There are lots of strategies out there to market your yoga studio. You’ve heard them all before, especially the digital marketing options. Build a website! Do SEO! Make sure you’re posting everyday on Instagram! Run Facebook ads! None of these are wrong, but there’s nothing new or creative about these strategies, which means that your local community has seen it all before.
Do you really want your studio to stand out? To draw in crowds? Well then you’ve got to get innovative with your marketing strategies.
There’s a few things we know about people…. First, the majority of them aren’t super motivated to work out. When you appeal to their competitive nature, however, that all changes.
One way to get potential members excited about joining your studio is to gamify what you do. There is plenty of software companies that now offer heart rate monitor systems that hook up to TV screens so you can track who’s staying in their target heart rate zone and for the longest.
While competing against your friends is fun, sometimes it’s more important to compete against yourself!
Setting up literal challenges like a balance challenge or a flexibility challenge can get people excited to make it to your studio to test their own limits. Not only is this a great way to drive foot traffic, but it can be a big community-building activity as well.
Boutique fitness is growing. And fast. Your yoga studio is likely to have some stiff competition. So if you really and truly want your business to stand out, you’ve got to be willing to put in the time and effort that others won’t. In terms of creatively marketing your business, start with making videos.
Most people today prefer to watch videos instead of reading long-form content, and they don’t just want educational content either. It’s always a good idea to create videos that introduce your staff or your mission, videos showing the right way to do certain exercises or poses, and of course, behind-scenes content. All these videos are great for sharing with your current audience on your current social media accounts to drum up interest and engagement.
However, the people want to be entertained and this is a place where you can get truly creative when looking for new ways to market your yoga studio. So sing! Dance! Do some skits. (Pop music parodies usually get a lot of hits.) Post these videos on Facebook, post these videos on IGTV, post these videos on YouTube. Post these videos on TikTok.
Don’t forget that YouTube is a search engine just like Google, and it can be easier to get traffic and views on YouTube if you have the right type of content.
And TikTok? That’s a whole new animal. The platform is for short-form mobile videos and usually focuses on lip syncing, comedy, and videos that highlight talent. The platform is growing at an incredible rate and makes it much easier to be found than Facebook or Instagram. (Plus, challenge videos do super well on TikTok!)
Answer this: who really wants to work out alone? The truth is that getting your happy members to refer their friends is the #1 way you’re going to grow your studio. So how can you get creative with it? Run contests, incentivize their referrals, give special bonuses like 1:1 coaching or massages for members that refer others to your business.
But getting members to send potential members your way isn’t the only way to do referral marketing!
Yoga studios are small businesses that can be successfully (or not so successfully) driven by their local communities. So think about businesses that synergy with yours…. Local juice shops? Chiropractors? Spas? Possibly a masseuse?
Approach these businesses in your community with an idea of what special you can provide their members and a plan for how you’ll promote them to your members and bring them new business as well.
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I can’t say enough that happy members create more members because it’s so, so true. Happy members will want their friends to join them in class, and in general, they’ll just tell others about your yoga studio because it’s something they feel strongly about.
There are a few things you should be doing with these happy members in addition to just asking them to bring in friends:
Marketing is hard work. It takes a lot of time and effort to pull off any strategy effectively, so it’s important to choose your strategies wisely. Doing the same old song and dance that all of your competition is engaging in probably won’t move the needle. Instead, focus your efforts on more innovative marketing strategies and watch your gym grow. Picking challenges, video marketing, creating a local referral plan, or using your members to highlight your studio are all good places to start!
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It seems like every day, there is a new tool or app that makes social media easier for small businesses and entrepreneurs to take advantage of. These apps make it possible for almost anyone—with a bit of vision and dedication—to put together a brand's social media plan and execute it like a pro.
If you are serious about growing your yoga business, you need to be ready to harness the power of referral marketing. So how exactly do you do that? It’s not always as simple as just asking your customers to spread the word about your studio–– you need to motivate and incentivize people to help you grow your studio.
In the fast-paced and busy lives we live, it can be easy to slip into a routine and lose sight of the things we're grateful for in life. Studies have shown that being able to consciously note what you’re grateful for and actively practicing the habit of thanking the people in your life can improve your mental and physical health. As a yogi, you’re aware that yoga isn’t just a practice of the physical body–– it’s a practice of the mind, body, and spirit. Every time you step onto the mat, you’re engaging in an energetic lesson that goes beyond just your muscles and breathing–– it’s a practice that can spark gratitude. And as many experienced yogis can attest, when you put out love and gratitude into the universe, it comes back to you.
