Creating meaningful connections with members has become essential for studios looking to thrive. Boston-based B/SPOKE Studios, with six locations across the state of Massachusetts, has mastered the art of personalization by leveraging Mariana Tek’s tagging capabilities to track member details and create uniquely tailored experiences.
We met with Emily Katz, Head of Retreats and Special Projects at B/SPOKE, to discuss how they’ve built a thriving community by focusing on the small details that make members feel seen and valued, and how Mariana Tek technology has enabled this.
Q: Can you tell us about the philosophy behind B/SPOKE’s approach to community building?
A: We consider ourselves a lifestyle brand; we care about so much more than fitness. To build a vibrant and engaged community, we tap into what is already relevant for people because it fuels natural momentum, excitement and buzz around it from our staff and clients. We plan events around the Boston Marathon and the Falmouth Road Race, as an example. We have staff and members who are involved in these events, but there are also organizations involved that our members want to support, even if they aren’t running in these races. These present opportunities for us to support causes that really mean something to our base.
Not only do we put a lot of effort into supporting local events, we host our own events too. Each year, we host international wellness retreats locally and internationally as an opportunity to translate the magic of the in-studio experience and bring it “out of studio”. These experiences really show the type of trust and connection that we look to build with our clientele – all around the world! This year, we are traveling to El Salvador, Bali, Croatia and Maine.
Q: Can you share something unique to B/SPOKE’s community that really sets it apart?
What comes to mind here is our Guest Instructor program! In addition to our amazing team of B/SPOKE Instructors, we welcome Guest Instructors across a variety of class modalities, like Barre and Pilates. This broadens our class repertoire and our community. We really believe in community over competition, and our Guest Instructor Team has been an amazing addition to not only our class schedules, but our ability to connect with incredible humans and talent across the city of Boston.
Q: How important is personalization in your member experience?
A: Personalization is core to our business. We have clients that range in age from 13 to 80, with lots of preferences and interests that vary. That’s where Mariana Tek really helps us – we use the technology to our advantage. We have the data to know who is new, to know their birthdays, to know their milestones, their bike preferences, to have details about their last visit. We obsess over every bit of a client and their door-to-door experience. Getting to know clients and making the experience personal and tailored is what keeps people coming back.
Q: How does this personalized approach help further your goals as a community?
We’ve heard from our community that it means a lot to them to know that B/SPOKE cares about different types of groups and individuals. It’s been this way since the beginning, and I think that having this consistent vision and values has played a huge role in our approach to community building.
As a brand, B/SPOKE recognizes that we have a platform and a voice that goes beyond what we do every day. To reflect our core values, we also celebrate the different people and groups that we see in our communities. Our Outside’s In event is an example of this, where we brought in local creators, music, food and artists to come into the space and personalize it.
Q: Can you tell us more about how you use Tags in Mariana Tek and why they’re so valuable?
A: Tags tell us who people are and what matters to them. Every staff member uses them and enhances them in our system to make sure that we don’t lose that connection with our members. We treat tags like the encyclopedia of the class! When we say hello, we know their profession, their life stage, that they have two cats, and their daughter just went off to college…because we’re paying attention and we’re documenting it and we’re using that info to create stronger connections. They fuel personalized outreach and conversations all the way from check-in to the in-studio experience and beyond.
We use tags to inform our strategy too – to understand how clients found our business, to track the ROI on events or discount offers. We make better business decisions by seeing the trends in the data, and use tags as ways to categorize that data.
Q: How do these tags enhance staff interactions with members?
A: Say we see a student tag, we’re chatting with them about finals, or asking ‘what school do you go to? How did you find the studio? Do you want to come in with your sports team?’ We can use tags to really personalize our interactions and get to know someone. We have tags that can help us identify that a client is a member. We encourage our team to know who our members are because they make up the fabric of the group that is coming on a day-to-day basis, and tags help us so much with that. Members are the core of our community, and we want to make sure we recognize and appreciate them.
Q: Do you have tags that help identify when a member’s engagement is changing?
A: Yes! We leverage a tag that tells us when a client’s class count has increased. This is a great moment for us to be like, “Hey, we see you. Wow, you’re crushing the winter challenge that we have going on.” It gives us an avenue to persue more feedback about the classes that they’re loving, and learn how we can engage them even further.
Q: How do tags help with converting drop-ins to members?
A: We use tags that signal if a visitor is using class pass or 2-week pass for their class. This helps our staff know how to open up a conversation. Our front desk or instructors might ask them, “How’d you find the studio? What places have you checked out?” They also trigger automated communications through Xplor Growth to make sure they know the perks of becoming a member and making an official B/SPOKE account.
Q: Tell us about your Member Milestone strategy. How does Mariana Tek help you track member milestones? How do you celebrate them?
A: We’ve pre-determined certain milestones that we’re going to celebrate throughout a client’s journey. Starting with their first visit and then at 25, 50, a hundred, and then essentially every hundred to follow: 200, 300, 400, 500. We have clients that are well over 2000 classes! So, we have a pretty tight playbook on what happens at all these different milestones from the in-person and behind the scenes experience. This goes a long way in helping us keep our community engaged and makes every client feel seen and appreciated.
The data in Mariana Tek is really helpful for us to manage and track this program. We can see every individual’s class count when they register, and we use that to personalize their experience and celebrate those milestones. And clients can see their progress front and center in the app, so they stay motivated to continue pushing to the next milestone.
Q: How does the data available in Mariana Tek help with member retention?
A: We see this information as vital to understanding a client’s journey. Visiting our studio, becoming a member, it’s not just this transactional one and done, just dropping by for a visit. This data improves our relationships and shows us the patterns that are being created for people. We obsess over making sure their experience is far more than a workout, and these details are what help us make the connections that keep our community growing.
Q: What result have you seen from this level of personalization and attention to detail?
A: Besides growing our business, there’s so much richness that we see in our community. We’ve celebrated people getting married, changing jobs, having babies. We’re a part of their lives! There’s all this life coming together that goes beyond this product or business. It’s really special.
The B/SPOKE Difference
What started as a fitness studio has truly evolved into a lifestyle brand and community hub. The name “B/SPOKE” itself comes from the Latin word “bespoke,” meaning “tailored” or “custom”—reflecting their commitment to personalized experiences for every member.
By using Mariana Tek’s robust tagging, gamification, and client management capabilities, B/SPOKE has created a system that helps them recognize, celebrate, and connect with members on a deeper level. The result isn’t just impressive member retention statistics, but the cultivation of a genuine community where members find friendship, support, and belonging.
For fitness studios looking to elevate their member experience, B/SPOKE’s strategic use of technology offers a powerful blueprint for success.
Follow B/SPOKE on Instagram or book a class here.
Next Steps: Elevate Your Fitness Studio
Inspired by B/SPOKE story? Don’t miss your chance to elevate your own boutique fitness studio and meet your goals. Book a demo today and discover how Mariana Tek can the a game-changer your studio needs to scale effectively and efficiently.
Article by Xplor Mariana Tek
First published: May 22 2025
Last updated: May 22 2025