The Law of Social Capital
Networking socially en masse
Peer-to-peer networking at IHRSA
within our industry, as well as within the commu- nity,” she explains. It’s a fact that Auld understands and appreciates.
When she attended a luncheon hosted by her local cable company and found the room filled with men, she was skeptical that she’d learn anything that would benefit her all-women’s club. However, she met someone who put her in touch with Dr. Lucky Bennett, a nutritionist. “Over the past two years, Dr. Bennett and I have created a complete wellness and nutrition program for women that’s been out- rageously successful,” enthuses Auld.
Tweet and triumph Face-to-face contact is, perhaps, the most primor- dial form of networking and, in most cases, is still the one with the most impact, but it’s comple- mented and facilitated by technologies of every sort—from the simple, e.g., personal notes and telephone calls, to the sophisticated, e.g., e-mails and teleconferencing. And, recently, social-media sites have served up the sublime. IHRSA, still a pioneer at heart, has once more led
the way with respect to technology. For years, it’s utilized its Website (
ihrsa.org) not only to educate and communicate with its members, but also to allow them to obtain information, request assis- tance, exchange ideas, and make suggestions— interacting both with IHRSA and one another. Club operators can access valuable online advice at “Idea Swap” or pose specific questions to a panel of 100 industry experts at “Ask an Industry Leader” (
ihrsa.org/industryleader). IHRSA has also been quick to make good use of
social media, and is now making—and connect- ing—friends via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. “Social media is a gold mine of opportunity and
a game-changer for business,” attests Kelly Gray, a Boulder, Colorado-based social-media consultant for the fitness industry.
46 Club Business Internat ional | SEPTEMBER 2011 | www.
ihrsa.org Thus far, club Websites, Facebook, Twitter, and
similar venues have been primarily utilized to enhance the relationship between the club and prospective and current members, and, to a lesser extent, between members and members. And the early results have been promising. The Colorado Athletic Club (CAC), in Boulder,
Colorado, conducted a particularly effective Facebook campaign. Members appointed a VIP representative from each class and filmed a YouTube video that the club’s Facebook “friends” had to vote on. The results: members and their friends checked out the action; activity on the Facebook page doubled; and nonmembers got an intriguing glimpse of the club and were inspired to inquire further. Karen Jashinsky, the founder and CEO of 02
MAX, a fitness and consulting business based in Santa Monica, California, uses social networking extensively to appeal to a young audience. But, now, recognizing the still-emerging possibilities, she’s advising clubs to utilize business-oriented sites, such as LinkedIn, to pinpoint local businesses that might be interested in a corporate member- ship. A “conversation” with a corporate executive, she points out, can easily turn into a “corporate” conversation that leads to new business. Business- centric sites are proliferating rapidly—e.g., Focus. com, Meettheboss, Talkbiznow, XING—and the incredible opportunities they present for creative networking of every sort, Jashinsky suggests, are just beginning to be appreciated and understood. How a person networks, however, is less impor-
tant than the fact that they do network. As Ferrazzi, of the Relationship Masters Academy, observes: “People who know the right people and use the power of these relationships to their fullest potential are those top one-percenters who get ahead, achieve success, and help others achieve their own success along the way.” —| – Jean Suffin,
jean@fit-etc.com
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