There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to open a gym: planning, researching, inventing, implementing, realizing. But the result often justifies all the physical and material costs.
On the list of “How to open a fitness club,” put planning first.
Opening a gym: where to start
Planning is key to the success of the club. What does it do?
- Shows where your club came from and where it is now, where it wants to go and how it will get there.
- Establishes the main objectives of the club.
- Encourages consumers and employees to participate in the development of the club.
- Allows you to account for changes that affect the club.
- Regulates the proper utilization of resources (human, physical and financial).
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What you need to open a fitness club
Preparation of the strategic plan
A strategic plan is a document that outlines the long-term (two to four years) goals of the club. It outlines the overall mission and direction, how goals will be achieved, and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the business. The plan includes the following items:
- vision and/or mission statement;
- the main areas of the organization’s activities;
- objectives related to these areas of activity;
- Strategies to achieve the objectives;
- timelines for finalizing strategies;
- performance measures;
- Priorities.
The plan won’t be perfect right away, it can grow and evolve with the club. The plan is required to be a clear framework for the club’s management. It should provide detailed information on how to achieve the goals. It prioritizes strategies and tasks and includes resource allocation and targeting. An organization’s strategic plan is a means to an end, not the end itself. Its purpose is to outline the organization’s vision and priorities in response to the changing environment.
Strategic management harnesses the full potential of an organization by looking at day-to-day operational decisions in the context of a global plan. To start a fitness club from scratch, you need to figure out if it’s profitable. To do this, research and develop a gym business plan.
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Developing a business plan for a fitness center
A fitness center business plan is a detailed document that includes all the information from the club’s strategic plan:
- what he’ll be doing in the coming years;
- what kind of investment would be required;
- How long it will take for the business to break even.
A business plan for a fitness club consists of several parts:
- Introductory – describes the market, profitability, payback period;
- description of the company’s sphere of activity, CA, pricing model;
- marketing strategy;
- organizational plan;
- financial costs;
- conclusion – expected results.
A fitness studio business plan helps you start your own small business or attract additional investment from investors.
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First steps in building a brand
The fitness market is already tightly packed, so think about what niche you want to fill. To do this, identify the target audience of the fitness club. You may be interested in mixed martial arts fans or young mothers looking for a place to come with their child. Once determined, you can put the puzzle called “brand” together with KOLORO! We’ll start with a catchy name and logo and develop a promotion and development strategy for you.
A brand’s voice is based on the language used in its marketing and advertising materials. It includes:
- signs;
- slogans (mottos);
- advertising slogans;
- motivational words printed on posters hanging on the walls inside the gym.
You choose a completely different voice and tone, addressing the weightlifter who wants to get stronger and the young mom who wants to get her tummy flat. Consistency in tone of voice is a key element in building a recognizable and authoritative brand, especially in a niche segment.
It is important to pay attention to choosing a name for the business. Once you have the right name, a logo will be required. To do this, you need to choose the right colors, fonts and graphics that go along with the strategy and philosophy of the business.
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Developing a development strategy for a fitness club
Marketing strategy for a sports club – a plan of what and how the club will promote.
Developing a marketing strategy for club management will help to understand:
- What makes your club special and how to capitalize on it;
- How to send the right message to your target audience;
- how to qualitatively promote the sports club brand.
Having a plan allows you to focus on maximizing opportunities to increase sales, find sponsorships, and identify ways to increase attendance.
A fitness club marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated and difficult to implement. It should be realistic as some marketing strategies may be costly or may not have the desired effect.
It can be useful to see how other clubs offer their services. To determine the current market or club situation, it is useful to conduct a SWOT analysis of the fitness club, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
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What it takes to open a gym – the right offer
It’s important to understand what you’re really selling. Every business fulfills an emotional need. Understanding what it will be will be the foundation of everything. In most cases, it’s very simple for the fitness industry. These could be your clients’ needs to “feel beautiful” or “feel strong” or even “improve quality of life.” Start with research to determine who your customers are. Write a list of all your customers, both existing and those you want to attract.
Then you need to think about what you offer to each of these groups of people. To do this, it’s worth answering questions about the 4Ps of marketing that define positioning.
Product
What is your club’s unique selling proposition? What sets you apart from others?
Price
How much does it cost to be a member? Is this price acceptable? Can you offer different prices for different services or memberships?
Promotion
Is your club known to the locals? Does it meet their expectations?
Place
Are you easy to find? Do your capabilities match your offerings?
When developing a marketing plan, you need to identify the goals that underpin your overall aspirations and club vision. This will require a SMART approach: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely methods. A common goal is, “Increase club membership.” And the SMART goal: “To increase club membership by 20% over the next year.”
Set time frames and measures for success for each activity on the list. Make sure they are realistic and don’t be afraid to change tactics if the previous one isn’t working.
Fitness club marketing
Everyone in the club should be involved in the promotion. Encourage your clients and coaches to tell their friends and family about what the club has to offer.
Target marketing is the practice of designing and directing services to individuals or groups of customers. Try to think about the most effective way to communicate with your CA – what they like, what they read, where they go, how to get their attention.
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Fitness club promotion
There are many methods your club can use to market itself.
- Use the club logo on letterhead, signage and other promotional materials.
- Websites are an easy and effective way to communicate with members and supporters. The site should have:
- the club’s offerings;
- club news;
- membership information;
- contact info;
- coach information;
- real photos of the hall;
- interesting articles.
- Holding various flash mobs, competitions, theme days and announcing them will help spread the word about the club.
- Branded t-shirts and caps can enhance a club’s image by promoting it at events. Hats, socks and t-shirts can be sold to raise funds and promote the establishment at the same time.
- MEDIA. The local newspaper may be interested in covering an event taking place at your club. If they don’t have any available writers – write the story yourself. Talk about the club’s events on local radio and television.
- Many clients provide their email address, as well as their age, occupation, etc. to register with the club. Even this minimal information can be used to connect with customers. To do this, it is worth grouping them by age, period of classes in the club, type of season ticket. To communicate, you can send reminders about the upcoming training, announce club events, once a week send a sample weekly menu of the athlete, once a month – thematic useful tips.
- Partnering with nearby businesses can yield useful results. A corporate wellness program can be created that provides incentives for companies to send their employees to the club.
- Create a social media profile, e.g. Facebook, Instagram. Keep an eye on the life of the profile: reviews, comments, quality of content.
- Happy coaching is part of social media outreach. Many coaches are photographed at their workplace, their profiles affect the image of the club. The caption under their photo should not be “How bored I am with my job”, but “Yay! A new work day – new experiences!”. It is the happy coach who inspires people to overcome their weaknesses.
- People are constantly on the lookout for new ways to have fun. They also like to self-improve and learn new things. To be helpful and entertaining, make workout video tutorials, record tips on how to work out properly in the gym, and talk about how not to get injured. Any topic related to exercise and healthy living will do. You can post content on social media and blog on the website.
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Fitness club development: loyalty program
For most fitness clubs, the loyalty program becomes part of a sponsorship deal with a bank or credit card company whose management is interested in increasing card usage.
A fitness club loyalty program is able to interest the client in lucrative offers for earned bonuses. Membership should be more than just a positive experience of purchasing a card with an original design. Rewards for participating in the loyalty program can be cool merch, the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot for the annual calendar, 3 free classes for bringing a friend, and other options that will attract new customers and strengthen friendships with old ones.
The main mistakes in the development of a sports club loyalty program:
- Unclear positioning: no clear program goal or objective is elaborated.
- Lack of differentiation: the program is very similar to other loyalty programs on the market.
- Unsustainable program design: the structure for collecting and exchanging points is not clear or is highly confusing.
To avoid such mistakes, it pays to do market research on a fitness club. These include research into visitor sentiment and the target audience’s perception of the club.
Developing a loyalty program: stages
- Defining program goals – what can be achieved by the loyalty program.
- How buyer behavior affects the program and vice versa.
- Customer focus – who the program’s target customers are, how you define them, and how you influence them.
- How you position the program in the minds of your target customers.
- How to create a loyalty program structure, what offers are made to influence customer behavior.
- Cost-benefit structure – what rewards programs offer to target customers and how much it costs.
KOLORO is a specialist in branding. We quickly find the target audience and qualitatively develop a marketing strategy for promotion. Call and write.
