A Quick Start Social Media Guide for Yoga Teachers
(with content prompter and 7-day challenge!)
Even though it feels like social media algorithms and trends change as fast and frequent as government covid guidelines, there are plenty of timeless social marketing principles that remain unchanged and highly effective. And the best part — they’re harmonious with the values and ethos of yoga.
Connection, community, and adding value to people’s lives is what social media for yoga teachers is all about. Once we start to see social media as a means by which we can serve and connect with our community, its use becomes clear, and its value — unquestionable.
Let’s take a look at some key ways we can utilize social media as an invaluable tool in our teaching journey.
Social Media for Establishing Connection
If our goal is to reach more people with the gifts of yoga, social media is a free, worldwide stage that allows us to do this. Whether it’s through broadcasting the message and value of yoga directly, or encouraging people attend classes to attain the benefits, social media allows us to connect with our local and global community with the purpose of helping get connected with yoga.
Also, being able to directly relate to your students, prospects, and community allows them to connect with you, helping them to get to know and relate with you beyond what they see on the mat (and you can get to know them, too). Which leads to my next point: community.
Social Media for Building Community
Social media is an excellent tool for you to engage with your students and the broader community. With social media, you have a clear and simple means to support your students, and build professional alliances and collaborations. This both strengthens your community while helping it grow. It also offers a great way to set the tone for the culture you want to create for your services and sangha (community).
Social Media for Building Value (in yours’ and your community members lives)
Serve your community by offering informative and value driven social content. You might be thinking, “If I give value away for free, why would people bother to pay for my services?” This is a valid concern, however, there is a method to this madness. Offering value-driven content is a double-edged sword: it brings value to both you and the lives of your audience. Which is essentially what marketing is all about — building relationships (and just like any healthy relationships, it’s a two-way street where both parties derive benefit).
When you freely deliver value on social media, your audience wins by gaining the value of what you’re sharing. And the benefit for you is that while doing so, you offer a taste of the value inside your paid services by exhibiting your energy, knowledge and skillset. This essentially allows your community to ‘try before they buy’. When you show up and demonstrate your value, you give your community a feel for who you are and how you operate. This builds their confidence in buying, and makes the sign up process easy and ethical (no need to use manipulative tactics (or prayers!). Through consuming your free content, your audience can experience the value of what you offer, making it easier for them to decide to work with you.
End Note: Social Media Marketing is Easier than You Think
First of all, let’s redefine the metrics of social media success.
Likes and views matter to some degree. They are a good indication that your audience enjoys and values your content. However, you can still be successful with a small audience and seemingly small engagement. If you’re showing up on socials with authenticity and value, you can still make an impact by catching the eye of the people who need what you have to offer. Even if you have 25 likes on a post, imagine 25 people standing in front of you — that’s still significant. And we often only need a handful of conversions to set our yoga-business wheels in motion (5 conversions a month compounded over time, and you have yourself a solid client base).
Don’t scoff when I say this, but I believe that if you consistently execute on utilizing social media to build connection, community and value, you can consider your social media strategy a success. When we draw the parallel between our goals and values as a yoga teacher, and how social media is simply a tool to help us achieve our mission, showing up on social media doesn’t seem so daunting, right? (and, remember that social media is only one element of your marketing strategy. (Note: don’t have a broader marketing strategy in place? Stay tuned for next month’s article).
Ok, so now you’re all hyped and ready to jump on social media, the next question is: what on earth do I post? And which platforms are best? (Insert > the actual overwhelming part of social media!)
To get you started, I’ve put together a content prompter and a 7-day challenge to help you build a rhythm and confidence with showing up on socials. Download the PDF and save it to your desktop. You can use it as a quick start guide to get you up and running, or, as an ongoing template to help prompt your weekly content creation. See below for details.
Social Media Content Guide:
· Download the content prompter and 7-Day social media challenge here.
For an open discussion on using social media (the pros and cons, and how to sustain a healthy relationship with social media use), watch the IG live discussion on. ‘The Changing Face of Social Media’ (with Erin and I) here.
Thanks for reading!
Samantha Hewinson
Chair of Yoga as a Business Working Group, Yoga Australia
Teacher Trainer & Business Mentor
Instagram: @livetoserveacademy @yogawithsami_
