The health and fitness sector is a constantly changing and growing business, as more and more people are seeking to better their health through an active and healthy lifestyle. Health and fitness centres have rapidly grown over the years, with many people using a gym or leisure centre often to keep fit and healthy. However, the market is saturated with all different types of health and fitness centres, so creating your own can be a difficult task. A centre’s success all depends on where you are, who you can attract and keep interested, and a whole lot more.
Explore how you can put yourself in the best position to create a successful health and fitness centre, inspiring others to get active and creating a thriving community. Implementing these tips can help you to transform people’s lives and aid them in being happier and healthier.
Understand and refine your identity & USP
Understanding who you are as a health and fitness centre and getting to grips with your unique selling point (USP), can allow you to get in the market as a strong presence. You can set yourself apart from the saturated market in your area and beyond if you open with a strong brand identity. Think about who you are and what you want to stand for and write it down into a mission statement.
A mission statement should make your goals and principles clear to you, your business and potential customers. This can give you direction and focus to aid in prioritising decisions and ensuring everything you do aligns with the overall objectives. The statement is also an opportunity to differentiate from your rivals by highlighting your unique selling point and why people should come to you. For example, you could be a health and fitness centre that only focuses on dance exercise, or you could be a gym that’s only for women. Include your logo, colours, and messaging within this to represent the emotional values and visual look of your facility.
Identify your target market
Identifying your target market is a critical aspect of creating a successful health and fitness centre. You need to figure out which demographic is likely going to use your facility. Doing this allows you to customise your marketing, pricing and service to suit the target market, enticing more people to use your services.
To identify your target market, you need to think about the traits and qualities you want in an ideal client. This includes age, gender, economic levels, fitness goals and how they like to work out. Use data analytics tools and market research to find patterns and trends in your target market, so you can use these to effectively market and encourage them to use your facility.
Create unique & diverse membership packages
A huge aspect of what makes health and fitness centres successful is being able to attract a range of different members. This can be achieved by creating unique and diverse packages and programmes that suit what different people are looking for.
Create a selection of membership options to suit a wider range of customers. Think about different budgets, goals and schedules to gain better popularity. A great way to do this is to offer a basic package that is low-maintenance and cheaper, suiting those who can’t spend too much time on their fitness and those with strict budgets. You can also offer a medium package that suits those with busy lifestyles, but with time to do a little more fitness and can spend a reasonable amount of money. Then, offer a premium package that suits those who have lots of time for their fitness, want to achieve harder fitness goals and have the budget for a more intense plan.
Research & make a clean, safe environment
A key factor in having a successful health and fitness centre is ensuring that the environment is clean and safe for members. This is a priority due to the amount of people that pass through your centre every day and the heavy equipment they use. Take time to research health and safety protocols and legislation to ensure that your centre complies with these.
Once you have thoroughly researched this, you should implement strategies to keep the environment safe and hygienic. Have hand sanitiser stations to prevent the spread of germs and regularly clean equipment with sterile cleaning solutions to get rid of germs and sweat. Bathrooms and changing rooms should also be thoroughly cleaned, and all staff should understand and be trained in the protocols. As well as this, everyone should be aware of what is offensive waste to prevent any harmful waste or unhygienic waste from being in your facility. Doing this will make people feel comfortable and happy at your centre, while enticing others to use you due to your quality of care for your customers.
Develop relationships & get to know members
Developing relationships by getting out and about is essential for you to grow your health and fitness centre. A way to do this is through engagement. Actively get involved with members at your centre and get to know them. You can partake in activities and programmes in your centre and be a regular face that everyone sees, so they know who you are, and you build trust with them. You should also get involved in community events and get to know your local community to build relationships with potential customers, encouraging them to use your business and building loyal customers to grow your facility.
Having active and engaged members through this is more likely to give you customer loyalty, as they will stay committed to your centre and renew their membership. Plus, if they’re happy with your centre, they will spread the word to their loved ones!
Use social media
Social media is a very effective tool for any business and can grow your engagement and your customer base instantly. Using platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook can grow your centre as you can market and advertise your business, while engaging with a wider audience.
The power of social media is immense when done right. Some businesses have been able to spark conversations about their brand, gain more interest and even attract an audience from a different part of the country they’re in (or even worldwide). Social media can bring people from all different parts of the country and the world!
However, for your centre, you need to target precise interests, locations and demographics to enable you to have more returning customers. This can be done through ads, as this can precisely target the people you want to get your business in front of the right people. Doing this will bring new customers into your centre, growing interest, engagement and your business overall.
Use this guide on how to create a successful health and fitness centre to have a growing business with a loyal customer base. Target the right people and stand out from the crowd to inspire many people to get active and have a happier and healthier life!
