7 Ways Text Messaging Can Retain More Customers at Your Fitness Business

Acquiring new clients is probably a top priority for your fitness business, but how much effort are you putting into retaining the ones you already have? If the answer is very little, it’s time to change your strategy. Not only is it cheaper to market to your existing clients, they’re also more likely to purchase from you regularly, provide valuable feedback and are less sensitive to price changes. In short, client retention is essential to profitability and shouldn’t be overlooked.

So how does a business retain clients? It really comes down to providing top-notch support. Eighty-nine percent of customers are willing to pay more for superior customer service, according to a customer experience impact report by Oracle. One of the keys to good customer service is easy, convenient communication. That’s where text messaging comes in. Consumers prefer texting because it’s an easy, fast way to communicate with businesses.

In a recent Zipwhip study, 73 percent of consumers said they wish more businesses texted them. Here are some ways you text from your existing business phone number within Mindbody to keep your fitness clients happy and coming back again and again.

1. Personalized check-ins to connect with your fitness business clients

Consistent engagement with your clients will go a long way. Text them to see how they’re progressing toward their fitness goals and keep them updated about new classes they might like. Many business-texting services provide automation tools that make it easy to personalize your messages with your clients’ first names, even when sending to large groups.

2. Class reminders to keep classes full at your fitness business

Your clients at your fitness business live busy lives, and their classes might not be top of mind throughout the day. Help them avoid missing classes by sending automated text reminders in Mindbody. This feature frees up front desk time and helps reduce class no-shows.

3. Waitlist notifications to fill more classes at your fitness business

When a spot opens up in a popular class, your clients want to know right away. Automated text message waitlist notifications make it easy to reach your clients with every opportunity that pops up. Not only will your clients become more engaged as they attend more classes, you’ll be able to fill more classes.

4. Create special offers for your fitness clients

Show your loyal clients you appreciate them by offering special discounts and promotions. Use MMS to send coupons for discounts off their favorite products and services.

5. Stay in touch with instant responses

Fast response times make your clients feel like a priority. With automated tools like auto-replies and keyword-triggered responses, you can respond to clients instantly, whether you’re in the office or not.

• Auto-replies: Simply set your office hours and compose a message to go out to customers when they text outside those hours.
• Keywords: Do your clients ask about things like class schedules and hours often? Set up keywords to answer those commonly asked questions instantly. For example, you could set up a response like this to go out any time someone texts in the word SCHEDULE: “Hi [first name]! You can check out our schedule of classes for this week here [link].”

6. Request feedback for your fitness business

Online reviews are more important than ever. In 2018, Pew Research Center found that 82 percent of American adults “always” or “sometimes” read online reviews before making new purchases. Texting is an easy way to reach out to your loyal clients and ask them to leave you feedback. Simply send a text like: “Hi [first name]. Positive reviews from awesome clients like you help others feel confident about trying our gym. Could you take a minute and write about your experience with us? [link to review platform]. We really appreciate it!”

7. Allow your clients to update their accounts with convenience

Account updates shouldn’t be a hassle. Make it easy for your clients by using texting. Instead of calling to ask questions about their account (like billing issues etc.), send them a brief text and let them reply when it’s most convenient for them.

Looking for more content on how text messaging can help improve the customer experience at your fitness business? Check out our blog post,8 Ways Texting Can Motivate Clients and Drive New Business.