WAG Social Media as Part of Gymnastics

[Becauseisaid]

I'm curious as to how gyms are using social media as part of their business plan these days. I've offered to help with DD's gym's Facebook/Instagram/smoke signals and I'm curious as to which social media sites business owners feel offer the most customer feedback in this business.

For parents and gymnasts, do you find yourself looking at your gym's Facebook page or would you prefer to see YouTube videos? Vine? Instagram? What do you WANT to see?

I have my own personal thoughts and preferences, but I'm wondering what other people look for and use.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Our gym doesn't do any social media at all. I think a FB page would be nice, for easier access to meet times and schedule changes, etc. I would prefer my kids pics not be on Instagram and the like, although YouTube videos of the each of the routines would be great- I would want them semi-private though.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

most gyms here have a FB page, where they post news and medalist pictures (much rarer here as only top 3 in any comp medal), plus any updates about classes etc. I would not be happy with her being on youtube or Instagram

 

[vagymmomma]

Both the gym and parents association have websites and Facebook pages. They're not updated as frequently as they should be. What's more common is the head coach posts Facebook pictures from meets throughout the season, as well as special events in the gym like National Gymnastics Day (she sends friend requests to older gymnasts and parents). Personally, I love the pictures and the updates that come with them. However, some parents are very sensitive about pictures being posted so you may want some sort of approval process. You can limit who can view Facebook pages and other social media accounts. Our gym has a photo release document that's supposed to be signed. Most of our girls hoping to do college gymnastics have youtube channels, but otherwise I'm not aware of its use by the gym.

I'm stunned how many really young girl have Instagram accounts. I'm glad mine didn't have one at

 

[Quadqueen]

Our gym has a Facebook page but it's not active at all. I think it should be. I am not on Instagram, but I know some parents are. Re: kids getting Instagram - you can make your account private so you have to approve who follows you.

 

[kandkfunk]

Our gym actually has very active Facebook, twitter and Instagram pages. These are part of the marketing strategy and Facebook is by far the most widely used. The gym owner works very hard to keep it up-to-date and active. Since starting this marketing effort about a year ago, the gym has really grown in membership and Facebook likes now exceed 2,000. Not bad for a tiny little gym.

 

[gymmomx2]

I visit both gyms' FB page daily (2 kids, 2 different gyms).

One gym posts at least weekly, mostly about meet results/pictures and gym announcements. Communication for competitive team is not done on the FB page but via email.

The other gym posts some but not nearly as
much.

I don't do Instagram or Twitter.

 

[emilykatherine]

We have Facebook, and one of my coaches has a Instagram so the gymnast that don't have a Facebook know what's going one/ how everyone's doing at a meet

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I think whatever you use the key is to update very regularly, even little items of news

 

[raenndrops]

For the gym... they have a page on the YMCA's website.
For TEAM, we have a team FB page (Invite only) where I update meet information, changes to practice times, Nationals information as it comes in, etc. Others can post too. We also have a private team website. On there, we have a full calendar with birthdays, meet days (with full meet schedule as soon as known), parent meetings, and all that jazz. We also have the roster with parent email and (optional) phone numbers. The roster lists the girls levels too. We even have part of the roster where girls who have left the team are still listed (depending on the reason they left, the amount of time on the roster could vary). We have photos... even with the site being private, parents have to give additional permission for their gymnasts to be tagged in photos. I do a blog entry after every meet (# of personal bests, # of top 3 finishes, team placements, team best scores, 9.0 Club additions, Nationals Qualifiers) plus additional entries - 9.0 Club for the season... New Season Schedule (with addresses of all meets... and favorite affordable hotels in the area)... team party recaps... things like that.
We don't really have anything public other that what appears in the newspaper (1-2 articles a year) or whatever the Y puts out.

 

[Becauseisaid]

I really want to make sure we're reaching both parents AND gymnasts - current and potential. My personal thought was that Facebook is a good interface for parents, Instagram for gymnasts, and I'd love to see some simple instructional videos on YouTube. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.

 

[chalkbowl]

We have facebook, instagram, & twitter. However, our instagram account is private and it is mostly just our current (and former) gymnasts & parents that follow it. I will not approve of anyone else unless I can verify anyone on the instagram account unless one of our team members knows them in real life.

 

[pamred4]

I love looking at the Instagram pages of gyms (I think they target the gymnasts and don't forget you can post video aswell) and for parents I think Facebook is a great target

 

[my4buffaloes]

Facebook here. They post updates on closings, congrats to winners and good lucks to groups about to go.

 

[profmom]

Facebook is the big one for us. The gym has it set up so parents can send in photos from meets and the gym posts them. I love looking at pics from sessions my kids didn't attend. The gym also uses it to announce things like weather closures and publicize camp opportunities and registration deadlines for rec classes.

The parents have also set up a private group for the boys' team where we share information. It's been very useful.

 

[JessLW]

Instagram is my social media of choice too. Some gyms have really awesome Instagram accounts, particularly some of the gyms with high level or elite gymnasts. Parkettes, for one, has a great Instagram where they post loads of gymnastics videos of their high level girls, so you get a bit of sneak peak at what is going on there. It strikes me as a very good marketing tool. I bet it can also be a good way to get your gymnasts' names out there for scholarships and such.

 

[gasrgoose]

Instagram is my social media of choice too. Some gyms have really awesome Instagram accounts, particularly some of the gyms with high level or elite gymnasts. Parkettes, for one, has a great Instagram where they post loads of gymnastics videos of their high level girls, so you get a bit of sneak peak at what is going on there. It strikes me as a very good marketing tool. I bet it can also be a good way to get your gymnasts' names out there for scholarships and such.

Yes and yes!

My initial research about our current gym was through social media. They do a good job of putting out info that paints their gym in a positive light without any fluff. I follow several gyms in our area and around the country to stay on top of what's happening.

My favorite's are twitter, instagram and facebook pages that are maintained by the coaches or owners (or at least the content). It gives a great look at how they hope their gym is perceived and what they want it to be. At our former gym an assistant coach has a few social media accounts that represent the gym, the owner/ head coach is not involved and it is interesting how many times something posted seems to contradict what is being said in the gym.

 

[AV24]

I know it isn't social media, but if part of your goal is to reach future gymnasts, I would argue that the gym's basic web page needs to have current info that is updated regularly. As a newbie parent, when I am researching gyms in my area, the FIRST place I look is their web page and then Facebook second. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to find little or no info there. Since parents are the ones who take preschool and young elementary kids to gym, they are the ones you are targeting for future gymnasts (unless you mean older kids transferring from other gyms to yours). When you are new to the gymnastics world and don't have other parents to ask, it is maddening to try and figure out what you need to know. I love it when gyms have pictures on their webpage of kids who are happy and clearly glad to be there, and a few glowing quotes from team kids are helpful, too. Ideally, a video of one of the coaches describing their coaching style would be fantastic. That takes care of the team atmosphere questions. Then you need info about which programs you offer (JO, Xcell, etc...) and how high your levels go.

I can promise you that MANY gyms don't have these things on their website, and parents in my generation are less likely to check Instagram (even though that is a really great tool as well). Just my two cents.

 

[2gymnastand1soccerplayer]

My dds gym just has a website that they don't keep to up to date. It's really only updated every once in a while, but we're hiring a new social media person to update the website and maybe make a Facebook page

 

[Becauseisaid]

I would argue that the gym's basic web page needs to have current info that is updated regularly. As a newbie parent, when I am researching gyms in my area, the FIRST place I look is their web page and then Facebook second.

Ho boy do I hear you! I am right there with you on expecting a company website to be (a) up to date, and (b) informative. Our gym's website is pretty good, but I wouldn't call it amazing. I'll remind the owner that the website could use some updating too. My end is more the social media aspect of it though.