Do’s and Don’ts of Opening A Yoga Studio

Outside of standard yoga classes, some yogis are willing to spend $30+ on a single class that offers a unique yoga experience, and will spend about $62K on yoga over their lifetime. Holy goat yoga, Batman!

Although it can be a very competitive space, it gives you the chance to build a community and brand from the ground up in a business that you love sharing.

If you are a first-time yoga business owner, this is a guide for everything you need to market and grow your yoga studio.

DO – Pre-plan Your Yoga Business Marketing Strategy

As you set up your yoga studio’s business plan, don’t forget to outline your marketing plan alongside it. If the business plan is the foundation, the marketing plan is the paint and signage out front.

Your key points of focus are your values statement (what you teach and who you teach it for), your budget and your tactics (fancy word for your yoga business website, ads and other outreach channels). Have them ready to launch before you even open your doors.

DON’T – Undervalue market research

It’s our number one goal to connect you with your community. So we can’t encourage you enough to get to know the needs they have for a yoga studio. Communicate with your clients and find out what they what they want most from their yoga classes. Focus on classes people want and create some that are unique to your studio. If you’re opening a yoga studio in a new market, you’ll need to research and know everything you can about your potential clients.

There are tons of offerings when it comes to yoga. This decision comes down to your market research and knowing your clients and your competition. Customer and competitor analysis will be a cornerstone of any successful marketing plan.

Do – Get Your Yoga Studio a Website Domain

Got your yoga studio name? Nice! Now make sure to purchase the domain name, even if you’re just putting up a basic landing page to start. It isn’t expensive (about $10-$15 a year) and it gets Google indexing your website early – important for better results and more leads.

To attract visitors from your area, you have to play the search engines game. Domain age is a big advantage as Google and the like take into account how long your domain has been in use and how long your website has been active. So don’t wait to get it going early in your planning so it can start working and be ready to have a professional yoga studio website designed for you.

DO – Have A Lead Generating Website Professionally Built

It may seem cheaper to hire your sister in-laws 15-year-old nephew’s best friend to do your website, but we’ve actually found that to often be more costly in the long run. A website is MORE than just a pretty thing that exists on Al Gore’s internet. It has to help you grow and continually get you leads.

Hiring a professional lead-generating website company like 97 Display means your website will be built and developed by super cool SEO experts who will build you a customized strategy specially designed to attract more leads to your new website and convert that traffic to leads. We will help keep your classes full and your business in front of the people looking to spend money to practice yoga!

DO – Invest In Professional Branding

Branding should be consistent across all platforms. A huge part of your brand experience is your logo and your message. A logo is an essential part of your brand, and quite often it’s the first thing people will start to associate with your business. You want this vital point of recognition to be well-designed so that it creates an immediate sense of trust from your potential yoga client. Not easy to do on your own.

Plus, presenting the message of who you are and what you do is a great differentiator from your competition. Stick a great logo and a solid message on a new lead-generating professional website and you can qualify leads even faster, converting more of them into much needed clients for your new yoga studio.

DO- Promote Your Grand Opening!

We know you can’t wait to get those doors of your yoga studio open. I mean, that’s what it’s all about right? This is the perfect time to get an initial roster of clients to your studio.

Create mega buzz for your studio opening by offering a one-of-a-kind start up offer. Send visitors to your website to fill out their info so you can nurture them into good clients. Work the network from your event through email campaigns, ads and beyond. Because yoga is a highly saturated market with studios popping up regularly, you want to prep yourself to benefit from the initial excitement.

DON’T – Skimp on Promoting Your New Studio

Finally launched? Congratulations! Now it’s time to tell everyone about it. Keep interest and engagement high through a combined strategy of outbound marketing (ads and outreach) and inbound marketing (lead generating website design) for your yoga studio.

The best way for folks to know how gorgeous your new studio is will be to get them in the door, and these two strategies make for a powerful combo that will do just that. The yoga community is strong, and your existing yoga base is a fantastic place to start spreading the word about your new studio. Make the most out of social media platforms, blogging, and continue to expand your online reach outside of your website.

In Summary:

Opening your first yoga studio takes you on a personal journey of self-discovery and perseverance. Don’t underestimate the amount of work that it takes to open a thriving yoga studio in today’s busy market.

When you’re ready, take a deep breath, step onto the path and give us a call.