When it comes to finding new clients you have to get their attention and keep them engaged. Read our tips on how to earn clients with a fitness newsletter.
You're a personal trainer, and you might be thinking that an email fitness newsletter isn't what you need to help your training business grow. After all, you're wowing your clients and rocking your SEO.
That's where you're wrong. Email marketing, like newsletters, generates 50% more sales than other lead-generating tactics -- at 33% less cost.
But in case you're still a skeptic, let's break down why a fitness newsletter can help you -- and how to write one that will turn prospects into active clients.
Can a Fitness Newsletter Help You?
Short answer? Yes.
Actually, when you really crunch the numbers, a fitness newsletter in the form of email marketing is one of the best ways to build relationships with your customers.
We've got a master list of digital marketing tactics that personal trainers should know, and if you've been good about your SEO, you've been using all of them.
There are a few reasons why a newsletter can work, but the quick and dirty version of the story is that they're a cost-effective way to build a regular, committed relationship with your potential clients.
And that relationship is how you'll turn potential clients into paying clients.
Basically, your newsletter is how you'll slowly but surely show your readers why you're awesome and why you're exactly the personal trainer they need to rock their fitness goals.
If you do it the right way, of course (don't worry, we'll show you how).
Why a Fitness Newsletter Works
So what does a fitness newsletter bring to the table?
Picture this.
Your SEO is on the money, and a totally new potential customer finds you through the beauty of search engine magic.
They read a post or two, decide they're interested enough in your stuff to stick around, and give you their name and email to sign up for your newsletter.
Except, they haven't just given you their name and email.
They've given you the totally free chance to directly engage with them on a regular basis and prove to them that you're worth the time it takes them to open your email.
It's free marketing. It's more direct than most other tactics. And it might be the easiest way to convert passive readers into paying clients.
Here's why.
Stay Top of Mind
Say someone books a session with you.
Party like it's 1999!
But that's only the beginning of a beautiful relationship because if you're nurturing this relationship the way you should, they'll buy from you again. And again, and again.
Email newsletters are a nonchalant way to keep you and your brand at the top of their mental business list. So that the next time they're looking to buy, you're one of the first names they think of.
And not just that, but they'll have a library of interactions (from all of those lovely newsletters) to remind them of why you're worth buying from.
Cost Effective
Money makes the world go round.
Especially in marketing.
Think about it. For the ten to twenty minutes it takes you to put that gorgeous little newsletter together (maybe more if you're a rockstar who shot a few pretty pictures) you don't have to pay for postage, you don't have to pay a single dime in printing costs, and you have zero advertising fees.
At most, you're paying for the subscription service you use to create and send the newsletter.
So basically, it's one of the most cost-effective marketing options in your arsenal.
Easy Brand Awareness
As a personal trainer, your brand is you.
And an email newsletter puts your brand in front of a person on a regular basis, even if they aren't seeing you in the gym every week, watching your videos or reading your blog posts.
At worst, they delete it and they've seen your name (but, of course, you'll write a better fitness newsletter than that). If you're a rockstar, they'll be reading an update from you every week.
Regular contact means connection. And that means people are more willing to spend money on what you have to offer them.
Isn't it great when things just work out like that?
Reach Different People on Different Channels
Some people use Twitter. Some people are regulars on your Facebook page. Some are avid readers of blogs.
Some people are old school and prefer to get their info through their inbox.
The beauty of a newsletter is that you can engage with all of them through a newsletter.
Fun fact: you can send out an email newsletter, then archive it on your website with tweets and Facebook posts to the tune of "hey, look at the thing!"
If you're creative, you can even find a way to make it to Instagram with your newsletter.
Et voila: quadruple bang for your buck.
Nurturing Your Prospects into Customers
What happens when someone opens an email from you every week?
Funny story - they feel as though every week, you're talking to them directly.
What better way to build a relationship with prospective clients?
After all, signing up for an email list is zero commitment, and it lets them get to know you, your training style and your brand before they become a paying customer.
Which means the newsletter is your free weekly chance to wow them.
Go forth and be awesome.
Creating Valuable Content
Remember the last time you got a thoughtful card from a friend or family member and it left you with that warm, fuzzy feeling inside?
People like to be thought of. And when it comes to brands, they like to feel as though they have a personal connection with the business, even if they know they're being sold something.
They also like to feel as though you, the individual they give their business to, appreciates their contributions to your success.
This is why fitness newsletters in email marketing are so valuable. A personalized and informative newsletter goes a long way to help you build the relationship that your customers value so much in a business.
How to Make Your Fitness Newsletter Work
Now for the fun part (also called the down and sweaty part) -- how to make your newsletter sing.
This isn't just about what you should do or what content you need to include. It's about what you shouldn't be doing.
Lucky for you, we're going to cover all of it.
What to Include in Your Fitness Newsletter
What do you have that your clients don't?
Yup. Expertise.
So when you write your newsletter, spread the wealth. Give them a little bit of your expertise with every fresh newsletter so they know that when they click that email, they're getting a valuable tip.
For more great ideas, click here.
Exercise Tips
What better place for exercise tips than a fitness newsletter?
Let's say you specialize in running. Now is your time to shine by giving tips specific to runners -- tips for good form, how to train to improve times, etc.
You're the expert. Use your newsletter to show it.
Routines to Try
Of course, you could always go all out and give a short routine.
This can be a video or a few simple moves (if you can't shoot a video, now is the time for good photos -- nobody has time or patience to read paragraphs).
Why? If your readers like the routines you provide, it incentivizes them to check out what else you offer.
Local Fitness Events
It's not just about training alone -- it's about community.
Adding local health and fitness events to your fitness newsletter like marathons, charity walks, and classes make you more than just an encyclopedia of fitness information -- it makes you an avenue to a fitness community.
And guess what? That makes you a valuable resource to your current and potential clients.
Ask Their Opinion Now and Then
Remember how we said that people like to feel as though you value their opinions?
Show them that you value their opinions.
Now and then, you can include sections covering their specific wants and opinions -- even surveys and polls.
That way, the relationship you're cultivating with your potential clients isn't just about what you have to offer them -- it's about what they can offer you in return.
And if you think about all the really rewarding relationships in your life, you'll notice a common trend -- they all involved a level of give-and-take on both sides.
Three Tips for a Great Fitness Newsletter
There are a lot of ways to do a newsletter right. But if we're being honest, most truly great newsletters have a few traits in common.
Here are three of the best.
1. Keep It Brief
When was the last time you spent five whole minutes taking the time to read a long email from start to finish?
Unless it was your boss and the word raise was in the subject line, probably never.
The same thing applies to your fitness newsletter.
Try to keep it to 150 words or less. It might sound like not much, but it's just enough time to rock your reader's socks off.
2. Stick to One Topic
And since we're keeping it short, sweet, and to the point, it helps to stick to one topic.
Think of it the last time you got a newsletter in your inbox. The kind of newsletter with a dozen things in it.
Did you read the whole thing, or skim for what you were actually interested in?
Exactly.
3. Entertain and Inform
If you take nothing else away from this post, remember this: entertain and inform.
Chances are, people are opening your fitness newsletter for one of two reasons. To be informed, or to be entertained.
At the minimum, you know that you, oh master personal trainer you, are an expert in your area, probably more so than the person receiving your email. That knowledge is what makes you valuable.
If you're a rockstar and can tickle the funny bone while giving your reader a useful fitness insight, even better.
Rookie Mistakes to Avoid
We're not saying there's no wrong way to do a fitness newsletter.
Actually, there are a lot of ways to do it wrong.
But a lot of mistakes fall into the same categories. Here are the two most common ones.
Promotion, Promotion, Promotion
You know that person you see in your inbox who you delete without ever opening because you know it's a sales email every single time?
Don't be that person.
It may seem counterintuitive -- after all, people love getting deals, right?
Thing is, even though people know that you're always selling them something, they don't like being constantly reminded that you're selling them something.
In fact, there's a strong danger that people will get bored. At worst, they'll start getting suspicious of the fact that you've always got give-away-the-family-farm-type sales going on -- it says that you can't sell unless it's at a reduced price.
Not the message you want your fitness newsletter to say.
Boring Content
Yawn.
Let's put it this way. If writing your newsletter is a checkbox to tick off every week, you probably don't care that much. Okay, you care, but you're bored out of your skull, which is worse.
Spoilers: if you're bored by your fitness newsletter, so are the people receiving it.
Remember what we said earlier. Your newsletter should educate and cover topics people are interested in.
If you make yourself valuable to your readers, the opens (and clients) will follow.
Grow Your Personal Training Business
Personal training isn't just about weight lifted or hours sweated with clients.
It's a business, and like any business, there are smart ways to help your business succeed.
That's why we want to help you take your personal training business to the next level.
Check out our blog for all kinds of tips on how to get your business off to a running start -- like our post on how to optimize fitness websites for lead generation.
There's also our fitness library of moves to build into your next great client workout.
But for our full suite of online tools, including our workout builder and online training, join Xerofit today (and try it for free!)