Practical ideas to help your gym business stand out from the crowd and cut through the noise. Read on to learn how to win more members and build lasting loyalty.

It’s not just you! 75% of gym operators face local competition. And 53% have seen new clubs open within 5 miles of their location(s) over the last couple of years.

That doesn’t even cover alternative fitness options like outdoor activities and digital platforms. At times, it can feel like everyone is trying to catch your members’ attention.

How can you stand out to be noticed? And deliver the type of experience that gets you remembered, even when a shiny new option pops up nearby?

Start by being intentional. Make the right moves for your unique business to stop blending in and start standing out. These 9 ideas will help you make your business more visible, more liked, and more chosen.

Let’s get stuck in!

Power up your business & stay in the know

1. Know who you are as a business

Standing out starts by really understanding and expressing who you are as a business. In other words, what makes your gym(s) unique.

When was the last time your business referred to its values? Often these are written, then left untouched and forgotten.

Take time to revisit and define your:

  • Purpose statement – This guides you and your team. It defines who you serve, why you serve, and why your company exists (beyond profit)
  • Vision statement – This inspires you and your team. It outlines the impact your business will have/has and creates a vision for a desired future
  • Mission statement – This motivates you and your team. It clarifies how your business will achieve its purpose and vision. And how you’ll create value
  • Values – These align and unite you and your team. Your values are the guiding principles for your business, your culture, and your interactions with people

Practical example

Putting this into words can be easier said than done! To inspire you, here’s a practical example of each for a small gym chain in the North East of England. The gym chain specialises in strength training and plans to expand to open more locations.

Purpose statement

Help ordinary people in the North East build confidence that carries through from the gym to everyday life.

We exist to make strength training accessible, welcoming, and rewarding for everyone.

Vision statement

Become the North East’s most trusted name in strength training. We’ll be known for creating supportive communities where people of all abilities feel empowered to achieve their best.

We see a future where strength training is part of everyday life across our region. And our gyms will be the places people come to grow stronger together.

Mission statement

Deliver expert-led strength training in friendly, inclusive spaces. Bringing together excellent coaching, high-quality equipment, and real community.

By providing consistent training, education, and encouragement, we help members make progress that lasts.

We’ll grow sustainably by investing in our people, listening to our members, and opening new locations that stay true to our community roots.

Core values

  1. Strength for all – Everyone deserves to feel strong and capable, no matter what their starting point is
  2. Community first – We lift each other up. Every member and teammate matters
  3. Progress over perfection – We celebrate small wins and steady improvement and shun unrealistic ideals
  4. Integrity always – We’re honest, transparent, and do what’s right for our members and team
  5. Keep learning – We stay curious, keep improving, and share what we know

Get these right and all your future choices become easier. From marketing to programming, and hiring to decorating, everything should be guided by this identity.

2. Have a strong brand (and live up to it)

Once you’ve reaffirmed who you are as a business, you need to make sure that your branding reflects it.

Branding is not just about a logo or colours. It’s about creating a consistent and considered experience. So, helping you control every aspect of the member experience.

Work out if it’s time for a full rebrand or if you simply need to better use your brand. If any of the following sound familiar, then consider rebranding:

  • You’ve never invested in building a brand
  • Your vision has changed
  • Your target audience has changed
  • Your competitive landscape has changed
  • There’s a legal or PR reason to change

How to build a powerful fitness brand

Go deeper

Find out how to get branding right and create a member experience that powers growth and inspires loyalty.

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Whether you’re rebranding or doubling down on your existing branding, make sure the brand experience you deliver is consistent throughout. For example:

  • Visuals and design – When someone steps into a club it should feel the same as it looked on your website and social media
  • Tone of voice – How you speak to members and prospects should sound the same regardless of if that communication is happening via email or on the gym floor
  • Cleanliness and presentation – Every visit should be consistent (and consistently excellent!). That means keeping equipment in good condition, cleaning to a set standard, etc.

3. Play to your strengths

The UK Gym Operator Insights Report shows that operators are competing for the same people and/or seeing members switch to competitors.

A graph with findings from the Xplor Gym UK Gym Operator Insights Report. Headline reads: 75% of UK gym operators face competition locally. Question: How are you competing? (Select all that apply). 58% members switching to competitors; 58% targeting same demographics; 29% prices squeezed lower; 7% losing staff to competitors; 13% other. Base: Gym operators who face competition locally. Source: Xplor Gym Challenges Of Running A Gym Research.

At the same time, the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2025 found that people aged 35+ are less likely to have a membership than those aged under 35. And those in certain demographic groups are also less likely to have a fitness membership (for example, lower socio-economic groups and those with disabilities or long-term health conditions).

Without a strong differentiator or appealing to those not inclined to join a gym, you’re left targeting the same people as everyone else.

‘You can’t be all things to all people.’ Guided by your purpose, vision, mission, and values, try to be very good at a few things. Become the place for something, rather than a ‘me-too’ gym.

Consider:

  • Specialising – Maybe functional training is your thing, or you have group fitness classes that always have a big waiting list. Lean into the thing (or 2-3 things) you do best
  • Local advantage – Tap into your knowledge of and connection to local areas. This is easier if you’re an independent or small chain, but possible if you’re a larger operator too. Respond to what local people need (by location if you’ve got multiple sites) with the right schedule, opening hours, and types of classes
  • Staff strengths – Focus on hiring team members who get your values and fill skill gaps that exist in your business (both soft and hard skills). Place team members in the right roles so their strengths shine

4. Go beyond the basics to add extra value

Another way to stand out in a crowded market is to offer extra value that members won’t get if they go to a competitor. Exactly what you do to offer extra value will depend on your unique business and the needs of your members.

Here are some ideas for you:

Member perks

Special discounts away from the gym. Early access to new classes and programming. Loyalty programmes that reward positive experiences. Special perks can help you stand out.

Make sure members are aware of perks. And regularly remind members that they exist.

Consider integrating them into your member app for each access. For example, the Xplor Active app integrates with key tools like Club Perks for discounts and MyVitale for personalised training and nutrition.

Education

Run workshops and talks to help your members learn more about topics that interest and inspire them. That could be nutrition talks, mindset sessions, form workshops, or women’s/men’s health seminars.

Make these free or have a special rate for members.

Events

From member socials to charity fitness challenge events, find ways to help members feel connected to one another and to your club(s). So, they stay longer and even refer others to you.

Extras often cost time more than money. Yet, they build loyalty, drive word-of-mouth referrals, and establish you as more than just a place to work out.

5. Tap into community

Community is a massive differentiator. And one we touched on with events which deserves more attention.

Many people join gyms with a fitness goal in mind or to access equipment. But they stay when they feel they belong somewhere. To stand out, double down on how you create community in your club(s).

Start by looking at how you welcome new members. Make sure they feel part of your community immediately.

Think about how you run tours and inductions. Introduce new members to your team. Consider group tours to introduce new members to each other. Buddy new members up with one another and even existing members with similar goals or backgrounds.

Help members to interact with each other away from your facilities. Social media groups are a great starting point. Social events are great too. Encourage members to share progress, tips, and cheer each other on.

Make sure your team play their part. Train them to remember names and greet every member – even just in passing walking across the gym floor. Every small interaction adds up to build a feeling of belonging and community.

6. Make smart use of marketing

Especially if you’re competing against big brand gyms, you need to make sure people hear about (and don’t forget) you. That means getting the basics of gym marketing right.

Consistency is key when it comes to marketing. So, even if you don’t have a big marketing team (or a marketing team at all), focus on doing a bit regularly. Schedule this in if needed.

Here’s what to focus on:

Local SEO

Make sure your gym(s) can be found online by getting the basics of SEO right. Pay particular attention to local SEO. So, you show up for location-based searches.

The complete SEO guide for gyms

Go deeper

Want a cost-effective way to increase sales? Learn how to master SEO, evaluating your online presence to win new members.

Get stuck in!

Social media

Pushed for time? Choose 1 or 2 social platforms to focus your energy on. These should be the ones your members spend time using (tip: they might not be your favourites!).

Post regularly. Show and capture real moments in videos and photos. Spend time interacting with your followers and the wider local community.

15 business boosting social media post ideas

Go deeper

Take your social media presence to the next level with these engaging ideas for social posts.

Get stuck in!

Email

Email is one of the most underrated marketing channels. 45% of UK gym operators aren’t using email marketing to its full potential. Email:

  • Gives you direct access to a captive audience
  • Helps you stay top of mind and build your brand
  • Is mobile friendly and shareable
  • Has high ROI potential
  • Helps you hit the right notes to appeal to prospects and members
  • Is simple to measure
  • Can be automated – set and forget
  • Compliments other marketing channels

35 AI prompts to make email marketing easier

Go deeper

Lacking time and resource to write marketing emails? Use these prompts to craft effective emails fast with ChatGPT, Claude, etc.

Get stuck in!

Referral programmes

Tap into the power of word-of-mouth marketing by incentivising members to refer friends. Regularly advertise and talk about your referral programmes.

Create a gym member referral programme to turn members into advocates

Go deeper

Make the most of (and give back to) satisfied members, by running a gym member referral programme to attract new members and grow your business.

Get stuck in!

Promotions

Run regular promotions and advertise them across key marketing channels like social media and email. Ideally, these promotions shouldn’t always be about offering a discount.

23 best gym promotions for business growth

Go deeper

Find out what it takes to run a successful promotion. And get ideas to fill your marketing calendar all year round.

Get stuck in!

7. Nail your pricing strategy

Price matters if you want to stand out. But that doesn’t mean it’s a race to be the cheapest! It’s all about how you package and present your membership options.

Your pricing should:

  • Reflect the value you deliver to members
  • Appeal to prospective members
  • Build healthy profit margins – so you can keep investing in and growing your business

Profitable Gym Membership Pricing Guide

Free

Find out how to get pricing right. Plus, learn how to approach price increases when you need to.

Get the guide

8. Measure, learn, and adapt

Standing out isn’t about one-off actions. It’s about making ongoing efforts. And using data and feedback to continuously improve your business.

Review:

Take a test and learn approach to keep innovating and evolving for your members. When you look to introduce something new, start small. Test to see if it works, then scale up.

9. Keep doing the basics really well

Often, growth and differentiation come from maintaining what makes you good in the first place.

For most fitness businesses, staff are the face of the business. To keep the best people, you need to reward and recognise effort. And invest in them with regular training.

Broken equipment. Scuffed walls and faded artwork. Dirty, dusty areas. To sustain what makes you good, means you need to maintain your facilities and equipment. Even little things add up to degrade the overall member experience.

Be consistent. From reliable timetables to avoiding queues at the front desk caused by staffing shortages, if you can consistently deliver the same level of experience, you’ll build trust and loyalty.

The wrap up…

Standing out doesn’t require a big budget or complete reinvention. In reality, standing out means being clear on who you are as a business. And consistently being very good at the right things and treating your members really well.

If all of this feels overwhelming, start by following this simple plan:

  1. Audit your current member experience. Walk in as a new member (either yourself or get someone anonymous to do this). Reflect on the first impression created
  2. Define or refine your identity. What do you want to be known for? Who are you targeting?
  3. Choose 2 to 3 differentiators. Focus on what you want to be really good at. For example, community events, group fitness classes, or flexible memberships
  4. Find simple ways to add extra value. Identify what would be beneficial for most members and start by introducing that perk
  5. Set aside time to gather feedback and review key metrics each month. During that session identify 1 to 3 actions to take over the next month

Find out how ambitious gym operators are using Xplor Gym to stand out from the crowd and create memorable member experiences.

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by James Barter Head of Partnerships at Xplor Gym

  • First published: 19 January 2026

    Written by: James Barter