Sample Text Message Templates to Engage Your Fitness Clients

SMS (short message service) messaging—or texting—has emerged as a highly lucrative tool in today’s diverse marketing landscape. According to recent stats, SMS marketing campaigns tend to generate customer engagement rates six to eight times higher than standard email messages when measuring brand awareness and data collection. What’s more, text message marketing generates stunning average response rates of 45%—much more impressive than the average 6% for emails.

Given the efficacy of SMS marketing, text messages could represent an efficient way for gyms and fitness studios to reduce client churn rates. Figures published in the Preventive Medicine Reports journal show that around 50% of new fitness center members quit within three months of signing up.

While joining a gym is simple, staying motivated to exercise regularly is a tough challenge for many people. The answer? Gyms must maintain strong lines of communication to ensure customers remain loyal and feel part of a gym-going community. By sending out motivational SMS messages, regular updates, and class reminders to members, you could significantly reduce the number of customers tempted to cancel their subscriptions.

So, what sort of messages should you be sending to your clients? If you’re feeling a little daunted by the prospect of developing SMS marketing campaigns, we’ve put together a handy collection of sample text message templates to send your clients:

1. The welcome message

Offering a warm welcome to new members is one of the best ways to secure loyalty at an early stage. In fact, recent statistics show that personalized onboarding programs can boost retention rates by an impressive 75%!

Introductory messages should be equal parts friendly and informative, encouraging subscribers to try out new classes and gym equipment while calming any nerves they may have about exercising. Of course, customers are unlikely to read text messages containing heaps of information, so we recommend including a few well-chosen links to your website.

Here’s an example:

Hey [CUSTOMER NAME],

Welcome to [NAME OF GYM OR FITNESS CENTER]! We’re so excited to have you on board.

As a valued newcomer to our fitness family, we thought we’d send across some handy resources to make your experience as rewarding as possible. Check out our community guidelines here: [INSERT LINK].

If you’re keen to join a class or book a personal trainer, you can find all relevant information about signing up here: [INSERT LINK].

Got questions? Simply reply to this text and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

2. Business updates

As the COVID-19 crisis made clear, it’s vital that gyms and fitness centers keep their customers updated about changes to opening times, accessibility, or any other factors that could affect their ability to work out. Failing to do so could seriously impact trust in your brand and negatively affect churn rates.

Fortunately, SMS messaging represents a highly effective channel for communicating urgent information, with around 90% of cellphone owners opening marketing messages in under three minutes.

Of course, you will need to carefully adapt your tone for different situations. Negative news such as gym closures should contain more sober language, while reopening messages can afford to be more playful. Here are a couple of message templates to get you started:

Gym closure text to customers:

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME],

[REPRESENTATIVE NAME] from [BUSINESS NAME] here. I’m just checking in to let you know that, after careful consideration, we’ve decided to close the gym for at least a week due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among our staff members.

We appreciate that this news may come as a disappointment to our customers. To compensate, we are extending your current membership by a month, free of charge.

Stay safe and keep an eye out for further updates from us. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Gym reopening message to customers:

Hi again [CUSTOMER NAME],

We’re super happy to announce that [BUSINESS NAME] will be reopening to the public next Saturday.

While this is exciting news for all of us, we’d like to remind you that we’re limiting gym spaces to 30 at a time and running a booking system. Details can be found here: [LINK]

We’re also kindly asking customers to wear a mask to reduce risk to themselves and others.

Please reply to this message if you have any queries!

3. Class schedule reminders

Unfortunately, busy gym members often forget about classes they sign up for. To avoid the possibility of empty classes and to enhance the customer experience, it’s worth sending reminders a couple of days before the class takes place. You could also send out mass reminders to fill last-minute spots and optimize attendance. Here’s an example:

Are you ready to work up a sweat, [NAME]? Don’t forget your class is at [DATE AND TIME].

We look forward to seeing you!

4. Celebratory or encouraging messages

Congratulatory text messages help to develop customer loyalty and improve retention rates. Feel free to get creative when it comes to choosing milestones to celebrate. From birthdays and public holidays to a customer’s 100th workout, a motivational SMS message is sure to keep your members coming back for more.

Unconvinced? According to a survey conducted by Zipwhip, 66% of consumers reportedly prefer to receive encouraging messages via text.

Here’s a sample text message to customers:

Congratulations, [NAME]!

We’ve just learnt you’ve participated in your 100th gym class! You’ve earned a free session on us!

Why not keep your amazing momentum going and set your sights on class number 150?

5. A fitness challenge message

Why not run an annual fitness challenge to boost engagement and generate a healthy sense of competition between members? As we explored in a recent blog post, people are 95% more likely to reach a health goal while working with others compared to going it alone. Here’s how to pitch it:

Psst… [CUSTOMER NAME]! Are you ready to smash your health goals?

Sign up for our free fitness challenge today! More details are available here: [INSERT LINK]

6. Announce a new class or staff member

Sending out an announcement about a new staff member or class will demonstrate that you’re working hard to deliver excellent levels of customer service, while encouraging them to attend more regularly. An effective message will look something like this:

Guess what, [CUSTOMER NAME]? We’re psyched to announce that we’ve added a new dance class to our roster.

The class is perfect for dancers of all abilities and will be taught by the renowned [INSTRUCTOR’S NAME]. Sign up here [INCLUDE LINK] and be quick! Places are sure to fill up fast…  

7. The follow-up text message to clients

On average, businesses that send follow-up SMS surveys to customers achieve a response rate of 31%, with the average response time hovering around five minutes. Following up with your customers demonstrates that you care about delivering high-quality services. It could also help you to improve your offering in the future. Here’s a solid template to follow:

Hey [CUSTOMER NAME],

I’m just reaching out to see how you found your last gym session. If you had a great time, we’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review for us here: [LINK].

If you have any feedback or complaints that you’d like us to hear about, reply to this text and we’ll see what we can do.

8. Exclusive offers

Around three-quarters of consumers want to receive special offers such as discounts, coupons, referral programs, and time-sensitive deals via text. In fact, 82% of small businesses report that referrals make up the majority of new customers. With this in mind, here are a few examples to get you started:

Referral program text:

Hey [CUSTOMER NAME],

If you bring a friend to your next gym session, we’ll give you AND your friend a free nutritional bar! If your friend signs up, we’ll add a free month to your subscription! More information here: [LINK}

Reward points text:

Great news, [CUSTOMER NAME]! You just received 20 points for your last workout. Did you know you can redeem points to purchase free classes? Find out more here: [LINK]

9. Membership renewal reminders

Your customers are more likely to renew their memberships if you send them a gentle nudge a couple of weeks before the expiry date. Here’s an example:

Hello [CUSTOMER NAME],

According to our records, your membership with [BUSINESS NAME] is about to run out. Would you like to renew? Reply to message with YES or NO.

Join the SMS marketing revolution

As you can see, text message marketing is a valuable tool that could significantly reduce churn rates and help your fitness business thrive. Just remember to keep messages short and punchy and include links where necessary.

Of course, you don’t have to do everything yourself. WellnessLiving is committed to helping fitness companies attract new clients and hold on to existing customers through our automated marketing suite. Featuring a two-way text messaging feature and Message Center, our offering could help you create the perfect text message campaign with real-time communication with your clients.

Intrigued? Want to find out more about WellnessLiving and what we could do for you? Book a free, no-commitment demo today!