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“How was the wolf to blame, if the sheep were roaming free?” – Rachel Hartman, Tess of the Road

In the wake of the pandemic, numerous health clubs and studios find themselves grappling with the challenge of bringing back members who have yet to return to their facilities. The task of preserving memberships and attracting new simultaneously ensuring the doors stay open can seem like an overwhelming endeavor. Whether you’re a dedicated fitness instructor, a group exercise director, a personal trainer, or a club owner, it’s impossible to ignore the palpable shift in the industry’s landscape compared to just a year ago. Each day brings new shifts and fluctuations, shaping the future in ways we hadn’t foreseen.

In many markets of affluence, members outfitted their homes with a gym all their own. During the pandemic Peloton was filling backorders, SoulCycle bikes were shipping like crazy, and strength equipment sold out for months on end, it seems like the basements and garages were the new local gym, with a membership base of ‘one’. The barrage of virtual workouts both LIVE and Video On-Demand (VoD) group workouts that are affordable and effective is astonishing. Let’s be clear, fitness instructors, trainers and clubs/studios were, in many cases, the first to pivot and bring workouts directly to home users. Shoot, maybe we did this almost too well. The attrition of members during shelter-in-place was inevitable. But what about now that, slowly but surely, even the die-hard virtual clients are looking for connection and community, aren’t they?

Add to these the incredible fitness applications available at affordable pricing, and we have an industry evolving faster than most of us can keep up with. Apple Fitness + launched with huge media engagement and incredible reviews, a superb customer interface and workouts for everyBODY. SoulCycle jumped right in with their at-home bike and signature “party on a bike” workouts, partnering with all the fitness experiences that the celebrious brand, Equinox, offers. Specialty apps like Physique 57 for Barre enthusiasts, along with tried and true on-demand programming like Daily Burn, are all bringing incredible quality for a low price to consumers, no matter where they are. xponential even launched robust programming for their brands to support franchisees with motion picture quality production.

So, what should you do now? Have we lost these members or clients forever as they wandered off and stumbled into varying virtual training platforms and apps? How can we appeal to them and bring them back into the fold?

There are two old adages we’re all too familiar with that are almost too easy to apply here.

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer”

In this case, I want to steer you away from seeing an app or service as the “enemy” of a traditional health club; rather, let’s start to think of them as partners. Instead of fearing the technology stealing your business find ways to integrate it into yours. This may seem counterintuitive, but there are a myriad of ways health clubs can interface with technology and remain a pillar in the domain of “work, life, home, community”. 

Back in the 90’s I owned a health club, and as yoga studios began to open up in my locale with the same prolific speed as Starbucks, I feared the adversarial effect they would have on my business. However, rather than letting fear dictate how I chose to operate, I introduced myself and struck up partnerships with these studios, dovetailing significant discounts offered to my members, and, more importantly, creating a collaborative approach within the local fitness community. They were able to grow and I was able to retain- that is how I’ve approached competition in all facets of my fitness initiatives.

Now, present day: post-pandemic and technology-overloaded. These are different times…So how can that independent and large gym alike serve their members? Good question! Remember when we could just focus on growth? We’ll get there, but let’s first round up the home-gym, virtual-users and get them back to working out with YOU.

A few big ideas!

1. Hey y’all- Group VoD at our place, not yours. Imagine four or five friends utilizing your space when the club’s group exercise (GX) room isn’t in use as a place to gather and workout together. Create a space in your facility where friends, co-workers, old group fitness participants can take a VoD workout together. What about mounting a screen with an HDMI adaptor for phones and ipad to connectivity? Right now, offering a full GX schedule may not be possible (from a capacity and cost of experience perspective), so allowing small groups to workout using any of the apps right in your space brings them together…and back to you.
2. Offer the “experience” on your turf. What about purchasing a couple of Peloton, Soul Cycle or Schwinn bikes (maybe one of each) for your cardio area and allowing members to ride there in your facility with their favorite app? Regardless of how many stationary bikes have been sold in the last year, we must consider the following: there are a lot of people that still don’t have one; and those that do have one would be grateful for the change of scenery: a different type of bike that’s not stuffed into the corner of their basement.
3. Let your fave in-house trainers and instructors star’s shine! Even as a smaller facility, creating your own VoD content for members to access anytime can be affordable and incredibly effective. Grab your superstars and let them shine on camera. Many members have grown comfortable with your zoom classes and experiences, so even if a full virtual 2-way class line-up isn’t fiscally plausible, maybe VoD with their favorite instructors will keep those members happy. Companies like Intelivideo can literally create an interface, fully branded for your members that looks and feels just like you! 
4. Partnership + Collaboration = Winning. Well, there are smaller apps and services that might be able to provide your members with a significant discount on their services when providing direct connection to your members. At Homeroom Fit, I offered subscription pricing to gyms where they receive our LIVE 2-Way stream classes for a nominal price. Why? I needed consumer eyes and the instructors on my platform wanted to grow their following globally. Don’t forget: brands small and large are competing for the “consumer eyes” so you never know- and it never hurts to ask. Companies like SWERVE and Wexer have already nuanced this for us.. offer Group Fitness in-person but when you can’t fill the room; let them do it for you for pennies on the dollar.
5. App features for you and yours. Have you checked out some of the unique features some of these apps are offering? Apple Fitness + created a walking app that is meditation, movement and learning all at once. Could you create a “book club” of sorts where members would walk, then talk later about what they heard and experienced either virtually or right there in your facility? Maybe you meet at the facility and walk together? These types of initiatives are easier than you think. Create a sign-up sheet for those who want to participate, provide a space or meeting room (virtual or in-person) for the follow-up. With new releases coming out weekly you can literally count on weeks of connection through these experiences.

I am hoping these ideas maybe inspire you, help you think-tank and above all bring your herd back to your facility as soon as possible. Happy Herding!

What should you name your fitness class, studio, live streaming program or product?

Building a Brand 101

In fitness we are always faced with the decision of which brand to attach ourselves to versus creating our own. There’s also the option to simply work with an established commoditized idea without any branding at all.  Examples of all three look like this; “I teach Barre Above”, “I teach Tricia’s Barre” or “I teach Barre” – All three of these describe something similar but will all have a different effect on  your business model. Understanding your “why” when deciding which brand direction to choose is very important for building your following and future business. All three can work but there are certainly upsides and downsides to all of them. Let’s look at all three.

Because barre is my  wheelhouse, I will use it as the example as we analyze the different pros and cons.  This process of evaluation works for almost any fitness concept from a HIIT class to website design.

First: Personalized Brand – Tricia’s Barre Workout

Let’s say you began teaching a few years back and you immediately realized that your personal connection with your members or students was one of your true gifts. Your students are drawn to you, they love what you offer, and they are willing to trust you personally. Your brand has now become YOU, the person as well as the services your offer. You have created a circumstance where you decide you can tie your name to the business brand.

Upsides!

• People who love you and who are your biggest fans, will love this. There’s an incredible podcast by Tim Ferris called 1000 True Fans which really helps you see the value of serving and inspiring them to be your early adopters and voices for the growth of your business.    https://tim.blog/tag/1000-true-fans/
• This brand will be exclusive to you and your students will feel as though your workouts can only be found through you so they may be willing to pay a premium.

Downsides!

• It’s hard to expand your business if your name is attached to it. What if you need subs or want to add more classes or build more studios/clubs?
• For the same reason your name could bring them in, it can also keep them away. Let’s be honest I’m not everyone’s cup of tea so anyone who doesn’t like me, likely won’t walk into Tricia’s Barre Studio. 
• It’s extraordinarily hard to franchise or scale a business with an individual’s name attached.

Second: Commoditized Idea – I teach Barre Classes

Years ago, when barre first moved into major markets other than New York and LA, the high-end franchises were dominating the scene. Our group fitness director, Danielle Sharp, at the time wisely decided to simply offer “Barre” classes and for a lower price than all of the high-end brands and the commodity shopper came in by the hundreds. She understood how important it is to recognize how valuable the commodity shopper is. Many luxury brands sell high end products but make their money in their commoditized sales pathways. The club, Community Fitness – Seattle WA had immediate success and packed classes. Many billion- dollar product and sales companies have made their margin in awesome generic products.

Upsides!

• Inexpensive because there are zero branding expenses associated.
• You can reach a larger audience and make fitness more affordable for larger markets of people.
• Your investment costs are minimal.

Downsides!

You have to create a great experience and hire the best staff; you have to create an experience consumers will brag about being a part of.  Think about how often you might brag about hitting “Target”.  This is no easy feat but it’s possible especially if there are tons of high-end brands in your area.

Third: Brand Connected – “I teach Barre Above”

Upsides!

• Perceived status and social signaling occurs naturally when we associate ourselves with a high-end brand. When you have a well-known brand on your schedule or even a highly recognized certification like ACE next to your name there is a perceived social status from your customers. Think about when you see a house with a Tesla in the driveway, you immediately perceive them as a home of means even if that’s not the case.
• Members of any facility feel comfort with well- known brands. The familiarity can often times drive them into your facility or even specifically into classes.
• There’s also higher perceived value with high end brands. If I spend more I am getting more. Not necessarily the facts but perception can often be a person’s reality.

Downsides!

• If you have a high-end brand and you make a mistake, it goes viral.  A herculean effort to protect your brand. If one person doesn’t like your brand, they can really make their mark with this new technology age.
• Collateral is very expensive to produce between logo, website, marketing, trademark, etc.

It’s more important than ever to process the decisions we make when it comes to deciding how to brand our classes and services or even facilities.  Try to look at the positives and negative and think through your long-term plans.

Tricia Madden, Co-Creator of Barre Above, Founder of Homeroom Fit and Award winning industry speaker.