This is a great question! I have worked with area yoga studios that have been in the same situation. Here are some thoughts that I hope will be useful.
The first thing to consider, especially in an area that may be saturated is to consider what all businesses must consider- what makes you different?
Do you have niche that your area can support? Concentrate on developing that niche and getting the word out.
Do you have a studio? First impressions are important, fortunately yoga studios are one of the best and easiest to set up where less is more and the focus is on the instruction and not interior design or fixtures.
Business cards and a professional logo are some things that help to give the impression of legitimacy and seriousness and help to instill confidence to those that might be willing to try something new. Having something that you can put in the hands of those you talk to is a must.
Consider a website. Something clean and simple with details about what you have to offer will help to play a big part in making people who search the internet for a studio learn more about you. I can't stress enough how important a website is in helping to improve legitimacy and as a way to communicate to present and future students. People love to share something they're connected with to others and are more likely to do so when they can take a sense of pride in what they're recommending- it is a reflection on themselves when they do so. When you come up with a logo or something that represents your studio, consider investing in a large window decal that people will see when you're around town. These actually do work, but may not be the biggest bang for the buck, though every little bit helps.
When it comes to anything you do to promote yourself, especially a website, do a lot of research. Look at what everybody else is doing, how they describe it, what you like and what you don't like and take the best the they have to offer and make it better. There's nothing wrong with building on the success of others who have put a lot of hard work into figuring out what works and what doesn't. If this were a bad thing, then the wheel would have just stayed a wheel, and we wouldn't be having this conversation...
Check out your local television stations and newspaper. Some may be looking for stories they'd like to highlight and if you have something like a grand opening to get excited about, then share!
When you go to the local grocery store and they have one of those donation drives which allows you to put your name on a shoe or whatever might be taped to a visible area, buy one and put the name of your studio on it! Try to get friends to do the same.
Be creative! Come up with an event such as celebration of spring equinox with a yoga Sadhana. Contact local schools to see if there might be some interest in offering a class there for teachers and parents. Some who have certification in adaptive yoga have gone to organizations that support people with MS for example. What are the local studios missing? Are they doing chair yoga?
If you have any further questions and would like to contact me directly, you can do so at
[email protected]I have an example of a website that I put together at
http://www.myyogatime.net/ if you'd like to see an example of my work.
Sat Nam,
Andrew
