How Muse Pilates uses MMS to drive a 23% click-through rate

Fast growth can be a good problem to have — until it starts putting pressure on the member experience. That was the reality for Muse Pilates as its community expanded from a few hundred members to several thousand across multiple studios. 

Originally, Muse had one phone and one customer service representative handling member enquiries and calls across all locations. As the business grew, that setup made it increasingly difficult to respond quickly, especially during busy periods and new studio launches. For a service-based business, even small delays could have a ripple effect on the customer experience. 

HubSpot gave the team a central system for visibility, but it did not solve the speed problem on its own. Muse still needed a better way to follow up with prospective members, support existing ones and keep communication feeling personal as the business scaled. That is where Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia) came in. Through the HubSpot integration, the team added SMS, MMS and conversational messaging into the same workflows it was already using.

Muse first saw the value of SMS in its marketing campaigns. After the COVID-19 lockdowns, the team tried reconnecting with members through letters and QR codes, but the results fell short. Bulk SMS proved to be a much more effective way to promote class packs and sales. Over a six-month period, Muse saw monthly inbound messages increase by 114%, and Mackenzie Ford says conversion rates have consistently improved since the business started using SMS. 

The channel has become especially valuable during promotional moments, creating urgency and prompting members to act quickly. According to the case study, Muse achieved an average click-through rate of 16% on SMS campaigns, with members actively asking when the next sale message will arrive.

The benefits have gone beyond marketing. Muse also uses messaging to support customer service, giving studio managers the ability to contact individual members or send bulk updates when needed. That helps the customer service team stay focused on new enquiries while making it easier to keep current members informed. 

Automated workflows have been especially useful when something goes wrong, like a cancelled class. Instead of letting frustration build, the team can send updates quickly and proactively. As Mackenzie explains in the case study, people react better when they are informed right away.

Muse also leaned into MMS and conversational messaging to make its brand feel more human. By sending messages from a dedicated number, using custom fields for personalisation and experimenting with richer content like GIFs, the team created more two-way conversations with members. In 2023, 56% of Muse’s outbound messages were MMS, and those campaigns achieved an average click-through rate of 23% when paired with short trackable links. 

That more personal tone changed how members engaged. Mackenzie says people started replying more often, asking questions and saving the number, which meant they increasingly chose to text Muse directly. Across more than 60,000 messages sent in the year covered by the story, Muse reported a 100% delivery rate, over 6,500 inbound messages and response rates above 5%.