Sending a text message blast to your leads can be a very effective way letting them know about a special offer and creating an incentive to become a member. Here are some tips we've seen work well across a range of our clients to help you get the best results from any text message campaigns you run:

1. Keep it casual and personal

To maximize the effectiveness of your message I recommend keeping the tone casual and personal. Write in the first person and make sure the message is signed so the recipient knows who it's from. When creating your broadcast text messages in InTouch use the merge fields available to ensure that each text message is automatically personalized and is sent from the sales person who is already following up with the lead.

2. Make a compelling offer

Your promotion should create an incentive so make sure it’s compelling enough to make people act. I find the most effective promotions are ones that allow leads to sign up for a low or no cost enrollment fee. Offers such as “join for free”, “one month free” or “don’t pay for X days” seem to be the most enticing and generate the most sales.

3. Keep your message simple

Remember that you only have 160 characters to get your point across in a text message. Don't try to cram in too much information or multiple offers. Keep your message simple, concise and clear. Use straightforward language and explicitly state your promotion and what the recipient needs to do to claim the offer.

4. Include a time-limited call to action

A call to action provides a focus for your text message, a way to measure your success, and a clear direction to the person receiving the message. Let the recipient know what he/she needs to do and by when to take advantage your offer. Put a time limit on your promotion to create a sense of urgency and encourage people to take action quickly.

5. Consider timing

People are busy and your leads may not be able to make it into your club the same day you send out your broadcast text message. Therefore, your offer should run for at least 3 days to give people time to come into the club and sign up. If you decide to run a 1-day sale, send your text message blast a day or two before the promo starts so people can set aside time to visit the club on the day of the sale.

You can also maximize the impact and response to your promotion, by texting people when they’re most likely to be in a position to answer immediately. For most people there are two times during the day where they’ll be able to respond and look into your offer in more detail:

• During lunch hours: between 11am-2pm
• Towards the end of the work day: between 3-6pm

By leveraging the power of text message marketing and captivating promotions, you can set yourself apart from the competition and make your sales stronger than ever.