A core value of your work as a studio owner is sharing your expertise to help others lead healthier, happier lives. But plenty of newbies don’t feel comfortable walking into a class environment or engaging with owners who they assume have been training at an elite level for years. Hosting an event that introduces people to your workouts and demystifies them is a smart way to showcase your background and passion while helping attendees build the skills and confidence to become engaged members. Whether you plan a “Kettlebells 101” session or an “Intro to the Reformer” Pilates seminar, you’re highlighting not only your experience and commitment to safety, but you’re also letting your community know that your studio is an inclusive space that welcomes newcomers and veterans alike. To capture workout enthusiasts who are already familiar with your particular exercise modality, consider offering a range of workshops and certification classes geared toward intermediate and advanced athletes, too. Skills workshops devoted to, say, getting to an unassisted strict pull-up or muscle-up, perfecting yoga inversions, or exploring advanced kickboxing combos, offer a path forward for existing clients to continue growing and improving. By creating an atmosphere of learning, you encourage members and would-be members to bond as they travel similar health journeys. One key point? When planning an event, it’s critical to cast a wide net with invitations. Many owners market these sessions to existing clients and people who already follow their social media. While this inner ring is important, the entire goal of hosting a workshop is to increase exposure. Invite your current clients, but be sure to encourage them to bring friends and family. Reach out to your entire list of leads, even those who completed an intro offer but didn’t convert, as well as people who submitted their contact months ago but never took a class. Don’t be shy about how you spread the word. Send invites via email and post them on your social channels. Reach out to nearby institutions that maintain community event calendars—coffee shops and libraries, of course, but also local high schools and colleges, condo associations, community centers, churches, and the local chamber of commerce. (Local Lululemon and Athleta stores keep wellness event calendars, too.)

At its core, community marketing underscores the importance of listening to existing customers to create engaging, authentic, and loyal relationships. This, of course, builds your customers’ affinity for your services and your studio—creating an opportunity to practice an offshoot of community marketing known as word-of-mouth marketing. Word-of-mouth marketing starts with your studio’s best members, and then focuses on the people closest to them: their families, coworkers, and friends. This type of marketing is powerful, but remember: Your members aren’t professional salespeople. They need your guidance and a clear process to bring new people—be it a spouse, friend, or business acquaintance—through your doors. How to create this structure Consider offering a monthly “bring a buddy” day or encourage members to invite friends to try out the studio. Host a class that incorporates a partner or team element and is accessible to varying fitness levels, so newcomers enjoy a sense of community while getting a feel for your studio’s offerings. Bonus points if you keep the event going at a local spot afterward to continue the community-building. For those who can’t attend a guest day, be sure to give your best clients a few free-class cards or vouchers for a free 1:1 consultation to distribute to their friends. The key here is to be explicit about the value of the offer and assign an expiration date—generally within 30 to 60 days—so both the existing client and potential new one feel a sense of urgency and understand that this is a specific, valuable offer rather than a generic coupon. While word-of-mouth marketing generally offers something of value to the referred newcomer, it’s also important to offer value and incentives to your existing clients who are doing the referring so they keep the friends coming month after month. You can do this by running an occasional competition: Whichever member refers the most people wins a free class (and bragging rights)! Another option: Work with your most loyal, highest-referring clients to schedule a private class so they can bring multiple people and enjoy an exclusive workout. Of course, the purpose of these approaches is to sign up new clients—so don’t forget the details that enable conversion: Ask first-time attendees to sign waivers that include their email and phone number. Add them to your email list, and reach out personally within several days. For those that use a 1:1 voucher, begin the session with a discussion of their needs and background and conduct the same personal follow-up later. While it can feel uncomfortable to sell to referrals during a friends-and-family event, you need to push yourself to start the conversation. Think of it this way: You have expertise that you know can help a lot of people improve their wellbeing. By approaching referrals about sign-up options after a buddy class, you’re not being aggressive or “salesy”: You’re providing guidance and a sincere offer to help. A good way to start? Ask questions about their fitness history and what’s most important to them—and really listen to the answers. If you can identify their needs and provide a tailored solution, you’ve helped them, not “sold” them.

Sponsoring a local sports team—anything from beach volleyball to pickleball—can boost brand awareness and attract new customers while underscoring your studio’s local commitment. This form of engagement directly translates to increased sales and stronger customer relationships: of consumers prefer brands that support local events and teams, according to a study by Nielsen. But to maximize this connection, it’s important to do more than put your logo on a team jersey. First, be careful to work with a team that aligns with your brand and includes participants (or parents!) with similar values and goals. If you’re a Pilates studio, sponsoring a local dance troupe will connect you more effectively to target customers than, say, an elementary school flag football team. Additionally, it’s important to regularly check in with the team coaches or leaders. Define clear, measurable objectives—what’s expected on both sides—and follow up regularly. Partner with them on social media to engage the team’s players and fan base, and seek feedback about what the athletes need and want in their overall health and fitness routines. Then, to connect more deeply, offer an occasional free class or group workout for the team you sponsored and their families. Think: a “kick off” workout in the days before the first practice and an end-of-season class to celebrate a great year. Even better, offer one class for your team and another for the team that won the league championship.

You can also go beyond hosting your own events to welcoming in other like-minded businesses into your space, too. If you’re a powerlifting gym, for example, consider partnering with a local physical therapist who caters specifically to weightlifters to offer a workshop on how to address, for example, knee and hip injuries. Cast a wider net by attending a local wellness fair to get to know more local businesses, whether sports massage therapists, dieticians who help athletes optimize their protein and carb intake, or healthy meal delivery services. Potential partners should span the entire wellness journey, from prehab exercises to recovery services. In fact, as consumers increasingly understand that properly preparing for and recovering from a workout play an important role in optimizing performance, many cities have seen a rise in recovery-focused businesses. Look to partner with studios that offer complimentary services: Assisted stretching and mobility work Saunas and cold plunges Athletic trainers Compression boots and massage guns to reduce soreness Kinesiology taping to support muscles and joints Because recovery services offer a natural complement to your studio offerings and help your clients remain healthy enough to continue their workouts well into the future, consider partnering with these businesses to cross-promote your services or offer combined memberships. When considering a recovery partner, it’s important to focus on businesses that share your brand values and have an engaged customer base. Another key point? Work through every detail of a potential partnership—whether spelling out the frequency and type of promotion that each side will execute, or clarifying the exact breakdown of a joint membership: Is it a 50-50 split between the two businesses? Does a one-hour studio class equal one hour of recovery services? By clarifying expectations in advance, you can reap the benefits of partnership—including broadening your reach and establishing credibility with new potential clients—while sidestepping any disagreements. Your studio is a testament to the results that come from hard work and community—so make sure to extend that community beyond the people who take your classes. Sharing space with other community experts, hosting events, and partnering with like-minded businesses not only brings more potential customers through your doors and creates another revenue stream, but also underscores your studio’s commitment to creating a trusted place that adds value to customers’ lives in as many ways as possible.