If you’re just starting with email marketing, this article will set you on the right track. We’re going to look at what email marketing is, some of the different types of emails you might send, some valuable stats, the benefits of email marketing, and some top tips for doing it effectively.

What is email marketing?

Let’s hear from the experts. Mailchimp explains email marketing as:

“Email marketing is a form of marketing that can make the customers on your email list aware of new products, discounts, and other services. It can also be a softer sell to educate your audience on the value of your brand or keep them engaged between purchases.”

In short, email marketing is about getting and keeping clients.

To give you some idea of what an email marketing strategy might include, here are some of the different types of emails that are typically sent:

· Welcome messages to new clients/subscribers

· Send regular newsletters

· Offers and incentives – both general and targeted (i.e., to a sub-category of valued/chosen clients)

· Other announcements – news, campaigns, updates

· Reminders – e.g., forthcoming events

· Personalised messages – for example, wishing clients a happy birthday

· Seasonal messages – for example, wishing clients a happy holiday

· Win-back emails – to reconnect with previous clients

It’s easy to see from this list that there are plenty of practical and imaginative ways you could use email marketing to build relationships with your personal training clients.

The benefits of email marketing

Despite facing stiff competition from other channels, email continues to hold its popularity as a cost-effective marketing tool. There are plenty of stats to support this; for a comprehensive breakdown, check out The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2022. Here are some highlights from that list:

· 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers

· 37% of brands are increasing their email budget

· 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement in the last 12 months

· 50% of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month

· 59% of respondents say that marketing emails have influenced their purchases

· 99% of email users check their inboxes every day

There are several reasons why email marketing remains popular:

· It’s a direct form of communication – a targeted message from you sent specifically to your clients (or sub-group of clients or potential clients). This comes closer to replicating a one-to-one, face-to-face exchange than most other types of marketing.

· Managed properly (i.e., conforming to data protection rules), email marketing is something that your clients have actively signed up for. You have their consent to communicate with them in this way, so they are likely to be invested and interested in what you have to say and to act on it.

· It’s a flexible form of communication with plenty of scope for personalization (for example, including names or marking birthdays), customization, and branding. Sending regular emails to your clients is a great way to build your brand and develop relationships.

· It is cost-effective, with one of the best ROIs of any marketing tool ($36 for every $1 spent, according to the Ultimate List linked above).

· Email campaigns are easy to test, tweak and monitor.

Tips for effective email marketing

So we’ve made a case for email marketing – what next? We have many helpful resources to support you, for example, our email marketing guide, but here are a few top tips:

Build your list: You need contacts to send those emails to, so try and utilize every opportunity to get more signups. Have a form on your website and add links to this in all of your social media bios, on your email signature, and on other key web pages. Consider incentivizing signups. Make sure your signup process conforms to data protection rules, offer clear options (e.g., a monthly newsletter), and meet those expectations.

Manage your list: It’s essential to stay on top of email database maintenance so that you optimize returns (and also so that you don’t annoy people). Remember, it’s about quality, not quantity – you want to ensure you’re sending emails to people who want to read them. Check regularly for bouncebacks (there may be typos in the addresses) and duplicates. Allow clients to unsubscribe easily and ensure this process is working correctly.

Develop a strategy: Planning is key to effective email marketing. Do some research – talk to your clients and find out what emails they would like to receive and how often. What do your competitors do in terms of email marketing? Set objectives and consider how to achieve them. Try different things, monitor the results, and see what works best.

Capture attention: There’s no point sending out emails if they don’t get read, so maximize your open rate by mastering the art of writing great subject lines. This may take a little experimentation and getting to know your audience, but it’s worth spending some time on. An engaging subject line is usually positive and punchy, sometimes humorous or intriguing, and generally not too dry or sales-focused.

Deliver your message successfully: Tailor your emails to suit your client’s needs and interests, including relevant content and delivering it in the right tone. Always remember what step you’d like them to take next, and make this both accessible and appealing – it could be clicking a link in a newsletter to read a blog post, registering for an event or promotion, or taking part in an online poll. Finally, proofread all your content, check all links are working, and do a test send to ensure your formatting looks correct.

Schedule your activity: once you’ve established your email marketing plan, consider using email software to automate your regular activity; this will streamline the process and make things easier to keep on top of. Check out our recommendations for email marketing software for personal trainers.

Email marketing remains an effective tool despite stiff competition from newer platforms. It provides a direct communication, is cost-effective, and offers a high return on investment. As a result, personal trainers can build relationships with clients and develop their brands. Email marketing can significantly impact a personal training business with the right strategy.