Why Do Fitness Businesses Fail? Five Top Reasons
The fitness industry is growing at a remarkable rate: 2017 was a record year for health clubs, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). And yet gyms can and do fail. Which begs the question: What is holding some fitness centers back while others forge ahead? While a shortage of capital is the most obvious cause of a gym having to close its doors, plenty of other underlying causes also come into play. Read on for a roundup of five reasons why fitness businesses fail. Read more
Five Tips for Freshening Up Your Fitness Business Website This Spring
A staggering 55 percent of people spend less than 15 seconds on a website, according to a recent report from Time magazine. While this information may be disheartening, it’s also a call to arms for fitness businesses looking to attract and retain members with their websites: Making sure your website hits the mark -- and quickly -- can be an invaluable marketing strategy. Wondering where to begin when it comes to updating your website? Start with these five tips.
Creating Successful Weight Loss Challenges
Research indicates that skyrocketing obesity rates are driving the fitness market. This means big opportunities for fitness businesses. But is your gym doing everything it can be doing to support members in their weight loss goals (while boosting your bottom line in the process)? Enter weight loss challenges. These group initiatives challenge participants to lose weight in a safe, motivating environment. Read more
Are You Doing Everything You Can to Keep Your Staff and Members Safe?
From equipment accidents to active shooter scenarios to trips and falls on pool decks and shower floors, many different types of threats to human safety and security exist in fitness environments. Which begs the question: Are you making your best effort to keep your staff and members safe when they show up to work or work out? Read more
Is Your Fitness Business Responding to Negative Customer Reviews in the Best Way?
In our increasingly social world, today’s consumers wield more power than ever before. One of the most significant ways they wield that power? Through online reviews. In fact, according to a BrightLocal survey, 85 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, 73 percent of consumers are more likely to support businesses with positive reviews, and 49 percent of consumers require at least a four-star rating before choosing where to spend their hard-earned dollars. Read more
Three Ways Fitness Professionals Can Support Healthy Eating in Clients
Achieving comprehensive health and fitness isn’t just about what happens in the gym. It’s also about what happens in the kitchen. The takeaway for gym-goers? In order to reach their wellness goals, they need to focus on both exercise and diet. Read more
The 411 on Making Your Fitness Business Eco-Friendly
More and more people are prioritizing eco-friendliness when choosing which businesses to support. The takeaway? If your fitness business hasn't adopted eco-friendly practices, you may be falling short when it comes to keeping up with the competition. Here’s a closer look at the eco-friendly imperative, along with tips for helping your fitness business go green.Read more
Are Your Group Fitness Instructors Using the Right Words?
When we think of the fitness business, we often think of all things physical: After all, most gyms, healthcare centers, and other fitness facilities are centered around the movement of bodies. It's not a surprise that fitness instructors require a lot of knowledge about the human body across everything from maximizing results to minimizing the risk of injury. Read more
Five Tips for Turning All of Your Fitness Business Staff into Salespeople
Your personal trainers, front desk workers, and childcare room attendants aren't just personal trainers, front desk workers, and childcare room attendants. They're also salespeople -- or at least can be. But are your fitness business staff members doing everything they can to recruit new members, sell products and services, and build member loyalty? These five tips can help you optimize the impact of your staff when it comes to optimizing fitness business growth. Read more
Six Tips for Growing Your Fitness Business with Social Media
Approximately 70 percent of Americans use social media to “connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves,” according to the latest figures on social media adoption from Pew Research Center. Even more noteworthy? This figure was just five percent in 2005. The takeaway for forward-thinking fitness businesses? If you’re not using social media, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to reach members and potential members. Read more
The 411 on Fitness Business Marketing to Baby Boomers
The topic of marketing to Millennials may get most of the buzz, but the senior market is also strong -- and growing by the day. Wondering whether your fitness facility business is doing all it can do to court the Baby Boom generation? Read on for a closer look at why the Baby Boomers matter so much, and what your gym, fitness studio, or health care center can do to attract -- and keep -- their business.Read more
Is Your Fitness Business Making the Most of Group Training?
Group training claimed the sixth spot on the ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal’s most recent worldwide survey of fitness trends. And while group exercise training programs certainly aren’t new, this was the first time in the survey’s 11-year history that they claimed a top 20 spot. The takeaway for forward-thinking fitness businesses? Not only is this trend one to watch, but it’s one to feature in your lineup. Read more
Content Marketing for Fitness Businesses: What All Gym Owners Should Know
What does content marketing have to do with your fitness business? Everything, as it turns out. If your health center, gym, or other fitness business hasn’t yet dived into content marketing -- or if you took the plunge but have simply been treading water since -- you’re likely missing out on major opportunities. Read on for an introduction to content marketing for fitness businesses, along with tips for what you need to know to maximize your content marketing strategies.Read more
Five Things Gym Owners Should Consider When Choosing Fitness Equipment
Owning a fitness business involves making many logistical, mission-critical decisions. From the location of your facility to whether you’re going to specialize in a specific healthcare niche, informed decision-making can impact the success of your business for years to come. At the top of the list for many fitness owners and managers? Choosing the right gym equipment. Read more
The Past, Present and Future of Wearable Technology
The wearable technology market is projected to skyrocket to $51.6 billion by the year 2022, according to B2B research firm Markets and Markets. Leading the pack when it comes to the trend? Wearable fitness devices. Here’s a closer look at wearables, along with why all forward-thinking fitness businesses should embrace the potential of this innovative new technology.Read more
Managing Fitness Business Membership Retention Challenges
Many fitness businesses focus their efforts on member recruitment strategies. However, retaining current members is equally if not more important. After all, your members have already shown their willingness to pay for your products and services -- so why wouldn't you prioritize keeping them around? Here’s a closer look at why membership retention matters, along with an overview of common fitness business retention challenges and solutions.Read more
What All Fitness Business Owners Should Know About Brand Building
Operating a thriving fitness business isn’t just about investing in the latest fitness equipment and running the right programming. In fact, all of this is moot without one essential aspect: Marketing. But marketing isn’t just about getting the word out, either. It’s also about conveying your brand differentiator: What makes your fitness business different than the rest? Read more
Four Marketing Ideas to Boost Fitness Business Membership in the Digital Age
While new members are essential to growth in the fitness industry, there’s one thing standing in the way of many gyms and new members: Smart marketing strategies. The reality is that marketing can make or break fitness business membership. Which begs the question: Are you doing everything you can to get the word out in the 21st century digital landscape? Read on for a roundup of four easy but effective digital marketing tactics.Read more
The Cost-Effective Way to Acquire Group Fitness Equipment
Gym owners have many issues to consider when opening or upgrading their facilities. One of the largest potential expenses? Fitness equipment. While every fitness business is different and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to outfitting your gym, leasing equipment may be a smart choice. Read on for a closer look at your options, along with several reasons why leasing gym equipment can be a cost-effective approach.Read more
Building a Fitness Business That Endures - Part 4 of 4 - Marketing
An oft-quoted question ponders, “If a tree falls in a forest, and no one’s around to hear it, does it still make a sound?” While this concept is often applied as a philosophical puzzle, it is very relevant -- and much easier to answer, as it turns out -- when applied to your fitness business. Because the reality is that even the best fitness business in the world will fail if its marketing efforts aren’t reaching its target market. Read more