Why Email Marketing is So Important
Wellness thrives in community and communities rely on leaders like you. Now more than ever people are trying to find the teachings and healing arts from within their local area.
Email may seem like an old-school method of reaching out – but it remains one of the top ways most people stay informed about the things they care about….hint, hint subscribe to our newsletter 😉
Sure, there’s a lot of buzz around social media, but for local businesses with a smart marketing budget, it’s often not cost and time effective. Many health and wellness providers put heroic efforts into social media posts that few will ever see. According to Mckinsey, email marketing, when done right, is actually almost 40 times more effective at cultivating new clients than Facebook and Twitter combined.
Getting someone on your email list is one of the most effective ways to cultivate a long-term relationship. Many potential customers and clients who are interested in your brand and services might find your websites when searching the web, but 9 out of 10 won’t book you on that first visit. But if there is a compelling reason to sign up for your email they are more than likely to join your list.
Curiosity pushed them to discover you – and your automated emails for new signups (more on this later) will demonstrate your knowledge, capabilities and valuable offerings. Soon enough that curiosity will grow and your prospects will become clients.
Pick An Easy Email Marketing Tool
To start your marketing efforts, choose a professional, yet easy-to-use email marketing tool, such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Zoho. Most of them are pretty affordable for small businesses. These platforms offer a variety of features to help you streamline your formatting, and analyze the performance of your campaigns.
An email marketing tool will provide you with analytics tools to track email open and click-through rates. By monitoring these metrics, you can see how your subscribers are reading and engaging with your emails, as well as which type of content resonates most with them.
Growing Your Email List
Your email list is one of your most powerful assets. It’s essential to make sure you are getting people to show genuine interest in your business. There are plenty of creative ways to get people to sign up for your email list – but they do take a bit of creativity. In the long run, these self-selected email members will prove far more valuable than any list you purchase or acquire in other half-hearted attempts.
Strategies to Build Your Email List
Collect emails during business transactions
First things first, make sure you capture emails for all clients who book a session or class. Many online booking apps offer this feature. For those clients who still book by phone (or even walk in), make sure to capture their email when registering them into your system. If you have a local wellness store, offer to email clients a receipt of their purchase (save paper – and capture their email!)
Leverage Web Traffic
Many potential clients may be searching multiple local websites and comparing what offers you and your competitors have. When your clients visit your website, make email capture prominent, either via a compelling pop-up or a strong section of your homepage or footer. Your pitch should succinctly describe what visitors can get out of signing up. You can provide exclusive, subscriber-only content, such as information about upcoming new classes or details on how to heal from specific health issues.
Offer special access for signing up to the mailing list
When it comes to wellness, the specific style of treatment or classes really attracts different people – so it’s very helpful if potential clients can actually get a taste of your offering. Freebies (free classes, treatments, video courses, guides, etc.) or significant discounts on first-time treatments can be great incentives for joining your list. Or you could invite them to free live events, such as workshops or open houses. These are great ways to give clients a taste of the specific value your business offers.
Spread the word about upcoming events
You can spread the word about upcoming events, such as health fairs, wellness retreats, and mindfulness workshops. Or you could share and invite site visitors to join new classes or seminars. Spreading the word about what your business offers is an excellent way to attract new clients to your email list. Make sure to get people to register their email either before or during the actual event.
Keep Going …Gathering Emails is a Long Haul Endeavour
Remember to keep adding to your mailing list – even after your campaigns are running. The wonderful thing about email marketing is that as your email list grows, you reach more and more people without the need of putting in more effort.
Tips for Effective Local Email Marketing
Start Strong
Once someone joins your email list, they should get an automated welcome email immediately after they sign up. Try to have a strong subject line and inviting tone, and let them know how often you’ll be emailing, and what type of content you will be providing.
Often brands have a welcome email series of emails rather than just one. Most email platforms provide the capability to automatically send prewritten emails on a specific schedule to new members of your list.
You can use this as an opportunity to send different types of emails such as:
- First: Welcome Message + a special discount
- Second: A message from your founder about your brand’s mission
- Third: A case study of a recent client
- Fourth: Frequently asked questions about your brand
Next Steps:
As you refine your local email marketing strategy, it’s essential to keep these factors in mind:
Be authentic – It’s important to stay true to your unique perspective on health and wellness and write in your voice. Instead of conforming to some preconceived notion of what email marketing should look like, tailor your emails to your business and brand. The right clients will appreciate this and gravitate towards what you share.
Consistency is key, but be careful not to become monotonous – Choose a style and voice that accurately reflects your brand and maintain that consistency throughout your emails! However, it’s important to vary your content to keep it fresh and interesting.
Looking for inspiration to kick-start your local email marketing? Here are six versatile ideas that can be tailored to your health and wellness business.
Converting Strategies for Email Marketing
- Keep it Fresh & News-Worthy
Reflect on what your wellness business does to stay fresh and relevant, and leverage your email marketing list to keep customers in the loop.
Events – Using local email marketing is a great way to promote upcoming events. You could host workshops on various topics, such as meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and more! Or you could organize a wellness fair or expos where you can showcase your services.
Open house – Hosting an open house is also a great way to provide an opportunity for potential clients to learn more about your business. You could offer special discounts or promotions on your services to encourage attendees to try them out! You could also arrange meet and greet sessions to introduce your trainers or offer free demonstrations of your classes, such as yoga or meditation.
Gift shop – You could use your gift shop by including call-to-action (CTA) in your email marketing campaigns. You could offer your clients a discount on their next purchase in your gift shop when they sign up for your email list. Or you could host a giveaway event where clients can enter to win a gift card to your gift shop or win free sessions or classes.
- Promotions
Discount codes and promotions are always enticing – especially for locals who may be wary of splurging on wellness. It may be hard to discount your valuable wellness service – but think of it as an investment in the long term. Once you get a client to actually experience the value of your service, odds are they’ll keep coming back (at full price).
- Showcase Testimonials and Ask for Reviews
Asking for reviews is important – especially for local wellness businesses. Highlighting amazing testimonials in your newsletter is a helpful way to convince new clients to book an appointment with your business. The success stories shared by your existing clients could encourage potential clients to sign up!
- Partner with Other Local Businesses
Team up with other local health and wellness businesses to co-host events, such as wellness workshops or seminars. This can also allow you to cross-promote each other’s services on your respective email lists, which can help expand your reach and attract new clients.
- Showcase Your Knowledge
Build your clients’ trust by providing educational content and personalized advice to really showcase your wisdom in the wellness field. This could include tips for improving one’s health or educational wellness articles. By providing advice, you’ll gain trust and respect and establish a strong connection with your clients. And whenever you have a new article ready you can always share it with your email list.
- Make the Most of the Season
Each season brings unique challenges and opportunities for wellness. Winter may be a time to focus on immune support and stress reduction, while spring is a great time to detox and renew. During the new year, many people are looking to start fresh and commit to their health and wellness goals. This is a great opportunity to promote your memberships and classes in your emails! You can also offer tips and advice for managing seasonal allergies and promote your natural remedies, such as aromatherapy, in your emails.
Email Drip Campaigns for Local Wellness
If you already have some experience with what type of emails your audience enjoys, try setting up a drip campaign. This could also be a useful way to run your email marketing. This process of automating a series of frequent, targeted emails typically has higher open rates than other marketing emails. You could start an email drip such as 30 days of tips on a specific health issue. You can also use a drip campaign to introduce your brand slowly in a series that spans a few weeks. Make sure to intersperse enticing deals and offers in a non-salesy way throughout the drip campaign.
Local Wellness Brands & Email Marketing Success
Email marketing is an art, and with enough diligence, any passionate wellness professional can refine it. Make sure to follow your metrics closely to see what resonates most with your email list – and provide more of just that! Have fun, keep it fresh, and be true to the visions that first pushed you into this wonderful world of wellness.
Ultimately, your email marketing efforts should be part of a larger strategy that is focused on cultivating a relationship with your clients. One of the most effective ways of finding new leads to your website and capturing those emails is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). So make sure you stand out and feature all you have to offer online. With due diligence, you’ll have an organic marketing funnel that will keep your wellness center enriching your community.
