In 2023, the move in the Fitness Industry has been away from the Lone Ranger model. This is where you check in to your club, you see one or two people that you know; you look around until you find your trainer—or not—and you work out. Or you just go to your favorite machine and climb on. You go alone and you leave alone. But moving into 2024, the fitness industry is seeing another concept shift—a shift toward fitness as a community rather than an isolated personal discipline. The clubs that are moving in this direction are focusing on several key elements.

Community Means Connection

A fitness facility that creates a sense of connection among members can be an incredibly powerful tool for keeping your clients, and clubs are recognizing this.

Encouraging social interaction among members before, during, and after sessions or classes can create a sense of belonging and involvement. For instance, clubs that host regular events or create small workout groups members can join find that members are taking a much more active interest. One way to do this is to use a gym software that has ZOOM capabilities, like Money Movers’ Online Business Manager. With our ZOOM feature, you can create online communities—for live or pre-recorded training, discussions, presentations, swapping training and diet plans, or just making it possible for your clients to get together for an online workout with folks they know.

Friendly competition is also a great way to encourage this sense of community. You could consider creating challenges or contests that encourage members to work together and achieve common goals. One of Money Movers’ client clubs sponsors a sixty-day weight loss challenge that is available on their Money Movers designed website. Or how about a twenty-five-day KETO challenge where members recorded a significant weight loss? In the process of these events, everyone involved was encouraging the other participants—a simple effort that built a sense of fellowship and common purpose.

To further bolster a sense of community, celebrate member successes—feature members on your website or social media channels. One great way to do this is to let Money Movers build you a beautiful custom website, as many of our clients have. We can create a featured member page that can you can update every week. You can tie this in with all the current trainings and class you offer. Showing off your member’s accomplishments will foster a sense of pride in the community and encourage members to feel invested in ‘their’ studio’s success.

Developing Your Customer Service

A community-driven fitness facility fosters strong relationships with and between your members to help them feel a part of something important. Providing exceptional customer service is a crucial component of this effort and the key is creating a welcoming and encouraging environment. By doing so, you help members feel valued and connected to your facility. If they feel connected and appreciated, they are more likely to renew memberships and bring friends and relatives on board with them.

Here’s how it works. Your team should always greet members warmly and engage with them during their workouts. The best staff members remember names and fitness goals, and are always available to offer support and encouragement. Members who know that staff are invested in their goals are more likely to pursue their fitness objectives. A terrific feature of OBM is our check-in screen. With it, your desk person can see the current status of your member, like whether they have any outstanding amounts that need to be straightened out that can be discreetly handled on the spot through our live POS system. Your staff can also send messages, like reminders or current fitness goal status, that pop up when the member checks in and lets your front desk person know how that member is doing.

Make sure your team members go above and beyond for members. Incentivize your staff by offering rewards for positive reviews from members, recognizing staff members who consistently provide excellent service, or encouraging staff to come up with creative ways to support members. Get your staff involved in a friendly competition where they sponsor a member and guide them in achieving their goals in a friendly but competitive contest against other members in the same discipline. Make a big deal about the staff/member team that wins. If the people that work at your club feel like they are part of something that is making a difference, this generates a culture of excellence that benefits both your members and your business.

And here’s a key—make sure your staff are happy in their jobs. If you stress your team or overwork them, your members are going to notice immediately. Create a positive work environment for every staff member and don’t give them jobs where they can’t excel.

Consistent Community-Wide Communication

A community-oriented fitness business uses various channels, such as email, social media, and regular newsletters to keep members updated on upcoming events, new programs, and any changes in the schedule. Money Movers OBM software helps you manage every aspect of your Client Relations.