Day 2 ‘Mindful Marketing’ – Find your Target Market
One of the biggest lessons that I have learned as a yoga teacher is that you can’t please everyone. There are some students that are going to LOVE your style of teaching and there are going to be some that don’t quite vibe with your style. We live in a society that loves customisation and craves to be heard, this is why I believe that as a yoga teacher, you need to find your own specific niche and learn to speak to these people in a language they resonate with. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to advertise a class, workshop, retreat or training. For everything you are trying to promote, it is essential to determined the what, who, why, how, where and when.
The first thing to do is determine what you enjoy teaching. There are so many different styles of yoga out there that it’s getting difficult to keep up! Hatha, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Acro, Aerial, Restorative, Yin, Ashtanga, Prenatal, Chair, Hot, Anusara – the list could go on and on! We all have our unique style and voice when we teach, but it is important to clarify what you are teaching so potential students can know what to expect. Whether you’re a traditionalist, specialist or you teach a hybrid style of yoga, it’s important to teach what you know and what you love to remain authentic and maintain your passion for teaching.
The next step is to determine who would benefit and enjoy your style of teaching the most. Though you may be able to teach to and accommodate a wide range of people, try and profile the type of a person who would typically attend. Think about the following things:
- Where do they live?
- What are their interests?
- What lines of work are they in?
- How much disposable income and spare time do they have?
- How much experience do they have practicing yoga?
- What problems do they have that you can help solve?
- What is their age and gender?
- Do they have any physical or mental health issues?
- How do they interact with others? Social media, phone, face to face etc.
- What keeps them up at night?
- What type of places do they frequent?
- What would a typical day look like for them?
- What time do they typically wake up and sleep?
Some of these questions may seem personal, but as ‘service providers’ people will come to you to solve a problem or to fill a gap in their lives. Don’t be afraid to be really specific in the audience you are targeting. You may be surprised at how many people actually fit into your target market.
After you’ve determined the what and the who, it’s time to think about the why, how, where and when. Luckily, since you’ve been so specific with the ‘who’ – this information should start to paint a picture and help you answer these questions. Why would these people come to you? Generally speaking, people use services because they have a problem that they want fixed or they enjoy the service that you perform. When you create an advertisement speak to your target market with these things in mind. We will cover more on advertising tomorrow in day 3 of Mindful Marketing.
How are you going to deliver your service? Classes, one-on-one, workshop, retreat, seminar etc. Think about the facilities around you, how much time and disposable income they have to spare, the type places they frequent and is it viable for them to travel far? For example, if your target market were senior citizens with spinal issues you may want to steer clear of long workshops or retreats. Instead you could opt for a small class or one-on-one session.
Where and when would be the best place to hold your service? Keeping with the previous example of the senior citizens with spinal issues, keeping things local or even offering an in-home service during the day rather than at night time could be a viable option. Think about times of the day, times of the year, times of the week and places that are easily accessible or desirable to your target market.
Tomorrow we’ll be looking at appropriate and affordable ways to advertise your service. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s lesson and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 3 of Mindful Marketing.
Nourish Yoga 