Y Wellness Tips Video Content

[ about ]

Somerset Hills YMCA sought to drive engagement and interest in its expansive indoor fitness center by showcasing the variety of equipment through custom-created videos. The project aimed to feature the Y’s personal trainers in video content to drive awareness of and interest in personal training services, while promoting YMCA thought leadership in fitness by demonstrating proper form and equipment usage tips.

APPROACH & OUTCOME

In collaboration with the Wellness Director, project goals were defined, the target audience was identified, and the most appropriate platform was selected. Beginner-to-intermediate fitness-goers were identified as the target audience. Recognizing that people tend to stick with what they know and are therefore comfortable with, this content was designed to appeal to both current fitness center users and those who had never set foot inside the Y. Footage was shot and reviewed with the Wellness Director to identify key messaging to be highlighted at specific points. Clips were then trimmed and edited to maintain interest. Type was set in Y brand-compliant typeface, and colors and subtle animation were applied. Stock music background suitable for the energy level of the clips was added to the finished content, which was then exported for publication.

A starter series of eight videos, “Y Wellness Tips,” was produced. Topics included: Crunches on the ball, Moving bodyweight plank, Adjusting treadmill height, Squatting with dumbbells, Machine-assisted pull-ups, TRX row, High battle rope pull, and Next-level 2-point plank. The video content was initially published on TikTok, and was subsequently recycled as Facebook Watch posts and Instagram Reels, before being uploaded as YouTube Shorts and a YouTube playlist. Collectively these niche videos received more than 10K views and sparked in-person word-of-mouth conversations as members recognized the familiar faces they saw daily at the Y, elevating their thought leadership positions in the minds of prospective and current members.

This tactic laddered up to the association-wide integrated marketing communications plan as part of a digital strategy to drive overall social media reach and engagement by increasing post frequency and generating platform-appropriate content. Specifically, this tactic played a part in an overall 1000%+ increase in YouTube subscribers. Successful implementation of Greater Somerset County YMCA’s marcom plan contributed to a 10.48% increase in annual membership and programming revenue to $23.6 million.

This project is an example of the player-coach role I pivoted into while at Greater Somerset County YMCA as the organization recovered from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including significantly reduced staffing levels in areas like marketing, finance, and HR.

MY ROLE

Project Lead, Action Camera Videographer, Video Content Producer & Post-Production Video Content Editor

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & TOOLS

• Strategy: Brand Storytelling | Content Marketing | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Customer-Centric Mindset | Nonprofit Marketing | Organic Social Media | Project Management | Word-of-Mouth Influence
• Creative & Production: Brand Compliance | Content Creation | Creative Development | Intro/outro Graphics | Sound Editing | Storyboarding | Video Editing | Video Post-Production | Video Shoots
• Tools: Adobe Premiere Rush | Facebook | GoPro HERO 12 Action Camera | GoPro Quik | Instagram Reels | Loomly Social Media Management | Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word | TikTok | X/Twitter | YouTube Shorts