T
here’s one golden
question every fitness
industry entrepreneur
wants the answer to: How to
market their fitness business
to their target client?
In an industry that generates over $80
billion every year, it isn’t easy to
effectively grab your slice of the pie.
In fact, the number of gyms and fitness
studios continues to increase each year.
It’s more crucial now than ever to stand
out from the competition.
What does Generation X
want?
This group wants variety in their workouts
mixed with technical execution.
Essentially, they want fun mixed with
performance — these are their priorities.
This means classes that are as much
about entertainment as the workout.
Gen X has
embraced the
notion that
movement
through fun can
be integrated into
daily life better
than a
regimented
exercise plan.
So how do you put yourself in the best
position and take the initiative to market
your fitness business to three specific
generations:
• Generation X
• Millennials
• Generation Z
In this article we’ll discuss the impact
each generation has had on the
industry, what their fitness priorities are,
and strategies to get fitness lead
generation under way.
Let’s dive in!
FITNESS LEAD GENERATION:
GEN X
Gen X, born in the mid 1960’s to the late
1970’s, is at the forefront of the current
fitness movement. Their health motto is
“live life to the fullest”. They favour fitness
plans consisting of doing things versus
exercise for the sake of exercise.
Gen X has embraced the notion that
movement through fun can be
integrated into daily life better than a
regimented exercise plan. This has
pushed classes like martial arts or rock
climbing, driving a mindset that fun sport
activities can be the ultimate fitness
plan.
How has Generation X
influenced the Industry?
Generation X took your basic step
classes and turned them into the popular
hyped up choreography of the early
1990’s. With a new emphasis on “fun”
fitness, variety was added in the form of
pivots, jumps, and other complicated
moves to keep Gen Xers engaged.
It has been suggested they are even
responsible for today’s variety of dance-
inspired and high intensity spin classes.
Generation X is notoriously heralded
as cynical. They refuse to invest in fads
or crazes without strong justification
that it’ll benefit them long term... minus
monotony. As they’ve aged, their
mentality has shifted from “no pain, no
gain” to “work smarter, not harder”.
How do I market to
Generation X?
Generation X is still extremely active
in the fitness world. In Australia this
generation is approximately 5 million
people strong... don’t miss out on an
opportunity to engage with this large
market.
Here’s some tips to get fitness lead
generation from this influential age
group:
1. Stress Work-Life Balance
Your gym or studio could target these
clients by mixing technical training with
leisure activities - like dance, spin, or
martial arts.
2. Set Realistic Intensity Levels
Gen Xers don’t want programs that are
overly intense or too stressful on the
body. However, workouts do need to be
effective. Measurable goals and results
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - WINTER 2018
are certainly necessary to keep this
generation coming back to your facility.
Align goals with optimising movement
and flexibility as opposed to high
intensity workouts.
3. Offer Group Training
This set the tone for a very strong
relationship between the education
convention and the trade show towards
concurrently growing the joint events,
which continues to this day.
Group training gives your Gen Xers the
excitement they crave and also, the
opportunity to create social bonds at
your facility. If a member is thinking of
skipping a class, their fear of missing out
on the social aspect will kick in, boosting
your class attendance rates.
FITNESS LEAD GENERATION:
MILLENNIALS
The Millennials group comprise those
born in the early 1980’s to the late
1990’s and are renowned for being
complicated individuals.
Millennials value priorities much different
than the previous Gen Xers. Exercise to
stay thin is a concept of the past for this
group, with a motto of “strong is the new
skinny”. They’re using words like eating
right more than previous generations.
However they still struggle to fit exercise
into their routine, even though they hold
health in high regard.
This busy age group seeks a like-minded
community where they can have fast,
social workouts. The industry is just
beginning to truly accommodate and
adapt to their unique desires.
How have Millennials
influenced the Industry?
This complicated brood has started the
movement of “fitness communities”.
But what is a “fitness community”?
Essentially, Millennials have intertwined
social atmospheres with their fitness
environments. For them, it’s as much
about getting together with like-minded
people as it is about working out. This
generates the idea of a community
encompassing their loyalty to certain
fitness facilities.
They identify with their fitness community
as part of who they are. Think Crossfit or
other well marketed fitness communities
25