A great way for yoga studios to get more students in the door is to build a beginner yoga series.
Every yogi has to start somewhere. Even if they first hit the mat with a book or DVD in hand, chances are at some point they’ll want to try a class in a yoga studio. For students with little or no formal yoga training, just stepping into a studio can be intimidating.
When developing a begginner yoga series remember thats it’s not just a case of “build it and they will come.” Everything- from how you market your series, to how long the series is, how you teach the classses, to what perks you offer students who sign up has an impact on how successful your beginner yoga series will be in growing your yoga studio.
Just like any other yoga offer, you can expect to work hard if you want to build a strong following for any class. For most studios, the secrets to a successful beginner yoga series is illustrated by the adage 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. When it comes to marketing, it’s the consistency of your efforts that really pays off.
The same is true for all aspects of making your beginner yoga series. No matter how strong your concept or how good your teachers might be, what really counts is building awarness about the series.
Here are some tips for building and marketing your beginner yoga series:
1. Keep it Simple
When setting up a series aimed specifically at beginners, you’ll need to take some time to figure out what that means. It might mean not using Sanskrit pose names, even if other classes in your studio use them.
2. Focus on the Basics
It also might be spending as much time going over the basics of the poses. For example, basic alignment or the position of each body part (head, hands, feet, torso) as you give sequences of poses to practice.
3. Create A Comfortable Environment
It’s important to bear in mind that you and your teachers need to create a comfortable, no-pressure environment for yoga newbies. You should make it clear at the beginning of class that questions are welcome, if not during the class (if your studio rules include silence), then afterwards.
4. Community Outreach
Create flyers about the beginner yoga series that you can handout. Ask local businesses if you can put up flyers or offer a promo offer to their employees for participating in the series. Make sure to keep a stack of them at your yoga studio for students to give to friends who might be interested in the yoga beginers series.
5. Reward Referrals
The best source of new students for your beginner series is existing yoga students. You can offer incentives like a 10% discount off their monthly pass if they refer a friend to the beginner yoga series. You can also create perks like entering students’ names into a drawing for free classes, yoga gear or private lessons. Remember, it’s important to keep incentives fun and make sure students don’t feel like they have to refer friends.
6. Beginner Blog Series
Write a beginner yoga blog series on your studio’s website and promote the series via social media. A combination of quick posts on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook about the beginner yoga series and sharing yoga blog posts for beginners is a great way to help increase visibility for your series. Don’t feel like you have to plug the beginner yoga series every time you post on social media.
7. Targeted Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are a really cost-effective way to target beginner yogis in your city. With Facebooks targeting capabilities you can hone in on potential students to share information about the beginner series. Just make sure to have some way for potential students to contact you with questions or to signup for the series.
8. Email Marketing
If you have an email newsletter, make sure to mention the beginner yoga series. Consider adding a little information about the series in your email signature.
Conclusion
These are just a few tips to help you creat a successful beginner yoga series. Don’t be afraid to get creative. You might want to try a one-day workshop, or offer one free beginner class and then have students sign up for a four- or six-week beginner yoga series.
Remember, some beginner students might elect to take the same course again, but chances are that most of them will want to continue on to more advanced class at your yoga studio.