Member recruitment and retention is always a top priority for fitness center managers. In today’s ever-changing fitness landscape of niche gyms and experiential fitness, the challenge is building unique programming and community that keeps members engaged and motivated. What’s more, the sense of community that prospects want is increasingly much more than fitness. They want to belong.

Use these three tips to transform your brand and community into one that reaches beyond health and fitness and provides a sense of connection and identity for your members.

Change your language

Your brand is a combination of your marketing messages that reaches current and potential members through social channels and funnels them to your website. If your website focus is primarily on programming, classes, and a “join now” membership push, that’s a missed opportunity.

Change the words you use to better illustrate a sense of community. Develop a system for collecting member testimonials and post them prominently on your website and other digital channels. Use words like “connection” and “community” when you describe your programming. Ask for testimonials from members that also speak to their experience with other members and trainers.

Offer branded merchandise

Highly targeted boutique gyms offer branded merchandise from water bottles to T-shirts and other workout gear that helps members identify themselves as members of a special club. When they see others out in public wearing the insignia or club colors, they make connections and feel kinship that feeds a positive sense of community and keeps the fitness center experience top-of-mind.

Offering T-shirts for sale or even as perks of membership or recognition for achieving certain milestones can go a long way toward building brand recognition, but it’s also a great way to help build community.

Recognize individuals by name

Across the spectrum and in multiple platforms, we’re seeing the disappearance of a desire for anonymity among fitness center members. They want to be recognized by name. That’s done in many ways, including writing participant names on a white board or including their biometrics on an in-club screen. The simplest way to personalize a member’s experience is to simply call out when they’re working hard. That requires that trainers meet new participants before classes, learn their names, and use them to encourage and motivate.

There are many other ways to build community and become a brand that prospects and members want to be associated with. Over the last 25 years, Aquila has developed engagement strategies that highlight individuals, support recruitment and retention efforts, and build lasting fitness communities for private and public organizations.

Learn more about Aquila’s custom solutions for your community-building efforts by contacting us at info@aquilaltd.com.