How SMS Marketing Can Help Gyms & Fitness Centers

You were so excited when you read the email about your gym's new Pilates class. You love Pilates, and the gym was offering a discount for the first twenty people who responded. But the problem was that you didn't open the email until five days after the first class. You missed the class and the discount.

Yesterday, you received a text message from your fitness center. Since the first class was so popular, they've added a second Pilates class to their calendar. And this time, thanks to text message marketing, you won't miss your chance to take advantage of the class or the attached promo offer.

A rapidly growing number of gyms and fitness centers are moving to texting platforms to get the word out about newly scheduled classes, as well as improvements in the infrastructure of the weight room. It makes sense, since more than 90% of Americans have their cell phones on them at any given time. Coupled with the benefits of real time communication and global coverage, you have the ideal recipe for promoting your gym or fitness center via texting.

Overview of Text Message Marketing for Gyms and Fitness Centers

Text message marketing is a mass communication method. As the name suggests, it involves sending bulk SMS messages via a short code to subscribers who agree to receive your texts. Text marketing is easily integrated into other marketing strategies and complements digital platforms. When you work with an SMS program, you get customized versatility to meet your promotional needs. Choose an SMS provider, a short code, and read on to get started.

Use Keywords to Engage Customers

You've seen the advertisements: "Text XYZ to 12233 to receive a brand-new weight set." Well, "XYZ" is called a keyword, and they're how subscribers interact with your text messages. Keywords can be regular words, a combination of numbers and letters, or even universally recognized emojis. For every campaign, you should include a keyword or other interactive element so that subscribers can claim offers and you can gauge the campaign's effectiveness. For example, if you want to run a limited time special on a certain class, you can use the keyword GETFIT to entice your members to enroll.

Make the First Message Count

A new subscriber has enrolled in your SMS program. Do you simply mark it as another win, or do you respond to the new subscriber and start building a relationship? We think you know the answer.

The first message sent to a new subscriber is essentially a first impression. To make it a great one, use an auto responder to immediately send a warm thank you message. The first message is also the perfect time to send an offer that keeps a new subscriber engaged and happy with your business and SMS service for years to come.

What Kind of Offers Should I Send?

Offers should always be valuable to subscribers and make the message worth reading. Along with sending welcome offers to new subscribers, you can also send offers to subscribers who have been members of your fitness centers for a certain period of time, like one or more years. SMS is also great for sending out customized offers, such as discounted lessons with a free trainer to members who frequently work out. Free trial periods, referral discounts, and limited-time specialty classes are also great ideas for SMS offers.

Benefits of SMS Marketing Software

We discussed how SMS broadcast software can be used to welcome new members of your gym or fitness center. But what are some other benefits of implementing an SMS marketing program for your gym or fitness center? Let us list just a few:

• Remain relevant among members
• Convenient way to receive news and notifications
• Non-intrusive way to communicate with members
• Affordable digital marketing strategy
• One of the highest engagement rates
• Complements email marketing tactics
• Ultimate mobile-friendly marketing
• Takes little time to reach every member

How to Get the Most Out of SMS Marketing for Gyms and Fitness Centers

One of the most effective SMS messaging strategies is to inform current members about lucrative incentives for referring new members to your gym or fitness center. Member referrals are one of the most common methods used by gyms and fitness centers to increase enrollment and grow sales.

Here are a few other ways to leverage texting for your gym or fitness center.

Membership Renewal Reminders

Gyms have to deal with high member turnover rates. Whether it's because of a new fitness center down the street or members cutting household expenses, you have to stay on top of membership renewal drives. Texting offers you an effective way to retain members that might be thinking about going elsewhere for their cardio and anaerobic fitness regimens. Moreover, many fitness center members forget about when their memberships expire. Using SMS, you can send out membership renewal offers and automatic renewal reminders.

Upcoming Payment Notices

Since emails frequently land in the spam folder or sit in the inbox for days, reminding members about upcoming monthly or yearly payments works best via SMS messaging. You can set the reminders to go out a week before, two days before, or even the day of the due payment. You can also send links via SMS to allow members to change their payment method for or check up on the due date for their monthly or annual membership fees.

Tips and Advice

Email newsletters and social media are excellent platforms for sending out exercise and nutrition tips. However, nothing beats sending out advice using a texting platform. Since users almost always keep their smartphones within reach, your members can stop on top of the latest nutrition and exercise tips anytime, anywhere. You can send out news about a new physical therapy, advice about how to safely fast, and more— all in real time.

Special Events

Your fitness center has arranged for a popular hot yoga instructor to host a few classes. Or maybe your gym is sponsoring a blood drive to address an acute shortage in the community. Whatever special event your business is running or participating in, SMS marketing is the best way to promote it. Text messages work well for all events, whether they've been planned long-term or last-minute. You can advertise a boxing special to fight the winter blues, promote a prep class for the upcoming 5K, or ask for volunteers to educate local students about the importance of being active.

Give Dash Notify a Text Marketing Workout

Gyms and fitness centers work on a tight budget that requires out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to increasing revenue. Dash Notify offers an affordable and effective digital marketing platform for gyms and fitness centers. We can help you drive sales and increase memberships with our lightning-fast throughput, scalable features, and 24/7 customer support. Contact us today to learn more about using Dash Notify as your SMS marketing partner.

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