What do the best brands have in common? I would argue that the best brands are good at building a community around who they are and what they value. Nike represents hard-core athletes – in any sport. Coach represents a more serious and affluent business type. John Deere’s community consists of farmers who are passionate about feeding us.
So why wouldn’t you focus on who your community is? And why shouldn’t you leverage your mission and your values to create a community of like-minded people who are passionate about getting fit and healthy? We all need to surround ourselves with those types of people we want to become. And I believe that having these little communities can make us all stronger.
If you are randomly talking about the upcoming classes, and once-in-a-great-while posting a transformation pic, are you creating a community? Will this make people feel like they are welcome and like they belong?
In this post, I will discuss some ways you can map out your brand’s community, how you can leverage the psychological need to belong, and a timeline on how to get it done. This isn’t easy, per se, but it is necessary and so very rewarding when your members are happy and excited to be a part of your community.
What Makes a True Fitness Community?
What makes a true fitness community? Is it the amount of likes on Facebook page? The amount of reviews on Google?
- Shared Identity – your members feel part of something bigger than themselves
- Mutual Support – members genuinely care about the success of others
- Common Language – inside jokes, terminology, and references that create a sense of belonging
- Rituals and Traditions – recurring events that members look forward to
- Psychological Safety – an environment where members feel comfortable being vulnerable
When these things are in place, your members will stop talking about your facility as a place they work out, and start talking about their fitness family.
The Business Case for Community Building
What happens when you invest in community?
- Dramatically Higher Retention – members with at least one friend at your facility are 40% less likely to cancel their membership
- Price Resilience – Community-focused brands can often charge premium prices because members are buying belonging, not just access
- Organic Marketing – Strong communities generate word-of-mouth referrals, arguably the best marketing out there
- Reduced Marketing Costs – It’s 5-25x more expensive to acquire a new member than to retain an existing one.
In an industry where the average annual attrition rate hovers between 30-50%, building community isn’t just a nice thing – it’s necessary for sustainable growth.
Core Pillars of Fitness Community Building
1. Creating a Shared Identity
If you want a strong community, you need to define your values and communicate them consistently throughout all of your marketing outlets, and within your facility. Are you about pushing limits? Joyful movement? Holistic Wellness? Competitive drive? Healthy mind AND body?
- Define 3 to 5 core values that drive your brand
- Incorporate these values into your environment, communications, and programming
- Create visible symbols of community membership (branded apparel, unique greetings, challenges, etc.)
- Develop a compelling origin story that members can connect with
2. Fostering Meaningful Connections
While it’s great for your staff to have meaningful connections with your members, you should also focus on creating opportunities for your members to build relationships with each other.
- Implement formal and informal member introductions
- Create partner and small group activities within your programming
- Train staff to notice and facilitate connections between members with similar interests
- Designate community spaces where casual conversations are encouraged
3. Celebrating Acheivements
Nothing builds a community better than shared celebration. Look beyond obvious physical transformations to celebrate a wide range of milestones.
- Create public recognition systems for various types of achievements
- Host regular community celebrations (monthly, quarterly, annually)
- Implement milestone acknowledgements (first class completed, 50 visits, one-year anniversary)
- Recognize staff achievements alongside member accomplishments
4. Extending Your Community Into Digital Spaces
Nothing builds a community better than shared celebration. Look beyond obvious physical transformations to celebrate a wide range of milestones.
- Create a private online group for members to connect
- Establish clear guidelines to ensure your digital space remains positive
- Share user-generated content that highlights community moments
- Develop digital traditions that complement in-person experiences.
Overcoming Common Community-Building Challenges
Challenge #1: Inclusivity Across Different Levels
One of the biggest hurdles in fitness communities is ensuring everyone feels welcome, regardless of fitness level or experience.
Solution: Create multiple entry points to community participation that don’t rely solely on physical performance. Host events that level the playing field, like cooking classes, volunteer opportunities, or skill-based workshops.
Challenge #2: Maintaining Engagement Between Visits
Community connection can fade between visits, especially for members who attend less frequently.
Solution: Implement a digital content strategy that keeps your community present in members’ daily lives. Consider a member-of-the-week feature, daily motivation posts, or weekly challenges that can be completed anywhere.
Challenge #3: Avoiding Cliques
Every community risks developing exclusive subgroups that can make newcomers feel unwelcome.
Solution: Create a “welcoming committee” of established members who are specifically tasked with integrating new people. Rotate group compositions regularly in classes and events to prevent fixed social circles.
Measuring Your Community’s Strength
How do you know if your community-building efforts are working? Look beyond obvious metrics like total membership:
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) – Are members recommending you to friends?
- Average membership duration – Are people sticking around longer?
- Social media engagement – Are members interacting with your content and each other?
- Event participation – What percentage of your members attend community events?
- User-generated content – Are members proud to share their association with your brand?
From Transactional to Transformational
The most powerful fitness brands understand that they’re not just selling workouts or access to equipment – they’re facilitating transformative experiences within a supportive community.
When someone feels truly connected to your community, they’re not making a monthly decision about whether your services are worth the price. They’re invested in a lifestyle and identity that happens to include your brand.
By focusing on building genuine community around your fitness brand, you create a durable advantage that can’t be easily copied by competitors or replaced by the latest fitness trend or technology.
Remember: in fitness, people come for the promises, but they stay for the people.
Turn These Ideas Into Reality
Building a thriving community around your fitness brand doesn’t happen overnight, but the digital foundations can be put in place more quickly than you might think.
Curious how your fitness business measures up with your community building efforts? Take our Quiz.
Ready to strengthen your digital community?
Then, let’s see how your digital presence is supporting (or hindering) your community-building efforts: social media inquiry questionnaire
Discover if your website is helping or hurting your community-building efforts: website inquiry questionnaire
Your fitness brand deserves a digital presence that builds community even when you’re not in the room.
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