I have to be honest, when it comes to technology I’m a Luddite, I can barely text 😉 I do though,
Om-line training with Lucy
recognise that to thrive in the modern world one has to embrace all things technical! Slowly, I am learning how to communicate using Facebook, I love blogging, I have a Linked In profile and apparently I have a You Tube channel (is that the right word?) I just need to get something on it …
You may well be nodding in agreement with all this, perhaps you have been thinking about finding out a bit more about social media yourself? If so, then read on! Below is a blog from digital marketing officianado and Dru Yoga teacher, Lucy Bannister. Lucy is running a special course introducing social media to those of us who work in the “softer” professions at our Acanthus Studio, November 7th, where she promises to explain all the confusing jargon and techno-speak!!
Why You Need To Know About Social Media For Your Yoga Business, Even If You Don’t Think You’ll Ever Use It
Things used to be much simpler. If you set up a yoga class you might make some posters and/or flyers for your local area, list it in the Yellow Pages or the Free Ads, pop an advert in the local paper.
But nowadays people say you have to be on Twitter. And Facebook, Instagram and Google too. Perhaps you’ve even been told to send out e-newsletters or create You Tube videos? Even worse, someone might have suggested that you take bookings for your yoga class online.
But none of this seems relevant to you because the people that come to your class don’t use Twitter. Or book online.
Or do they?
77% of people in the UK bought something online in the last month. For every person in the UK there are 3.1 devices connected to the internet.
The UK population is the global number one when it comes to online activity! And those who are not using the internet themselves are doing so indirectly – by asking friends and family to research, or buy, online for them.
So maybe your customers are using Google, or Twitter, or Facebook.
For many yoga teachers being ‘online’ is not a priority. Delivering good quality yoga classes to loyal and committed students comes much higher up than working out how to use technology to send a Tweet or build a website. And so it should.
But as times change, faster than ever before, so do the needs of our yoga students. They are going to be searching online for classes near them, and if your class doesn’t appear on Google, then they won’t know it exists.
And we want them to know we exist so that we can share the amazing work that we do. Ironically the more we live our lives online, the more we need yoga!
It’s OK, you don’t necessarily have to become a master of Instagram selfies, or the top hit on You Tube. But you might want to have a mobile friendly website, an email list that doesn’t breach Data Protection rules and a way of reaching your customers on Facebook.
Knowing what is out there for you to use, so you can pick and choose what might help you reach your potential customers is vital to keeping your classes vibrant and alive with students. And you might even find that some of these tools, like e-newsletters and online booking actually reduce the admin workload that you have to deal with on a daily basis, and increase your income at the same time.
Of course it is essential that all this is done with the right attitude and intention, with honesty and integrity.
I call it marketing with ahimsa. Reaching out in the spirit of non-violence. Non-violence to your customer and, very importantly, non-violence to you as a teacher. It’s about finding ways to absorb these new approaches to marketing into your business without it being something you find uncomfortable or difficult.
I’m offering an afternoon of insight into all this on Saturday 7 November at Inside Out Yoga Studio near Wakefield. We’ll look at the main social media networks, and a few key tools that I know will really help your yoga business flourish. But we’ll also be doing some lovely Dru Yoga to help remove any fear that you might have about trying out these things. Advance Booking can be made online at: http://omlinetraining.com/workshops-and-events/
Or you can email or call me to ask questions or book over the phone:
lucy@omlinetraining.com 07751520889
Saturday 7 November 2015 1 – 5pm Inside Out Yoga Studio, Acanthus Golf Centre, Wakefield WF3 1SL £28 (advance booking)