Owning a fitness business is an exciting thing! But being a business owner also comes with a lot of responsibility. You need to be a “jack of all trades,” so to speak. Why?
Because hosting fitness classes isn’t your only responsibility – not if you want to grow your fitness business 10x.
For exponential growth, you need to start using some fundamental tools that help you work smart – not hard. These fitness tools can be the difference between spending four hours on a task versus half an hour on the same task, just using the right tool.
The best part about using the right tools is that once you have them in place, they’re there to stay – no matter how large your business gets. These tools are designed for scalability and are viable for the long term. It’s just what every fitness business owner needs. And they’re helpful to any owner – whether you’re just starting out or have been in the business for a while.
In this article, we’ll share seven essential fitness software and tools you need to make your brand cohesive and your business successful in no time.
Let’s dive in!
7 Essential Tools to Help You Maximize Your Fitness Business Growth
1. Website
In the 21st century, the first thing any business needs is a website. If you feel you can handle and manage a business just off a Facebook page or WhatsApp group chat – think again. A website is one of the most fundamental parts of your business. It’s where most consumers will find you and learn about your passions and services. Don’t skip this step! Here are a few vital elements to have on your site:
- Your niche: To say you train in ‘fitness’ is too broad of a word for consumers. You should take the time to write up a description of your fitness niche and what makes your offering different from other online fitness instructors. This will help web viewers understand what you do upfront and help them see the value in your service because you’re specialized in something specific. This could be something like Aerial Pilates or Hatha Yoga.
- Your background and/or credentials: Having a bit of a back story is a nice touch on a website. This is a small space where you get to show the person behind the business and how you got started. People love an inspirational story, and this is your opportunity to share yours with others. It’s a good idea to use this space to list any fitness certifications or credentials you may have as well. This area in your website can build your credibility with viewers and help them see your talent.
- Your class types: Many fitness teachers choose to offer various class types. Some focus on group classes, while others also offer one-on-one classes with students. No matter which types you choose, it’s important to list all the options on your website. This way, prospective customers know what to expect should they wish to sign up.
- Your membership offering: This is a big one that many people don’t add to their website. To say you train in ‘fitness’ is too broad of a word for consumers. You should take the time to write up a description of your fitness niche and what makes your offering different from other online fitness instructors. This will help web viewers understand what you do upfront and help them see the value in your service because you’re specialized in something specific. This could be something like Aerial Pilates or Hatha Yoga.
- Your contact details: If a website visitor has a question, you should have your contact email and phone number ready for them at any time. It’s also a good idea to add a contact form to your website. This way, you can contact the person back and keep their information on file for future reference.
2. Social Media Profiles
Social media usage has grown tremendously over the past decade, and it’s still growing. Here are a few stats of how many active users each platform has in the U.S. right now:
Facebook takes the lead with over 200.41 million active users.
Instagram follows with 163.95 million active users.
TikTok is third with 114.52 million active users.
Twitter follows shortly behind with 112.90 million active users.
As a result, businesses have looked to social media to gain brand exposure and create a community of fans and followers. Social media accounts are also a great way to share content daily and keep the conversation going.
A good tip is to do some research before you open social accounts. Not every channel may be pertinent to your niche, so ensure that you choose wisely. You can add more channels later, but start simple and where you feel most of your target audience lives.
Another valuable part of having social media accounts is that you can run social media ads on them. This means that your adverts get distributed and displayed to your target audience (who you can set within channels like Facebook and Instagram), which allows you to gain followers and boost visits to your website to get new customers.
3. Creative Content
You may have heard of the term, ‘content is king.’ And the truth is, it really is in the digital world. Once your fitness business is ready, it’s crucial to have a content plan. What content will live on your website, fitness trainer software, and social accounts?
Planning out content can help you distribute content evenly throughout your channels and give you sufficient time to create it. Here are a few ways to create quality content consistently:
- Monthly content calendars are a great way to keep track of things.
- Create different types of content for your fitness business; videos, graphics, infographics, podcasts, and blog posts are good ideas.
- Broaden your content topics to include lifestyle tips, nutrition information, fitness tricks, mental health tips and more.
Each piece of content you put out there can help build your ideal audience, educate your followers, attract more visitors to your site, and grow your membership base.
4. Membership Offering
Speaking of memberships, every successful health and wellness business invests in good quality fitness management software to save time and work efficiently.
With fitness program software, you can allow visitors to sign up for a monthly membership to your fitness coaching courses. These courses can include live classes as well as on-demand classes. Using the best fitness booking software out there, you can schedule appointments with members in a group or individual setting.
The great thing about fitness center software is that you get to hold all your customer information, course content, and marketing campaigns in one spot. Forget about managing customer information on Excel spreadsheets. Instead, upload your current member information to your fitness studio software and have the platform manage and host all your data in one space.
With member information hosted online, you can also be sure that all your data is secure and stored safely. Fitness scheduling software can also be accessed from any device via a secure login, so you can connect and check-in with members and fitness schedules while on the move.
Here are some features you can expect to receive with fitness management software:
- Host live classes
- Manage memberships
- Schedule calendar bookings
- Sell physical and digital merchandise
- Run marketing campaigns
- Engage with members
- Host a website
- Get reporting and analytics
- Get a mobile app version
5. Communication and Collaboration
Once you start to gain more and more members, these people become a part of your business in a personal way. They are all like-minded members who feel passionate about your fitness niche. So, how do you maintain the relationship?
Just like any other relationship – communication.
People like it when brands converse with them and stay in touch via email, text, or social channels. The idea here is to start building an online community with members who are genuinely intrigued and interested in being empowered by your expertise.
A solid communication tool via your fitness trainer software would be the best way to manage customer conversations. Some of the best fitness management software allows you to chat with members directly from the platform. They receive your messages instantly, and you can chat via email or text.
Group chats are also an excellent way to get others involved and take the opportunity to share tips and tricks with many members at once. The important thing to remember here is not to overdo the messaging – but plan to message every week or two weeks to stay in touch and make sure your customers are content.
6. Marketing Campaign Management
As mentioned earlier, managing your marketing campaigns can be done via an advanced fitness program software. You may think that Mailchimp is enough to help you communicate your promotional material to customers. And tools like Mailchimp are great at doing so.
But if you’re going to invest in premium fitness software, look at one that also manages marketing campaigns for you. Why? Because all your customer information is already stored in your fitness program software, so you can market to an existing database within a few minutes.
Some fitness studio software like Mastera allows you to build email templates within the platform, so you don’t have to start each promotional or educational email from scratch. Simply enter your content into a template, choose your email database, and hit send.
Text campaigns are also powerful when married with email campaigns. You can use text campaigns to send out short, informative, and promotional messaging. Try to keep texting to a minimum and use it for quick bursts of big information. On the other hand, emails should be used for longer form, educational content.
7. Payment Processing
Getting members is one thing, but having a tool that easily processes your payments is one of the most essential tools for business owners. When you attract prospective customers to your site, you want the payment process to be as seamless as possible.
You may be asking yourself, “Does it really matter that much?” and the answer to that question is yes! People have become so accustomed to seamless online payment methods that when payment processes are not optimal, they get impatient and may leave your website.
The key here is to ensure that you’re using a secure payment processing method to ensure your clients’ payment information is safe. You can check this by asking your fitness program software provider which payment methods they use. For example, Mastera provides subscriptions to fitness trainers using Stripe, PayPal, or Razorpay. This way, your members’ money is secure, and this revenue can be sent to you via auto-pay with no issues.
The Mastera dashboard also displays your monthly recurring revenue, revenue in the last 30 days, paid customers, active customers, prospects, and more. The dashboard gives you a quick snapshot of your business’s performance on one page. Ideal for busy fitness trainers like yourself!
Gear Up for Becoming a Successful Online Fitness Coach
Now that you have all the tools in your arsenal, it’s time to take your fitness business to the next level.
As you start building your website, content, social channels, marketing, and fitness program software, don’t forget to revisit the basic best practices of online coaching.
Check out our eBook on online coaching 101 – a definitive guide for all fitness trainers looking to start their online teaching business. The eBook shares the benefits of coaching online and reveals the six vital steps you should take when starting your online coaching business.
Download the eBook: Online Coaching 101: A Definitive Guide for Beginners
Mastera: Premium Gym and Fitness Center Management Software
So, starting your own business can be daunting, and there may be a lot to handle at first, but with these seven tools, you can be on your way to success quickly and efficiently. These tools may sound simple, but when they’re all working in one cohesive engine, you can be sure that you’ll reap the rewards sooner than you think.
Now that you’re ready to equip your fitness business with the best tools let us help you streamline your process even further. At Mastera, we take care of your video hosting, content management, marketing, and customer management.
It’s time to put your efforts into what you do best – teach others your fitness expertise and educate them about what you’re passionate about. Let us take care of all the operational duties.
Ready to get started with our premium fitness studio software? Get started now.
Co-Founder, Gleantap & Mastera