6 Profitable Email Steps for Digital Fitness Businesses to Launch Now

Have you ever wondered why some digital fitness businesses are so wildly profitable?

According to a recent study, email marketing has an average ROI of 4200%.  That means for every dollar spent you can get $42 back.

(If that doesn’t get you excited, nothing will.)

via GIPHY

In this post, I will give you 6 powerful ways email can help you reach your digital fitness business goals. I will also show you some of the best ways for crafting powerful email campaigns that convert.

So, if you are interested in finding out how to start making big profits in your digital fitness business, keep reading.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Digital Fitness Businesses Marketing Goals

Wait, don’t start emailing anyone yet. You need to set your email campaign goals before you start, so wait until you have done that.

Your digital fitness business’s goals need to be aligned with your company’s objectives.  You also need to use the SMART criteria for goal setting. Your goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

How Digital Fitness Businesses Can Set SMART Goals

SMART is an acronym that stands for:

Specific: Digital fitness businesses need to have well-defined goals. You don’t want to leave anything to chance by being vague or general.

Example: “I want to add 500 new email subscribers to my list over the next 3 months.”

Measurable: Your goal needs to be trackable so you can measure the success of your campaign.

Example: “I need to increase my email open rate from 15% to 20% in the next 3 months.”

You will notice that it does not merely read, “I want to increase my email open rate.”

Achievable: Your goal must be realistic and attainable.

Example: “I want to get 10,000 new customers from my email campaign.”

Once again, you’ll notice that it doesn’t say: “I want to get new customers.”

Relevant: Your goals for your digital fitness business’s email marketing campaigns must fit. You don’t want to have goals outside the scope of your program.

Example: Your goal states, “I want to send 10 emails to my subscribers.”

Instead of being vague, say: “I want to send two emails a week that provide valuable fitness tips to my subscribers.”

Time-bound: Your goals need a deadline and timeframe. You don’t want to be open-ended or indefinite.

Example: “I want to improve my email click-through rate by 5% in the next 3 months.”

Instead of: “I want to improve my email click through rate.”

As you can see, this isn’t rocket science and it is very easy set goals using this method. However, it does require some thought and reflection on your business goals.

Why Should I Use SMART Goals?

SMART goals are important for digital fitness businesses for several reasons:

• Focusing your efforts and resources on specific and important email campaigns
• Tracking your progress so you can adjust your email strategy
• Helping you to stay motivated as you achieve your goals
• Evaluating and measuring your return on investment (ROI)

5 Simple Steps to Setting Your SMART Goals for Your Digital Fitness Business

To set your SMART goals, follow these simple steps:

1. Identify your business objectives as it pertains to your email marketing strategy.

Example: If you want to increase your revenue, figure out how email marketing can help you. You will need to generate more leads, convert more prospects and keep more customers.

2. Next, breakdown your business objectives into specific email marketing goals.

Example: If you need more leads break down your goals into smaller chunks. You can break them down into nurturing leads, growing a list, or increasing traffic.

3. Now you can apply the SMART ideas to each of your email marketing goals and chunks.

Example: To grow your email list, say, “I want 500 new subscribers in the next three months.”

4. Write out your SMART goals and sub-goals (chunks) and make them visible. I like to use whiteboards for creating my lists, but you can use a spreadsheet, or a simple word document.
5. Digital fitness business should track these goals and subgoals on a regular basis. A good way to do this is by using email marketing tools. I use Mail Chimp exclusively, but there are other companies that are also excellent. Constant Contact, and Aweber are just a few. These companies make it easy to track results like:

• Email metrics
• Open and click-through rates
• Unsubscribes

Bonus – More Examples of SMART Goals for Digital Fitness Email Marketing

Here are some examples of SMART goals for fitness email marketing that you can use.  You can change these as inspiration arises according to your own needs:

• I want to add 500 new subscribers to my email list in the next 3 months by offering a free fitness eBook as a lead magnet.
• I must increase my email open rate from 15% to 20% in the next 3 months.  I will do so by testing different subject lines and personalizing my emails.
• My email click-through has been low, so I need to increase the click-through rate from 5% to 10% in the next three months. I will create more engaging and relevant content using clear language and calls to action.
• I will segment my email list so I can send targeted and timely offers to my subscribers.
• To reduce my email unsubscribe rate from 3% to 1% over the next three months I will provide more value in my content.

That is the SMART goal system you can use to set up your email marketing for your digital fitness business. If you consistently use them, you will find it is much easier to execute your plans and reach your goals.

Step 3: Set Up an Email Marketing Platform is Right for Your Fitness Business?

If your digital fitness businesses need marketing tools, one of the best you can use is email. But, you will need to use an email platform to send and manage your campaigns.

But there is a slight problem.

Not all email marketing software platforms are equal. Some email platforms may be suited towards your business needs and some may not. This is a summary of the different kinds of email marketing platforms you can use.

There are many to choose from, but I will only cover the one’s I have used in the past because I know how well they work.

MailChimp – A Great Starter for Any Fitness Business

I have been using MailChimp for years and I love it. This is a great platform for email marketing and I would recommend it to any digital fitness business.

Here are some of the reasons why I love it so much:

Easily Customizable – It is so easy to modify and customize your email messages. MailChimp has loads of templates, layouts, colors, and fonts to choose from. You can add buttons, links, videos, and social media icons with a click of your mouse button. And you can also create web pages, forms, surveys and other marketing assets.

Awesome Integration – MailChimp integrates perfectly with other platforms and services, such as WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce and major social media sites. You can also track data, performance and optimize your campaigns.

An Incredible Offer – To me, this is the best part of MailChimp. The free plan lets you send up to 10,000 free emails a month, and you can send them to 2,000 contacts. To seasoned businesses that isn’t a lot, but to a smaller business just starting out, that is awesome. There is no time constraint on this. If it takes you years to get over the 10,000/2,000 numbers, so be it. You can still send out to your list indefinitely. Once you get over that, you’ll need to get a subscription, but those are very reasonable. This is wonderful for digital fitness businesses starting their first email marketing campaigns.

Check Out the Customer Service – I’m a huge believer in customer support and I’ve never had a reason to use MailChimp’s. However, I recommend calling their customer service to see how easy it is to connect. I’ve read a lot of reviews of this platform on Trustpilot and other sites; Mailchimp is among the top rated. (10,000+ reviews! Wow!)

Constant Contact – A Powerful Email Platform

One of the most powerful email platforms on the planet is Constant Contact.  I started using this platform back in 2002 and by that time, it was in business for almost 7 years.

Even though it is one of the oldest and best on the planet, only you can decide if it is right for you.

Constant Contact has tools you can use to send high-quality emails.

Here is a brief overview of some of these tools:

• A large library of templates to help you create newsletters

• Drag and Drop email editor – no coding needed

• A built in CRM system to help you segment your contacts

• Social media tools that let’s you schedule and monitor your posts on other platforms

• A Website builder that can help you build a professional website and landing pages

• E-commerce and list building tools

• Automation tools so you can set up workflows and schedule email release times

• A performance analytics tool so you can easily measure your email campaign’s success

I love the last feature the most.

Having the ability to see your results in real time is super important. In the copywriting realm, it is the ultimate form of direct response. As soon as you send out your email, you see the results.

Constant Contact is Powerful and Affordable

Like other email platforms, Constant Contact has more than one plan for customers. Of course, these plans depend on the number of contacts you have.

I would list their prices, but they are subject to change. Instead, I’ll give you the link to them: Constant Contact’s Pricing Guide.

Like other email platforms, Constant Contact has more than one plan for customers. Of course, these plans depend on the number of contacts you have.

I would list their prices, but they are subject to change. Instead, I’ll give you the link to them: Constant Contact’s Pricing Guide

The Pros and Cons of Constant Contact

Owners of digital fitness businesses should know the good and bad points of email platforms they are considering. Below, I’ve listed these points for your consideration.

Pros of Constant Contact

• Very beginner friendly

• Easy to use interface

• Connect your email marketing to other marketing tools (like Shopify, WordPress, etc.)

• CRM system so you can manage and segment your contacts and campaigns

Cons of Constant Contact

• Constant Contact is expensive, especially if your contact list is big

• Limited branding/customization options

• Some of the templates look generic and dated

• Templates and layout designs are not very flexible

• No unlimited email sends – you may have to upgrade to send more

• It does not have multi-channel automation for chatbots, web push notifications or SMS

Despite these drawbacks, it is still one of the most powerful email platforms on the planet. it is still worthy of any digital fitness business to use.

AWeber – A Powerful Industry Standard

AWeber is another email platform I have used in the past. It is perfect for smaller enterprises like digital fitness businesses.

AWeber got its start at almost the same time Constant Contact did back in  1998 and is an industry standard. AWeber is for any business that wants to create and send professional-looking emails.

It has a  user-friendly interface and a lot of templates, and social media management tools. Like Constant Contact, it has a CRM system and analytics. Both of these features are easy to use and help you manage your email marketing and track your success.

Because AWeber is one of the top-dogs of the email platform realm, it is pricey.  However, you have to determine for yourself if AWeber’s pricing is for you. Here is the link: AWeber’s Price Guide

Also, some users have criticized it’s dated email templates and lack of animation options.

However, I have use it, and I think it is marvelous.  I don’t use animations in my email messages, because they are distraction.  Unless I’m selling items that need to be seen, I don’t use images either.

So, I give AWeber an A+ as an email platform.

AWeber’s Pros and Cons

I want to give you some info on this platform so you know what it can and cannot do your digital fitness business

Here are some pros and cons of using AWeber:

Pros:

Easy for beginners to get started

Its Smart Designer helps you create stunning emails

Excellent live chat help

AWeber has a forever plan on its pricing

Cons:

Lacks advanced automation services (This would be for tech savvy businesses.)

Templates are not modern or attractive

Unsubscribes count toward your plan total. (This is bothersome because you have to pay for inactive contacts.)

Some of these criticisms are based on customer reviews. However, you may not need the same things other businesses need.

Step 3: Build Your Email List for Your Digital Fitness Business

One of the most important things you can do with your email marketing is build your list and grow your audience. Your email list will be the base for your marketing strategy.  It will give you permission to send your readers email messages about your business.

You can also send them updates and offers on your products and services without getting them mad at you.  After all, they gave you permission first, right?

Warning: Do not send unsolicited email messages to anyone.  You will only hack people off and get banned form sending anymore emails. So, don’t ever do it.

The Gold is in the List

Years ago, I worked for a successful information marketer fixing his websites.  (He literally had hundreds of them.)  To make a long story short this guy was making millions of dollars and I asked him what the secret of his success was.

He said, “Elmo, it’s very simple.  I have a massive email list of millions of names and they hear from me all the time. You only need to remember this one thing: the gold is in the list.”

If you get one thing from this entire blog post, remember this point: The gold is in the list.

How Fitness Businesses Can Build Their Email Marketing Lists

You’ll notice that above I said “lists” instead of list.   That’s because you can build more than one of them for your business if your want to. But no matter how many you build you need a simple process to get the job done.

There are at least five components to a lead generation marketing system:

1.    The landing page a simple webpage designed to persuade visitors to take a specific action.

2.   A lead magnet like an free eBook, course, or a contest that you give to people who subscribe to your email list.

3.   A signup form to collect your visitor’s email addresses with.

4.   Your email platform to collect and send email messages to your entire list.

5.   A steady flow of email messages you can promote your products and services with

 Once you have all that in place, you can easily promote:

Webinars

 Books and eBooks

Products

Affiliate products

Services

First: Build a Landing Page

A landing page is a website designed to attract visitors and get them to take a specific action.   There are all kinds of platforms online now that make it easy to build one.

I recommend that you get a WordPress site for starters. They are easy to use and once you get oriented, it is just like using a word processor. But, there is a learning curve to using and building a WordPress site.

However, there are all sorts of Website platforms out there to help you build simple landing pages, like Carrd.  (As a matter of fact, Carrd’s first tier sites are free.)

Second: Create a Lead Magnet

You can easily create your own, but I recommend that you hire someone to do it for you.

It will save you a lot of time.

You will be able to attend to other things like building your website or making a pricey course to make money off of.

Third: Create a Signup Form   

This is a form (also called an Opt-In box) that you have on the page of your website for people to sign up to your email list with.

It takes time to learn, experiment, design, and launch a lead generating website. It is not an easy task and there is an art to it.  You will need to know a bit about copywriting, especially how to write a good call to action.

Here is an example of a good call to action:

One way to get this work done is by hiring a competent copywriter to do it for you.  Later, you can learn to do this work on your own if you want to.

Step 4: Segment and Personalize Your Emails for Maximum Engagement and Conversion

Email segmentation is one of the most powerful ways to use to promote your business. Actually, it is perfect for digital fitness businesses.

Before I tell you how it can leverage your fitness business, let me fill you in on what it is.

Email segmentation is a method of dividing your email list into different groups. The lists are based on shared criteria, like age, geography, time zones, or other criteria.

In the fitness business realm, segmentation is a perfect way to help your customers. For example, you could segment your list based on the products you sold them. If you had customers who purchased protein shakes, you could send emails to them. That way you are sending information and offers only to the people on your list who like shakes.

Another way you could segment fitness email messages could be based on activity. If you have some people who like Zumba instead of Pilates, you could divide your list based on that. (This is what is called interest-based segmentation.)

This is one of the reasons why you will want to keep an eye on your demographics and email analytics. Most email platforms will keep track of these stats for you automatically and in real time.

 The Different Ways Digital Fitness Businesses Can Segment Lists

• Here are the different ways you can segment your email list:
• Define your segments: Identify the criteria you want to use to segment your list.
• Collect data: You will need to gather data to help you segment your subscribers.
• Create the segments: You can now make the segments based on your data.
• Personalize your content: Create content that is more personal for each group.
• Test and refine: Test and refine your email marketing for your different segments.

Step 5: Create Your Digital Fitness Business Content Calendar

Creating a content calendar is essential for planning and organizing your content effectively.

Just like any other kind of writing, email campaigns require a content calendar. A content calendar is a written plan on organizing your fitness businesses emails. A content calendar can help you stay on track with your campaign and remain consistent.

If you want a free content calendar, use this one from HubSpot: Free Content Calendar

Here’s how you can build one for your business:

1. Build Your Content Calendar Template:
   • There’s no one-size-fits-all template, but most calendars include these essential elements:
     • Publish Date: When the content will go live.
     • Due Date: The deadline for creating and reviewing the content.
     • Owner or Author: Assign responsibility for each piece of content.
     • Title or Topic: Describe the content.
     • Content Type: Specify whether it’s a blog post, video, social media update, etc.
     • Link to Files: Include links to relevant files (e.g., Google Docs, images).
   • Customize your template to match your specific content formats.
2. Include Additional Fields for Different Content Types:
   • For blog posts:
     • Primary keyword and search volume.
     • Secondary keywords.
     • Slug (URL-friendly version of the title).
     • Featured image.
   • For social media posts:
     • Image or video file.
     • Tagged users.
   • For podcasts and videos:
     • Link to script.
     • Interviewee information (name, contact info).
     • Original and edited audio/video files.
     • Thumbnail (for videos).

3. Share and Collaborate:
   • Share your content calendar with team members and collaborators.
   • Create a step-by-step document explaining how to use the calendar effectively.
4. Plan and Publish Content:
   • Populate your calendar with content ideas, dates, and strategies.
   • Align your content with your business goals and audience needs.
   • Set a publishing schedule based on your resources and audience behavior.
5. Track Performance and Optimize:
   • Regularly review your content’s performance (open rates, engagement, conversions).
   • Adjust your strategy based on insights.
   • A/B test different elements (subject lines, visuals, posting times).

Sure this is a lot of work, but if  you are going to invest time and money into your email campaigns, it is worth it.

Step 6: Track and Analyze Your Fitness Business  Email Campaigns

Your final step in your email marketing is to track your campaign’s performance. If your platform has good tracking tools, this will be easy.

You can review your email campaign’s metrics with a few clicks of your mouse.

The metrics are:

• Open rate: Percentage of recipients who opened your email.

  Click rate: Percentage of recipients who clicked on links within the email.

  Delivery rates: How many emails were successfully delivered.

  Bounce rates: Percentage of undelivered emails.

  Unsubscribe rates: How many recipients unsubscribed after receiving the email.

• You can export this data for further analysis so you can improve your email performance. This will give you an overview of your segmenting and alert you to trends in your market space.

• You can also draw all kinds of content ideas from your open rates. Another way to find out how well your email messages are performing is to use A/B testing. You can see which elements like subject lines, content, and CTAs work better than others.

One last thing you should keep track of in your email campaigns is to keep an eye on your website traffic. If you send emails on a particular day, and then get a lot of traffic, you know how well your email marketing is working.

It would also be a good idea to keep track of what kind of email messages draw a lot of traffic. That way, you’ll be able to see patterns so you know what kind resonate well with your subscribers.

Conclusion

This has been a rather long post on how digital fitness businesses can launch a solid email campaign.

Yes, it is not an easy task and it does take teamwork and a staff to get it done.

However, if you get a lot of your research and planning completed first, your chances for success is greater.

If you have your own fitness business, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment in the field below and let me know how your efforts are doing.

Besides that, it would really make my day.

Here’s to your success!