3 Off-the-Mat Marketing Strategies (to do this week)
Part #6 of 7- Double Your Yoga Income
Because I’m extremely skilled at online marketing, Facebook ads, Google optimization, and even mobile marketing, teachers often come to me expecting to learn some super stealth, secret tip that will transform their business.
I have lots of tricks, but tricks are short term, strategies are long term. And honestly, sometimes the low tech, old school ideas are the ones that work best.
Funny story…
Do you want to know the most successful yoga marketing campaign I’ve ever run? You’re going to laugh. After opening my first studio in 2006, I printed 200 black and white flyers with a photo of one of my teachers doing yoga and a headline that read: “1 Week Unlimited Yoga, $30.”
I listed my address, my telephone number, and my website. To make the promo last longer, I laminated the photocopies. Total cost: $100
Next, I hired someone to drive around and tape these flyers to telephone poles and bulletin boards within 10 minutes of my studio. Total cost: $50
What happened next blew my mind. My phone rang every day for weeks, and then every couple days for two years—literally, two years. Will this work for you? Maybe, maybe not. All markets are different, but the point is that what works is what works.
You don’t need an MBA or some super techie secret to effectively market and sell yoga. Yoga is an awesome service, you just need to master some basic sales and marketing concepts and you can really take off.
Three ultra simple marketing ideas you can put into action right now.
Each of these will cost next to nothing (just your time), and you’ve already shown that you’re committed to growing your business. So no excuses. Here we go…
#1. The Health Food Store Tour
Go to every health food store in town, and give everyone who works there a free class card and a postcard about your class offerings. Invite them to get in touch with you if they’d like to organize a free class for their team or their customers—no catch—and then see if there is anywhere you can leave flyers for your business.
NOTE: Give first, then ask if you can leave your materials. This is crucial.
#2. Promotional Swap
Contact at least 10 local businesses that are complementary to yours such as chiropractors, massage therapists, health foods stores, and restaurants. Here’s what you say: “My students often ask me for ________, and your business seems like a great place for me to refer my clients. Do you have any flyers or promotional materials I can give my students?”
When they say, “yes” (and they almost always do), you simply ask if they’d mind sharing your information with their clients. If they say no, don’t go back on your word—follow through. Most will say yes, and you’ll have free endorsements and promotions from local businesses.
#3. Free Class Mailbox Drop
This is exactly what it sounds. Get your free class business cards and your promotional postcards (the only two printed materials you need in yoga), and stick them in the mailboxes of residences within two miles of your teaching. I’ve gotten fined for this, so do respect the “no flyers” signs, but I’ve also gotten amazing results from this, even from people who live right next door.
NOTE: These strategies involve work and even some manual labor—but so what? They cost next to nothing and they work. Don’t make excuses. You’re a great teacher, you can help people with your teachings, so get out there and grow your business.
SIDE NOTE: Don’t Get Busted
I’ve never been great at following rules, so I should mention that in most places, it’s not technically legal to tape yoga flyers on telephone poles – so keep that in mind (or don’t ;))
Check out part 7 of this 7-part series: How to Sell Without Selling Out (yeah, really!)
