As gyms start to bounce back from sweeping lockdowns due to COVID-19, they’ll need more ways to communicate with people who have spent the better part of a year at home. A business texting service for gyms can help fitness professionals get in direct contact with members, send out mass messages, and provide better customer service.
Many Americans stopped working out or turned to at-home workout programs as a way to stay in shape during the pandemic. As more people get vaccinated and it becomes safer to be out and about, gyms will have a better chance at bouncing back from COVID-19 disruptions.
In this post, we’ll discuss ways gyms and fitness clubs can use landline texting to boost membership numbers, retain existing members, motivate people to get back to the gym, communicate with clients, and more.
Share motivating fitness articles and messages with your members
As people get back into their normal fitness routines, they’ll likely need a little extra external motivation to get themselves to the gym. A business texting service for gyms allows managers and employees to build a list of member cell phone numbers and send out mass text messages using the gym’s main phone number.
Not all landline phone numbers can send and receive text messages, however. You’ll need to work with a landline texting service provider to get set up. Text My Main Number features an easy-to-use dashboard that allows you to read incoming text messages, compose messages, set up automatic replies, and more.
If you need some inspiration for motivational text messages, you can start with short fitness facts or inspirational quotes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a comprehensive fitness study that’s full of research findings and interesting facts about health. You can also spend a few minutes browsing the internet for inspirational quotes, copy them into your business texting platform, and schedule the messages to send at various times during the week.
Hand the phone to your personal trainers
Texting can feel like a more personal way to communicate compared to email, so let your employees chat with clients one-on-one via texting.
Gym members can chat via text with personal trainers about setting up training appointments, ask about fitness techniques, and inquire about group fitness classes.
Members will enjoy the added convenience that texting provides – no more taking time away from their day to make a phone call. They can be at work or running errands while they coordinate their gym plans for later that day.
Business texting also eliminates the need for personal trainers and gym employees to share their personal cell phone numbers with members of the public, which can protect their personal safety and privacy. Plus, anyone with access to the business texting program can read incoming and outgoing messages, so you can keep an eye on employee communication whenever you want.
As COVID-19 restrictions ease and people feel more comfortable returning to their normal routines, personal trainers can help clients safely get back into shape after a long break from the gym.
Send out general reminders and safety tips
As gyms and fitness clubs reopen following sweeping COVID-19 lockdowns, people will likely be wondering what new rules they’ll need to follow, and what gym employees are doing to keep facilities clean and safe.
A business texting service for gyms allows managers to proactively send messages to members with links to information about cleaning routines and new house rules. Managers can also create prewritten text messages in response to common questions like, “Do I need to wear a mask?”
With Text My Main Number, users can create and store prewritten text messages so they’re easy to find and send in response to common inquiries. This feature helps save you and your staff time during the day and eliminates distractions. That way, employees can focus on keeping the facility clean, and you’re not spending all of your time talking on the phone.
Start a member fitness challenge
There’s no reason you can’t have a little friendly workout competition via text.
You can encourage guests to sign up for fun fitness challenges that will keep them motivated throughout the week. Share challenge updates with a quick text every few days so participants don’t forget about it. This can be a great way to attract new members, retain members, and help make your clients feel more connected to the gym community.
You can use landline texting to announce new challenges, share competition results, and offer incentives all through text. Participants will not need to worry about keeping an eye on your social media channels for important announcements because they’ll always have the latest information on their phones.
Use landline texting for billing reminders
Text members to let them know when their monthly bill is coming due or let them know about special discount offers your gym is offering. For example, you can spread the word about a referral deal that encourages members to convince their friends and family members to join the gym in exchange for a reward or discount. You’ll get more members and your regular customers will get a little reward.
By July 2020 about 60% of Americans had already said they planned to cancel their gym memberships and nearly the same amount said they didn’t plan on renewing their memberships after the pandemic. Gyms and fitness clubs will need to work hard to convince members to return by offering great deals and amazing customer service.
Text My Main Number is an affordable and experienced business texting service provider that helps business owners successfully upgrade their old landline telephone technology to better serve their modern clientele.