Build a Committed Community

Making friends as an adult is hard. If you Google it, 2,020,000,000 results populate immediately. I launched my first fitness business because I was tired of being "the new girl." I had recently moved, and I was constantly sitting by myself in class, watching as other gym-goers met their friends for a workout. 

As I sat on my mat surrounded by existing members, I created the foundation of my future fitness studio- a place where adults could come and immediately be welcomed into the gym community. That foundation created my future member boutique fitness retention strategy and set the tone for our incredible success.

Boutique fitness is important. As a studio owner, you already know that the fitness industry provides value to the community just by existing. We get to be the best part of someone's day and we help our clients reach goals that they may not have had the courage to dream of before. But the connections and friendships that organically form between members is the magic that makes boutique fitness so unique. Implemented effectively, it should look like an effortless happenstance, but like most things, this member retention strategy is carefully choreographed. 

The Rule of Seven

According to Harvard Business Review, belonging is a fundamental human necessity after food and shelter. As a studio owner, I've had a client toast the friends she made at the gym in her wedding speech. Many of our members met at the studio and went on to be each other's bridesmaids. I can’t count the number of clients who moved to another city but kept their membership for weekend commutes. Well-taught classes and clean facilities are necessary, but nothing is more important for client retention than the relationships created within your walls. 

During my MBA, we learned that if an employee makes seven quality connections at work, they'll stay even if they don't love anything else about the job. Now, we hope your client doesn't dislike everything else about your boutique fitness studio, but if all her friends are members too, she will be more patient with schedule changes and other annoyances.

 Putting that rule of seven into my business created a member retention rate of 98 percent year over year and earned us a perfect five-star rating on Yelp and Google. Nearly every review mentions friendships and our welcoming community while only a few mention our state-of-the-art facilities. From an ROI statistic, community building returns at a significantly higher rate than anything else.

Organize Your Extroverts

As a studio owner, it's a smart business move to shore up member retention, but it's also a privilege to recognize which clients are looking for community and facilitate those connections. When creating your client flow, build opportunities to introduce your new clients to existing members. It should feel organic, but the best experience will come with practice to role-play interacting with clients on your staff's end. Here's the process:

1. Identify some of your regulars who are friendly and outgoing.

2. Privately ask if they'd be willing to be ambassadors of your studio. Would they be comfortable chatting with new clients before and after class or acting as a workout buddy to show them where to go during class?

3. Give your approved ambassador list to your teachers and desk staff at a staff meeting. Role-play that connection conversation together until it's second nature. It will sound something like this:

"Hi Existing Member, this is New Client. It's her first day. New Client, Existing Member is a total barre pro and one of our regulars. You'll be in good hands if you have any questions. I'll meet you afterward to see how the class went. Have fun!"

Create Opportunities to Connect

Member events, parties, workshops, themed classes, philanthropies, and holiday celebrations all give your members a chance to come together outside of class, which is where connections are forged. You're already swamped with daily tasks, so consider outsourcing this to a client. At my studio, I organized two client "fambassadors" to create one member event each month. They brainstorm the bonding activity- hikes, projector movie night, brunch at a local restaurant, etc., and I put it in the newsletter to get the word out. 

By trusting an engaged member with the task, I ensure the events are happening without actually planning them, and the fambassadors are happy to be compensated with retail or discounts. The clients are excited about each event and we get a mix of regulars and new members who are looking for a chance to join our community. Aim for one event per quarter to start and then push for one per month.

Facilitate Introductions

Have you sat alone while everyone around you chatted? You can create a culture of inclusivity by asking clients to introduce themselves to their neighbors before class starts. We have a little spiel about how no one wants to work out with strangers to help people reach out. It may feel ridiculous, but I have witnessed the transformation a class undergoes just by having clients say, “hi.” It's hard to find friends if you're stuck at "what's your name?" for weeks, so facilitate that first step by asking everyone to do it.

There are countless ways to increase your member retention, and choosing the ones that make the biggest impact in your studio will be important. Start by taking small steps to build your community authentically:

• Cultivate genuine relationships

• Train your staff to support camaraderie

• Celebrate your members

• Create the culture you would have loved to find as a client. 

Most importantly, make it a part of your mission and culture intentionally, rather than hoping relationship building will occur accidentally. By thinking beyond class formats and schedules you’ll discover the root of why clients choose in-person workouts over the convenience of home exercise- connection.