Victoria Tolbert-Ashley, the national director of group fitness at XSport, shares the importance of building community inside your facility.
The majority of health club operators are all offense and not much defense. Health clubs aren’t set up to defend their retention position with strong community engagement initiatives. This is in part because sales tours introduce members to machines, workout areas, pro shops and possibly a member of the fitness team. These standard practices miss the mark in human connectivity and community engagement.
The great news is building community doesn’t take a lot of upfront cost, can save at least 25% of new members from leaving and aids in membership retention. Members who feel connected to a community where they participate in club activities are much more likely to continue to renew their membership.
Initiatives to inspire community, eliminate social support barriers and increase retention include:
- Create a yearly or monthly community health event calendar using existing team members to host a specific subject matter expert for your facility. Include a member(s) who are passionate about the specific focus and engage them to share their passion, experience and how your community has helped them.
- Engage your community in an outreach event that brings your team together with members outside of the club to fight a worthy cause aligned with the club’s mission or focused campaign.
- Identify member ambassadors whom you can incentivize to build “unofficial” clubs within the clubs.
- Use existing talent to create synergies within the existing team. Inspire team members to collaborate on projects that aim to engage current members, increase penetration in facility use and services, attract new members, and reinforce team building among sales and fitness.
Health clubs have plenty of tools in place to address exercise self-efficacy and build self-esteem in individuals, but what about supporting the basic need of social support within the club through community? Implementing a strategic plan for community building will undoubtedly aid in the positive perception of the club’s brand, increase member acquisition and member retention, and also boost employee retention. Make your health club a place where people come for the fitness and stay for the community.
