When we look back at what the fitness industry was 20 years ago, it seems like such a simpler time. Those who sought out our services were looking to lose weight or gain muscle mass. Goals were easy, sales strategies were straight forward and mathematically based on how long it would take you to lose a few pounds. Fast forward to today and we see a much different landscape. Studies tell us mental health is now more important than ever before. Also, function, energy and overall wellness is at the top of the priority list for many, with weight loss and muscle gain dropping down the list.
Well, for those of us who make our living from the fitness industry, we’d highly benefit to take note at this huge shift in focus for our customer base. The problem is, how do we add wellness into our fitness offerings? Let’s look at four strategies that all fitness businesses should consider:
1. Consider Your Ideal Client
When you consider what options you should offer, your ideal client is the first consideration you should be taking. Years ago, I remember planning a ladies night for a gym I oversaw, and one of the things we took into account for our ideal client was a working mom. So, our offering had childcare available for the night. We had such an overwhelming response that we had to shut down registration to find more workers for the event.
If your ideal client is older, you need to consider injury prevention and safety in your offerings. Some great options for this demographic are educational offerings for types of lifting, chiropractic or physical therapy sessions, and even massage therapy. If your clients are young and extremely active, consider more fun and exhilarating experiences such as cold plunges or community-based races. These offerings will draw your active clients from getting bored with the same programming and encourage them to develop relationships with other members.
2. Choose Programs that Foster Results
Regardless of your target demographic, your clients always have and always will desire to see results. As we’ve discussed, results can differ in meaning for many. For our baby boomer generation, weight loss and lower blood pressure are the results they desire.
However, with Gen Z culture wellness has been redefined for our industry. These younger clients desire social gathering, performance-driven goals and even mental challenges that build betterment of performance. Working out next to a friend pushes them to do a few more reps, seeing a leaderboard they can challenge to do more pull ups or holding a plank for the longest on the week’s top performance are all ways these clients see betterment of overall health and well-being. Knowing what your customer considers success is key.
3. Create Partnerships
One of the things I love most about the fitness industry is we share ideal client types with so many businesses. You don’t have to invest a load of cash to add a paid offering to your portfolio to satisfy your clients. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is try out limited partnerships to see what your clients like and what they don’t. Trust me, I’ve tried my share of offerings my clients simply didn’t bite on like I thought they would.
While operating a commercial gym chain, I worked with a fitness manager to host a squat seminar thinking we would get heaps of members wanting to know more about proper form, which would develop a list of hot personal training leads. It turned into seven of our current personal training clients showing up to see their favorite trainer squat. When I asked a member why they didn’t attend the seminar, she simply said, “I know how to squat, do a seminar on how to get rid of my belly fat and I’ll be there.” The following month, we invited a nutritionist to host a seminar on — you guessed it — losing belly fat.
4. Make It Fun
The most overlooked retention tool in the fitness industry is the third space theory. You know you’ve won a long-term member when they go to work, home and your gym. When you become the third space for your clients, you now have a promoter — not just a member.
The best thing you can do for these members is provide them a place where they get results, enjoy coming to work out and ultimately find a community of people they belong in. The best way to do this is to find out how you can replicate the places your clients typically patron. Some easy examples would be if your members are frequenting Starbucks, you can host a cold brew Saturday workout where you get a local coffee shop or smoothie bar to provide cold brew coffee for your members.
Another easy example is to simply think about your member base as your friend group. If you’re considering running a 10K and making shirts for your buddies, invite your gym family to be part of the race as well. Not only will you be building a strong culture among your members, but you’ll be getting advertisements with all your members and friends wearing your shirts.
Conclusion
Embracing wellness is not difficult if you have a close handle on the pulse of your member base. The beauty of our industry is for most business owners and operators, your members will tell you exactly what they want and what they’ll participate in. Just remember that majority rules, and your most vocal five members can sometimes steer you astray if you don’t know a good number of your members closely. So, start by getting to know your members like friends, and follow these four steps to ensure you choose the right path to wellness within your business.
