Three words... Build a community!
What is a community?
A community is a place of inclusion, a place where people bond over a common interest, passion or purpose. It’s a place where members build relationships with each other and your brand.For the fitness community, it can be built both in and outside the gym. In 2020 many fitness communities switched to a completely virtual model and some went hybrid, but everyone learned the importance of a flexible fitness model.An online community can be self-sustaining, but it’s important for the culture to be set by the leaders of a community. A strong community will last when the coaches and staff get involved. Some of the best practices for the coaches/staff are:
- Coaches/staff should interact with members on a daily basis, and it is encouraged that they give at least five comments a day.
- Be the example by logging your workouts and practising what you preach.
- Check out the member's participation stats and reach out to those who haven’t been active.
Part of the battle in today's digital environment is learning how to use social media to effectively brand yourself. Here are the top social media platforms that will lead to the right clients and later grow.
Instagram and Facebook
These two channels are the most commonly used in the fitness sector, and they work together fluidly. To be effective on these platforms it is good to be operating in the business space.Facebook aims to connect its user base through sharing. It is a multimedia social network with a lot of great information, but also a lot of noise.What is Facebook great for?
- Sharing your original content
- Sharing others content
- Using different media
- Connecting with different demographics
- Promotion of events and content
- Advertising
Instagram is all about capturing moments. Users interact with accounts in very different ways here than they do on Facebook. Some key differences:
- Photo and short videos only
- Focused on original content, not curation
- Users want to see authentic content more so than on Facebook. Again, it’s about moments not looking up business information or doing research
- Limited ways to interact with accounts, however, engagement tends to be much higher
- It’s all about mobile
Consider Instagram as your gateway. It’s the visual channel, while Facebook is where to nurture your community. That’s where you can link to your website, blog or partner assets. Find harmony between the channels by using images on Instagram to ignite conversations on Facebook.
Tiktok
TikTok is easily the most accommodating platform for cross-platform sharing and encourages users to spend more time on the app, as they can create content more efficiently. Another major factor separating TikTok from Facebook, Instagram and other platforms reflects back to their mission:
''Inspire Creativity and Bring Joy''.TikTok natively has a lot of capabilities for sharing quickly to other platforms as well (like Instagram and Facebook), so it can be a good way to get a quick win.
Youtube
Doing things like podcasts, instructional videos or tutorials, YouTube can serve as a great repository for those assets. Well-produced videos get high search traffic and rankings even years later.This is also a great place to put raw, captured footage. You can use video interviews here to anchor your content while you split the audio asset to live on other channels, such as Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcast or even Patreon.
Linkedin
LinkedIn has a different kind of clientele, but it’s an interesting and untapped space for fitness entrepreneurs. The people engaging on this channel are typically business professionals whose mentality and lifestyles lead to them being more on top of their fitness.
The Network Effect for your community.
A fitness community may not be a new concept but it has certainly experienced huge international up trends over the past years.Social network effects can be a powerful motivator to encourage more physical activity, say researchers in a new report. For most people, it’s difficult to stay consistent with workout routines, but having a certain group there waiting for you provides you with the motivation and accountability everyone needs to be successful.Researchers at Kansas State University found that people who exercised with someone they thought was better than them increased their workout time and intensity by 200 percent.
Why Live Streaming is good for your community.
In this new climate, where technology and the internet have democratized the industry by enhancing access and options, these areas have never been more crucial. The emphasis on a hybrid offering means a need to cater to those working out at home as well as in the gym, and virtual, streamed fitness classes are the ideal solution for interacting with members no matter where they are. It ensures they still feel connected. Live streaming has been at the forefront of the fitness digital revolution in the past year. And as is often the case with innovation, it is set to become ever more sophisticated and beneficial for fitness clubs, trainers, and entrepreneurs and their members. Despite the numerous challenges in the past year, live streaming technology has brought fitness into people’s lives wherever they are and will continue to do so - keeping people happy, motivated, and healthy.
