Running a fitness business takes a lot of work – whether you’re a boutique gym owner or train clients online. Digital marketing is a great way to help your business thrive, get new customers, build connections and inspire your current and potential customers.
Specifically, one of the best (and low-cost) ways to reach your audience is through email marketing.
Done right, you will see your fitness business take off.
WHY SEND EMAILS?
Establish your business goals first and align your email strategy accordingly.
Some potential email goals are:
Creating brand awareness – If your business is new, you might want to start an email journey by building awareness of your brand.
Generating leads – If you have a great lead magnet, emails are a good way to attract potential clients and get them into your sales funnel.
Lead magnets are free items or services that you can give away to attract clients – this can be a free e-book with recipes, a workout video, or even a consultation! In order to gain access to this free offer, people have to come to a landing page on your website and provide their email.
Increasing class attendance – If you have a class and you want to increase attendance, remind people through emails.
MAIN EMAIL COMPONENTS
All emails consist of several key elements, none of which can be ignored.
From: Is the email from you at your brand, or just your brand?
If you’re running a one-person show, it’s better to personalize the “from” to say Joe/Jane from Fit. Co. However, if you run a studio or multi-chain business, “from” Fit Co. is sufficient.
Subject line: This is the most important part of the email, as it determines whether your email gets opened.
When writing a subject line, keep it short and sweet. Longer subject lines may get cut off in someone’s inbox.
Be specific – if I open your email, I should know what it will contain. Will it be a fitness tip, a free gift, or something else? How many times have you fallen for “clickbait” – where the email subject line or link promised one thing, but when you clicked on it, you got something else? Misleading your audience will cause you to lose their trust.
Body: Assuming someone opens your email, what will they see? Will it be lots of pictures, text, or a combination of both?
If you’re going to use graphics, make sure the person reading the email doesn’t have to scroll down more than once to see your email on their phone. If you’re not sure, send a test to yourself and check the email on your mobile device.
Call to action (CTA): Make sure you include at least one CTA in your email – whether you want someone to register or sign up for a course, view a blog post, reply to your email – let them know!
Make sure this stands out. A prospect should be able to scan the email and find the action you want them to take.
CTAs are commonly put in buttons in a different colour than the rest of the email.
Red is the most common as it stands out, however, you can make your button any colour you want if it better aligns with your brand.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR EMAIL LISTS
Every fitness business is different. For instance, your customers may be aging boomers, golfers, stay-at-home parents or someone else entirely.
Base your content on what you think your target audience wants to see. Address any pain points or needs they may have.
Alternatively, you can build email lists based on the types of classes you offer. If you run yoga classes, you may want to send emails based on different yoga poses and stretching techniques and sell them yoga blocks and straps.
On the other hand, power lifters may be more interested in tips to lift heavier weight while staying safe.
TYPES OF CONTENT
There are many types of emails that you can send, depending on your goals and what you want action you want your customers to take after reading the email.
Welcome emails – Welcome emails may be the very first impression your customer may get if they found you online. This is a great way to introduce potential clients to your business, so make sure it gives off the impression you want to make.
Depending on your brand, your welcome email can be fun and casual, or serious and professional.
Newsletters – Newsletters are a great way to keep your business top-of-mind with your audience.
If you send your newsletters on a consistent schedule (eg. Weekly, every first Monday of the month), your customers will come to expect them.
Sales – If you have a great deal going on, you can send an email telling your customers know. Make sure to mention the discount, the dates the sale is running and how they can make the purchase.
Some other types of content you can include in your emails are:
- Workouts
- Recipes
- Sales
- Client testimonials or before/after photos
- Special events you’re attending or hosting
- Answering customer questions
This concludes part 1 of the article. You should now have a basic understanding of the basic email components, types of emails you can send and how to build email lists.
In Part 2 of this article, we will go deeper into the best times to send emails, as well as best practices and how to leverage the analytics you get from an email campaign.
