Social Media for Yoga Instructors
A how-to-guide
Have you gotten on the Social Media bandwagon yet? Is it worth it? Or do you think, as one of my friends said today at lunch, that this fad will pass?
The yoga/fitness industry fluctuates a lot. As independent contractors, this can really affect us. This isn’t always a bad thing; since there is movement in the community it creates new opportunities all the time. When I first started teaching (about 13 years ago) I thought I’d never get consistent work. However, this fluctuation meant that I was able to get regular classes ASAP as other instructors moved or started teaching retreats more, whatever the case may be. Sure the classes were at 5 AM but at least I was working. I was half-asleep, but I was working!
However this movement in the industry can create some instability. If you want to make a living as a yoga instructor and find stability in this fluctuating market, then you have to market yourself.
If you’re like me, you just sighed with dread and exhaustion at the word marketing, ugh. However, it really is a necessary part of growing yourself as a brand. And, let’s face it, since we are independent contractors we have to promote ourselves as such.
So here are some tips that I got from my wonderful friend, Samia Massoud, who is currently getting her Masters in marketing at Liverpool University and has been in the marketing biz for over 10 years.
Pick One Outlet– There are many options for marketing yourself. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat….. My God, take your pick! Samia has some great words of wisdom on this topic, pick one outlet and do it well. Find the outlet that your client base uses the most and concentrate all of your effort on that. Really, there are only so many hours in the day and you can’t possibly market yourself well on all platforms. So pick one and do it really well. Once you’ve mastered that, add in another one.
Have a Social Strategy – One of the most important factors is to be consistent. Thus, create a schedule. Post to Facebook on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Then send out a Tweet on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And on Sunday we rest… phew! HootSuite is a great resource for this. HootSuite is a website that sends out automatic posts to various social media outlets. You can pre-schedule what you want to post and when.
Make it personal- After all, you are marketing yourself. Your unique, beautiful, and amazing self. Every instructor is special and different and that is what draws our students to us. What makes you standout as a yoga instructor will make you standout on social media as well. Don’t try to be like everyone else. Post what is important to you, what matters to you. That is what people want to see. Remember that one of the main points of yoga is to be authentic and connect, so use this medium to connect with your community and show your true self.
Although I’ve fought this whole social media thing for many years my good friend has convinced me of its importance. This is how many people connect now, so if we want to be connected and be relevant this is necessary. Give it a go… I am!
One last thing, Samia does not believe this is a fad that will pass. … and she’s the expert! Follow Samia on Twitter: @mktgevents.
And don’t forget to follow me!
Twitter: @O2yogakitsilano