The fitness app market is set for a staggering 70.926% growth in profitability over the next 4 years. And that’s with projected revenue, hitting $19.33 billion in 2023 and $33.04 billion by 2027.
If that’s not enough to show why a custom-branded fitness app is crucial to anyone in the fitness industry, how about this?
Creating your own video fitness app also:
Let’s take a deeper look at some of the can’t-miss benefits of having your own app…
Everyone has a website, but only the elite have an app.
There are five key benefits you get from creating and owning your fitness video app:
You can’t get anywhere without a strong brand awareness; if you’ve ever dabbled in social media, you’ll know this first-hand!
The problem with creating a brand solely on social media, however, is you don’t own it. You’re renting a spot on someone else’s stage.
But creating your own fitness app means you finally own the stage. Your content is instantly accessible to all your clients, gym members or wanna-buff hopefuls dreaming of their forever summer bod.
You might ask, “Doesn’t a website do the same? Or an email list?”
Yes and no, but apps lift you to the next level. They’re a stamp of quality for any business, fitness or otherwise, and give you a massive leg-up on your app-less competitors.
There’s also a powerful psychology at play when you’re regularly seen, and having your app icon on someone’s phone screen achieves that in spades.
We’re not saying abandon all your other branding efforts, but we are saying that building your own fitness video app is a great way to boost your online presence and following.
Creating a strong sense of community with your customers is vital. It’s what turns a one-and-done “I wanna quit the gym” Tim into a “I can freaking DO this!” Chris.
And nothing builds that community better than a dedicated video app that purposefully celebrates and involves your users, by way of things like:
A supportive, inclusive, welcoming community will set you apart from the swelling pack of fitness pros trying to make a name for themselves, and encourage newbies and loyalty alike. It’s as integral to any successful fitness business as your service itself. Community is often what transforms you from a detached coach or faceless business into a friend.
Many people lead busy lives that get away from them. So getting to the gym or freeing up time for a next one-on-one PT session isn’t always as easy as a few desk squats at the office.
By creating a comprehensive video app, you’re giving people the ultimate in flexibility — a 24-hour gym and personal trainer that lives in their pocket and helps keep them on track.
Imagine their gratitude for you being so adaptable to their needs. Imagine their appreciation for how you’re always there when they need you. Imagine someone had to choose between a gym or trainer with an app, and one without… which do you think is getting their business?
Serve people the way they need you to most and you’ll earn their lifetime loyalty.
Nothing is more valuable for ANY business than the raw data of its customers. Knowing their habits, what they like, hate, want and struggle with, is pure gold.
Studies show that customers tend to spend 140% more after having positive experiences than negative experiences, and their data is how you’ll guarantee more of the former.
With a well-made video app for your fitness business, you’ll have direct access to all that juicy user data, such as:
You’ll never have to pause to think about what fitness content to create, how to structure it or how to best serve your community because the user data from your app will have told you already. Combine this with in-person feedback and you’ll be practically unstoppable.
Creating your own video fitness app isn’t nearly as difficult or time-consuming as you might think. It’s actually a relatively easy-to-handle time investment. What’s more, the ROI potential — financially and socially — is genuinely off the charts.
Video content is the most desirable form of online content, wiping the floor with your fanciest caption and best-posed photo, among any audience.
As a fitness expert, you’ve got an easy start. Your field already has strong visual elements, and you can easily kick things off with simple videos of you training either yourself or others.
Workout videos are an incredibly affordable way to create genuinely exciting content, in a way that flexibly fits your schedule.
So we agree? Whether you’re a personal training business, own gyms or fitness studios or even simply sell equipment, having your own app is a golden opportunity you can’t afford to ignore.
Great, now it’s time for the good stuff — how to build your own fitness video app.
You won’t get anywhere if you don’t understand the target user of your fitness app. Just like cardio training differs from muscle-building, appealing to new moms who want to shed baby weight differs from appealing to gym rats looking to compete in body building competitions.
Here are some tips that should help:
You wouldn’t dive right into a new, complex and strenuous workout without making sure you know exactly how to avoid injury. Well, this is the same step in your app development journey.
Storming ahead without taking time to properly plan and warm up is inviting calamity. It’s risking wasting both your time and money. Not only that, it’s a danger to your motivation and resolve.
In the same way as your expertise is essential to your perfect user, you need a collaborator whose app-development expertise is essential to you. Unless you either are or know a developer, hiring one can be painfully costly (in the US, the average app developer salary is around $116k!).
But there’s a better, more affordable way — and that’s where we come in.
With JWP on your team, we become your app expert. And we come fully equipped with all the digital resources and tools you need to make your fitness video app a smoothly operating success story. Just look at what we did for Galvanized Brands, the parent media company behind Best Life and Eat This, Not That! They’re enjoying over 50% more views per visit since partnering with us.
EatThis, NotThat Video Content Page
Unless you’re banking on this being the ultimate free app fitness resource, you’ll need a strong strategy for making money with your app.
You’ve got a few options here:
Users pay for your app. This can be a one-off payment or a recurring subscription (usually monthly or yearly).
Most paid apps use the recurring subscription model. Many more offer a no-obligation free trial, which hooks users and lets them try out the app before committing financially.
Pros:
Cons:
Users get your app for free, but with restricted access. For the app’s premium content, they’ll have to pay.
Pros:
Cons:
Users get your app for free, but they’ll be exposed to adverts — usually popups, banner ads or video ads that they must watch before the content they’re here for. Many apps use this as a selling point to convince people to purchase the app and remove the ads for a smoother experience.
Pros:
Cons:
There are many types of fitness videos you could include in your app, and it’s important to know which fits your brand best. Only you can answer that — and if you’ve done step 1 and identified your perfect user, it should be an easy answer.
Here are some of the types of fitness videos you might consider creating:
To keep users engaged, consider choosing a few types of fitness videos, and be sure your videos are of varying lengths. Sometimes a 20-minute video is perfect, other times call for more or less time commitment.
If you don’t want to stagnate, you’ll need a solid plan for how you’re going to keep producing high-quality fitness content for your users. It’s a cold truth, but people will forget you if you disappear from their lives — regular content is the only remedy for that.
Most businesses stay ahead of this by creating a content calendar, which covers what you’ll create and how you’ll go about it.
Here are a few things to include:
A content calendar will also help ensure you’re keeping things suitably varied, measuring what’s working and what isn’t and not repeating yourself unintentionally.
What would you do if you spent five minutes trying to use a glitchy app that wasn’t playing ball? Hit uninstall, right?
Most people won’t spend five minutes trying, which is why you absolutely have to test your app to make sure it’s firing on all cylinders. You can find a more complete list of possible tests here, but these three are essential:
Remember, 87% of customers who have great experiences with your business are likely to purchase again, so make sure your app is running flawlessly and you’re offering world-class support for your workout app.
It’s marketing 101 — if you build it, they won’t come. Much like starting any venture, you have to build hype for your app launch. There are loads of ways to do this, but here are some you should consider:
Failing to evolve your fitness app based on user feedback is as bad as failing to listen to your body during an intense new workout. It’s going to cause potentially irreparable damage.
In fact, 77% of consumers prefer brands that proactively encourage and apply their feedback. Fine tuning is essential.
Whether it’s via your app, your website, your emails or your social media presence, make sure it’s easy for people to share their feedback and make sure they feel comfortable doing so. Show people that you’re genuinely eager for it, and be sure you mean it!
Adapting to feedback is what will take your app from zero to hero. Just be sure to collect the data first; nine times out of ten, don’t jump to “fix” everyone’s individual gripes until you notice patterns emerging — one person’s pet peeve could be twenty people’s favorite feature.
We’ve given you all you need to create a mighty video fitness app, but why stop there? If you do it alone, you’ll easily double the time it takes to have a working app. But choose JWP as your app partner, and we can have you up and running in weeks.
Since nine out of ten companies rate JWP as better than any other video platform (TechValidate), you know you’re in safe and experienced hands with us on your team.
From OTT to web apps, we’ve got you covered no matter what route suits you.
Our customers generate 8 billion monthly video impressions, and 5 billion minutes of video watched per month, too. We make it easier than it’s ever been for you to stream video, engage global audiences on any screen and monetize your content.
Contact us today and let’s get things rolling.