Starting a gym can be incredibly daunting because it requires a deep understanding of fitness trends, business management, and excellent customer service. If you’re looking to create a successful gym, one of the best places to start is to look at what other successful gyms are doing, ergo, planet fitness lessons.
Love them or hate them, Planet Fitness is one of the most successful gym franchises in the US, and they’ve become, for lack of a better term, a model for success in the fitness industry. The no-brainer thing to do would be to take lessons from them and discover how you can grow your own gym.
This blog post will explore what makes Planet Fitness so successful and how you can apply these lessons to your gym.
Some of the things we’ll explore include their approach to customer service, low-cost models, and marketing strategies. By the end of this post, you’ll be more knowledgeable on how to create a successful gym of your own.
Planet Fitness Lessons You Can Implement in Your Gym
By focusing on convenience, affordability, and a non-intimidating atmosphere, Planet Fitness has built a successful business model that appeals to the masses.
If you want to create a successful gym that emphasizes simplicity, learning from Planet Fitness is a great place to start. Here are some lessons to learn from Planet Fitness
1. Simplicity and Convenience
Planet Fitness has figured out how to reduce costs by focusing on the essentials and eliminating features people don’t need or use. For example, they don’t have fancy swimming pools or expensive personal trainers.
Instead, they offer a simple, no-frills environment with essential equipment and plenty of open space. This allows them to offer memberships at an affordable rate while still making a profit.
Additionally, their business model includes convenience and flexibility. With locations in most major cities, members can find a Planet Fitness location close to home or work.
They also offer no-commitment memberships and extended hours so members can come at their convenience. In addition, they offer various payment options, including monthly payments and prepaid memberships, making it easy for anyone to join.
2. Focus on customer experience
One critical component of excellent customer experience is the friendly and helpful staff. Like Planet Fitness, ensure that members of your gym do not feel intimidated or unwelcome.
Make sure you hire employees who are knowledgeable about fitness and enthusiastic about helping customers reach their goals.
Creating a great customer experience is essential to the success of your gym. People come to the gym for different reasons, and it’s vital to understand those needs and tailor your services accordingly.
One way to provide an excellent customer experience is to keep your gym clean and inviting.
Make sure all your equipment is well-maintained and in good working condition. If a piece of equipment needs repairs or replacement, do it quickly. Clean up any sweat or other messes promptly, and stock plenty of clean towels and wipes.
3. Offer a unique value proposition
One thing that makes Planet Fitness different from other gyms is its low-cost membership and non-intimidating atmosphere. It is able to retain and attract customers because many gym members are like-minded and aren’t judgemental.
Planet Fitness has different membership categories: Planet Fitness Black Card, Prepaid, and Classic. Members with prepaid or classic memberships have free fitness training, access to the Planet Fitness app, and unlimited access to the home club where they signed up.
Your gym may go in the other direction and appeal to hardcore bodybuilders, or another category of people. The important takeaway is to build your brand so your gym is known to do one thing really well.
4. Foster a positive company culture
Companies that prioritize the happiness and well-being of their staff have a dedicated and motivated team. When your gym’s staff is happy with their jobs, the results are increased productivity and better customer interaction.
The same is the case with Planet Fitness. Planet Fitness welcomes members with open arms, creating a non-judgmental atmosphere.
5. Stay true to your brand
After creating a brand that people know you for, it’s critical to stay true to it, regardless of the short-term setbacks. Planet Fitness is popular for things like its lunk alarm because many lifters complain that it is unnecessary and ridiculous.
But it aligns with their overall brand, so they have kept it on-site. And guess what? People still go to Planet Fitness!
Planet Fitness has taken a unique approach to its branding. Their slogan is “Judgement Free Zone,” which reminds members that they don’t need to worry about being judged while at the gym.
You can see the slogan in action throughout everything they have on site. It’s a good idea to create the same energy for yoru gym.
Tips for Building a Successful Gym Brand
Building a successful gym brand requires dedication, the right marketing strategy, and top-notch customer experience. When you constantly offer value to your clients, it’s easier to retain them while building your customer base.
The last thing you want when opening your gym is for it to fail. So, here are some incredible tips that can help you build a successful Gym Brand.
Market your gym in your location
Marketing is a crucial part of ensuring your gym business is thriving. You must make sure that your business stands out from the competition, and there are several ways to do that.
Firstly, you should focus on creating an effective branding and advertising strategy. Utilizing digital marketing tools such as SEO, social media, and email campaigns can help spread the word about your business.
Likewise, consider investing in traditional marketing methods such as print advertising and radio or television spots. Look for creative ways to reach out to potential customers. Consider partnerships with local businesses or charities to cross-promote your business.
Attending community events or festivals can be a great way to get the word out about your gym and attract new customers.
By using a combination of strategic branding and targeted gym marketing tactics, you can ensure that your gym is successful.
Offer excellent customer service
Strive to make your gym a comfortable place to be. Offer amenities such as WiFi, coffee, and healthy snacks. Create different types of classes that cater to different fitness levels and interests. Provide plenty of space, so members don’t feel cramped or rushed while they work out.
Customer service is an excellent way of marketing your gym. Make sure your customers have a positive experience from the moment they walk into your gym. Have friendly staff on hand to greet them and show them around.
Furthermore, provide incentives such as discounts and loyalty rewards to encourage repeat visits.
Provide an excellent gym atmosphere and experience
When designing the physical layout of your gym, you should take cues from Planet Fitness. They understand that not all people use a gym for the same reasons and don’t need the same type of equipment.
That’s why they offer a variety of equipment and services to accommodate every kind of fitness enthusiast.
For starters, you’ll want to include strength training equipment such as weight machines, free weights, and selectorized weight systems. Additionally, be sure to offer an area dedicated to cardiovascular exercise with treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. It’s also essential to keep the locker rooms and bathrooms clean and in good repair.
It’s important to create a safe environment by providing staff members or security personnel. Be sure to have adequate lighting, secure locks on doors, and the necessary safety equipment.
Be hands-on in your management
Being hands-on in managing your gym means you’re actively involved in its day-to-day running. You should be able to track the gym’s finances whether it involves employee payroll or money used in equipment repairs. To do this, you can use a management software to automate processes and help you monitor your gym’s progress.
Additionally, when you’re involved in managing your gym, you can easily spot equipment that needs to be fixed or replaced or when the gym is untidy. Ensuring the gym is neat shouldn’t be one person’s responsibility but every member of your gym’s staff.
Common Gym Management Mistakes that Owners Make
When it comes to managing a gym, many common pitfalls can lead to costly mistakes. From marketing your business to hiring staff and providing quality services, there’s a lot to keep track of.
Unfortunately, a lack of proper management can also lead to mistakes that can negatively impact your business. Here are some common management mistakes to avoid if you want to run a successful and profitable gym.
For even more tips, check out these resources for gym owners.
Hiring the wrong people
One of the most common mistakes gym owners make is hiring the wrong people. Hiring an unqualified or ill-suited staff can cause severe issues within your business, from decreased customer satisfaction to a lack of professionalism.
When looking to hire new staff members, it’s important to focus on the qualities that will make them successful. A good onboarding process helps ensure that employees are fully acquainted with their roles. It’s also important to provide ongoing training and development opportunities so that your staff can continue to be successful.
Not promoting your business
In today’s competitive fitness industry, it’s essential to keep your business at the top of the minds of potential customers. You can do this in a variety of ways, like creating a website, utilizing social media, developing an email marketing campaign, and more.
Creating a website is the most effective way to promote your business. Your website should be professional-looking and easy to navigate, with all the relevant information potential customers need. For instance, your website should include your services, pricing, hours of operation, membership plans, class schedules, and contact information.
Not having a good location
Another gym management mistake you’d want to steer clear of is not having a good location for your gym. A gym’s location can have a significant impact on its success and growth.
The right location for your gym should be in an area with high foot traffic, easy access to public transportation, and plenty of parking. Unfortunately, many gym owners don’t consider this when choosing a location for their gym.
Additionally, if the preferred location of your gym is in an area that isn’t easily accessible or well known, you may find yourself competing with other gyms for customers. Therefore, it’s essential to research and find the right location for your gym. Also, don’t forget to market your gym in the local community.
Even if your gym is in a great area and poorly marketed, potential customers won’t be able to take advantage of the services you offer. Hence, the importance of good marketing.
Not utilizing technology
Gyms are no exception when it comes to the use of technology to improve their services. With technology, you can offer a better customer experience, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction and retention. Also, by utilizing technology, you can cut down on traditional marketing costs with the use of internet marketing.
Wrapping Up
As the global fitness industry increases, there’s also an increasing number of competitors. These competitors offer various services to cater to a wide range of customers requiring you to have solid customer retention strategies.
Therefore, your ability to apply the lessons discussed earlier from Planet Fitness will go a long way in building and scaling your gym.
By creating a relaxed, friendly, and non-intimidating atmosphere, you’ll be able to attract more people to your gym. With the right plan in place, you can create a successful gym that will last for years to come.
