So, you’re a fitness professional – a pretty forward-thinking and proactive one at that. You know the value in inbound marketing and more specifically in email marketing.
You have a ton of value to offer, you have a particular set of skills and you provide a service that you know deep down has the potential to change lives.
You just need to reach your target audience and let them know how awesome you are.
This is where email marketing chimes in. You’ve identified it as a vital cog in your marketing strategy’s wheel.
And with good reason.
Why Email Marketing in the First Place?
Email marketing has a solid track record for being one of the most effective digital marketing strategies out there.
Strip back the marketing jargon and that means more memberships sold along with improved existing client relationships. In case you’ve forgotten (I’m sure you haven’t) here’s some benefits of email marketing:
- You keep more customers
Your customer lifetime value is paramount to your success as a gym owner. Your success rests on gaining new clients but also retaining your existing ones. You want them coming back for more.
Email marketing does exactly that by continuously offering value and keeping you at the forefront of your client’s minds.
- You have ownership over the platform
Social media is the buzz these days and many business owners fall into the trap of lapping it all up. Social should be used as one string in your marketing bow for one simple reason; you DO NOT own it.
If all your eggs are in your social media basket, you are at the whim of the powers that be i.e. big tech companies.
On the other hand, you control your email marketing list. You dictate how and when you engage with your customers.
- It’s cheap and easy to manage
Email marketing is inexpensive compared to other marketing channels such as PPC.
If you’ve ever ran a PPC campaign you know that the coffers can be drained in no time. Not to mention the headache that often ensues when running a campaign.
Email is different.
It’s extremely cost-effective and relatively easy to manage.
Ok we get it.
Email marketing is the be all and end all.
It works but we know this already. You’re not here to learn about how incredible email marketing is. You’re here because you want to know how to implement it.
Email marketing is a strategy and that’s what we need to be: strategic.
One key element of our strategy is the welcome email sequence.
Let’s talk a little about that.
What is a welcome email sequence?
Before we get into how to implement a welcome email sequence and why you should do so, let’s talk about what it is exactly.
A welcome email sequence is an email marketing sequence that is automatically sent to a subscriber when they first sign up for your email list. A number of email marketing software providers (I use Convertkit) will allow you to set up a welcome autoresponder.
The aim of a welcome email series (and email marketing in general) is to get personal with your audience, continue the momentum that you already have, build a relationship and ultimately lay the groundworks for awesome long-term customers.
Let’s go a little more in-depth on the benefits of a welcome email series.
The Benefits of Welcome Email Sequences
- Welcome Email Sequences build momentum
Your new subscriber has just found you and they’ve indicated interest by virtue of the fact of signing up.
Let’s be honest though, interest can be fickle.
It ebbs and flows.
That’s why it’s so important to capitalise on their interest right now by sending them a welcome email. It’s no good sending them your monthly newsletter a week later because in reality their interest has probably already waned.
On the flip side, if you email them right away, and then again, and then again soon after that, you’re giving them ample chance to engage with you.
And more importantly you’re taking full advantage of their newly found interest. You are well and truly staying at the forefront of their mind.
- You get to know your new subscribers
As with any relationship, it takes time to understand each other, build trust and know what to expect from one another.
That’s kind of what it’s like when a new subscriber signs up for your email list.
Once they get to know you better, your relationship with them will grow stronger. This increases the chances of them becoming loyal, paying customers.
If you’re smart, your welcome email series should harbour a way for you to learn more about new subscribers.
For example, the first email in a series is often something asking a question and prompting the subscriber to reply back.
The opportunity to accumulate such data from your audience is GOLD. It presents the opportunity to personalise your emails which can’t be under-estimated.
Ignore this advice at your peril.
The chance to gather valuable intel about your audience should not be squandered.
- They get the chance to know you and connect even further
Your welcome email sequence allows you to tell your story. Don’t hold back. Shout it from the rooftops.
Your brand story is everything that you're proud of as a fitness professional. Don’t be afraid to tell them your journey. You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, now go and show off your peacock feathers.
By continuously dripping out valuable content (which tells your story), your new subscriber gets to know you and becomes comfortable with you.
You can take it one step further and invite them to connect on social media.
Trickle in call to actions throughout your email series inviting them to follow, connect or subscribe.
This has two main benefits:
- They get to know you even better
- You increase your following and subsequently your authority as a fitness professional.
- Point them to old content
Your welcome email series can guide your new subscribers to some of your old content (the best content you’ve made).
Old but gold and all that.
Repurposing your old content allows your new subscribers to view your best content aka your best self.
Remember they don’t know you that well at this stage so why not show them your best self?
Create the best first impression possible.
Things to Remember When Writing Your Email Sequence
Write conversationally
In general, it’s good to have a casual and conversational voice when dealing with your content marketing.
Remember what we just spoke about, we’re trying to get to know our audience first and foremost. This is our initial focus.
Ask them how their current workout routine is going for them or ask them about any dietary struggles they’re having.
Keep it conversational. We’re building relationships here.
Keep each email in your welcome email sequence focused
We want to be laser focused with our topics in our welcome series. Newsletters, on the contrary, address a multitude of different topics.
We’re aiming for the opposite.
Over-loading our new subscribers with a barrage of content isn’t ideal. It’s too much to process for our new friends. It’s not nice being bombarded with information. Our brains can’t hack it. It’s just too much.
Think of the overall series as ONE piece of content. The series as a whole can span different topics but each email should be focused on one topic.
Be aware of the order of your emails
Make sure the order all makes sense. Go for an almost natural progression.
For example, if you’re sending media coverage or reviews of your best products, it’ll make more sense if you’ve already introduced them to these products.
One very important thing to keep in mind is that naturally the new subscriber’s interest and attention will wane as time goes on.
Unfortunately, this is just how it is.
Don’t forget, they’re most engaged at the beginning when they’ve just signed up (this is the whole point of what we’re talking about).
So just be mindful to not save your best content for last because it might just be missed by some.
This really loops back around to knowing your audience.
If you know their goals and pain points, give them content that aligns with this in good time. Don’t wait until the chance is gone.
Tie your welcome email sequence together
You know sometimes when you’re watching a TV series on Netflix and you may have let some time lapse in between each episode.
And you need a little gentle reminder of what happened in the last episode? Thankfully, we often get little recaps at the beginning of each episode.
Because let’s face it, I’m forgetful, you’re forgetful, we’re all forgetful.
Remind your readers of the last email. It only takes a sentence or two. For example, “In my last email, I spoke about why most diets miserably fail . . ."
Equally, we can use this exact same concept to keep our new subscribers intrigued for what’s to come.
For example, “Be sure to look out for my next email where I will outline the number one mistake most people make during their workout routine”
Don’t send emails too far apart
This is definitely a common concern for most starting out with their new welcome email sequence; how far apart should the emails in my welcome email sequence be?
It’s a valid concern but not one that you should lose sleep over. Probably the most important variable to consider with this question is the number of emails in the sequence.
Ideally you should have 5-7 (I recommend a happy medium with 6).
Every 1-2 days is recommended with 6 emails in your welcome email sequence. It’s not too frequent (every day) and it’s not spaced out enough to lose the subscribers attention.
The 6 Email Framework to Wow Your New Subscribers
Finally, we’ve reached the main event. The flagship moment and the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s not beat around the bush and get straight into it:
EMAIL #1:
Goal: Say hello and introduce yourself and your brand
First off, don’t forget to celebrate. Bring on the balloons and streamers. Pop a bottle if needs be. A new subscriber is cause for celebration and don’t be afraid to let them know how delighted you are to have them on board.
Next, say hey and tell them who you are. What’s your brand story? Why should they trust you? Who have you worked with? Where have you been featured?
The next part is optional. It’s up to you.
You can tell them tell them what to expect from you.
How frequent are your emails? What content can they expect? You can ask them to connect on social media platforms? You can point them to old content? You get it. The balls in your park.
Finally, you want to ask them a question to begin the engagement. For example, “What are your goals” or “What are your biggest struggles”. This gathers valuable intel and allows us to set up a loop where we can address the answers in our next email.
EMAIL #2:
Goal: Give value and provide a quick win
You know what to do before I even say it. Address their answer in the last email.
This provides value and offers a quick win. Plus, it’s personalised.
Imagine their answer to the “What are your biggest struggles?” question was, “I’m struggling with recovery and it’s hampering my ability to workout”.
What a great opportunity to provide instant value.
Flex your muscles (no pun intended) and impart all your fitness wisdom on them.
Send an educational cool-down video? Tell them what foods to eat post-workout? The list is as long as your wisdom allows it to be.
EMAIL #3:
Goal: Tell them about your values and perspectives. Motivate & Inspire
Remind your new subscribers of the reasons you got into fitness in the first place. Maybe you were always out of shape and you became fed up and changed your life and now you want to help others do the same?
Or maybe fitness and health has never been an issue for you but you know that you have the skill set and knowledge to change other peoples lives. Because you know fitness has the power to do so and you want more people to experience that too. And above all else, you care. You care about making a difference.
Think about the problems your subscribers have signed up to solve. Then go about fixing them and demonstrate that it can be done. Show them success stories of past clients.
People are more likely to trust people who have faced the same struggles as them. Exercising isn’t easy. Sticking to good nutrition is certainly not easy. Show them it can be done.
EMAIL #4:
Goal: Provide unexpected value and surprise. Build trust by sending useful resources
This is a great opportunity to repurpose your old content. Point your new subscribers to a blog post and surprise them with a useful guide or resource.
The best gifts are the ones that you don’t expect.
Go one step further and point them to a post that aligns with their goals or problems that they’re having.
Videos are great.
They are well and truly the craze in digital marketing at the moment.
And for good reason.
You are in the business of constant movement and there’s no better way to demonstrate your knowledge than with video.
Provide workout tutorials, show what a sample training session might look like, share sneak peaks of upcoming fitness classes or inspire them with success stories.
We're banking on reciprocity here. We provide insane value and they become paying clients.
EMAIL #5:
Goal: The nudge. Point them in the direction of your product or service
You want to continue the value train. The train never stops. You’re always providing value in whatever way you can.
So continue to repurpose old content, send video tutorials, send articles that align with their goals and problems.
This time though you want to give them a little nudge in the direction that you want them to go in: becoming paying customers.
Give them sneak peaks of new products you’re launching, show them a quick preview of your new awesome 6-week program.
You’re going for something subtle, a soft pitch where you provide a splinter preview.
Remember the loops we talked about?
Open up a loop here and close it in your final email.
EMAIL #6:
Goal: The Ask
They’ve come this far so be sure not to disappoint.
These subscribers (if they’re reading this email) have qualified themselves as strong leads. It would be a shame not to close them. You’re running a business after all.
You don’t even have to hard sell.
Gently push the subscriber towards your products and services.
List special events coming up, promotions, new programs or any other products and services. Just remember to provide a call to action.
This can be a link to read more or a link to a sales page. Remind them how they can pay you. Don’t be afraid to include a time sensitive offer. Instil a degree of urgency. You are engaging in marketing after all.
You can include a P.S. at the end of the email too.
This is a more subtle but still effective call to action. It’s such a soft sell that it can be used throughout your sequence in fact.
How to Automate the Process
You’re a busy business owner. I get it.
Time is precious so obviously you’re going to automate this process.
How?
Through an autoresponder or email sequence of course.
An autoresponder is simply a series of pre-written emails that are sent to subscribers in a sequence.
Your email service provider should have plenty of information on how to do this. Most will have an FAQ that you can always check out. Popular email service providers include Convertkit and ActiveCampaign.
What Next?
Now that we’ve established why you should have an email sequence and also how you can implement, there’s nothing left to do but to get cracking.
If you’re reading this, it’s safe to say that you’re a forward-thinking and proactive gym or studio owner. Now it’s time to prove it.
