How fitness brands benefit BIG from email marketing

Email is still the top dog in the digital world. Its’ median ROI (122%) is over 4x higher than any other online marketing tool such as social media, paid search or banner ads. On average, every $1 spent on email marketing yields a whopping $38 of revenue. It’s also the primary channel for lead generation, attracting new members to your website and ultimately to your studio.

That means with the right strategy in place, you can grow your brand, your client base and your bank account quickly (and cost-effectively) through email.

Your members expect you to email them with the bare necessities (class details, studio rules, scheduling updates, etc.), but it takes more than the minimum to maximize potential on email.

Start building an email strategy as strong as those muscles with these top 10 campaigns:

1. Welcome Email

If a new client walked into your studio, would you greet them? Of course! Your ‘welcome email’ offers the same experience, digitally. It sets the tone of your online relationship and impacts the client’s first impression of your business. Plus, they’re incredibly effective, averaging an 82% open rate and 21% click-through.

2. Transaction Confirmation

Whether the interchange is a purchase, a registration or a cancellation, a paper trail (so to speak) provides proof for your members that they’ve completed their mission. You can also use the transaction confirmation message as an opportunity to entice your recipient to purchase more.

PRO TIP: Add calendar syncing options to your automatic registration emails so your members can simply add their class schedule details to their personal calendars with the click of a button.

3. Newsletter

A regular bi-weekly or monthly publication that informs your subscribers of studio news, offers, member or instructor highlights, community events and/or any other content you’d like to share. The goal of your newsletter is to be engaging, yet informative; to keep your members excited and in-the-know.

4. Birthday Message

A happy birthday wish is always a nice gesture and easy to set up with automated email personalization. It’s especially nice when it comes with a gift. Offering an exclusive deal or freebie will ultimately generate more sales in the long run.

5. Event Invitation

Having a party? Celebrating a new partnership? Participating in a fundraiser? Your members want in. They’re your strongest allies so foster those relationships with care by ensuring they receive all the details in writing.

6. Feedback

Probably one of the most crucial campaigns of all, feedback emails are fitness business GOLD. Send a survey or an open forum and take it all in – the good, bad and the ugly. Reviews let people know you care and provide you direct insight into what you’re doing right, wrong and everything in between. Simultaneously, reviews can improve your SEO rankings, helping more people find you online. Remember, your members are your business, so hear them loud and clear.

7. Special Offers

Limited time deals attract new members and give current clients a sense of excitement. Offer something valuable and think about the long term gain.

8. Audience Segmentation & Targeted Messages

One of the most effective email marketing tactics is targeted messaging (otherwise known as list segmentation), which is the ability to customize your content to different groups. Break down your total subscription database into lists based on similarities, such as attendance history or membership type, then send content that would appeal to them. For example, you might send all members who haven’t attended recently a motivating message to encourage them to come back. Similarly, send clients who frequently attend a certain class more information about that style, the instructors or similar classes.

9. Success Stories

People love recognition, especially for their hard, sweaty work. Acknowledge your biggest fans and support them as they aim even higher. Their wins are your wins.

10. New Products

Got new gear? New classes? New scheduling? New instructors? New locations? Communicate it. When you’re excited about your business, your clients will be too.

The list could go on and on! Take a breath and give it some thought. Even if you do half of these, you’ll notice an improvement.

In anything you send, make sure it aligns with your brand. Your emails will be best received if they read and appear like your gym feels.

Need a hand with email marketing? Give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help!