TL;DR: Fitness businesses that invest in community-driven wellness marketing see stronger retention and referrals. These strategies show you how to successfully market a wellness program that attracts members and keeps them coming back. |
The wellness market isn’t slowing down.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, the industry reached $6.8 trillion in 2024 and is projected to hit $9.8 trillion by 2029. For gym owners and fitness studio operators, this represents a massive opportunity to capture members who are actively investing in their health and well-being.
But market growth won’t fill your classes on its own! Understanding how do you market a wellness program effectively is what separates the wheat from the chaff. The fitness brands seeing the strongest growth aren’t just selling memberships—they’re building wellness ecosystems that members genuinely want to be part of.
📖 Go Further: The Complete Guide to Starting a Wellness Business
This guide breaks down the wellness marketing strategies that are working right now, backed by real data from ABC Fitness and insights from operators who have figured out how to turn wellness trends into sustainable revenue. Let’s go!
Table of Contents
- What Wellness Marketing Looks Like Today
- 10 Wellness Marketing Strategies That Drive Real Growth
- FAQs: Wellness Marketing for Fitness Business Owners
What Wellness Marketing Looks Like Today
The wellness market has fundamentally shifted from transactional relationships to community-driven experiences.
According to the latest ABC Fitness Wellness Watch report, 57% of fitness consumers join communities specifically for social interaction and connection. Another 49% say accountability is their primary motivator, while 52% cite inspiration from seeing others achieve their goals.
This tells us something important about wellness marketing in 2026: cultivating a sense of belonging is key for retaining current members and attracting new ones.
The data backs this up across generations: One in three Gen Z and Millennial members engage with fitness communities daily, making digital engagement a cornerstone of any serious wellness marketing approach.
For studio owners trying to figure out how do you market a wellness program to younger audiences, the answer is clear: lead with community, support it with technology, and make it easy for members to connect both inside and outside your four walls. 👍
📝 Read More: Why Fitness Communities Drive Retention at Scale
“Having ABC Glofox helps us to see what our next move should be. It allows us to make strategic plans for the business and grow.”
- Wal Nunes, Founder – Studio Integral (Registered Yoga Studio)
10 Wellness Marketing Strategies That Drive Real Growth
#1 – Build community first, sell memberships second
How do you market a wellness program that actually resonates? Community is the answer.
The most effective wellness marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all. When 73% of fitness consumers say community helps them stay motivated, your strongest sales tool is the environment you create.
Start by identifying the natural community builders you already know and have access to.
- For instance, your instructors and front desk staff interact with members daily. Empower them with the training and autonomy to create meaningful connections!
Consider hosting regular social events that bring members together outside of scheduled classes. Fitness challenges, nutrition workshops, and member appreciation nights give people reasons to engage beyond their workout routine.
These touchpoints compound over time, turning casual attendees into vocal advocates for your brand.
👉 Check Out: How to Build a Fitness Community with ABC Glofox
#2 – Create a referral program that actually works
How do you market a wellness program without a massive advertising budget? Referrals remain one of the highest-converting channels in the wellness market.
The key to successful referral wellness marketing is making it frictionless. Give members a simple way to share your studio with friends through your branded mobile app, and offer incentives that feel genuinely valuable rather than token discounts.
- Free guest passes, merch, or credits toward retail products tend to outperform straight percentage-off deals.
Track your referral sources carefully so you understand which members are your strongest advocates. These individuals deserve recognition and can often be recruited into more formal ambassador roles that amplify your wellness marketing efforts.
#3 – Leverage automation to nurture member relationships
Marketing a wellness program at scale requires automation. The personal touch matters, but you can’t manually follow up with every lead, check in with every member after their first week, or remind everyone about upcoming classes
ABC Glofox’s automated emails let you create behavior-triggered touchpoints that feel personal without requiring constant manual effort.
- It’s easy to set up welcome sequences for new members, re-engagement campaigns for those who haven’t visited in a while, and milestone celebrations that acknowledge member achievements.
The wellness market increasingly expects this level of personalization. When a member gets a congratulatory message after their 50th class or a check-in when they haven’t visited in two weeks, it reinforces that your studio genuinely cares about them and progress (not just their payment).
📖 Go Further: How Community Engagement Fuels Studio Growth (and How to Measure It)
#4 – Meet members where they are with omnichannel communication
Understanding how do you market a wellness program today means recognizing that members don’t all communicate the same way.
Effective wellness marketing requires reaching members through their preferred channels. Some respond best to email, others live on their phones and prefer SMS, and many appreciate in-app push notifications that catch their attention during key decision moments.
ABC Glofox integrates SMS, email, and push notifications directly into your member management system, making it simple to coordinate messaging across channels.
- The goal is consistency: your members should feel like they’re interacting with one cohesive brand whether they’re reading an email, scrolling through your app, or checking a text message.
Pay attention to timing and frequency. Overwhelming your members with constant messages backfires, but going silent doesn’t work, either. Find the cadence that keeps you top-of-mind without becoming annoying, and segment your audience so messages feel relevant to each member’s specific situation and interests.
#5 – Use data to personalize the member experience
The best wellness marketing understands members as individuals. Generic marketing blasts feel increasingly outdated when technology makes personalization accessible, even for single-location studios.
Your member management platform contains valuable insights about individual preferences, attendance patterns, and purchasing behavior. Use this data to tailor your wellness marketing: recommending classes based on past attendance, offering targeted promotions for services a member has shown interest in, or simply acknowledging birthdays and membership anniversaries.
📝 Read More: How ABC Glofox Uses Data to Boost Your Business Growth
With ABC Glofox, you can segment members by engagement level, skill level, and goals, then craft messaging that speaks directly to what each group actually cares about.
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Discover more #6 – Invest in a premium digital experience
How do you market a wellness program to a mobile-first audience? You meet them with a branded app that reflects the quality of your in-person experience.
Your mobile app is often a member’s first interaction with your brand outside your physical location. If it feels clunky, outdated, or generic, it undermines the premium positioning that wellness consumers increasingly demand.
- A well-designed app that helps members book classes, make payments, and stay connected from anywhere becomes a competitive advantage.
The ABC Glofox member app gives studios a white-labeled experience that puts your brand front and center. Members can book classes, check in, make purchases, and access on-demand content—all within an interface that looks and feels like an extension of your business.
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#7 – Tap into corporate wellness partnerships
Corporate wellness represents a huge growth opportunity for fitness businesses.
Companies are increasingly investing in employee well-being programs, and local gyms and studios are well-positioned to provide the physical activity component that remote work has made more challenging.
- Start by researching partnership opportunities with businesses in your area. Offer corporate rates, dedicated class times, or wellness workshops that companies can provide as employee perks. 👌
These arrangements often bring in steady revenue while introducing your studio to potential members who might convert to personal memberships.
#8 – Embrace hybrid and digital offerings
Wellness consumers now expect flexibility in how services are delivered.
While in-person experiences remain the core offering for most fitness businesses, supplementing with digital options expands your reach and provides members with options that fit their changing schedules.
Consider offering on-demand content, virtual class options, or digital wellness challenges that members can participate in from anywhere.
- These offerings can serve as lead generation tools for your physical location, retention mechanisms for traveling members, or standalone revenue streams.
👉 ABC Glofox integrates with platforms like ABC Trainerize to enable this hybrid approach, letting you deliver workout programming, nutrition guidance, and habit tracking through the same ecosystem that manages your in-person operations!
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#9 – Create content that positions you as a wellness authority
Effective wellness marketing establishes your studio as a trusted resource, not just a place to exercise.
Your blog, social media content, and email newsletters should help build the credibility that makes members confident in choosing your business. (Need some inspiration? Check out the top fitness blogs to follow this year.)
Also, think about the questions your target members are asking and create content that answers them thoroughly. When a prospect can easily find helpful information on your website or social profiles, they arrive at their trial class already predisposed to trust you!
#10 – Track what matters and adjust accordingly
The wellness market moves quickly, and strategies that worked six months ago may need refinement today.
Build a habit of regularly reviewing your key metrics—such as lead conversion rates, member retention at 30/60/90 days, class utilization, referral numbers, etc.—and adjust your wellness marketing approach based on what the data reveals.
Our reporting dashboards give you real-time visibility into business performance, making it easier to identify trends early and respond accordingly.
👀 Check Out: ABC Glofox’s Reporting Upgrades in 2026
FAQs: Wellness Marketing for Fitness Business Owners
How has the wellness market changed in recent years?
Members now want more than just a place to exercise. They’re looking for spaces that support their overall health, including emotional and mental well-being, recovery, and community/social connection.
In other words, gyms that only offer access to equipment are losing ground to businesses that deliver a complete wellness experience.
What is wellness marketing and why does it matter for fitness businesses?
Wellness marketing promotes your business as a partner in your members’ long-term health. It shifts the focus from selling memberships and from physical-only outcomes (like losing weight) to building long-term relationships and to supporting them body, mind, and spirit.
What are the biggest trends in the wellness industry right now?
Recovery services like cold plunges and infrared saunas are growing fast. Mindfulness programming (e.g., meditation, mood tracking, etc.) is also becoming commonplace.
Wearable tech continues to soar in popularity, helping your members track their progress and get better insights into their health.
Finally, personalized programming—whether in-person or through your gym’s branded mobile app—is now expected.
How can gyms and studios market themselves as wellness brands?
Start by expanding beyond traditional fitness classes. Consider partnering with nutritionists, physical therapists, or mindfulness experts to offer a more well-rounded experience. And, when it comes to your messaging, focus on member outcomes and transformations rather than just listing features and amenities.
Grow Your Fitness Business with ABC Glofox
ABC Glofox provides the all-in-one gym management platform that makes these wellness marketing strategies actionable.
- From premium branded apps to automated communications and real-time analytics, we help fitness businesses focus on what they do best while we handle the operational complexity.
Ready to see how ABC Glofox can support your wellness marketing strategy? Book a demo and discover what’s possible for your fitness business!
