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Your USP is a unique selling point. It’s hard to effectively sell online without one.
For physical trainers new to the practice, yoga is an exercise niche. For dedicated yogis and fans, there are endless yoga niches. So what’s the niche of your niche?
First, you’ll need to choose a type of yoga. You may already have a favorite, but if you are still in the early days of your studies, this list includes just a handful of the most popular yoga practices:
Once you’ve chosen a practice, you’ll want to get a yoga certification. It’s not a requirement if you’re teaching independently online, but certification is a simple way to learn as much as you can before you start teaching, and to demonstrate your credibility in a crowded market.
Speaking of competition, you may want to narrow your niche even further. Goat yoga, corporate yoga and yoga for kids are just a few examples of super-niches in yoga.
Think about ways that you can set your yoga business apart from other yoga instructors and create something unique. Think about what activities or collaborators could help you add something special to your online yoga classes.
Do you want to sell yoga videos, or private classes one-on-one? Do you want to live stream your classes or offer pre-recorded sessions to your students?
Selling online means that your only limitation is time! It’s a good idea to offer pricing tiers, so think about your class offerings in relation to the price and how much time you have for live sessions.
You may want to offer your private sessions at a premium or sell your live sessions with physical products to your most loyal customers.
You can rent videos to students who love your teaching style but may not have the budget for your private sessions. Videos are also great for customers who may not be able to make it to your scheduled live stream group classes!
You’ll need a stable camera. This could be the webcam on your computer or your mobile phone. Make sure that your device can create quality video. Blurry images are especially frustrating during a workout, because it makes it difficult for your students to see your movement clearly.
Think carefully about where you plan to record your live yoga sessions. Â Your background, lighting, and where you put your mat make a big difference in how professional your final product will look. Use tape to mark the edges of the video so nothing important in your class happens offscreen.
Lighting is important too. Professional photography lights make a big difference in the quality of your live sessions, and they aren’t too expensive. You should be able to find something for $50-100 USD. This tutorial is great if you aren’t sure how to use light when shooting video.
Don’t forget audio! Have you noticed the sound quality on your laptop or phone is fine when you’re watching the video, but not so great for audio alone? You’ll want podcast-quality sound because your students will be listening more than watching if they are practicing along with your videos.
With this in mind, a decent microphone with a stable stand is another good investment. You can find a good one for $60-100 USD.
Film a test session and have a friend give you a critique of your set up. You may need to move a distracting houseplant or experiment with background sound, but it’s worth it for a great finished product.
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If you’re already teaching yoga, you’ve done a little bit of self-promotion and you know how effective social media can be for getting the word out.
You may already have a following on one platform or another, but since it takes time to really build a following, you’ll want to start immediately. Each platform is unique, so just choose one or two platforms, and post with intention.
You’ll also want to build your yoga business on LinkedIn. This platform is the best place for professional networking, so update your profile and reach out to your network for positive references. Join some professional groups too!
Another fantastic long-term marketing strategy is writing a blog. A blog gives you a chance to tell your story and attract new people to your yoga business while also building a closer relationship with your current clients.
Check out these great yoga blogs for ideas to get your blog started:
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Teaching yoga online is a business, and you’ll need to approach it thoughtfully.
You may be an expert at teaching yoga classes, but there may be a steep learning curve when it comes to organizing and running your business. The best way to nail down your process for success is to create a business plan.
You may only have a couple of students to start with, so it may seem overly complicated to create too much process at first. But questions like whether or not you need teaching insurance or how you’ll handle scheduling and billing are better to figure out up front than after a problem rears its ugly head.
Ask yourself a few questions:
What are the different types of services, classes and products you will offer?
How will you follow up with your students?
Who are your ideal students?
How will you organize your finances?
You’ll also want to think carefully about prices for your yoga business.
There are three models for success in online yoga business:
Many yoga instructors who offer this option will sell one-on-one live sessions and physical products from their site.
Sites like Selz offer a pay what you want option so you can let your customers pay a rate that works for their budget.
As you determine your pricing, ask yourself:
Who can afford your top tier classes?
How much do you need to charge to make your prices competitive while still earning a good income?
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Opening an online store is one of the most effective ways to start a yoga business. While starting an online store for yoga can be simple, there are hundreds of ways to go about it.
So, what is one of the simplest, fastest ways to set up a great-looking, professional yoga business online? Selling live sessions from your own ecommerce website.
You can read more about the benefits of selling from your own site in this article.
One of the most popular options for live stream classes is Zoom. Facebook Live, Instagram Live and YouTube Live are also great options.
On YouTube, you can restrict access by sharing an unlisted link, so only people with the link will see your class. On Facebook, you can restrict access by going live in a private Facebook Group.
Think about which apps you and your students will be most comfortable with, as well as how the platform fits our vision of your business moving forward.
Do you plan to rent videos of your yoga classes? Selz offers multiple options for digital product security, as well as unlimited bandwidth, so there won’t be any problems when your store goes viral! You’ll have up to 15GB file size and multiple file uploads per item allowed, so you’ve got plenty of room for whatever you want to sell.
Your online store should be professional and easy for your clients to use. One of our most popular themes for yoga instructors and personal trainers is Avalon – Motivate. One Up is another favorite!
As you put together your site, be sure to include essential details including:
Images are also important. If you’re teaching yoga for weight loss, you may want to add before and after photos from past students. If you are teaching yoga for relaxation, you may want to choose images of a serene landscape.
Whichever you choose, try to avoid stock imagery. You want to put together a look and feel for your site that reflects your personality and what makes your yoga business special.
Selz also lets you add a short video to each product listing on your ecommerce site. You can use this video to give your clients a clear picture of the experience they are about to purchase.
Think about how your audience will respond to your teaching style. Do you want them to follow along as you go through poses, or do you want them to watch you for correct form first? Are your live sessions focused on conversation and critique or are you leading your clients through a custom flow?
The better you set expectations for your students, the more satisfied they will be!
For each item you sell, you can upload a preview image, audio, or video file. You can also customize delivery options and offer discounts and coupons.
With Selz’s professional-looking checkout complete with SSL certificates, your buyers can be confident purchasing directly from your online store with a range of secure payment options.
If you want an even more custom website, check out Selz Do-It-For-Me.
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Marketing can and will make or break your yoga business.
Most yoga businesses find long term success with great SEO, PR and word of mouth marketing.
You’ve already started a blog, so if you have some readers, think about adding a button or a widget with your live yoga sessions to your blog.
You may have seen this on your favorite blogs, but never done it yourself before, so we’ve included some instructions. It’s a quick and easy way to start selling to your audience fast!
You may also be ready to get your yoga business off the ground here and now! Get a jump start teaching yoga online with paid advertising.
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Once you have a strong marketing plan in place, stick with it and keep experimenting. That said, it’s important to remember that new clients are only one part of a thriving yoga business. The other part is keeping it up.
Being reliable and consistent sounds simple, but you’ll have to find ways to keep pushing when you feel tired, unmotivated or overwhelmed.
Whenever you start to feel less than enthusiastic, take a look at your customer testimonials. Take joy in what you do and how it impacts your clients’ lives.
You started your yoga business to build relationships. Once you get going it will be easy for you to see that loyal clients who come back for more are the most important asset you can have.
Stay engaged with your community of clients on social media. Reach out to get their opinion on new products and ideas, and ask them what you can change to keep them happy and invested in your success.
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