A big part of your gym or studio’s success rests in the relationships and engagement you have with customers and prospects. Providing a welcoming and engaging atmosphere inside your studio will go a long way; taking the extra step of engagement beyond the studio walls is what will strengthen brand loyalty long-term. An easy way to stay connected to your customers is with a newsletter that informs, inspires and motivates clients to continue engagement with you. Read on for four ways to build and maintain a successful newsletter for your studio.
1. Incentivize involvement
You can’t send a newsletter if there’s no one to send it to. In general, people can be apprehensive about giving their email address. As an independent studio looking to offer relevant news and information, you can sweeten the deal by offering an incentive for joining your mailing list. This can take the form of discounts for memberships, complimentary swag, free classes, etc. Even a one-off perk could make the difference. Whatever you think is perceived as valuable to your customers, leverage that interest to get them involved in your newsletter list.
2. Use technology to organize, track and analyze
Once you start building up a list of interested newsletter readers, you’ll want to understand who is actually opening, reading and clicking through to different elements of your newsletter. In order to have this functionality, you’ll want to use a platform that not only helps you create professional looking newsletters but will help you manage your contact lists and engagement statistics.
This information can help you understand what people are interested in and what you might want to do the same or different for future emails. There are plenty of products available to small businesses with affordable prices based on the functionality you really need. Search “newsletter programs” and take a look at programs like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor and others to see what would be the best fit for you.
3. Spend time on your content
When it comes to emails, subject lines are the single most important factor in whether the recipient will open your correspondence or not. Take the time to write out a number of subject lines and experiment with different approaches to your audience. This is where using a professional program mentioned above will help – you’ll be able to see what performs best. Try A/B testing, which allows you to send one subject line to one group and different subject line to another group. Compare the results, experiment some more and eventually settle into an approach that works for you and your audience.
Ultimately, the content of your newsletter will determine whether people continue to read and engage. Incorporate a mix of studio highlights, polling/survey questions, contests, upcoming announcements, etc. Make it a habit for your instructors to mention and point to the newsletter as they provide pertinent information for upcoming classes. Focus on providing relevant resources that expose customers to information that will provide motivation, instruction and confidence.
For more information on creating effective email communications, check out our webinar on crafting email marketing campaigns.
4. Incorporate feedback
It’s always important to remember who the newsletter is for – your target studio audience. Ask your customers what they’d love to see and read about. When there is a personal investment in the topics and subject matter, there’ll be a greater likelihood of involvement.
When you focus on nurturing customer relationships with quality experiences and information, you’ll find that the success of your studio will only grow.
Get in touch to learn more about how ClassPass can help market your studio or gym.