Despite email marketing being a proven tool for communicating with members, often club owners still feel apprehensive about using it. This aversion to email marketing limits a club’s ability to connect with its members and capitalize on opportunities. A recent Yodle survey found that far more respondents are open to receiving communication from businesses, like helpful tips, appointments reminders, and invitations to events, than actually receive these kinds of contacts. Here are 5 common misconceptions of email marketing:
1) It’s Time Consuming
If you’re already stretched thin with in-club responsibilities, adding email marketing to your list can seem impractical, if not impossible. Save yourself time by using an automated email campaign system. Quickly implement drip email campaigns that automatically reach out to members when they reach different points in the prospect to member journey. That way, while you’re focused on in-person interactions with members, your club’s digital presence is connecting with members at important moments, like new member welcome emails, reminders to renew, and member birthday emails.
Additionally, use a health club software to schedule one-time blast emails to promote holiday specials, new classes, or limited-time promotions.
2) It Isn’t Personal
It’s true, email marketing can feel impersonal when implemented on a large scale. To combat this, email campaigns include versatile features to break up the monotony and add a personal touch for each recipient.
If your email marketing platform allows for it, you can use dynamic tags as placeholders that are inserted into the email body and, once sent, are replaced by information pulled from the recipient’s profile.
For example, if you’re using Club OS as your email marketing platform, you’ll have the relevant information on each of your clients and/or prospects so that placing the dynamic tag ‘{recipient-first}’ would be replaced with the recipient’s first name, so ‘Hi, {recipient-first}’ becomes ‘Hi, Sarah’ or ‘Hi, Joe’.
Additionally, you can use email campaign filters to reach specific audiences that align with their age, fitness interests, location, and more. Instead of overwhelming your entire membership with email after email, get the right information to the right members. Need a system that includes health club specific filters? Click here.
3) It’s Outdated
With the advent of social media and the rapid shifts in how we communicate, email’s two-decade-plus history in mainstream use can make it seem antiquated in comparison. Actually, this longevity is its strength. Email is established as a familiar and widely used tool that crosses multiple demographics. A Yodle survey found 69% percent of respondents preferred communicating with businesses through email as opposed to social media, text, or traditional phone calls. Email marketing gives you the best chance of reaching a wide and receptive audience.
4) It’s Difficult to Create an Email Design
Let’s face it, email marketing is a crowded field, and your members are likely subscribed to multiple company email lists. Finding an email design that makes your campaign stand out can be a daunting task, especially if you have no previous design experience.
However, the first thing to remember is that content outweighs design. Consistently producing informative, engaging, and concise emails will secure more clicks than a flashy design can alone. After all, who knows your clients better than you? Think about what they’d like to know, or would find interesting, and tell them!
In terms of design, you can always tap free online resources like Zurb Ink and Email on Acid for excellent email templates. Or, if you really want to go the extra mile, hire a freelance designer to custom build an email template that’s perfect for your club. Systems like Club OS store your email campaigns, so once you’ve built one template, you can reuse it for future campaigns.
5) It’s Full of Laws, Regulations, and Rules
Ensuring your email marketing meets federal guidelines can seem like a headache, but, in fact, regulations are relatively straightforward and simple to follow. Check out this list that compiles email marketing guidelines into an easy to read checklist. Follow these simple rules and your email marketing will be ready to go!
Additionally, we recommend including an email opt-in checkbox on your guest waiver. That way prospects can let you know if they want more information. You can expect higher open and click rates when prospects and members know exactly why they’re receiving your club’s emails.
Now, get started!
Still not sure how to make the most of your email marketing? We here at Club OS can help. Just click here and provide us with a few details about your business.
