This month we sat down with Jacqueline Buchanan, the director of communications and wellness experience for In-Shape Health Clubs, to discuss wellness.
Wellness is a growing trend in the industry. How can clubs incorporate it?
Wellness isn’t a trend — it’s a must have and it’s here to stay. Whether you run a small studio or a larger facility, you’ll benefit from taking a proactive approach to delivering wellness experiences to your members. It’s a lot of work, but if you find someone knowledgeable and passionate to drive your program, it pays off. At In-Shape, we define wellness as the act of pursuing and practicing healthy habits to attain better levels of physical, mental and emotional health outcomes to live a happier, more fulfilled and joyful life.
I see a wellness approach to life as proactive. It’s about taking steps now to prevent problems later. It’s living a holistic, healthy lifestyle for optimal well-being. So, what does that mean for clubs and how we incorporate it into our industry? Depending on your size and member base, wellness programs can be anything from investing in new equipment like infrared saunas and cryotherapy to finding a knowledgeable coach to lead recovery sessions or wellness workshops. It could also look like wellness content in your marketing emails.
Are there any specific programs clubs can offer to promote well-being?
I think the first step is to look at your resources — do you have someone on your team who’s passionate and knowledgeable who could drive an entire program? Or do you outsource and look for a local partner that can help you? How much time and money do you want to devote to wellness? Then determine what’s right for your membership base. That might mean adding a new on-trend recovery amenity or maybe taking a more subtle approach and finding a research article to link to in your next member email. No matter what size you are, there are creative solutions to adding a wellness component to your offering.
How can clubs properly promote wellness in their marketing?
At In-Shape, wellness is completely integrated into all of our marketing. Wellness informs the language we use, the way we communicate, the visuals and our marketing strategy. To specifically market your wellness program or new wellness amenities, you’d take the same approach as you would launching a new class or promoting a new offering. You need a clear strategy, appropriate tactics and a plan. I’d say the easiest place to start incorporating wellness into your marketing is through content or providing a wellness tip of the week on your in-club signage.
Jacqueline Buchanan’s Tips on Marketing Wellness:
1. You can start small with club signage or your social media page. You can incorporate wellness messages, themes or information, and gently — and affordably — bring wellness into your member experience.
2. Wellness focused content on your blog, social channels and in your emails is another way to start small and without a major investment. We have a section of our website devoted to our wellness content and I offer Instagram and Facebook live sessions on wellness topics.
3. You could also take an internal approach. For example, I write a monthly wellness newsletter we distribute to all our clubs to help our team members shape their perspectives through mindfulness.
4. And finally, offer wellness amenities like infrared saunas, cold or salt therapy, high performance wellness tools like those from Hyperice, or niche classes with knowledgeable and passionate coaches.
