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A solid marketing plan is essential if you want to start and grow a successful yoga studio business, whether you rent a room in an existing studio, buy into a franchise, or operate your own studio. Yoga studios represent a $10 billion industry in the U.S. and it’s growing by a rate of 9.2% per year.Industry growth is expected to increase toward 2022 as people continue to become more health conscious. now is a prime time to start a yoga studio or revitalize and grow your existing enterprise.
Projections look good, but you’ll need a bold marketing strategy to be successful in this thriving, competitive industry. We’ve created the only yoga studio marketing guide you’ll need.
Contemplating a yoga studio startup? Thinking about transforming your yoga studio business? The following tips will put you on course for success. Start by deciding what type of yoga studio you want to own. The type of studio you choose will have a direct impact on your startup and operational costs.
Examples include:
yoga studios
in established fitness centers
yoga classes
such as parks, lakeside, etc.
public establishments
Yoga with pets
Anti-gravity yoga
Mobile yoga classes
Yoga for children
Prenatal yoga
Yoga retreats
Yoga therapy
Yoga franchises
Your startup and operational costs will vary depending on which type of yoga studio you start.
Profitable Venture lists key expenses for yoga studio startup costs and estimates you need $1 million to set up a medium scale, standard yoga studio and $250,000 to $500,000 to set up a small studio. Profitable Venture states $100,000 as the average cost of purchasing a yoga studio franchise and mentions these well-known franchising companies:
Inc. offers a range of $10,000 to $400,000, stating that rental and retail purchase costs in your area drive the fees of opening a yoga studio. Inc. also suggests that a room in the studio of an existing practice can be rented for $500 per month.
A mobile yoga studio or yoga classes held in public places can be started and operated for significantly less; all you need are some business cards and a Facebook page to get started.
IBISWorld states that startup costs are labor intensive as wages make up 29.7% of revenue, mentioning that many studios pay employees additional amounts based on volume of clients generated. Of course, as a solo yoga instructor you do not need employees.
Mobile studio
Mobile studio
Mobile studio
Mobile studio
Ultimately, you won’t know your startup costs until you do your research, and the best way to do that is to develop a business plan.
Use your yoga studio business plan to help you delineate what type of studio you’ll start, what your costs will be, what your operational costs will be, and to develop a marketing strategy outline.
Like your startup and operational costs, how much money your studio makes depends on what type of yoga studio business you own. A keen business sense will increase your chances for success: you need to be able to run a first-class facility and sell classes or memberships. Adding ancillary items, such as merchandise and supplements, can add considerably to your profits. Your business plan will help you project expenses, revenues, and net income.
HowtoStartanLLC.com states that a studio running three classes a day with an average of 10 students in each class can generate more than $100,000 annually. According to Inc.com, new teachers make $20,000 to $40,000 per year.
Glassdoor.com gives the average yoga teacher salary as $50,800 annually.
Of course, you’re only limited by your ability to market your company’s products and services. Knowing how to successfully market your yoga studio market leads to a thriving business!
Solo yoga teacher
Multi-class studio
Developing a concrete brand image is central to channeling what your yoga studio represents, who your members are, and what benefits you can offer. You have well-defined niche possibilities and an easy-to-target audience; however, you're also faced with considerable competition. Here's what you need to know about branding your yoga studio for success.
When you have a well-defined market like the yoga market, branding is critical to success. It’s important to let your prospective clients know what makes you unique and what you can offer to enhance not only their physical health, but also their sense of fulfillment.
To that end, you need to develop a branded image that demonstrates how you are different from and better than the competition. You can then promote your company with this brand image to win over your specific market segment.
Identifying your branded image takes research and commitment. Start by learning as much as you can about your customers and about your direct competition. What’s missing that your customers want and need? What can help you inspire and motivate your customers to use your yoga studio to make positive changes in their lives?
Your studio might follow the philosophies of a specific yoga discipline, or you might cater to a demographic such as seniors, pregnant women, athletes, children or another market segment. You might offer group retreats or therapy. Your focus could be improving whole lifestyles or flexibility, balance, or stamina.
Make a list of things that describe who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Choose your niche based on what you like to do, what is likely to succeed in the marketplace (based on your research), and what you believe you can beat your competitors in. Next, list all the words that describe your specific market segment and come up with a unique name and tagline for your yoga studio.
Skilled graphic design can transform your yoga studio's branded identity from a written concept to a visual motivator.
Create a logo that that emphasizes your brand colors, fonts, and other design style guidelines. You want potential customers to see your logo at a glance and feel that you're the perfect place to go to for their yoga experiences and classes.
All your marketing materials should follow your style guide and ensure quick brand recognition. When you achieve this, you've established a powerful yoga studio brand identity.
All successful marketers know they need to use the right tools to promote their businesses. The following details which marketing materials you need to give your yoga studio business ideas the best chance for sales success.
Business card printing is an inexpensive tool to use to network, and business cards can be left anywhere potential customers might find them. Your business card could list the benefits of yoga and - to add value - perhaps include a couple of easy yoga techniques on the back. If potential customers try the moves and like them, they are more likely to call you to sign up. Your unique printed business cards can also include an exclusive offer or discount to pull customers in.
Print and distribute booklets or guides about yoga techniques. If you publish a booklet about yoga, try to make it the definitive source to establish credibility and gain customers who only wish to deal with the best. A well-distributed booklet shows customers the quality services they can expect when they join your studio.
Poster printing is another effective yoga studio marketing tool. Print yoga posters that feature illustrations or photos of popular yoga moves. Make sure your yoga studio is prominently featured, and hand them out at health fairs and other venues your audience can be found. Use posters inside your studio or partner businesses to inform current members and potential members about new classes and programs. Save your budget with short run poster printing.
Flyers can be easily circulated just about anywhere: inside magazines and newspapers, door-to-door, on bulletin boards, windows, in senior centers, and even under windshield wipers in grocery or restaurant parking lots (which can remind potential clients that yoga is a good way to maintain health).
Postcards are cost effective and personal; they're delivered directly to the hands of potential clients. List a couple of yoga moves to engage your customers; or, offer a free yoga class to get new clients to try yoga. You might also offer a yoga challenge on your print postcard, backed by a guarantee such as "If you don't feel better after our six-week course we'll give you a full refund."
Print online brochures that offer an overview of your yoga studio: your benefits, class schedules, fees, background and yoga discipline, directions to your studio, your website and social profiles, plenty of photos or illustrations, and anything else you need to convince customers to give you a try.
Print calendars that showcase your yoga techniques, client pictures, yoga benefits and facts, and other creative and interesting images. Use your calendars to promote seasonal discounts and classes, and make sure your brand is prominently featured each month.
Vinyl banners are perfect for marketing your yoga studio classes and specials to the masses for minimal investment. Place banners in high-traffic areas, targeted locations your audience frequents, and outside your studio to generate interest.
Wall graphics can help you apply your branding to your yoga studio. You can print large-format wall graphics featuring your logo and place them on the walls inside your studio.
Refrigerator magnets can serve as constant reminders your customers need to fit a yoga class in. Car door magnets make it easy to promote your yoga studio on-the-go, wherever you go.
You can print custom stickers that feature your yoga studio logo; or, use stickers to creatively promote your studio. You might, for example, print die-cut stickers in the shape of yoga pose silhouettes and place them on restaurant mirrors. People can watch themselves try to strike the pose.
Powerful copywriting motivates clients to visit your website, pick up the phone and sign up for yoga classes, or pick up the gym bag and head over to your studio. Here's what you need to know about how copywriting plays a role in your yoga studio marketing strategy.
Strong headlines command attention and motivate recipients to read the rest of your marketing copy. Write headlines that play on customers’ desires, fears, and emotions. Include a major benefit, unique selling point, and exclusive offer in your headline to create a sense of urgency.
What in it for your customer? What will they get if they respond to your marketing materials? It’s important to spell out customer benefits to create desire.
Free classes, discount “buddy packs,” discounted services and contests, and other offers such as these can bring customers in droves.
A call to action tells your customers exactly what they need to do next to take you up on your offer. Be very specific and provide several ways to respond (call a phone number, visit a website, visit your studio, etc.).
Front of Card
Back of Card
Once you have your printed marketing materials, you need to know when and how to use them. Here are some distribution tips:
Direct-mail is one of the best ways for your yoga studio to get your message to a highly-targeted audience of likely buyers. Repetition is crucial to direct-mail success, so instead of a one-postcard campaign, develop a strategy that incorporates multiple direct-mailers during a six-month period. This contributes to your yoga studio branding efforts and allows you to develop long-term relationships with your clients.
Send a brochure that summarizes your services, especially if you focus on a niche such as women, seniors, men, or pregnancy.
Send a flyer that highlights one particular type of yoga class - your niche - and presents a special sign-up offer such as free classes, a discount, or free sessions if clients bring friend who also signs up.
Send a compelling postcard with a very specific message to a highly-targeted audience, detailing how yoga can benefit that market segment.
Send a calendar that showcases yoga moves, highlights happy clients, and includes other well-being images that position your brand in a positive and beneficial light.
Send an invitation card inviting your audience to grab a friend and attend a free three-class trial.
Send a greeting card thanking everyone who attended your trial, then deliver an exclusive offer designed to influence them to sign up for paid classes.
Advertise your yoga studio with flyers and posters on bulletin boards, billboards, walls, windows, under windshield wipers, and as inserts in newspapers and magazines.
Take out creative yoga ads in radio, television, print, and online publications. Deploy a street team to hand out brochures, flyers, and stickers.
Ask friends, family, satisfied customers, and team members to help you get word-of-mouth publicity. You can even host or sponsor an event, such as a health fair.
Be sure to take brochures, flyers, and business cards to hand out!
Test, track and tweak: These three T’s will help ensure you have a winning yoga studio print marketing campaign.
different variations of your marketing materials so you’re only distributing the best performers
your results and analyze them to understand what your audience responds to
future campaigns based on what you’ve discovered
Try these creative yoga studio marketing strategies and resources to earn more business:
See if you can get a celebrity on-hand or sponsor a health fair to increase awareness of your yoga studio. Announce a "Try Yoga Day" and offer free sessions to all your niche market segments. Host a conference, contest, or publicity stunt and get free media coverage for your yoga studio event ideas.
Partner with similar but non-competing businesses to offer hospitality packages. Go in with a hotel and/or a masseuse to offer a "Stress Melt Package." You’ll triple your exposure, your customer gets a discount, and everyone wins.
Print vouchers for businesses to give to their employees, good for free yoga sessions. Provide discounted memberships to large employers. Offer to run an on-site yoga class at their place of business to build awareness of what you offer. You'll get word-of-mouth publicity and great inter-office branding, and turn some participants into lifelong customers.
Make sure you have posters, flyers, banners, stickers, and other materials placed in high-traffic areas so you can brand your yoga studio 24 hours a day. Post photos and testimonials to social media – daily, if possible. This builds your brand recognition, inspires trust, and establishes credibility.
Here are a few links to yoga studio marketing resources you can use to in business.
Full-service printing, direct mailing and mailing list generation.
Online magazine includes a section for yoga teachers that includes marketing tips.
A great resource for yoga teachers who want to run credible yoga studios and attract new students.
Offers certifications which could enhance credibility in some yoga circles.
Not as refined as the other resources listed here, but still a good source of information.
State and regional yoga associations
Simply run a quick online search for yoga associations in your city, state, and region to see what other resource exist to help you successfully market your yoga studio.
Yoga studio logos are the exclusive properties of their respective businesses, and are displayed here for editorial purposes only. They are from:
