Of all the digital communication tools available today, Email is the one we use daily.
Email has become a major communication method over the last 20 years, mobile technology has made email even more integral to our everyday lives.
Email is an effective communication tool for many aspects of our lives. Boxes who use email marketing correctly can streamline communication, foster and build a community and improve customer retention rate.
Here are Five Things to Remember about Email Marketing:
1. Don’t Spam!
We all know the frustration of opening our email only to see 100’s of emails, of which only 10 are relevant to our everyday life. Email should be used to offer value to the end user. Not force a brands agenda.
I am sure everyone also has that friend who emails too much – everyday it is a picture of their baby or a recipe or a chain letter! Frequency is an important consideration. Don’t bombard your members with emails everyday, find the frequency that members appreciate while allowing you to communicate whats going on at your gym.
2. Send Useful Information
Always send emails that offer value to the people on the list. Updated class schedules, healthy paleo recipes, training tips, are all things that most of your members will appreciate getting. Regularly sending useful information builds trust.
At times you will send emails promoting an event at your box or a special. The email recipients on your list are more likely to respond positively to these promotional emails if they benefited from your other emails.
3. Respect The List
A list of contacts interested in your gym is a powerful marketing and communication tool. There is really no benefit to sending emails to a person who isn’t interested in the services you offer. This is why it is important to keep you email list up to date. If a member prefers not to be emailed then don’t email them. Every email should have an “unsubscribe” option. If a person unsubscribes from your emails remove them immediately. The great news is most email programs manage unsubscribes and bounce back emails automatically.
4. Brand Your Emails
Every email is a representation of your brand and impacts the receivers perception of your company. At the very least all email communication should include an Email signature with your logo, name of sender, title of sender and contact information. Promotional emails, class schedules and newsletters should be in a custom branded template. Mailchimp is a free option that works really well for sending template emails.
5. Have a Goal, Even Better Have a Strategy
Email marketing campaigns are much more effective when they have goals and metrics to measure the effectiveness.
Before sending out a mass message. Think, what is the goal of sending this email ? How will it improve my business? Take the example below.
Example: My goal is to raise money for CrossFit Kids by hosting a benefit day at my box.
This will improve my business by fostering a sense of community among my members.
A goal guides the direction of the message. Setting goals and monitoring progress gives peace of mind. Your emails are positively impacting your business and your members.
Try an Email Campaign for Your Next Event
321GoProject works with many box owners to develop email strategies to help grow their business, maintain membership, or promote an event. Even better we take care of the strategy and build custom reports for both long term and short term campaigns.
Post by: Elle Wheeler, 321GoProject’s Digital Strategist
Elle Wheeler was born in Salt Lake City, UT. By the time she graduated from high school she had lived in 4 different states and attended 8 different schools. In 2007, Elle graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in mass communication with an emphasis on journalism. Since graduating from the University of Utah in 2007, Elle has focused her career on digital marketing. She has worked with a variety of clients including large corporate clients like Franklin Covey and OC Tanner and small businesses.
She is passionate about using online tools to effectively market client products and services. She is passionate about the environment and photography. Elle is an avid runner and enjoys being in the outdoors.