After web browsing, phone calls and SMS, fitness tracking is one of the most popular uses for a smartphone. When used in conjunction with one of the many fitness apps out there, the gyroscopes, speedometers and other native hardware available on every smartphone worth the name amount to a pocket-sized personal trainer.
Keeping an eye on your calories? There’s an app for that. Meticulously adhering to a strict workout regime? Ditto. Between state-of-the-art smartphone tech and a booming app development industry, every aspect of personal health is covered. Motivational messages, activity monitoring, goal-setting, dieting – even self-administered fines for skipping workout sessions.
Considering the plethora of hi-tech fitness solutions available, the simple text message is in rude health. SMS has been down the gym and found a comfortable workout space for itself, providing fitness centres – and their members – with a reliable way to stay in touch. The abundance of apps make them easy prey for the monthly cull. They’re either switched off or bumped altogether. SMS messaging, on the other hand, is a constant presence, with a significantly higher receive-and-read rate than any other form of communication.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your gym marketing strategy and increase customer engagement, consider leveraging the power of SMS messaging in the following ways:
Cancellations & Reminders
The mobile-device-as-personal-organiser. For last minute cancellations, the quickest, most reliable way of getting the word out is via SMS messaging. Most text messages are read within minutes of receipt; they’ll help you reduce the number of irritated customers who show up to the gym only to find their class cancelled. It’ll work wonders for your retention rate.
Alerts
New gym members may be anxious about working out during peak times, particularly if they’re self-conscious about their weight or fitness levels. Even confident weight-lifters might prefer to workout when things are quiet. With SMS, you can quickly alert nearby members when the gym suddenly goes dead on a wet Wednesday afternoon.
Personalised Workout Plans
Fitness regimes need to be constantly tweaked as pounds are shed and muscles toned. Keeping track of an ever-evolving plan is much easier with an updated daily schedule, submitted via text message. Similarly, dieting is easier when its requirements are spelt out in a text message.
Messages can be scheduled to go out shortly before meal times, each containing a link to the right recipe and its nutritional information. You can schedule a list of items to buy at the supermarket, or issue culinary advice direct from a nutritionist.
Motivational Support
The brevity of SMS makes it the ideal channel for sending health tips and inspirational messages. Keep your customers on the right track with a friendly word of support.
When it comes to sending time-critical information to large numbers of people, SMS messaging is peerless. Harness the power of text messaging for your next gym marketing strategy and make both customers and revenues healthier than ever.