Know your audience to make the strongest connections
Your RYT200 program probably had a section on anatomy and philosophy, but did it teach you about marketing for yoga teachers? Hi, I’m a certified yoga instructor and marketing analyst. In my spare time I found some juicy insights that might help you get more students in your classes. (You can read more about me here.) Yoga Alliance posted a video called, “Survey Research on Yoga: Reasons People Practice“. It has tons of survey data about – you guessed it – the reasons people practice yoga.
I watched the 1-hr video and summed up how I think it can help your yoga business below.
It’s a little odd to treat yoga as a business when it’s a life-changing spiritual practice (for me it is, anyway). And yet, I know that financial well-being is what allows me to sustain my practice and teaching. I bet you can relate to that!
One point that Dr Sat Bir Singh Khalsa kept making was that
people generally START a yoga practice for physical benefits (flexibility, strength, etc.)
but STAY for the mental and spiritual aspects (stress relief, spiritual development, etc.)
Here's what I think that means for your marketing...
If you want to draw BEGINNERS to your classes:
- Speak to the physical benefits of yoga.
- Name your classes with very literal words like, “Beginner Yoga for Strength and Flexibility”.
- Keep the email / social media communications focused on those benefits of yoga. Talking about the spiritual development or yoga philosophy isn’t typically what they’re looking for at that point in their yoga journey. (They’ll get to experience the other benefits once they’re in your class, but those reasons probably won’t get them in the door.)
- Cater your class description to their needs. For example, a class description for a gym might emphasize different benefits compared to a description for a yoga retreat.
To keep your CURRENT students engaged:
(or to attract students who already have a practice)
- Talk about yoga philosophy and spirituality on your social channels.
- Emphasize the emotional and spiritual benefits of yoga such as stress relief, spiritual development, and yoga philosophy.
- Pay attention to how your marketing (social media, website, class descriptions, etc.) includes some and excludes others when you use “yoga” words. For example, naming a class after one of the yamas or niyamas will resonate with people who know what they are and will likely not resonate as strongly with beginners.
Understanding what kind of student you want to serve will absolutely help you focus your marketing and connect so much more strongly with your community. By using data-driven insights to guide your marketing messaging, you can take the guesswork out of what to say and get back to focusing on what you love – teaching yoga.
As an analyst I LOVE working with data, so let me know what marketing questions you have and I’ll keep my eyes open for resources for you! Email me at hello@rachel.red or get in touch through my contact page.