If you're a marketer for a large fitness chain, you need to grab the attention of a diverse audience: new leads, your most active members, and the ones who just haven’t gotten around to cancelling their membership yet.
But with overflowing inboxes and a constantly on-the-go audience, it’s easy for your promotions and community initiatives to get lost in the noise. That’s where SMS marketing comes in.
With open rates of 98% and a click-through rate 13x higher than email, it’s hard to find another channel that connects and converts as effectively as SMS.
What Is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing, also known as text message marketing, is an incredibly effective way for fitness chains to communicate with members and prospects. Just as you use SMS to stay in touch with your friends and family, you can use text messaging to build a community and brand loyalty with your club members. In other words, it’s a more personal, direct way to communicate with everyone in your community.
Keep reading for a few examples of how fitness chains can use this channel, and the best practices you should implement in your SMS marketing campaigns.
Fitness SMS Marketing Examples
1. Make sure policy and billing updates are seen.
Keeping members informed is key to retention. Most fitness clubs will go through policy and billing updates regularly, and it’s essential to make sure your members feel like they’re kept in the loop when it happens. Using SMS, you can send policy and price update messages to your members instantly — and be confident they’ve seen them. Sending a quick text asking members to check their email is also a great way to ensure longer announcements get read.
2. Boost merchandise sales.
Do you have protein powder, workout gear, and snacks that sit in your clubs’ stores that rarely get purchased? An SMS marketing campaign can help.
When your gym members are taking a break between sets or walking out of class, the first thing they’re checking is their smartphone or smartwatch. Send text reminders when new merchandise is available or when you’re having chain-wide discounts. Make sure to time your messages during peak gym hours to reach members when they’re in the right place to act.
3. Build a community with brand-wide fitness challenges and events.
Strengthen member loyalty by using SMS to promote community building initiatives like fitness challenges. Keep members engaged with leaderboard updates and personalized encouragement. Whether it’s a step challenge or a seasonal workout series, mobile messaging ensures your members feel connected.
4. Boost class and gym attendance with motivational messages.
Encourage your members to stay active with regular motivational messages — such as workout tips, success stories, or gentle reminders — to boost gym and class attendance.
Best Practices for Fitness SMS Marketing
- Keep messages clear & actionable. Stick to 160 characters – the limit for a single, standard text message – and include a clear CTA, like “Book Now” or “Claim Your Offer.” Also be sure to always include a URL.
- Personalize the messages. Segment by membership type, engagement level, workout interests, or purchase history for maximum impact.
- Send messages at the right time. Target members when they’re most likely to engage and take the action you want them to. For example, if you’re pushing in-gym merchandise sales, send messages during peak gym hours.
- Stay on brand. Maintain a consistent tone and avoid excessive punctuation or all caps.
- Track & optimize every campaign. Monitor click-through rates and opt-out rates to make sure your messages are resonating, and shift your approach when needed.
- Combine SMS with Mobile Wallet offers. Use SMS to deliver loyalty perks, guest passes, or discounts via Mobile Wallet. For example, send a text to members with a link to add a merchandise discount to their wallet, then update it over time with new rewards.
How Vibes Powers Mobile Engagement for Fitness Chains
As a Tier 1 SMS aggregator, Vibes delivers messages at the fastest speeds with the highest reliability. With direct carrier connections and a deep understanding of mobile compliance, we help brands across a variety of industries integrate SMS seamlessly into their existing CRM & marketing tools, automate personalized, behavior-driven campaigns, and stay on top of ever-evolving compliance laws and regulations.
Want to improve engagement, drive membership renewals, and boost revenue with SMS marketing? Let’s talk!
