Create a Community

“Great communities have a shared set of core values. The ZX Fitness community is no different. Whether it's corporate wellness or personal fitness, we're all in this together. And that means putting in place the wellness programs and resources to help members succeed, inside and outside of the club.” -The ZX promise

ZX is one of the most popular gym and health club in the Carolinas, and a big part of their success has to do with being able to develop a sense of community in the local area. Research has shown that one of the best marketing strategies is to maintain and increase participants' level of involvement and loyalty to the respective service. ("Relationships between involvement," 1996) ZX does just that by offering lots of social support for their gym members and being there every step of the way to help them to achieve their fitness goals.

People pay for a gym membership, but what’s different about ZX is that the cost of the membership includes the added benefit of having a sense of belonging to the local gym community. With the assurance and comfort of knowing that people care about them and their goals, gym members continue to make great progress to their health goals as well as develop a loyal and devoted attitude to the fitness facility.

Included on the website are “member spotlights” which showcase people in the community that have achieved their fitness goals with ZX. This causes people to think that ‘if they can do it, I can too.’ To know that someone “just like me” living in the same community has achieved great results is motivational to a prospective gym member.

ZX has also newsletters to keep the gym member up-to-date on upcoming events, the latest fitness tips, health-related articles, seasonal recipes, and winners of the previous month’s weight loss challenge. With these newsletters, ZX members know what is going on in the ZX community and is able to feel as if they are a part of that community.

Another event ZX created was Charlotte’s Largest Zumba Class. ZX teamed up with a local charity and created the event to raise funds for the non-profit organization. ZX is not only giving to a good cause but also strengthening the sense of the local Charlotte community as well as the local ZX community.

With member spotlights, newsletters, and charitable events, ZX brings a sense of community in their fitness facility. Highlighting and strategically advertising the notion that “we’re all in this together” will bring favorable results in getting members to join your gym.

(1996). Relationships between involvement and attitudinal loyalty constructs in adult fitness programs. Journal of Leisure Research, 28, Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000455911