Expanding Your Audience: How to Speak to Athletes
It’s a funny thing. Many gym-goers don’t consider themselves athletes, even though they are in incredible shape and make their wellness a priority. Perhaps it’s that ingrained idea that you’re not an athlete unless you participate in a competitive sport. Nonetheless, athletes, whether they consider themselves as such or not, can be an integral aspect of a successful boutique fitness studio. Many boutique fitness studios focus on one segment of the market, or one ideal “avatar” client, and although this can be a successful strategy, many others find that they need to broaden their focus. This is where market segmentation will come into play. Market segmentation is the process of dividing your target market into more specific groups, so instead of having one “average” customer, you’re looking at such varying factors as demographics, interests, behaviors, attitudes, location, and purchasing habits.
Athletes are one such target audience that can really help your business grow. Not only are they primed for the wellness-based conversation, they are also generally very committed to their routines and make excellent members!
So, how should you attract this group of somewhat diehards?
Start with your services.
Make sure you have offerings that focus on their needs—they will often prioritize activities that help them cross-train as well as the necessity to recover from their workouts. What specifically might this include? Exercise modalities that focus on agility, strength, endurance, balance and faster recovery. Yoga and pilates are excellent options for most of these needs, but we would also recommend other cardiovascular activities, including spinning, boxing, crossfit, Lagree and more. The key is to make sure that your services focus on the benefits of your classes. Don’t be shy from truly sharing what a client can expect from regular attendance at your space!
Make sure you have a diverse team.
It is easy for a studio to end up with a like-minded group of people as their team of instructors. However, when you’re wanting to broaden your overall audience you want to make sure your prospective clients see themselves in your staff. Speaking of athletes, try to bring someone onto your team who truly considers themselves an athlete, whether they play a competitive team sport or love triathlons. You want someone that can not only speak to the client’s interests but also understands what type of services and schedule will appeal to them.
3. Make your pricing appealing.
Oftentimes athletes that are training for a particular sport or event have already set aside a dedicated amount of time and money to their training. A limited membership (or lite membership) provides them with a commitment to their routine but at a lower frequency and cost. Punch passes are also a good option for the client who is looking to use your space to supplement their other training endeavors.
4. Bring in a little bit of competition.
For many, competitive culture can be motivating. This can come in the form of a challenge, or just an awareness of the progress that they are making individually. In a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers at Penn State University developed a fitness routine to determine the effectiveness of group exercise to help onboard new members. Over the course of twelve weeks, the results showed that there was a 98.8% compliance rate with the group exercise routine, and participants commented that both competition and intrinsic motivation were key factors in their exercise adherence.
5. Focus on the group.
This brings us to our final point, most boutique fitness studios offer some kind of group experience. The group experience is a powerful motivator for many clients, including the athletic population, who are not only motivated by the group setting but also find it more enjoyable than the solo workouts they do on their own. Capitalize on this desire by making a few group classes a bit more focused on the fun, whether that’s with a music-centric theme or a more playful movement practice. The goal is to keep everyone smiling and participating!
Athletes can be a powerful segment of your overall audience. They are often loyal and committed clients. By taking some time to truly understand their needs you’re apt to continue bringing them in, and in turn grow your membership and loyalty client base.
Telomere Consulting provides business consulting and marketing services to studio owners in the boutique fitness and yoga space. The Telomere team helps you navigate business strategy from conception to implementation. We provide end-to-end marketing support and would love to hear from you. Click here to book your free intro call. We want you to treat your business the way you treat your body – making the right choices now to optimize its potential for a long and healthy life. Visit us here to learn more.
