Is your gym using text messaging campaigns to engage and motivate clients? If you’re not, you should definitely consider it.
Text messaging goes hand-in-hand with fitness industry marketing today. Redeye reported that 97% of text messages are, in fact, opened within fifteen minutes or less of when it was received. Moreover, text message open rates are 99% compared to emails, with an open rate of just 30%.
This shows that SMS fitness marketing is the way to go. But the beauty of text messaging is that it can be used for so much more than just promotional messages. In this blog, we’ll get into the detail of how text messages can be used for fitness motivation. Gym owners can use several strategies to help members stay on track and have a positive attitude toward their wellness goals. Keep reading to discover these!
What is text messaging for fitness motivation?
Text messaging is usually associated with using an SMS to target an opted-in contact list and share promotional information with them. But text messaging for fitness motivation is all about helping recipients stay motivated, track progress, and be engaged with their fitness goals using text messages. This helps people stick to their fitness goals, even when they don’t feel like working out. It’s also a way of helping members keep their fitness regimes creative and fresh. For gym owners, text messaging for fitness motivation is an effective customer engagement tool with immense potential.
Benefits of Using Text Messaging for Fitness Motivation
There are many benefits to using text messaging for fitness motivation – whether that’s for in-person or virtual coaching. It’s easy to think that the core communication channels are websites and email. But SMS shouldn’t be discarded. Texts have many benefits; let’s look at some of these now.
1. Convenience and accessibility of text messaging
Text messaging is one of the most accessible communication channels we have today. Even though most people own and use smartphones daily, often emails and app push notifications can get lost in the noise. But text messages have an alarmingly good open rate. People need and want to know who is texting and what it’s about. Also, in most cases, people actively opt into a list to receive texts from a business. So, when they receive it, they’re keenly interested. This is why text messaging is great for marketing and things like motivational messages.
2. Constant reminders and accountability
We all know how busy daily life can get. Without someone offering reminders or checking in now and then, some things like fitness workouts and tasks are harder to get done. This creates the need for accountability – and text messaging can help with this. It enables people to overcome forgotten or overlooked tasks. Text messaging lets people keep on track and complete fitness activities with little fuss. Most importantly, an SMS is a subtle, quick, and convenient way of being reminded about something. It doesn’t feel invasive, and recipients welcome text reminders.
3. Personalization and tailored motivation
The next benefit of text messaging for fitness motivation is a big one, and that’s personalization. In recent years, people have become more reliant on brands that personalize their buying experience. They want a tailored solution – which is no different in the fitness industry. People want to feel motivated to come into a gym or fitness studio. What better way than to personalize their fitness regime and motivational messages? With text message marketing software, you can create detailed customer segments which help tailor messages to various groups of members. This is where the power of modern text messaging services really comes into play.
4. Easy integration with existing routines and habits
Text messaging for fitness motivation is also great because it’s a method that is quickly integrated with your daily habits and routines. If you think about it – getting a fitness reminder saying, “Hey! Happy Monday, J. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and drink 2L of water daily this week! Happy H2O’ing.” This is a simple but punchy reminder. It’s not too intensive and doesn’t have much information, but it will help you stay on track with your wellness goals. And when you begin adding various content topics at various times, suddenly, fitness motivation via SMS feels like it can be incredibly useful.
4 Strategies for Using Text Messaging for Fitness Motivation Effectively
Now that we know all the benefits of using text messaging for fitness motivation, it’s time to learn how best to use it. We’ve collated four core strategies to help you create practical and creative ways to use texts for fitness motivation.
1. Establishing Fitness Goals and Tracking Progress
Setting SMART Goals
Setting SMART fitness goals is one of the most crucial steps in developing a fitness program. It forms a huge part of fitness motivation and should never be overlooked. In order for them to be “SMART,” fitness enthusiasts need to take their goals to the next level. Here’s an example of how someone can create SMART goals for losing weight:
Specific – “I’m going to burn 150 calories per day.”
Measurable – “I am going to use this app to track how many calories I burn each day.”
Achievable – “I am already burning 850 calories per week. Bumping this up to 1000 calories per week should be manageable. That is roughly one more workout per week.”
Relevant – Cardio exercise is directly related to weight loss. So cardio exercises fit into my bigger weight loss plan.”
Time-bound – “This is my goal for this week. After four weeks, I will look at adjusting my weekly goal.”’
Image source: Simplilearn
Using text messaging to track progress and milestones
You can also use texts to share updates on fitness goals or milestones. Texts can share fitness performance feedback or information on further fitness training opportunities. You can also provide information about additional wellness development programs via SMS. Here’s an example of how you can use text messages to track progress:
Celebrating achievements and maintaining motivation through texts
Text messages are also immensely handy when you want to celebrate success. A quick message to celebrate an achievement boosts the relationship between a member and the gym and helps that member gain more confidence. This helps keep the positivity going and allows recipients to feel inspired to go further in their overall fitness regime. Here’s an example of how to celebrate fitness achievements via text:
2. Motivational Text Message Strategies
Positive reinforcement and encouragement
You may have heard of the concept of positive reinforcement before. The idea is very straightforward: You should reward positive behavior, and if you do, chances are it will be repeated. Adding a rewarding stimulus directly after a desired behavior can help the person repeat the behavior. And encouraging gym members to keep achieving their fitness goals is just the same.
Daily affirmations and motivational quotes
Sometimes motivational quotes go a long way. Remember motivational Mondays on social media? Those were there for a reason. Because we often get caught up in daily tasks and forget about staying motivated about our wellness and overall fitness desires. Receiving a simple reminder to keep motivated goes a long way in keeping people on track.
Progress updates and reminders of long-term goals
Achieving long-term fitness goals can sometimes feel like a really daunting task. But with the proper support and communication tools, it can be made much easier and simpler to achieve. One of these is text messaging from your fitness studio. A progress update and reminder of goals is a simple way to track progress and stay accountable. It also allows members to gain a reality check and make any adjustments as needed. Have a personal trainer or staff member at the ready should they need to talk to someone about adjusting their goals.
Challenges and friendly competition
This is a fun one – who doesn’t love a challenge? As a fitness enthusiast, receiving an SMS about joining a challenge tailored to your interests may be exciting. For example:
Personalized messages based on individual preferences and interests
You can create personalized text messages for recipients based on their interests and preferences. For example, if someone comes to your gym for bodybuilding, tailor your messages to them instead of topics like yoga, Pilates, or swimming. The more personalized your messages are, the more relatable they will be to the recipient. Text message marketing software can help you achieve highly tailored profiles for each gym member.
3. Creating a Supportive Text Messaging Network
Building a network of fitness buddies
The next strategy for using text messages for fitness motivation is all about networking with fitness buddies. You can connect with friends and share your activities and progress, all through group text chats. This helps keep everyone in the group motivated to keep going and allows for increased engagement at the fitness studio.
Creating group chats for mutual support and motivation
As mentioned above, group chats can be used for challenges with fitness buddies. It can also be used to help motivate like-minded fitness enthusiasts. Often, a sense of community works best when trying to motivate people. And group chats are a great tool for that.
Sharing successes, challenges, and tips through text messages
A sense of community can help people stay motivated, but it can also be a great way to share knowledge. People can share information about their fitness challenges, pain points, successes, and more via chats. This can help educate others in the group and boost conversation about certain fitness topics. It’s a win-win for all.
Organizing virtual fitness events and challenges through texts
When you have gym members with similar interests, organizing virtual fitness events is a good idea. For example, you could host a 30-day yoga challenge which is communicated via text. Each session is live-streamed, and links to the live stream are shared via SMS. A simple but feel-good challenge for members – just what is needed to stay motivated. Below is an example of a 30-day yoga challenge by Adriene:
4. Overcoming Obstacles and Staying Motivated
Addressing Common obstacles to fitness motivation
Once members join a gym, generally, they stay quite motivated for the first few months. It’s new, exciting, and they feel good about their progress. But after a while, overcoming barriers and obstacles might be difficult to do. Barriers can be anything from lacking time, energy, or motivation. Sometimes it’s also because family or friends aren’t interested in the members’ physical activity, which kills their confidence. Text messages can help members stay motivated while overcoming these barriers.
Sending reminders and motivational texts during periods of low motivation
If your automated text messaging platform tracks member activity, you’ll be able to see all members who haven’t clocked in at the gym in more than a month. Once you have this data, you can send a text with a motivational quote urging them to return. This helps retain customers but also prevents people from losing their confidence.
Providing strategies for staying consistent and committed to fitness goals
If you feel that certain customers are still interested in achieving their goals but aren’t quite motivated enough, sharing strategies to help them stay focused and committed is a good idea. Here is an opportunity to share a link to an inspirational story or to schedule a session with a trainer. Even the smallest of actions make the biggest difference.
Text-based resources for overcoming plateaus and setbacks
There is a plethora of resources on the internet to help overcome setbacks and plateaus, and there’s no reason why you can’t share these knowledge bases with clients. Just make sure they’re text-friendly. Things like blog article links and links to PDF files and eBook purchases work well.
Privacy and Security Considerations
Importance of safeguarding personal information
You should always be encouraged to respect data privacy and adhere to text message marketing rules before sending any text out. Here are a few major rules:
– Only send texts to opt-in contact lists.
– Have an easy opt-out.
– Make your identity clear.
– Maintain and share a privacy policy.
– Use simple and unoffending language.
Choosing secure messaging platforms and apps
By choosing to use secure apps and messaging platforms, you’re protecting your business and your entire contact list. Do not use free or “too good to be true” apps, as they may not be encrypted. Ensure that all your data is protected by doing your research on platforms prior to signing up. Looking at reviews and chatting with their team prior to signing up will also be helpful.
Ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of fitness-related communications
All text messaging platforms should be private and confidential. It’s also a good idea to ensure that data isn’t shared across contacts unless it is intentional knowledge shares. You should also ensure that every team member keeps all fitness communications private and confidential between them and gym members.
FAQs
1. Can I customize the type of messages I receive?
Yes, simply opt into the message types you want to receive from your fitness studio. For further customization, contact the gym.
2. How frequently will I receive text messages?
You will receive text messages as often as stipulated in the opt-in documentation.
3. How does using text messaging help with fitness motivation?
Text messages can remind you of fitness goals and help you stay accountable with little effort.
So, now that you know how text messaging can be used for fitness motivation, why not try Gleantap to help manage these services? Schedule a demo if you’re interested in learning more.
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