Gym culture has a significant impact on client retention at fitness centers across America every single day.
It's no secret that going to the gym can sometimes be a daunting experience. There are so many different people with different goals and motivations, and it can be easy to feel like you don't fit in. However, there are a few things you can do to make sure that your gym is a positive and inclusive environment for everyone.
If you are a gym owner or manager, then you know that it’s not an easy task to create and maintain a positive culture in your facility. This is especially true when the majority of your members are not part of your target demographic, yet they still need to be wooed into becoming more active and engaged.
It sounds simple: make your gym an enjoyable place to be, and membership numbers will stay consistent. But what's the secret to curating the perfect positive gym culture?
First, you need to make sure that the positive effects of the gym are at the heart of your gym atmosphere. This should guide the details of how you run your fitness center. Though it might sound complicated, it is possible to optimize your gym environment into one that will keep your whole range of clients healthy and happy.
If you're looking for some foolproof ways to build a positive gym culture, look no further. This article will tell you all you need to know.
Make Sure You've Got the Basics Down
Gym management is no easy task. Running a business that is dedicated to people's health and well-being comes with much responsibility.
That's why, no matter how experienced you are, it's vitally important to monitor how well you are fulfilling the basic requirements of good gym management. Whether that's making sure your certification is up-to-date or making sure your funds are well delegated, it plays a key role in ensuring the stability of your business.
You may be asking yourself what exactly this has to do with your gym culture.
Here's the answer: the success of a business begins with these details. It is important to build a good foundation for your gym to become a thriving business because this will make you and your staff comfortable. If the basics of the business are taking care of themselves, you can devote your attention to improving the fitness culture of your gym.
Good Staff Make For a Positive Gym Culture
There are no two ways about it: you should only be hiring the most consummate professionals when running a gym.
Your employees are the backbone of your business. They are in close contact with your clients on a day-to-day basis, whether answering the phones, running classes, or doing personal training sessions.
Staff members should not only be good at their jobs but should understand how important it is to welcome and motivate your customers. Positivity and real dedication to clients' well-being are vital if you want your staff to build and maintain a positive gym culture.
Having helpful, friendly staff will make all the difference in how customers feel when working out at your gym.
Make sure your staff is adequately trained to handle customer complaints or concerns. Someone will inevitably be unhappy with something at some point. Still, it’s important to remember that addressing the situation can make or break the person’s opinion of your gym.
If they feel like their concerns are being heard and addressed, they’re more likely to stick around. On the other hand, if they feel like they’re being ignored or brushed off, then they’re more likely to leave and never come back.
Once you've found and hired the ideal team, remember to treat them well. Unhappy staff will not perform at their best, so make sure they feel supported with good working conditions and training opportunities.
Personal Training Should Be Motivational
Being a personal trainer requires a level of sensitivity that not every potential employee will have. When offering PT sessions to customers, make sure you monitor and support staff to ensure a high standard.
Personal trainers should be professionally measuring client fitness progress, with awareness of the client's goals and personal worries. Positive gym culture relies on people's comfort and motivation, so knowing how to guide clients through a potentially difficult fitness journey while keeping their mood high is a necessary skill.
Remember: above all else, your customers should enjoy their time working with a PT.
Accurate and advanced measuring techniques can help personal trainers get the best results for clients. Tools like specialized tracking software and 3D body scanning can be invaluable to your staff in training clients well and keeping their gym motivation high.
Make Sure Your Gym Is an Inclusive Space
This may mean different things for different gyms depending on your client base, but the sentiment always applies: make sure that your gym caters to the full range of your client base, not just certain subsections.
It can be easy for regular gym-goers and seasoned fitness professionals to overlook how daunting gyms can be. It can help to promote your gym as an open, supportive space for new clients.
There are even ways to make your gym accessible to those who often find it impossible to attend a gym:
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Quiet hours for those with sensory difficulties
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Concession pricing
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Classes geared towards older clients with less mobility
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Accessible entrances and equipment
Gym managers have an opportunity to make getting fit a safe and enjoyable experience for all. Anti-discrimination, pro-respect policies can help customers feel content in your gym and foster a thriving gym community. Put these guidelines in place, and make sure your staff is ready to enforce them.
A positive gym culture can change people's lives by giving them somewhere they can enjoy exercise—inclusivity is part of this. Make your gym the place people can't wait to come to, no matter who they are or what prior experience they have.
Keep Your Equipment in Good Shape
To make your gym a pleasant place to be, you need to make sure you have high-quality, clean equipment.
Although it might seem like a high-cost venture to keep all of your equipment up to date, it is a long-term investment that will pay off. You don't necessarily need to have the most expensive equipment on the market. Still, you do need something relatively advanced, extremely reliable, and that you can maintain for a long time.
The layout of your gym matters too. Keep it simple and clear, and try sorting your equipment into sections that make sense. There's no use in putting the free weights somewhere that has no space to use them or splitting up your treadmills when they could all be together!
It might sound hard to believe, but these small details are those which will make your clients feel confident that you know what you're doing.
By getting hold of good equipment, you make your gym an exciting and relevant place to be. The fitness culture at your gym can only benefit from this.
Host Regular Events With Other Local Gyms
Hosting regular events with other local gyms creates a sense of community among businesses in the area. For example, you could have a block party where each gym sets up a booth with games, prizes, and healthy snacks.
This is a great way to show your members that you’re invested in their health and wellness while also getting them to interact with other people who share the same interest in fitness.
You could also create a monthly member challenge where everyone who participates gets entered into a drawing to win a free month of membership, a personal training session, or a massage. This is a great way to get people talking and working together towards a common goal.
Promote Events On Social Media And In Your Newsletter
Make sure to promote any events you’re hosting on social media and in your newsletter. This will help to spread the word and get more people involved.
One of the best ways to keep members engaged is hosting fun events and promoting them on social media and in your newsletter. These events are a great way to show that your gym cares about your members and their well-being. For example, you could host a free yoga class or offer complimentary childcare services for parents during workouts.
Positive Gym Culture Is the Key to Long-Term Success
People want to be somewhere that they feel supported by a community. Your gym culture is the one thing you can use to make your business stand out from the rest. It is the thing that should guide all of your decisions when it comes to gym management.
The atmosphere and people you choose for your gym should be suitably friendly and promote personal progress for every single member of every ability level.
Everything in your gym should be designed to offer one key thing: motivation.
Gym motivation can wax and wane in clients, but one thing that remains consistent is the undeniable benefits of regular exercise. As a fitness-based business, you'll be aware of all the positive effects of gym use - so use them when you're thinking about how to design and run your gym.
Make the Room Motivational
There are many ways to make the visual appearance of your gym work towards creating a positive gym culture. Bright colors can affect people's mindsets and encourage physical activity. Even a good logo can remind people that they need to come and do a workout when they see it out in the wild.
Words can have power. You could even put some motivational gym quotes like these up on your walls to spur people on when they're hitting that trying section of their workout.
Signposts that show newcomers the best form for an exercise might help too. They not only help people embarking on their fitness journey but show that your gym is for everyone, bodybuilders to newbies.
Find Ways For Members To Get Involved Outside Of Working Out
One of the best ways to create a positive culture is to encourage your members to become involved in the community outside of working out at your gym.
There are two main ways you can do this:
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Offer free day passes for members
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Organize volunteer opportunities
Offering free day passes is a great way to introduce new people to your gym and allow them to explore what you have to offer before they decide if they want to commit. It also helps that when you offer these day passes, you will be providing an opportunity for members who are not currently interested in fitness or who don't live near your location the chance to join!
Once these members try out your services, they may find that it's something that suits their lifestyle. They may also see how beneficial it is for their mental health and have a more positive outlook on life.
Similarly, organizing volunteer opportunities provides an opportunity for members who may not live close by or have time during work hours the opportunity to contribute to their community. It also helps them feel like they belong within this group and motivates them to continue coming back regularly.
Music Is a Call to Motion
A good playlist can have a positive effect on people's workouts. Find something with a good beat that will get everyone moving.
You can try tailoring the songs and the volume to who's in your gym by analyzing who tends to visit when. This will help you use music to your advantage, and there's no doubt that clients will look forward to coming back and exercising to a soundtrack of their favorite songs.
Visualizing Success Creates Winners
Part of your aim when running a gym should be to help your clients visualize future success. This is a key way to boost their gym motivation.
Results can take a long time to show, which can often knock people's commitment to going to the gym. With this in mind, you should make sure your customers can all somehow access tools that will allow them to track their progress and see the trajectory of their improving fitness.
By helping your clients recognize their achievements in the gym, you make them happy. Becoming healthier is worth celebrating, and their feelings of accomplishment will keep them coming through the door to work out.
Celebrate The Wins Of Your Members
No one likes a negative environment. Keep your members happy by celebrating the accomplishments of your members. For example, you can have a monthly award ceremony to celebrate people who reach milestone fitness goals or finally complete their first 5k. This is a great way to motivate others and show that it’s okay to take pride in their achievements.
Start Changing Your Gym Culture for the Better Today
Building a positive gym culture is key to the success of your business. It will help you to keep both staff and clients alike happy and healthy and ensure that your gym stands out from all the rest.
There's no time like the present to start making your gym culture as positive as can be.
Knowing what your clients need and the latest, best ways to give it to them is an important part of gym management. Check out our blog for more informative posts about the world of fitness.
