What’s your take on email marketing? You may be one of those trainers who haven’t even thought of collecting emails yet because you spend most of your time on the gym floor, chatting to people.
You may already have lists of people that are happy to hear from you regularly but you don’t know how to reap the benefits or even grow that list?
According to a report by Benchmark email, of the fitness businesses they surveyed, only 53% claimed they engaged in email campaigns, other 36% admitted they were planning to do so in future.
That means around only one in two fitness business owners (no matter how small or big) currently don’t include email in their fitness marketing strategy and only 41% of those who do send emails more frequently than once a month.
This means there is space to fill and you can be sure there are people who want to hear from you.
So we rounded up 5 of the top email marketing softwares to help you get your message to your audience more efficiently. One of the mutual features of each software is that they all comply to data protection and spamming standards, so you can ensure your lists are healthy and provide opt-in and unsubscribe options to your subscribers.
Mailchimp
If you researched email marketing at all, you've probably heard of Mailchimp already. That’s mainly because it’s a simple software that is very easy to use and set up and it’s completely free up to 2,000 subscribers if you don’t need automation or segmentation features. Ideal for personal trainers.
The Pros
Mailchimp is so simple to use that even the most technologically challenged PT can get a handle on it. It's easy to send broadcasts and set up on your website. Plus you get easy to read reports about your emails.
The Pros
Mailchimp is so simple to use that even the most technologically challenged PT can get a handle on it. It's easy to send broadcasts and set up on your website. Plus you get easy to read reports about your emails.
The Cons
Maichimp integration to your website is pretty ugly. Their embedded forms leave much to be desired and they don't always work well on mobile.
Even with that in mind, it's still one of the best tools for personal trainers who are just starting out with email marketing, have only a few handfuls of subscribers and would like to learn the ropes before investing in a system.
Free version: up till 2,000 subscribers (12,000 emails per month)
Pricing: from $20 per month (up to 1,500 subscribers, unlimited emails)
Further reading: Mailchimp VS Aweber
Aweber
Aweber is very popular among small fitness business owners who need all the features of a comprehensive email marketing software while keeping costs low. If email marketing for small businesses was a race, Aweber and Mailchimp would right at the front.
The Pros
Their tiered service structure is different from Mailchimp but in exchange you can access every feature including unlimited emails, automation, segmenting, analytics, etc.
The Pros
Their tiered service structure is different from Mailchimp but in exchange you can access every feature including unlimited emails, automation, segmenting, analytics, etc.
The Cons
Aweber sign up forms are also pretty ugly. You do get a lot more options in terms of design and branding than Mailchimp but they don't look very nice on your website.
Free trial: 30 days
Pricing: from $19 per month (0-500 subscribers, all features)
Further read: Mailchimp VS Aweber
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is our choice of software for our Managed Website Plus and Expert clients. It’s easy to set up, has many features including automated RSS updates, autoresponders and campaigns, segmented lists and correspondent sign-up and landing pages and is easy to hook it up with your website whether through URL or codes.
The Pros
Ease of use seems to be the biggest issue with most PT's and Campaign Monitor is one of the simplest platforms we've used. If you're looking for a super easy way to get your emails out there then CM should be at the top of your list of email softwares to check out.
The Cons
Very few email service providers seem to be able to get the sign up forms right and Campaign Monitor are no different. To embed a form on your site you need to know custom code. Luckily, there hosted sign up page which is simple, but looks nice.
Here's one of ours for our Ultimate Guide to Business Systems.
The Pros
Ease of use seems to be the biggest issue with most PT's and Campaign Monitor is one of the simplest platforms we've used. If you're looking for a super easy way to get your emails out there then CM should be at the top of your list of email softwares to check out.
The Cons
Very few email service providers seem to be able to get the sign up forms right and Campaign Monitor are no different. To embed a form on your site you need to know custom code. Luckily, there hosted sign up page which is simple, but looks nice.
Here's one of ours for our Ultimate Guide to Business Systems.
The template builder has a simple drag&drop editor, you can send unlimited test emails before launching a campaign and schedule it to be sent in the time zone of your subscribers on the Unlimited plan.
Free trial: you can create your account without payment, play around with the features and get to know the system, you only need to pay when you start your first campaign.
Pricing: from $9 per month (Basic, 2,500 emails, 500 subscribers)
Convert Kit
Convert Kit is an email marketing service provider that has a niche: it’s mainly recommended to bloggers, podcasters and any small personal training and other businesses that are in the process of building audiences.
The Pros
It has all the features Aweber or Mailchimp but has a very simplistic design to help the user through their account setup smoothly and may use different terminology for certain features. It also has some really cool trigger that help you organise subscribers based on what they subscribed for. Ideal if you have lots of free lead magnets.
The Pros
It has all the features Aweber or Mailchimp but has a very simplistic design to help the user through their account setup smoothly and may use different terminology for certain features. It also has some really cool trigger that help you organise subscribers based on what they subscribed for. Ideal if you have lots of free lead magnets.
The Cons
It only has a few basic templates available for landing pages, but the headers are fully customisable and you can use your brand colours and images. You can create automated campaigns and ConvertKit has a “Resend to Unopens” feature to help maximise open rates.
Free trial: not available, they have a 30-day refund policy if you’re not happy
Pricing: from $29 per month (0-1000 subscribers)
Active Campaign
Active Campaign is not only an email software, but from the Plus package up is also an effective CRM system with sales automation.
The Pros
It features automated email campaigns with visual campaign editor that makes it easier for you to build an automated email workflow. You can use tags to segment your email list and target only specific people with content they will appreciate.
The software’s whole appearance is designed to help you learn its use quicker.
The Cons
Honestly, it has amazing features and solutions but it’s very complex compared to the other four options so we only recommend it to those who can benefit from the CRM function.
Free trial: 14 days (limited features)
Pricing: from $9 per month (Lite, 500 contacts, unlimited send)
The Pros
It features automated email campaigns with visual campaign editor that makes it easier for you to build an automated email workflow. You can use tags to segment your email list and target only specific people with content they will appreciate.
The software’s whole appearance is designed to help you learn its use quicker.
The Cons
Honestly, it has amazing features and solutions but it’s very complex compared to the other four options so we only recommend it to those who can benefit from the CRM function.
Free trial: 14 days (limited features)
Pricing: from $9 per month (Lite, 500 contacts, unlimited send)
