By stepping outside of our facility walls and surveying our surroundings we can look to our community to provide us ideas for programming, collaborations, and growth.  There is potential for aquatic engagement in every corner of our community, we just need to know how to reach the population through purposeful programming, marketing and impact.  We may offer great programming, but if the target population doesn’t know about it, it will probably not succeed.  Aligning your target market with their desired programming provides potential for growth and retention.  So, as you look towards your community for ideas ask yourself these questions:

1. What does your community currently have available to them?

2. What does your community enjoy?

3. What issues are present in your community? 

4. How is the diversity in my community reflected in what the facility offers?  

Every answer will bring you closer to determining the right programming for your facility and community.  

What does your community currently have available to them?

Communities are as different as snowflakes, each has their own shape, size, and design.  Seeing what your competitors offer as well as what exists within the spectrum of groups, organizations, facilities, and outreach can illustrate areas of importance, over or underserved populations as well as potential collaborations.  This question is asking you to see what needs are being met, while deciphering gaps in what could be offered.  For instance, if you see that your community has multiple assisted living facilities, nursing homes, senior centers, and groups geared towards older adults, consider what programming is offered for this cohort and reflect on how your facility serves this group.  Is there an opportunity to create a better connection with older adults in your community?  Could your facility establish a relationship with the various facilities and organizations to: 

• Provide discounted memberships to older adults

• Offer educational sessions on the benefits of water exercise specific to this population

• Arrange a shuttle service provided by the assisted living or nursing home facility to promote facility access

• Design and offer programming revolving around the needs of older adults

What does your community enjoy?

What your community enjoys and thinks is important may also be helpful in determining appropriate and successful programming.  Do you see your community members embracing sporting, family-forward, or community centered events?  If so, is your facility providing programming that mirrors these attributes?  Sport-centric communities may respond well to: sport-specific cross training programs, off-season sport-specific training, aquatic game nights or fun aquatic competitions appropriate for all ages.  Moreover, your facility may collaborate with local schools (middle, high, or college) to design aquatic programming that would augment sport performance, reduce injury rate, or implement team building.  For family-focused communities, you may look at the family unit as a whole or a sum of its parts meaning that you could provide programs that the entire family participates in together or programming for each family member that occurs at the same time.  Mom and dad may go to the aqua high intensity interval class while their toddler heads to swim lessons and their teen attends an aqua dance class.  

What issues are present in your community?

When uncovering issues found within your community, consider a holistic vantage point.  Health and wellness issues are those that most closely align with your facility values and goals.  Other issues such as lack of funding for schools and services, loneliness and isolation, hunger and crime should also be considered opportunities for your facility to make a positive impact on your community.  If schools lack funding for various services, consider establishing a community partnership that may fund afterschool programming advocating water safety, physical activity and friendship.  If loneliness and isolation exist within your community, create group aquatic exercise programs that foster socialization and cohesion.  Programming that pairs activity with education and a community meal could be sponsored by local organizations or funded by grants and housed within your aquatics facility.  Your facility can serve as a place where people gather in and around the water to feel a sense of safety and build trusted relationships to aid in reducing crime rates.  Programming doesn’t always have to revolve around physical wellness, consider what issues exist in your community and be a facility that promotes positive change.  

How is the diversity in my community reflected in what the facility offers?  

Diversity comes in so many forms.  Race, culture, age, gender, disability and religion may help to provide insight on your communities programming needs.  Simple acts of diversifying your existing programming such as hiring instructors that are multilingual, providing marketing materials that are in languages other than English, or considering diversifying your music could provide a feeling of inclusivity.  Additionally, making sure that your facility is ADA accessible, wheelchair friendly, or offering condition-specific programming for enhanced recovery can open your doors wider to those with physical limitations.  

Marketing to and engaging new clients

Once you determine programming that your community wants and needs, you have to let your target market know about it.  Social media, email campaigns, as well as print ads and commercials may be methods you use to reach potential customers.  Consideration should also be made for targeting specific audiences that you seek.  Simply reaching out to facilities, schools and organizations that currently serve your target market could lead to a fantastic return.  Providing an educational session within a school, organization or company that highlights program offerings and your facility while illustrating the why behind water is another way to bring more people to your pool. 

Create a buzz through announcements, social media, and education that leads to a specific event at your facility such as an open house.  Offering an open house affords an opportunity for your community members to visit and get to know your facility.  During these events, demystify your facility, programming and processes.  Develop a facility orientation that can show your potential clients the various aspects of your facility, programming, services, etc.  This should be designed to help clients learn about your facility while displaying how it can help them achieve their goals and meet their needs.  Your orientation or open house should (1) meet them when they walk in the door with a smile, (2) collect their contact information and primary reason for wanting to join prior to the orientation tour so that you can add them to your email blasts and mailing lists (3) have testimonials on display and (4) highlight all that you have to offer.  

Remember that you are selling a service but keep in mind that your facility and programming offers solutions.  The individuals walking through your doors are looking to solve their problems.  Improving fitness, growing friendships, learning to swim, or becoming more healthy are common areas that people are seeking out a means to reach a goal or solve a problem.  Take the opportunity to showcase how your facility can do this for others and have complete confidence in your facility, products and services.  

Links to Resources:  

https://aeawave.org

https://waterexercisecoach.com/ 

https://totalaquatic.llc 

https://medicine.wvu.edu/exercise-physiology/bachelor-of-science-bs/future-students/curriculum/aquatic-therapy-area-of-emphasis/