A booming fitness industry has created stiff competition in the space. When you run a fitness center each and every prospect and member interaction is of utmost importance. A recent Hubspot survey found “82% of consumers rate an ‘immediate’ response as important or very important.” Working in tandem with club staff, email automation is a vital tool to reduce response times and keep your fitness center connected. Below are five essential automated emails covering crucial prospect and member touchpoints.

1.) New Prospect Response

Your fitness center’s online presence is a critical component of your business, especially for prospecting. However, when new leads are identified through online resources, like website interest forms, minimal response time is more important than ever as 78% of customers give their business to the company that responds first to an inquiry. A new prospect response email should automatically trigger when a new lead comes through an online form. This quick contact acts as a confirmation, ensuring the lead that a team member will reach out shortly.

2.) New Member Join Response

Each time a new member joins your fitness center they should receive a welcome email outlining important club details like operating hours, class schedules, and staff contact information. This email should set the tone for their member experience: a club that is organized and responsive to their needs.  

3.) Birthday Email

Birthday emails are the simplest way to show member appreciation. It’s a small gesture but offers great retention benefits. For regular members, it’s another link in the goodwill you’ve built with them. For members who haven’t visited in weeks or months, it’s a friendly check-in that keeps your fitness center on their radar. And it never hurts to add a small reward to your birthday emails like a free product or class.

4.) Missed Guest 30-Day Follow-Up

Missed guests are prospects who completed a club tour but declined to purchase a membership or accept a guest pass. Don’t give up! Implementing an automated email campaign that sends to missed guests 30 days after their club tour gives you a second chance at landing the sale. Sweeten the deal with an exclusive offer like lower monthly dues to win over prospects who originally objected to the price.

5.) No Check-in

Attendance drives retention. A 2017 IHRSA report found, “every additional visit by a member in a given month, in turn, reduces the risk of that member cancelling in the subsequent month by 33%.” Triggered by members failing to check-in within a specified number of days, automated no check-in emails are the front line of lower attrition rates. These we-miss-you emails act as virtual accountability, motivating absentee members to refocus on their fitness goals.

Conclusion

As you implement these touchpoints remember email automation is only as effective as the team that utilizes it. The best automation works in conjunction with regular staff reach outs, reducing response time and building lasting connections.

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