SMS Marketing for Gyms: Best Practices + Examples

Fitness is becoming more and more popular among people and this is a great chance for gyms to grow. Of course, the competition is so fierce that many trainers can’t attract gym-goers despite their investment. An efficient use of SMS marketing for gyms might be the answer to this problem.

Although many gym owners are using new platforms like social media to advertise their services, you can’t ignore the effectiveness of SMS campaigns.

If you want to know how SMS marketing can help your gym reach out to new gym rats and make them loyal, read the following article.

SMS Marketing for Gyms: Is It Worth the Investment?

SMS marketing is really popular among businesses of all types and sizes, and gyms are no exception.

Before starting your fitness SMS marketing campaign, it’s good to get familiar with its benefits and limitations.

Here are the pros and cons of SMS marketing for gyms:

Pros of SMS Marketing for Gyms

• Direct and Immediate Communication: SMS marketing allows you to reach gym rats instantly. This makes SMS marketing great for last-minute updates and time-sensitive marketing campaigns.

• High Engagement and Conversion Rates: People are more comfortable with SMS compared to other channels like email. So the engagement and conversion rates of SMS marketing are higher. 

• Cost-Effective: SMS marketing is relatively affordable in comparison to other advertising methods. So it’s great for small businesses like gyms.

• Personalization and Customer Retention: If you want to build customer loyalty, SMS can work miracles. You can easily personalize your text messages and make your customers continue working with you.

Cons of SMS Marketing for Gyms

• Limited Message Length: You have a limitation of 160 characters in your SMS marketing. So communicating complex messages might be a bit difficult when you are using SMS.

• Permission-Based: SMS marketing needs explicit consent from recipients. In other words, your gym must build an opt-in list before sending messages and offer an opt-out option in your texts. 

• No Visual Elements: SMS is just text or maybe some emojis, which is too simple for today’s requirements. This makes SMS inadequate for attracting people, especially youngsters.

10 Best Practices of Gym SMS Marketing + Examples

Now, let’s review some important tips for your gym marketing campaigns with recommended examples:

#1 Build and Maintain a Clean Subscriber List

You have to build a clear list of subscribers from people who think they are highly likely to come to your gym. You need to laser-target your potential trainees to get maximum efficiency in your gym SMS marketing.

To do that, you need to collect phone numbers through smart opt-in methods. For example, you can use the following channels to increase your subscriber list:

1. Website Sign-Up Forms
2. Social Media Promotions
3. In-Person at Your Gym
4. Event Registration
5. Friends and Family Recommendations

Try to offer some perks like discounts to encourage members to subscribe. You also need to clean your list regularly to make sure you’re not wasting your time by sending messages to those who are not engaged.

Here is an example of encouraging recipients to opt-in to your gym SMS marketing campaign:

“Want to stay updated with the latest classes and promotions? Text ‘GYM’ to 12345 to subscribe and get 10% off your next month’s membership!”

#2 Craft Compelling and Clear Messages

As said earlier, you have a 160-character limit. So your SMS messages need to be concise, clear, and action-oriented.

You don’t have the luxury of using jargon or explaining too much. Therefore, get straight to the point and make sure there’s a clear call to action.

Here are some useful tips for creating an effective CTA:

• Be direct: Action words like “Book,” “Join,” “Claim,” or “Sign Up” can be useful.

• Create urgency: Phrases like “Limited spots,” “Today only,” or “Offer ends soon” create a sense of urgency and make recipients do something.

• Use short links: Try to use SMS platforms like WP SMS which offers link-shortening tools. This way, you can drive traffic to your website without adding too many chars to your messages.

• Make it easy: You have to include just a simple action, like replying with a keyword or clicking a link. Otherwise, your recipient might reject your request.

Here is an example of a compelling text message for gyms with an effective CTA:

“Ready to challenge yourself? Join our HIIT class tomorrow at 6 PM! Book your spot now: [short link].”

#3 Optimize Timing and Frequency of SMS Campaigns

Timing is very important in SMS marketing. If you send your messages untimely, your subscribers will probably opt out.

You have to send your text messages when the majority of your audience is likely to engage. 

Although there is no certain formula to determine the optimum time for sending SMS, there are some intervals in which SMS marketing gives better results.

Usually, Thursday at 2pm, Friday at noon, and Saturday at 7pm are known as the best time to send SMS. 

For gyms, SMS marketing in the early mornings and after working hours can also be helpful. The reason is that people are highly likely to be encouraged to do sport at these hours.

Also, you need to limit the number of text messages because people might be annoyed and unsubscribe. Try to keep your messages less than 2 times a week.

#4 Personalize Your SMS Messages

It’s important to talk to your audience like one of them, not a marketer who wants to sell something. 

Personalization is more than just using the first name of the recipient at the beginning of your SMS. This is what many other marketers are using. So what do I do? You have to include your trainees’ previous experience in your messages. This way, they feel their performance is important to you.

For example, use something like:

“Hi, Sarah! It’s been a while since your last spin class. Come back and enjoy a free class with us! Book here: [short link].”

In this message, you’ve mentioned something about the recipient’s previous actions, which means you’ve valued their presence in your gym.

To take one step further in personalization, you need to segment your audience into various groups. As a result, you can target each group based on their specific characteristics. For example, you can divide them according to:

• Class preferences
• Frequency of visits
• Sign-up date
• Goals

If you include these factors, you can personalize the text message of a group of people instantly. This will save you time and money and lead to higher engagement rates.

#5 Ensure Compliance with Regulations

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and GDPR are two important regulations you have to comply with. Try to make sure that you’re following any local, national, and international laws in your SMS marketing or you’ll face fines.

One of the most important matters is to include an unsubscription option in your messages. Here is an example of an opt-out option:

“Stop receiving SMS: reply STOP.”

Also, it’s important to keep your messages for a while so that you have proof of your compliance in case you face any problems in the future.

#6 Send SMS for Automated Reminders & Reschedules

You can make the most of SMS by having simple and automated communication with your audience.

Here are some examples of using SMS as a reminder:

1. Automated Session Reminders

Automation is a great feature that some SMS platforms offer. You can use it to send automated reminders at important events like 24-48 hours before sessions.

Here is an example of an automated reminder for gyms:

“Hi, Alex! Just a reminder that your spin class is tomorrow at 6 PM. See you at the gym!”

2. Class Schedules Detailed Information

You can use WooCommerce Notification plugins like WP SMS Pro to send automatic order updates when a new trainee registers on your website. For example, you can send detailed information about their class like:

“Reminder: Your personal training session with Coach Sarah is tomorrow at 10 AM in Studio 2. Please arrive 10 minutes early.”

3. Rescheduling Options

SMS is a great tool to provide easy options for your gym members to reschedule or cancel their sessions.

You can use smart two-way messaging features on your SMS platform to receive messages. In this, you can set up your SMS system to recognize keywords like “RESCHEDULE” or “CANCEL.”

As a result, your gym members can easily reschedule or cancel using automated messages.

Here is an example of an automated text message:

“Your Pilates class is tomorrow at 7 PM. If you need to reschedule, reply “RESCHEDULE or visit [short link]”

#7 Leverage Feedback & Surveys

Getting feedback from your gym members can help you remove your weaknesses and also gain their trust. In fact, they feel that they’re part of your story and they have a say in your business plan.

Here are some tips for using feedback and surveys in your gym SMS marketing campaigns:

• Send Timely and Relevant Feedback Requests
• Make Feedback Easy to Provide
• Segment Your Feedback Requests
• Incentivize Feedback Responses
• Follow Up on Feedback & Surveys
• Track and Analyze Feedback Trends
• Give Updates on the Results of Feedback & Surveys

Here is an example of a feedback SMS for gyms:

“How was your experience at our Zumba class today? Let us know by replying with 1-5 (5 being excellent). Your feedback helps us improve!”

#8 Combine with Email & Social media Marketing

SMS marketing can work for gyms but it’s not enough. You can maximize your gym’s reach by integrating SMS with other channels like email and social media.

Here are some quick tips in this regard:

• Consistency: You have to keep a unique and consistent tone and style in all channels.

• Leverage Strengths: Use the power of each one to optimize your campaigns. For example, you can use SMS for time-sensitive alerts, email for detailed updates, and social media for engagement and community-building.

• Cross-Promote: You can use a channel to promote another. For example, include your social media link in your text messages. Also, you can use other channels to grow your SMS subscriber list.

For example, you can send an email promoting a new class, post a teaser on Instagram, and follow up with an SMS to have a combined marketing strategy for your gym.

Here is an example of the follow-up SMS:

“Don’t forget—our new HIIT class starts tomorrow! Check your email for details and book now!”

#9 Promote Special Events and Workshops

You can keep your members excited and engaged by promoting special events. This way, you can appear like a thought leader, not just a trainer.

You can promote fitness challenges, workshops, or community classes via SMS and have some recommendations.

You have to make sure that the event details and benefits are clear. Here is an example of such text messages for your gym:

“Join us for our Bootcamp Challenge on Saturday, Sept 25th at 9 AM! Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot today: [short link].”

#10 Use SMS for Upselling Additional Services

Last but not least, you can start selling some additional gym services and tools and use SMS marketing to boost your sales. 

Here are some tips for this:

• Target Specific Members: You can laser-target members to send each service/product to a specific group with a higher chance of buying it.

• Offer Exclusive Deals: You’d better offer something special like discounts to incentivize.

Here is also a good SMS template for selling gym services:

“Want to take your fitness to the next level? Sign up for 3 personal training sessions and get 1 free! Offer valid until Oct 31st. Call us at 123-456-7890 to book.”

Final Thought

SMS is still a great tool for growing a business, and gyms are no exception. You can use SMS to offer signup discounts, say newcomer welcome, send schedules, and increase your gym customer loyalty. 

Of course, you have to be smarter than your competitors and use SMS marketing in the right way. 

We summarized the best practices for gym SMS marketing along with applicable SMS templates. 

Remember that consistency and creativity are key to becoming successful in gym SMS marketing. 

Don’t be disappointed if you fail in your first approach. It’s also good to get advice from experts. 

Here at WP SMS, we can help you run effective SMS marketing campaigns integrated with your gym’s website. So why wait? Get started right now!

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