What do you believe in? Does your café sell local produce, for example? This needs to go into your messaging
was minimal, but the price to value ratio was high so I was happy to join. For 11 months there was then no communication whatsoever. Even when I did not renew, I received what at best could be described as token contact. The point I am reinforcing is that no
attempt was made to create a dialogue with me, nor was there any effort made to engage me or make me feel part of a community. On reflection, if the high-end gym had connected with me through meaningful content and made me feel part of a community, I would probably have stayed with them. I suspect I am not alone in these experiences. This therefore raises the question: How frequently do you communicate with members?
generating content Successful clubs will be the ones that continually generate high quality content – text (Twitter - microblogging), images (Facebook - social network) and video (Youtube - infotainment) – and combine the right content with the appropriate social media tools to build more meaningful relationships and dialogues with members. The basis of success will not be technology but content. By developing strong content and selecting the right media campaigns, clubs will be able to reinforce their messages consistently and create an ongoing narrative with members about their businesses’ passions. Twitter is excellent for keeping
people instantly informed, for example, but requires constant development of content to create momentum. Facebook is great for building communities, either at a club or around special interest groups, but again it needs a constant flow of new material to maintain freshness and appeal. Used correctly, social media can
also drive engagement. IKEA (Malmö) demonstrated how to do this by using the photo-tagging feature on Facebook to allow customers to locate items in the pictures and put their names on them. The idea was very simple but very effective; the first person to tag an item got to take it home.
conclusions The game has changed due to the influence of mobile communication devices and the subsequent democratisation of communication
march 2012 © cybertrek 2012
“SUCCESSFUL CLUBS WILL BE THE ONES THAT CONTINUALLY GENERATE QUALITY CONTENT – TEXT, IMAGES AND VIDEO”
through social media. We are all in a period of having to do more for less, with consumers requiring value for money but still wanting to feel cared for at an individual level. The clubs and chains that prosper
will be those that stand for something that’s important to their members, and that have the ability to define and communicate their USPs – the things they do better than others. Clubs will have to harness the potential of social media technologies by thinking and acting differently. Fundamentally, they will need to generate better quality content with more substance, which will help them communicate what they stand for more effectively. Social media tools have the potential
to enable clubs to create stronger brand awareness and generate more meaningful member engagement.
But remember – having something interesting and meaningful to say, on a regular basis, is becoming the new currency of success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Simon Bolton is chair, professor and director of the Centre for Competitive Creative Design at Cranfield University. He is currently a global thought leader for Procter & Gamble, advises BSKYB and has over 15 years’ experience of working in the fitness industry, collaborating with leading brands such as Reebok, Fitness First and Escape Fitness. He has also owned his own manufacturing company in China. Contact:
s.bolton@
cranfield.ac.uk
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 51
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