Who Should Manage Your Health Club's Facebook Account?

Odds are you have a Facebook account—and the majority of your members do too; in June 2017, Facebook reported an average 2 billion monthly active users.

Nearly every demographic you can think of is on Facebook, from celebrities to brands to high school classmates you’d rather forget. IHRSA is on Facebook, and we even hosted Randi Zuckerberg—former Facebook employee and sister of founder Mark Zuckerberg—at IHRSA 2016.

Facebook could serve as a major marketing tool for your health club, but many independent clubs struggle with identifying the right employee to update their account. To help club owners and operators get over this hurdle, we talked to social media expert Frank Furness, author and consultant, Frank Furness & Associates.

Why It’s Important for a Health Club to Have an Active Facebook Account

“Firstly, to connect and interact with current members,” Furness says. “Don’t try to sell—just give great information, training and nutrition tips, and the more photos and videos you have, the better the interaction will be. This will help with member retention.

“Secondly, for branding and creating an awareness of your club for potential new members. Remember to always have a call-to-action at the end of each video.”

Who Should Be Running the Health Club Facebook Page

“Ideally someone on the marketing team who runs social and digital media,” he says. “This should be a full time position and not something that someone tries to do in addition to their normal job at the club.”

No Budget for a Social Media Manager? No Problem

Of course, some clubs aren’t able to hire a designated staff member to update Facebook and other social media. But that doesn’t mean your account should be neglected.

“Try to find a student studying media and offer a barter deal—free membership for social media management—or get an intern,” Furness says. “Giving it to someone who already has another position at the club will not work as their priority will always be what they are paid to do. They might start off enthusiastically, but it will always wane.”