean Sol’s all natural, environmentally and eco-friendly safe products are the perfect fit to keep them, the environment, and sea life safe. With this in mind, we are excited to announce our new and improved partnership with Caribbean Sol for 2019. Over the last couple of months, based on feedback and data, we have identified areas for improvement and ways to bring more value to our customers and gyms. Here is a breakdown of what we have done and have planned: We have sent the hanging hardware for the posters so that gyms can more easily display them and free up wall space. Thank you for your patience on those. The hardware was shipped with the PJ masks materials at the end of January. If, for some reason, you did not get it, please use the...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 19, 2019 in Marketing, Support & Programming |
Because of some information recently obtained, MGE is updating all protocols for texting your prospective clients and members. Going forward, we are to text only customers who text us or have a relationship with the gym (scheduled guest class, guest class – not enrolled, member, enrolled for camp/PNO, booked/held a party, etc.). We should not be texting those we met at an outside event or a birthday party in the gym, even if they have signed a liability waiver. If you are unsure about texting someone, don’t! Continue to do all of your LGE and birthday party guest follow-ups with calls, voicemails, and emails. If you have any questions, please contact support@mygym.com. Please read through the updated documents thoroughly to ensure you are in line with the TCPA. There are serious fines if the TCPA is not followed. These are the protocols that have been updated: Best Practices for TextingLead Follow up ProtocolTexting Templates Please read the full TCPA. It is your responsibility to follow these regulations/laws:...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 15, 2019 in Marketing |
The evergreen Moments That Matter marketing campaign continues to be our primary message, theme, and marketing position. Where it might seem prudent to switch, it can take years for a marketing tagline and campaign to have real power and affect true market change. Therefore, we continue to stay the course with the one unified message. Your marketing year is divided into four quarters, and you can always anticipate receiving a quarterly update approximately six weeks in advance of the next quarter. The annual My Gym Marketing Plan is your main reference for all marketing activities. What to do for Quarter Two – April, May, June 2019 Q2 BIG EFFORT: Each quarter of marketing has a designated focus or “Big Effort” to retain customers as well as generate and convert leads. In Quarter Two, your Big Effort includes a few things: Promote Summer CampRetain Currently Enrolled CustomersGain New Summer EnrollmentsConduct Lead Generating EventsHold Successful In-Gym Events Sounds great, right? Of course; but you need a PLAN! To make this easy,...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 15, 2019 in Marketing |
Welcome to your Social Media Roundup! A new month means a fresh start. Let’s kick off this month with strong imagery and videos to spark even more engagement on our channels. You know what they say… “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Keep up the great work, everyone! For further questions, please reach out to marketing@mygym.com. DOWNLOAD: Social Media Roundup – March...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 14, 2019 in My Gym Foundation |
Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 14, 2019 in Support & Programming |
Need some help starting your Lead Generating Events? Have you already started but still have questions? Then join us for a Facebook Live on Feb 27 at 11:00 am PST for a discussion about LGEs. Bring any questions you may have! Please review the Lead Generating Events Protocol document beforehand. See you...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 13, 2019 in Marketing, Support & Programming |
We hope your year is off to a great start! We would appreciate it very much if you could please take five minutes out of your busy day to complete a survey on your satisfaction with our Support Team as well as our marketing and support structures here at MGE. We strive to provide all franchisees with the best support and marketing tools possible, and your feedback is instrumental in our reaching that goal. We are dedicated to each franchisee’s ongoing happiness and viability and, as such, are dedicated to our own continual evolvement, both as individuals and as a company. No bit of feedback is too big or too small – all will be used constructively. Thank you! Please click here to complete the 2019 Support and Marketing...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 12, 2019 in Support & Programming |
We are happy to notify you that two new online training courses are now complete! Birthday Party Training and Staff Quizzes are finalized and available for use by all My Gym teachers. The staff quizzes course is to be used as directors or owners see fit, and it replaces the former folder of quizzes by the same name. More quizzes will be added soon! Completing these courses is a lengthy process, however, we are working hard to get them to you in the timeliest manner possible. Note: Please remember that each staff member must have his/her own MGM in order to take courses and have their results...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 11, 2019 in Technology |
Dear Franchisees, First and foremost, we would like to thank you and your staffs for your patience with us during last week’s service interruptions. While sometimes technology acts in ways out of our control, we can at least improve on how we communicate issues to our gyms. We plan to send more detailed and frequent updates in the future, though we do hope the need for that will be few and far between. To recap, last week our servers experienced two (and a half) major issues: On Monday, a server update at Microsoft exposed a flaw in our system that required complete reconstruction. On Wednesday, we released a system update that required a reboot of the server, which caused a 20-25 minute service interruption. Early Saturday morning and late afternoon, the website was hit with a DoS attack, causing slowness and connection timeouts in MGM. How we are working to prevent this in the future: Regular system releases: We are no longer releasing non-vital system updates during business hours....
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 8, 2019 in General, Technology |
On March 8th, MGM will be changing the way sibling and multi-class tuition discounts are handled. Currently, the original enrollment record is discounted when a new enrollment record is added. We are flipping this around so that the discount is applied to the newer enrollment record instead. The total due from the family will not change. Action Required by Gym Review the Discounted Enrollments report (Report > Classes) to see the list of families potentially affected. You will want to obtain a completed amendment after the switch for families who have the automatic discount (discounts set via manual override will not be affected by the switch). To reiterate, the total amount a family is charged will not change, but acknowledgment of the class price switch should be recorded via amendment. Paperless amendments are available in the Classes tab of family accounts. Please follow the same protocol as paper amendments. Please contact the Help Desk or tech@mygym.com with any...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 7, 2019 in My Gym Foundation |
Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 2, 2019 in Marketing |
My Gym is collaborating with the American Heart Association for the month of February, which is widely recognized as National Heart Month. Endorsed by My Gym Challenged America, My Gym is recognized as a proud supporter of the American Heart Association’s “Life Is Why We Give” campaign. Each U.S. franchise location is receiving 2 small posters and 2 window clings for display plus 200 decals (red heart cutouts). We ask that you display the posters and window clings during the month of February and encourage your customers to make small $1-$5 donations. For their donations, clients are given two heart decals on which they will write their names, one to display on your designated wall and one to take home. At the end of the month, please send the funds collected payable to American Heart Association, c/o MGE, 15300 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 523, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Aligning with the American Heart Association (AHA) allows us to grow our positive impact on the lives of children and increase brand...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Feb 1, 2019 in Marketing |
Welcome to your Social Media Roundup! My Gym is the place where small moments matter in a big way. Our job as social media marketers is to capture those moments and share them with potential customers. We can’t wait to see what you create! For further questions, please reach out to marketing@mygym.com. DOWNLOAD: Social Media Roundup – February...
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Posted by My Gym Administrator on Jan 31, 2019 in My Gym Foundation |
Posted by My Gym Administrator on Jan 30, 2019 in Support & Programming |
In My Gym’s 35-year history, we have always striven to provide excellent content and world-class curriculum that is age-appropriate, fun, and safe. Over the years, that curriculum has evolved accordingly with the times; we always want to remain current and relevant while retaining the core of what makes us so great. Months ago, we began diving in to research regarding one of our key elements: hanging. Hanging (or, more appropriately, brachiating) has real, tangible benefits. It strengthens the upper body and develops grip strength; increases endurance, flexibility, and general coordination; promotes kinesthetic awareness and rhythmic body movement; develops gross and fine motor skills, and helps develop hand-eye coordination and visual perception of distance. For these reasons (and many more), we include hanging/brachiating in our curriculum. However, research shows that unsupported hanging and brachiating is contraindicated in infants and young toddlers. The following comes from USA Gymnastics Safety Handbook: “You should not let children hang if they are unable to hold tension in their arms and shoulders. Children have weak...
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