As a business owner or marketer, you’re constantly looking for ways to improve your digital engagement. Text message marketing is an effective way to drive business to your website and through your doors.
Over the years, several studies have shown that text message marketing is highly effective. In fact, mobile marketing is preferred by most consumers. Why?
The answer is: Ease. The simplicity of direct links, immediate access to support staff, and personalization of text message marketing makes current and potential clients more willing to engage with your business.
Let’s look at some statistics.
Text messages have an open rate of 99%. Compare this with the 30% open rate of email and it’s easy to see why automated text message marketing is becoming a top choice for marketers. Beyond the open rate, consumers are quick to engage with SMS messages leading to an average response rate of 45%.
Text message marketing is effective because it allows you direct access to the forefront attention of your perfect clients. And, with the ability to easily opt-in and out, you can be assured that your messages are reaching the people who want them.
In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at why you should include text messages in your marketing strategy and how to use text message marketing to grow your gym or fitness center.
For gyms and fitness clubs, your business relies on bringing in ideal members and developing authentic relationships with those members. One of the best ways you can do this is by making yourself available and present. Whether you’re a seasoned gym owner or just starting out, text message marketing can help you bring in the members you need and cultivate loyalty among the members you have.
If you’re ready to see how text message marketing can revolutionize the way you grow your business, schedule a demo today. Our team of experts can’t wait to help you take your gym or fitness club to the next level.
In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at why you should include text messages in your marketing strategy and how to use text message marketing to grow your gym or fitness center.
Why Use Text Message Marketing for Gyms?
Text message marketing is one of the easiest and most efficient marketing tactics available to businesses today. Add to this that it’s cost-effective and has a huge ROI and the reasons why you shouldn’t implement SMS messaging become non–existent.Text message marketing gets results
The average American spends upwards of three hours per day on their smartphone. Text message marketing gives you a direct avenue to those three hours of, generally, undivided attention. Moreover, recent studies show that a majority of people prefer texting over talking. In fact, 60% of businesses who use SMS marketing plan to increase their text marketing budget because they saw a substantial increase in opt-in rates as well as strong conversion rates. Consider these text message marketing statistics:- 48% of consumers’ prefer SMS messaging
- 95% of texts are read and responded to within 3 minutes of delivery
- 48.7 million people opted in to text messaging services in 2021
- The CTR rate of text message marketing is 9.18% higher than any other digital channel
- In 2022, 80% of coupon redemption happened through a mobile device
- 45% of potential consumers take action after receiving a text message
It’s quick and efficient
Text message marketing is, by nature, permission-based. On the marketing end, all you need to do is create the campaign, collect the phone numbers, and secure opt-in permission. Once you have the data, you can easily track and manage your campaign. In addition, many gym marketing solutions offer you the ability to use smart technology to create, schedule, target, and even respond to customers. You will never have to worry about spam filters or overwhelming the inbox of your potential or current clients. SMS marketing offers a quick and efficient solution for both customers and businesses. Its highly targetable, personalizable, and adaptable nature makes it an ideal addition to your marketing plan.Text message marketing is cost-effective
In addition to ease and efficacy, text message marketing is a cost effective solution. The only real costs associated with implementing SMS marketing tactics center on the messaging service. One that you, likely, already have in place. On average, each message usually costs between one and five cents per message. The bulk of messaging costs comes from collateral factors such as message development and complementary marketing campaigns to drive SMS list development. When you compare this cost to the potency and success of text message marketing, the ROI is substantial. This makes SMS campaigns an excellent choice for reaching potential and current clients.
Text message marketing for fitness centers
For fitness centers and gyms, text message marketing can be a great way to boost customer engagement. There are many avenues you are able to drive your SMS marketing campaign. The one that is best for you and your business will depend on your audience, your goals, and your brand. Here are a few campaigns that are perfect for you, as a gym or fitness club, to test out.New signup campaign
As a gym or fitness club owner, you know that membership drives your profit. tThis means that following up with potential leads is critical to the growth and longevity of your gym or fitness club. You can use text message marketing to help engage those potential members who show interest in joining your gym. Launching a sign up campaign with text message marketing can be as simple as sending them a personalized message and a link to your sign up page. If you want to go a step further, offering discounts or promotions is a great way to encourage those potential leads who are still on the fence. Another great way to use text message marketing to acquire new customers is to launch a referral campaign. This strategy allows you to capitalize on already established social bonds to reach a target audience while rewarding your current clients for their loyalty.
Member engagement campaign
Member engagement campaigns can be a great way to get feedback on your gym, show customers you care, and even lead to higher customer loyalty. Customer engagement is essential for developing long term relationships and satisfaction. A great customer engagement campaign is one that makes your members feel valued and excited about being a part of your gym. Text message campaigns that center on member engagement could include surveys, reviews, or even a member feature. These types of text campaigns give you the ability to be creative and really help your members feel like a part of the community. In addition, engagement campaigns give you quick and actionable feedback about what you’re doing well and what needs improvement. Making surveys or reviews consistent and regular can also help you track the success of your gym or fitness club over a longer period of time.Membership renewal campaign
Loyal clients are the bread and butter of your success as a gym or fitness club. This means that membership renewal needs to be a major part of your marketing tactic. Membership renewal campaigns are a great way to maximize the number of membership renewed and let your customers know that you value their business. Using text message marketing allows you to craft a streamline process that makes it simple for your members to renew their membership. How your membership and billing system is set up will determine the timeframe within which you should launch a renewal campaign. You want to be sure to reach out to your members well before the end of their membership. This will help minimize the time they have to consider switching gyms. Additionally, reaching out to members about renewals early gives you a chance to resolve any concerns or address any issues that might prevent them from renewing their membership. Include a survey or simple questions with your renewal campaign to capture valuable feedback from each of your valued customers.General information campaign
Of course, text is a great way to keep your members up to date about what’s going on at your gym. When orchestrating general information campaigns, it’s a good idea to establish a consistent pattern of sending texts. Much like a newspaper, having a regular schedule will help habituate your clients to updates and information. General information campaigns can include class information, equipment updates, employee features or changes to your hours. They can also be used to inform members of urgent or unforeseen circumstances like closures due to weather or maintenance projects that may impact their workout. Using text message marketing to send general information can be helpful in deepening the connection between you and your clients beyond transactional and marketing material.Get Started Text Message Marketing For Your Gym And Fitness Centers
Now that you know a few ways to use text message marketing, it’s time to get started. But, before start texting, there are a few key components that you’ll need to consider:- Your budget: even though text message marketing is fairly cost effective, it’s still important to know your limits. On average, most SMS marketing budgets range from 7% to 10% of your monthly turnover.
- Contact information: You can’t send a text if you don’t have a number. In order to get started with your text message marketing campaign you’ll need to establish a list of contacts.
- Choose the right messaging platform: Many gym management softwares include competent CRM solutions that have SMS messaging capabilities. When choosing a system that fits your needs, you’ll want to consider the size, scalability, and integrative capabilities of a CRM.
- Decide on campaigns: How many, when, and to whom you will be sending messages are all important questions to ask. Deciding on the types of campaigns and when you’re going to deploy them is essential for nailing your timing and capturing your customers attention.
- Develop templates: After you have decided on the types of campaigns and text message interactions you will deploy, you can begin to develop templates for each scenario. Templates will help you craft a consistent brand voice across all campaigns and make it easier to deploy, develop, and adapt your text message marketing solutions as they evolve.
For gyms and fitness clubs, your business relies on bringing in ideal members and developing authentic relationships with those members. One of the best ways you can do this is by making yourself available and present. Whether you’re a seasoned gym owner or just starting out, text message marketing can help you bring in the members you need and cultivate loyalty among the members you have.
If you’re ready to see how text message marketing can revolutionize the way you grow your business, schedule a demo today. Our team of experts can’t wait to help you take your gym or fitness club to the next level.
FAQs:
How Does Text Message Marketing Work?
Text message marketing uses SMS messages to efficiently and effectively inform clients and promote your gym or fitness center.How do you Get Results with Text Messaging for Gyms?
Consistency. Text message marketing gives you direct access to the forefront of your client’s attention. Being consistent and responsive helps to further your relationship and boost satisfaction. Get the full story here:
Written by
Marcus Webb
Marcus is a B2C marketing strategist with over 8 years of experience in lifecycle marketing, SMS campaigns, and customer retention. He specialises in helping multi-location businesses reduce churn and build long-term customer loyalty.
Ready to Run Successful Marketing Campaigns and Grow Your Business?
Gleantap helps you unify customer data, track behavior patterns, and automate personalized campaigns, so you can increase repeat purchases and grow your business.
Ready to Run Successful Marketing Campaigns and Grow Your Business?
Gleantap helps you unify customer data, track behavior patterns, and automate personalized campaigns, so you can increase repeat purchases and grow your business.