Wednesday 19th August Briefing email marketing for fitness businesses, choosing the right system, building useful mailing lists and converting subscribers into customers.

Email marketing basics

• Review whether your current email strategy is actually producing results.
• Don’t pay for expensive software simply because you think every business needs it.
• Your email setup should reflect the size and type of your business.
• Options mentioned include:
  • MailerLite
  • Mailchimp
  • OfferingTree
  • Wix
  • WordPress
  • Your normal email/address book

Small local businesses

• A CRM may be unnecessary if you only have a relatively small number of clients.
• Maintain a spreadsheet containing client names, emails and classes attended.
• Send personalised weekly emails directly from your address book.
• Include:
  • Upcoming classes
  • Available spaces
  • Booking information
  • Future dates
• Combine email with WhatsApp or Facebook groups so clients receive information through multiple channels.

Customer onboarding

• Every new booking should trigger a welcome/onboarding message.
• Include:
  • Booking confirmation
  • Class details
  • Health forms
  • What participants need to bring
  • Important instructions
• WordPress and other website systems can automate these emails without a separate CRM.
• Text-message confirmations can also improve communication.

Building an email list

• Create a simple landing page where people enter their email address.
• Offer something valuable in exchange for signing up.
• Examples:
  • Meal plans
  • Shopping lists
  • Workouts
  • Health information
  • Fitness tips
• Automate delivery of the free resource after signup.

What content performs well

• A 5-day meal plan and shopping list produced an approximately 85% open rate.
• Typical newsletter open rates mentioned were around 55–60%.
• Workout content also performs strongly.
• Test different topics and subject lines to discover what your audience actually wants.

Define the purpose of your list

Decide whether you’re building:

• A local list to fill face-to-face classes
• A national/wider list to sell online programmes, events or retreats
• A specialist list around a specific programme or subject

Keep messaging relevant to that audience.

Newsletter strategy

• Send useful information consistently.
• Don’t make every email a sales pitch.
• Provide valuable educational content first.
• Add a simple offer or call to action near the end.
• Example: useful wellness content followed by an invitation to join online classes.

Repurpose your emails

• Turn newsletter content into website/blog posts.
• Republish useful material on your Google Business Profile.
• Reuse ideas across social media.
• One piece of useful content can therefore support several marketing channels.

Segment your audience

• Keep a master spreadsheet of customers and subscribers.
• Segment people into groups such as:
  • Online clients
  • Face-to-face clients
  • Pilates clients
  • Lift Lean clients
  • Wellness subscribers
• Send offers only to people likely to be interested.

MailerLite demonstration

• Import subscribers using a CSV/Excel spreadsheet.
• Create subscriber groups/tags.
• Create reusable newsletter templates.
• Add graphics and text using drag-and-drop tools.
• Integrate products from WooCommerce or other ecommerce platforms.
• Add direct booking/purchase buttons.
• Select the relevant subscriber group before sending.

Why email remains valuable

• Subscribers already know, like and trust you.
• Existing subscribers are often more likely to buy than cold social-media followers.
• A Lift Lean promotion discussed in the video generated its sales primarily from the email list.
• Building an email list is a slow, long-term process rather than an instant growth tactic.

Key takeaway

• Keep email marketing as simple as your business allows.
• Small local businesses can successfully use spreadsheets, normal email and WhatsApp.
• Larger businesses benefit from a CRM with landing pages, automation and segmentation.
• Build your list by consistently offering content people genuinely want, then use relevant, low-pressure calls to action to turn subscribers into customers.