10 Little-Known Yoga Marketing Tips To Help Fill Up Your Yoga Classes

If you are looking for ways to promote your yoga classes, below are my top 10 marketing tips, tools and templates to guarantee you’ll need to look for a “Class Full” sign to hang outside all your yoga classes.

Before I give you my top 10 tips, you might be thinking just who the heck I am to be giving you such tips? Well, I’m a full-time BWY yoga teacher, yoga website designer and creator of the Yoga Teacher Business Kit.

Each tip includes a short video of little old me talking about the yoga marketing tip.

Yoga Marketing Tip 1
Give. Give. Give.

Click to play the video

Give.  Give more.  Give more still.  Keep going…

Then gives some more.

And when you’ve given all you think you can give, give more.  When your mother told you, “The more you give, the more you get,” she was spot on.  Giving is the spice of life. Giving is one of the greatest joys for us humans.  And that is why this is the first and most important yoga marketing tip on my list.  If you only apply this one tip, your classes will be chock full of students.  In fact, you’ll need a waiting list.

Ready?

Shhhhhh.

Don’t tell anyone else what I’m about to tell you…

My numero uno yoga marketing tip is “giving away” lots and lots and lots of free resources that are of value to my niche market (yoga teachers).

There.  Phew.  I’ve kept that secret hidden for many years.  I’m glad it’s out in the open for others to reflect upon.

I’m not talking about giving away one eBook.  That’s a woeful display of giving.  I’m not talking about writing a few blog posts.  That is a woeful display of giving.  I’m talking about giving away a HUGE, WHOPPING, ENORMOUS amount of really cool stuff that your target market loves.

On this website, I give, give, give and give some more.  There are 100’s blog posts.  And each blog post has something of value that a yoga teacher can immediately use, such as yoga lesson plans, yoga class handouts, yoga marketing tips and yoga lesson planning tips.  And if someone wants to get one of my Yoga Teacher Kits, great.  If not, great!

I wouldn’t have a sustainable business if I didn’t get a few sales.  And that would mean I couldn’t create any other useful resources for my fellow teachers.  And that would mean slinking off to get a boring desk job.  Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a desk job, but it wouldn’t be a joy-filled expression of my talent.  For some bizarre reason the powers that be gave me the ability to create nifty resources for yoga teachers. Go figure. And it’s what I love to do.

Your mantra for the next 24 hours is to say, “How can I give more?”

Here are some examples of how to give more…

Give a yoga class handout
Maybe you could provide yoga class handouts for each 6-week yoga course (if you teach in 6-week blocks like most yoga teachers). There are 201 yoga class handouts within Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit that you can convert to PDF format and share on your website as a download.   This is my #1 marketing secret. And it’s the main reason that so many of my students stay with me for years.

Give a yoga class plan 
Maybe you create a 6-week yoga course using Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.  Then all you need to do is convert it to PDF format and share it on your website as a download.

Give a yoga blog post
Maybe you could provide lots of useful blog posts for your students that relate to each 6 week’s yoga course you teach. For example, if you’re teaching Sun Salutations, you could write a few blog posts filled with sun salutation tips and sun salutation yoga class handouts.  Now all you need to do is create a yoga class handout from the blog post (e.g. simply add the blog contents to an MS Word document), print and give them out to your students.

Give a yoga eBook 
You could turn your Sun Salutations Blog Posts into a PDF yoga ebook that your students (and prospects) can download from your website.

Give a yoga class audio
You could bring an audio recorder to class (I use a Sony ICD-PX333) and record yourself and provide the recording as a yoga podcast for free on your website.

Give a yoga class video
I have a DSLR camera that I create yoga DVDs.  I’m toying with the idea of getting a Go Pro Camera (used mostly by surfers) and strapping it to my head while I’m teaching a yoga class.  Sounds crazy, heh?  But it’s different.  It’s unique.  I figure that with a camera strapped to my head, I’ll be able to create yoga DVDs filmed from a unique perspective (my head).

Admittedly the yoga DVDs I’d create using a video camera strapped to my head are for my fellow yoga teachers.  For a yoga teacher, it’s the next best thing to teach the class.  It’ll be live.  It’ll be gritty.  It’ll be raw. It definitely won’t be staged for the camera. I will be implementing one of the yoga lesson plans that are available to download within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.

If you’re going to be filming your classes, make sure you get all your students to sign “release forms“.  If you need a release form, please email me and I will give you mine.  If you’re interested in creating a yoga DVD, you might like these two blog posts, 4 Steps To Get Your Yoga DVD On Amazon and 10 Steps to Create a Yoga DVD Using Photos.

Yoga Marketing Tip 2
The VIP Card

Click to play the video

With VIP Cards you can arrange all sorts of special perks for your yoga students with local businesses.

How It Works

You go to your local cafe and set up a 10% discount on all drinks.  You tell your students something like, “Guess what my beloved and cherished students (that may be a bit too much), I’ve wangled a special 10% discount off drinks at our local ABC Organic Cafe.  All you need to do is flash your Yoga VIP Card.”  This could also turn into a piggyback business relationship with the organic cafe.  The best part is that students will think you’re a God or Goddess. That means they’ll come to your classes for longer.  That means you don’t need to advertise your classes as much.  And that means you and your student wins. We all love a win-win!

Option 1:  Business Card With Metalic Finish

You can use Vistaprint business cards using the metallic finish for your VIP Card. The metallic finish made the cards feel more substantial than a normal business card (remember you’re only giving them out to your students).

Option 2:  Loyalty Card

You can use Vistaprint’s loyalty card template.  I couldn’t believe how well this strategy worked!  My students love it.  If you’re using the loyalty card, you will need to initial a box on your card each week, until you have 10 boxes filled in.  It’s also a great way to chat and get to know your students because they have to bring their loyalty cards to you to get signed.  I find in my classes that 1 out of 10 students are really shy and find it hard to approach me (the loyalty card gives them the courage to approach me).  This option obviously takes more time than option 1, but people love being rewarded for loyalty.

Example VIP Card Layout

Name Of Your Yoga Business
VIP Member
Name Of Your Website
Email
Telephone

Discounts

Now you have your lovely new VIP Cards, it’s time to do a wee bit of networking.  Your mission is to set up as many nifty “discounts” for your students as possible.

So, get in your car, bus, bike, feet, or whatever mode of transport that rocks your boat and go to all the businesses in your local area that you think your students would like to frequent.  Ask the business owner for a “special discount” for your students.  Most business owners will fall over themselves to get business from a group.  A group has purchasing power!

Examples Of Businesses To Approach

• Acupuncturist
• Alternative Health Practitioners
• Cafes
• Chiropractors
• Complementary Therapists
• Dieticians
• Hair Dressers
• Health Food Shops
• Herbalists
• Homoeopaths
• Hypnotherapists
• Fair Trade Businesses
• Flower Shops
• Masseuses
• Nutritionists
• Organic Cafes
• Physiotherapists

Yoga Marketing Tip 3
The Email Newsletter

Click to play the video

If subscribers don’t come to your yoga classes now, they might do so eventually if you drip-feed them good-quality content via email.  Email marketing is still the number one tool for any street-wise business person worth their salt.  It will become your #1 online marketing tool very quickly!

And the best part is that it’s FREE!

I highly recommend using Mailchimp and putting a yoga newsletter sign-up form on your website.

Mailchimp is free!

Yes, you heard right.

I’m not going to go into how to set up Mailchimp on your yoga WordPress site, as there are a million videos on YouTube showing how to do this, and a great getting started guide on Mailchimp.

I will, however, give you ideas on how to get the most out of Mailchimp…

Top 5 Reasons To Use Mailchimp

1. Amazing Stats:  MailChimp gives you easy-to-use analytics.
2. Send unlimited emails: MailChimp will send the email to an unlimited number of recipients.
3. HTML or text emails: MailChimp gives recipients the option to read emails in HTML or text only.
4. Privacy laws: MailChimp includes an unsubscribe link in every email.
5. Professional styling: MailChimp offers a variety of templates for e-newsletters.

What To Announce?

I personally send a maximum of one email announcement a month.

If you do any more than that, you’ll probably end up annoying your subscribers (you could do once a week).  Though, I will break that rule if the announcement contains something of value and is not a sales pitch.  Actually, I will never do a sales pitch to my subscribers.  Never!  Why never?  Well, I’ve found that giving is far better than begging.

When I give a tip or template, or anything of value, to my yoga student subscribers, I will have a subtle soft sell, with a healthy injection of humour, at the end of the email (e.g. Ever thought about giving yourself a treat by going to a yoga retreat (forgive the pun)?  If that sounds pretty yummy, check out my Yin Yang Yoga Retreat on XYZ Date).

But!

And it’s a big but…

The soft sale must come AFTER giving something of value.   Never before!  Never.  Never.  Never.  It’s rude.  It’s arrogant.  And it’s an insult to the intelligence of your subscribers.  So, please I beg you…give first, then do your soft sell.

What’s a soft sell?

I guess it’s called a “soft sell” because the giving helps to soften the prospect up to buy something, but I prefer to think of myself being a big “softie”.

It’s true.

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.  But, I really am a softie.  I absolutely love making a difference in people’s lives.  It’s fun.  It’s rewarding.  It’s humbling.  An “online newsletter” immediately gives you the opportunity to give more.  And as your ma, pa, grandma or grandpa used to say, “The more you give, the more you get.” I firmly believe that getting is important too!  A healthy balance of giving and getting is the goal.

OK, here are some announcements (or “campaigns” in MailChimp lingo) ideas for you…

Tip 1
Announce Your 6-Week Yoga Course 

Send an announcement the day before your new 6-week yoga course.  You can also provide them with a link to the lesson plan, handouts or blog post related to the class. The announcement will serve as a reminder for your current students, and maybe nudge students who haven’t come to class awhile to come back (6-week yoga course templates are available within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit).

Below is the announcement I used for a new 6-week course…

Hi << Test First Name >>,

The next 6-week yoga course starts this Monday (April 22nd) at the Powys Dance Centre, Arlais Rd, Llandrindod Wells from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Yoga Class Dates: April 22, 29, May 13, 20, June 3, 10

There will be no classes on May 6 & 27.

5 Spots Available

I have 5 spots available, so if you’d like to restart your yoga, please reply to this email or call me on [my telephone number]. If you’re one of the students who signed up for the last 6-week yoga course you’ve automatically got a space. However, if you don’t want to come please reply to this email to let me know.

The 6-week course costs £42 (£7 a class). If possible, please bring payment to the first class (if paying by cheque make it payable to George Watts).

For more information about the yoga class click the link below
https://georgewatts.org/services/yogaclasses/

Favour To Ask You

It would be a great help if you could mention this to your friends, family and co-workers on Facebook about the yoga class. You could say something like this…

Hey, come and join me at my yoga class in Llandrindod Wells. The next 6-week yoga course starts this Monday (April 22nd) from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Powys Dance Centre in Llandrindod Wells. For more info go to: https://georgewatts.org/services/yogaclasses/.

Tip 2
Announce Your New Blog Post

Whenever you write a new blog post, send an announcement.  For example, I sent my subscribers a link to my Downward-facing Dog post.

Tip 3
Announce Your New Workshop or Retreat

Whenever you have a new workshop or retreat, send an announcement.  Send a series of emails leading up to your yoga workshop/retreat. Remind your students and prospects of the place and time. Ask them to sign up for SMS messaging for updates (this can be done within Mailchimp).

Tip 4
Announce Your Latest VIP Discount 

If you give VIP Cards to your yoga students, whenever you get a new discount (e.g. 10% off coffee at your local organic cafe), send an announcement.

Tip 5
Announce Home Practice Tips To Newbies

New students might need a little help getting started with practising yoga at home.

You can set up automation (used to be called an autoresponder) on MailChimp that sends a series of emails automatically. You just have to set it up once and it works on autopilot of your forever and ever, amen.

It’s fantastic.

For example, you could send one email every day for 30 days with a useful tip on how to build the life-changing habit of practising yoga at home.

Tip 6
Announce A Survey: Six-Week Course

Send a survey after a 6-week yoga course to ask students about their experience. You can copy and edit yoga lesson plans with the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit.

Tip 7
Announce A Survey: Yoga Workshop

Send a survey after a workshop/retreat to ask students about their experience.

Tip 8
Announce When You Goof Up 

Below is an announcement I sent to my yoga class students after making a big mistake.  There are approximately 20 students in that class (20 x £7 = £140), so that mistake cost me £140, though it actually ended up making me a lot more money as most of the students loved me for giving them all a free class.  Happy students = more referrals.  More referrals = happy George.

Hi << Test First Name >>,

Ooops, I forgot to let several yoga students know about cancelling my yoga class on Monday, October 31st. Several students made a wasted journey and showed up for class!  So, I’ve been thinking of ways to make amends.  This is what I’ve come up with…

I’d like to give you a free yoga class this Monday (Monday 14th) at the Powys Dance Centre in Llandrindod Wells (7-8:30 pm).

Hope to see you there on Monday. Remember, don’t bring any money, it’s on me.

Tip 9
Announce Bank Holidays

My main yoga class is on a Monday, so I have to keep an eye out for the bank holidays.  The school teachers in my class (there are several) always remind me when a bank holiday is coming up.   Below is a very short announcement I sent to remind my students of two upcoming bank holidays…

Hi << First Name >>,

There will be NO Llandrindod Wells classes on April 25th and May 2nd.  The Llandrindod Wells classes will restart on Monday, May 9th.

Yoga Marketing Tip 4
The Wow Factor

Click to play the video

These days it’s crucial to give your students a compelling reason to join your class.  You have to understand there are dozens of choices they could opt for over your class.

Your Prospect’s Other Choices

• Another yoga class
• Zumba class
• Pilates class
• Tai Chi class
• Local swimming pool
• Local gym
• Yoga DVD

I could go on, but you get the point.

Go to Marketing Tips 1, 2 and 3 above, and think of ways to WOW your prospects.

Below is my brainstorming list on how to over-deliver and WOW my students. I haven’t implemented all of them yet because it’s a work in progress.

My Top 10 WOW List 

1. Set up “Home Practice Tips” automation on MailChimp (1 tip a day for 30 days)
2. Give each new student a “VIP Card” (see Marketing Tip 2)
3. Give yoga class handouts at the start of each 6-week yoga course
4. Give each student a personal folder (template available in the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit)
5. Write a blog post covering the 6-week yoga course
6. Email the blog post link to my yoga class list (on MailChimp)
7. Compile a yoga eBook from my blog posts (give it as a free download on my site)
8. Record audio of my class (give as a free download on my site)
9. Record a video of a yoga class and turn it into a yoga DVD
10. Give each student personalised handouts when needed (e.g. yoga for lower back pain)

Yoga Marketing Tip 5
43 Blogging Tips

Click to play the video

These days you need to write EPIC BLOG POSTS to be noticed by Google.

EPIC Definition
heroic or grand in scale or character

Heroic.

There is a saying about blogging:  “Content Is King.”

And it’s true.

There is nothing better for a blog post than EPIC content.

That may seem a wee bit melodramatic. But hear me out. These days limp, half-hearted, mediocre blog posts just don’t cut the mustard (If you’re from outside the UK, the “doesn’t cut the mustard” phrase originates from the Old English craft of mustard-making).

Hmmm, I wonder if I have an example of a heroic EPIC blog post to show you?

Ah yes.

You’re reading it.

Wasn’t that a stroke of luck?

Seriously though, I hope you’d agree that this EPIC BLOG POST is filled with useful information that you can immediately use to make your yoga business more successful.

No matter what kind of yoga you teach, consider creating a website filled with EPIC blog posts. If you don’t have a website, look online for yoga WordPress templates and get started.  These days a website is a lot cheaper than you think.

43 Quick Blogging Tips 

1. Get started (I recommend using a Yoga WordPress Theme)
2. Include a photo of yourself in the pose (see Yoga Marketing Tip #6 below)
3. Create an EPIC blog post out of your next yoga lesson plan
4. Get ideas for blog posts from your students (e.g. wrist exercises if a student has weak wrists)
5. Tests blog post ideas on Twitter first
6. Write about stuff you want to learn more about (e.g. yoga for golfers)
7. Use each blog to build your email list (see Yoga Marketing Tip #3 above)
8. Finish blog posts with a call to action (e.g. signup for an email list or like your Facebook page)
9. Provide a download to a yoga lesson plan or yoga class handout
10. Be consistent (write a blog post every week or two)
11. Be different
12. Allow your personality to shine through
13. Don’t write to impress (formal writing is boring)
14. Write like you talk (conversational style)
15. Write eye-catching headlines (see Yoga Marketing Tip #9 below)
16. Make the blog post worth bookmarking
17. Make the blog post so darn good that your visitors email it to their friends
18. Find a niche (e.g. yoga for runners or yoga for golfers or yin-yang yoga)
19. Write about something you love (e.g. yoga for runners)
20. Add the blog post URL to your Business Facebook Page
21. Add the blog post URL to your Twitter
22. If you have an image of yourself in the post, add it to Instagram
23. Add images.  People love images
24. Keep an eye on web analytics (are your blogs working?)
25. Allow easy following (RSS feed)
26. Get personal
27. Talk about your failures, pains and struggles
28. Spell check it
29. Get someone to proof-read it
30. Edit it (Google loves it when you edit your old posts)
31. Use royalty-free images
32. Turn the blog post into a Youtube Video
33. I use Camtasia, green screen, yeti & Logitech c920 HD webcam to create Youtube Videos
34. Turn your youtube videos into a Yoga DVD
35. Turn the blog post into a Podcast
36. Turn your blog posts into a PDF ebook
37. Turn your blog posts into a Kindle ebook
38. Have somebody evaluate your blog and give you constructive feedback
39. Share something personal to show you’re a real person
40. Enjoy yourself
41. Research like a crazy person (I spent many hours researching for this blog post)
42. Research what other yoga teachers are doing (can you do something similar?)
43. Always over-deliver (give away more than expected)

Yoga Marketing Tip 6
Become A Star

Click to play the video

I really, really, really recommend hiring a local photographer to take hundreds of photos of you in yoga poses.

Why do I recommend it so much?  Well, first of all, it will make you feel like a superstar.  And secondly, it will be one of the best investments you ever make in your yoga business.

I hired a local photographer a few years ago.  All I did was show up with my Yoga Bible book and he took over 400 pictures of me in yoga poses (almost every single pose in the yoga bible!).  White material was put up behind me and where I was standing.  That meant all the images look professional, which makes you look professional.

After the photo session, I was shattered!

It was more tiring by far than running a marathon (I’ve completed two marathons).  After the photo shoot, I could barely get in the car to drive home.  It was hard work. But that one day of effect has been a fantastic investment.

Here are just some of the things I’ve done with those images…

• Used them on dozens of blog posts such as this one
• Created a logo (see top left of this page)
• Created a photo gallery on my about page
• Create a yoga card deck
• Used them on yoga flyer templates.
• Used them to create yoga pose infographics like these.

Yoga Marketing Tip 7
The Poet’s Heart

Click to play the video

You may have noticed a subtle theme here.

All the yoga marketing tips have one main aim – to get your students to come to your classes for longer.

Commit right now to spending 90% of your “marketing activity” on keeping your students coming to classes longer (e.g. years instead of weeks).  The rest of your marketing efforts (10%) can be spent on traditional marketing such as attracting new students to your classes (e.g. submitting a classified advert online).

Teaching yoga with a poet’s heart is one of the best ways to keep your students coming to your classes for longer.  It makes a yoga class more interesting and engaging.

5 Steps To Teach Yoga With A Poet’s Heart

Step 1
Click

Click on the two links below and look through the yoga imagery, or what I call yoga poetry…

101 ways to teach yoga with a poet’s heart

Using imagery to inspire students

Step 2
Write & Visualise

Get a pen and notepad. Practice writing yoga poetry.

For example, if you like this yoga imagery…

“Before relaxing in Savasana, your brain may feel like a blackboard having chalk screeched across it.  As your mind starts to focus on your breath, feel the chalk crumbling into powder.”

….write it down over and over and over and over again.

Then visualise yourself saying it in your yoga class over and over and over and over again.

Close your eyes and picture yourself dressed in your yoga clothes, standing on your sticky mat in front of all your students who are relaxing in the Savasana pose.  See the faces of your students.  See their bellies rising up and down.  Take in the sweet aroma of sticky yoga mats wafting up to your nostrils (yep, I like the smell of yoga mats…shhh don’t tell anyone).  Feel the wooden floor under your bare feet. Imagine in as much detail as you can.

Use as many senses as you can (sight, smell, sound, touch, taste).

And slow down.

Sloooooooowwww dooooooooowwwwwwnnnnn.

Stay calm.

Visualisation works best when you are calm.  The calmer the better.  So, take an imaginary chill pill and chill.  Turn off the TV. Better yet, unplug the TV and throw it out the nearest window.

After you have spent a reasonable amount of time “writing and visualising the yoga poetry”, it’s crunch time. The class is upon you and it’s time to say the words to a “real yoga class”.  Though, here’s where the magic of visualisation makes itself known…

The mind doesn’t know the difference between a visualisation and the real thing!

That’s worth repeating, just in case you missed it…

The mind doesn’t know the difference between visualisation and the real thing!

And once more for luck…

The mind doesn’t know the difference between visualisation and the real thing!

That is why every single athlete in the Olympic Games uses visualisation!

It’s the quickest, easiest and most efficient way of training known to mankind. Instead of spending hours training outside in the cold and rain, the Olympic athlete gets the same benefits from a few minutes of visualisation.

In the world of visualisation, everything is sped up. I used to “physically practice” my yoga lesson plan, which took about an hour.  These days I never do “physical practice” before a class.  I simply unfold my lesson plan from my back pocket, read a section, close my eyes and do a “visualisation practice” imagining myself teaching.

It takes less than 5 minutes to visualise a 90-minute class.

Step 3
Visualise Modifications For Individual Students

The visualisation practice frees up an hour of my time each week.  So, what do I do with those delicious 60 minutes?  Well, I reinvest it in my students.

Shucks.  I know.  I know.  I really shouldn’t be so darn nice.

If you’ve been teaching yoga for any length of time you’ll know that almost everyone has some physical ailment.  It could be a weak lower back, weak wrists, chronic fatigue, bipolar, high blood pressure, etc.  Over time you’ll get to know each student.

However, here’s a quick tip on how I study up on my students…

If one of my students has a weak lower back, I’ll do a bit of research and create a yoga class handout with one or more exercises to increase back strength. I’ll then “visualise” myself going through the handout with my student.

Step 4
Trigger

I usually have a memory trigger to help me remember my “yoga poetry”.

Let’s go back to the same example…

“Before relaxing in Savasana, your brain may feel like a blackboard having chalk screeched across it. As your mind starts to focus on your breath, feel the chalk crumbling into powder.”

My simple trigger is: “blackboard brain“.

Whenever I think of  “blackboard brain“, the yoga poetry doth pour from me (not sure why I suddenly spoke like Shakespeare there).

Step 5
Come Up With Your Own

Have fun coming up with your own yoga poetry.  Think up ways of painting a picture for your students.  You could have said, “Get into savasana and focus on your breath.”  But that’s boring.  That’s limp. That’s unimaginative. Surely, we as yoga teachers can do better.

Let’s go back to the same example…

“Before relaxing in Savasana, your brain may feel like a blackboard having chalk screeched across it. As your mind starts to focus on your breath,  feel the chalk crumbling into powder.”

Yoga Marketing Tip 8
Ask For Testimonials

Click to play the video

Having someone rave about your business is far, far, far better than you doing the raving.  Consumers believe what other consumers say.

For example, below is a testimonial from an American yoga teacher who purchased my Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit…

A testimonial is a third-party endorsement and therefore more believable because the third party has no reason to lie.  I have over 20 testimonials on my Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit. Each testimonial is like a salesperson for my business, but I don’t have to pay this sales force!  And best of all, this sales force works 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  It’s amazing!

I never seek out testimonials, but if someone who’s purchased a Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit sends me an email saying how wonderful it is, I reply asking if they have a couple of minutes to write me a testimonial.

I also ask if they can email me an image of themselves and their website URL to go with the testimonial (the picture and website makes it obvious that I didn’t make the testimonials up from my vivid imagination).

Ask For Testimonials Tips

Below are some tips for getting terrific testimonials from your students…

Tip 1
Send Announcements

If you’ve taken action on Marketing Tip #3 (Online Newsletter), send an announcement to your list (of yoga students) asking for a short testimonial to put on your website.  Here’s an announcement I once sent to my yoga class subscribers…

Hi << First Name >>,

Hope you’re enjoying the yoga class.  Can I be a bit cheeky and ask you for a testimonial?  One or two sentences will do.  Your testimonial will help visitors to my site know a bit more about the classes.  And if possible, could I use an image of yourself next to the testimonial (so it’s obvious I didn’t make it up)?  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Tip 2
Use Pictures

Testimonials accompanied by pictures always outperform testimonials without pictures.  So, ask your student to email you an image of themselves (or take a selfie photo of yourself with the student).

Tip 3
Be Brief 

Keep the testimonial brief. Most people won’t read beyond the first paragraph!

Tip 4
Use Video

Use video testimonials if you have a lot of competition (e.g. you’re a yoga teacher in London).  They are far more persuasive than written testimonials.

If a student comes up to you in a class and says how great it’s been.  Ask if you can film a testimonial. Whip out your smartphone, record, and upload to YouTube and your website (remember to ask permission from the student).

Tip 5
Linkedin Testimonials 

If you have a LinkedIn account, add Linkedin testimonials to your website.  To be polite, check in with the person to see if they are OK with you using it on your website.

Tip 6
Put Them Everywhere

Testimonials can become your number-one selling tool if you use them!

Create a testimonials page on your website.  Put a few testimonials at the end of your blog posts.

Put a few testimonials within your email signature.

Add each testimonial you get to Twitter, Facebook and your Linkedin profile.

Tip 7
Traceable Testimonials

You can create 100% trust in the authenticity of the testimonial by making sure it can be traced back to a real person.

Not many people will contact the student who has left the testimonial, but the thought that “they could” can have a whopping impact on making the decision to come to your yoga classes, workshops or retreats.

I usually ask for their website address.

If they don’t have a website I ask for their Facebook or Twitter addresses.  If they don’t have them I ask for their email address.  If they don’t have an email address, marvel in amazement at how they’ve managed to avoid the virtual world.

Tip 8
All Your Yoga Services 

Don’t just get testimonials for your classes. Get them for every yoga service you provide (e.g. workshops, retreats, etc).

Tip 9
Case Studies

If you have a yoga student who is enthusiastic and making great progress, I recommend morphing the testimonial into a larger animal – a case study.

It’s a lot easier than you may think.

People enjoy reading biographies.  A case study is a mini-biography.  All you need to do is tell the story from start to finish.

Questions to ask when writing a case study:

• What were the student’s goals?
• What were the student’s needs?
• How did you satisfy those needs and help the student meet their goals?

Follow up with the student in the case study and update your case study several months down the road. This shows that your yoga classes have “long-term benefits” for the student. This shows the visitor to your website that your goal is not only to help with immediate needs but also to ensure long-term results.

Yoga Marketing Tip 9
Blog Post Headlines

Click to play the video

Google loves blog posts.  

Surprisingly, the most important part of your blog post is the headline!  

You’ve heard of the saying: “Don’t judge a book by its cover“.  

Ignore that saying!  

It doesn’t hold up in the world of blogging. You see, absolutely everyone judges a blog post by its headline. Everyone!  And I do mean everyone. If your headline isn’t eye-catching, it’s not going to get read. That will mean you’ve wasted hours of your life writing a brilliant blog post. and that would be a minor catastrophe we can’t let that happen.  

Spend a reasonable amount of time brainstorming an eye-catching headline.  

Below are some headlines I came up with for this blog post.  Please feel free to use them as headline templates for your own blog posts.  

47 Blog Post Headline Formulas

Warning Headlines 

• How Safe Is Your Yoga Class From Other Yoga Teachers
• 7 Warning Signs That You’re Yoga Class Is About To Have A Heart Attack 
• Warning:  Your Yoga Classes Need Some Marketing Help
• The Shocking Truth About Yoga Marketing And Student Attendance
• The Great Yoga Marketing Hoax
• How Relying On Referrals Is Suicide For Your Yoga Classes 
• 5 Little Known Factors That Could Effect Your Yoga Business 

Yogic Headlines 

• The Zen Of Yoga Marketing Revealed 
• Can’t Keep Up?  11 Ways To Simplify Your Yoga Marketing 
• How To Take Charge Of Your Yoga Marketing
• The Minimalist Guide To Yoga Marketing 
• Get Rid Of Yoga Marketing Anxiety Once And For All
• How To End Your Yoga Marketing Woes 
• How To Promote Your Yoga Business In 5 Minutes 
• The Little Black Book Of Yoga Marketing Tactics 
• Uncover The Secret Marketing Tips Used By The Top Yoga Teachers

Mistake Headlines 

• Do You Make These 10 Yoga Marketing Mistakes? 
• 7 Yoga Marketing Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb
• 11 Yoga Business Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making 

How-To Headlines 

• How To Promote Your Yoga Business Like A Seasoned Pro
• How To Be Great At Marketing Your Yoga Business 
• How To Become A Marketing Genius Even If You’re A Yoga Teacher 
• How To Promote Your Yoga Classes Without Any Stress 
• How To Promote Your Yoga Classes While You Sleep
• How To Keep Your Yoga Students Coming Back For More
• How To Use 10 Yoga Marketing Tactics To Explode Student Attendance 
• How To Get Full Yoga Classes In 2015
• How To Promote Your Yoga Classes — The Ultimate Guide 
• How To Avoid Empty Yoga Classes: A Full-Time Yoga Teachers Secret Revealed
• How To Turn Marketing Your Yoga Classes Into Something That Is Fun

List Headlines 

• 7 Ways To Market Your Yoga Business Like A Champ 
• 101 Yoga Tips For Yoga Teachers 
• The Top 10 Yoga Marketing Tips Used By The Pros 
• 7 Yoga Marketing Secrets Every Yoga Teacher Should Know
• 7 Surprising Reasons To Do This Kind Of Nontraditional Yoga Marketing
• The 5 Laws For Getting Full Yoga Classes Week In Week Out
• 7 Steps To Fill Up Your Yoga Classes 
• Get Excited!  10 Yoga Marketing Ideas That Really Work
• 7 Things Your Students Need To Hear You Say
• 101 Yoga Marketing Hacks: A Cheat Sheet For Yoga Teachers
• 10 Shortcuts For Completing Your Yoga Marketing In Record Time
• Sidestep A Leaky Yoga Business In 10 Easy Steps
• Marketing Nightmare: 10 Easy Yoga Marketing Tips To Fill Up Your Classes
• 10 Little-Known Yoga Marketing Tips That Guarantee Full Class Attendance 

Trust Headlines 

• A New Way To Promote Your Yoga Business: Why 100’s Of Yoga Teachers Are Using These 10 Marketing Tactics 
• The Emerging Trend In Yoga Marketing That 100’s Of Yoga Teachers Swear By
• The Yoga Marketing Tips Hundreds Of Yoga Teachers Are Using To Fill Up Their Classes

Phew!  That’s it.  

There are some good ones there and some pretty awful ones, but that’s OK because it was just a brain dump. I recommend when you write your next blog post that you come back here and choose a “headline” above that you like the sound of and reword it to fit your blog post.  

Umm, Now What?  

Now that you’ve got your hallowed headline, write your blog post with a vengeance.  No dilly-dallying.  No, “oh I’ll just make a quick cup of tea”.  No anything but writing.  I find that coming up with a headline first, and then writing the blog post is far, far, far better than doing it the other way around.  The reason is that you’ve tricked your brain into thinking you’ve already written the blog post.  And that makes it easier to write the darn thing!  

Don’t Go Android

When writing the blog post write like a normal human being.  Please don’t go all android and business-like on me!  That’s boring.  Add humour.  Write as if speaking to a friend instead of using limp, unimaginative business language.  

Enjoy writing a compelling story!  Writing from the heart is a lot of fun!  However, writing to sound professional is boring for you and the reader!  Have the courage to pour your personality into a blog and make it a real page-turner…I mean mouse scroller.  

Space Giving Sub-headings

Oh yes, almost forgot.  Make sure to sprinkle your blog post with sub-headings.  They create space.  And that space makes it easier for the reader to do what they do best…read.  

Rule Of Three

One last thing.  Really it is.  Promise.  

Use the rule of three for your sub-headings.  The human eye loves things in three. Just in case you think I’ve been smoking something that releases too many happy chemicals in the brain, here are examples throughout history of the “rule of three”. 

• Tony Blair declared: Education, education, education
• In Britain, we have ‘Englishman, Irishman & Scotsman’ jokes (why most Americans have never heard of Wales)
• Goldilocks And The Three Bears
• The Three Little Pigs
• The wicked Queen makes three attempts on Snow White’s life
• Jack steals three treasures from the giant (Jack & The Beanstalk)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Indy must pass three tests) 
• The Three Stooges
• Blonde/Brunette/Redhead jokes 
• Beowulf fights three monsters
• Three Elven Rings of Power (The Hobbit) 
• A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione form a Power Trio (Harry Potter Movies)
• All stories have a beginning, middle and end 

I could go on and on and on with examples of the “rule of three”, but I’ll spare you the pain.  

Just make sure most of your “sub-headings” are three words long.

And while you’re at it, make sure all your blog posts have a beginning (headline), a middle (something of value) and an end (call to action).  Take a look at the end of this post for an example of a call to action.  

Yoga Marketing Tip 10
Raise Your Prices 

Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to help hundreds of small business owners as a business consultant.  During that time I discovered that most of them don’t charge enough to be sustainable.

Please don’t make the classic mistake of waiting years to raise your yoga class fees because you’re afraid of losing customers.

A lot of yoga teachers think it is unyogic to charge enough to make a sustainable profit.  That may be OK if teaching yoga is a hobby for you, but if you want to teach full-time, have the courage to raise your prices every year or two (even if it’s only 50 pence).

Find ways of increasing the perceived value of your classes.

For example, you could give yoga class handouts to your students (see Yoga Marketing Tip #1).

Here’s a MailChimp (e-newsletter) announcement I made to my yoga students about a price rise…

Hi << Test First Name >>,

‘Tis George, your friendly Yoga teacher with a quick email…

I harp on in my classes about one-pointed focus. Well, I’ve decided to apply the ‘one pointedness’ to my pricing. Classes will be £7 from now on.  I’m using the extra £1 to help pay for the following…

* A yoga folder – every new student gets a yoga folder.

* One handout a week to put in your yoga folder – this will help you with your home practice.

* Telephone & email support – if you have any questions, please call me anytime.

* Discounts on yoga days, yoga weekends and yoga holidays.

* Personalised handouts (e.g. got a bad back. I’ll give you a bespoke practice to follow at home).

* Invites to fun events (e.g. to see a feel-good film such as Avatar).

Yoga Teacher Business Kit

Phew (rubbing large build-up of sweat from forehead)! That about wraps it up.

I really enjoyed creating these yoga marketing tips and videos for you. If you want a ridiculous amount of really nifty yoga marketing resources including my yoga business plan, yoga marketing plan and loads of yoga flyer templates, then do something crazy and take a quick peek at the Yoga Teacher Business Kit.