5 Ways for Yoga Studios to Use Facebook

There is a trend happening amongst yoga studios lately that seems to be growing and evolving by the day: Facebook is fast becoming more useful to yogis, both students and studio owners, than a website!

With the ability to quickly and easily add posts, change photos and communicate with students (in a place where so many students already visit on a daily basis), the benefit of studios using a FacebookPage is significant.

Fan Pages Add Value to You & Your Students.

1. Posting the daily class schedule
For students new to a studio, it might take some time to remember what the daily class schedule is. When a studio posts this information on a daily basis, it is a reminder to their students what classes are available and at what time. I find it to be a boost of motivation to attend a class when I log onto Facebook in the morning and see a class that works well with my schedule. If I have a free afternoon or evening and am provided a reminder of available classes, I am much more likely to attend a yoga class than I would be if I had not seen that post.

2. Posting the daily instructor schedule
It’s no secret – students have their favorite instructors, and their not-so-favorite instructors. I think it is great when a studio posts the daily instructor schedule to give their students the choice of which class they would like to attend. Hot Yoga of Mill Creek posts the class/instructor schedule along with a photo of each instructor.

3. Communicating schedule changes and addressing student feedback
I’ve noticed that a lot of students enjoy posting about their great class experiences on their studio’s Facebook wall. What a great and public venue for a client testimonial! It helps a studio owner to know what things are going well and what their students appreciate about the classes and instructors. I have even seen students posting about items they have left behind at the studio (water bottles, jackets), as a way to address the community of students to see if anyone has found their lost items!

On the flipside, Facebook is a valuable tool for addressing any negative feedback or concerns. If a student didn’t feel well after class or if they had a problem with their class experience, they have a place to voice their concern and the studio owner has a place to publiclyaddress (and correct) it.

Another way to use Facebook is to solicit feedback about an upcoming schedule changes. In the past, Hot Yoga of Mill Creek has seen a decline in attendance during the summer months. The solution has been to cut back on some of the less-attended classes, but the concern is that some students might be unhappy with those changes. The solution? To post the revised schedule ahead of time in order to receive any important feedback from the community! In this circumstance, the feedback was loud and clear – and the schedule was again modified to include the classes that students wanted kept on the schedule.

4. Promoting overall health
Yoga is not just about asana (physical postures performed in yoga classes). It is also about overall health and mental fitness. One way to encourage studentsoutside the studio is to post articles about health and fitness, recipes, links to yoga blogs or websites, and inspirational quotes. You never know what type of material will appeal to each of your students, but it is an excellent way to serve as a motivator in their lives in any way that you can reach them. It is great to be able to serve students inside the classroom, but if you can become their go-to resource for motivation and health tips, you are increasing your chances of repeat business (and great word of mouth advertisement).

5. Advertise new specials and promote your studio
When Bindi Yoga was getting ready to open their doors in February 2011, the owners knew the importance of creating an online Facebook presence. In the months leading up to the grand opening, Bindi Yoga posted updates and pictures of the progress being made on the studio giving their future students a peek into the love and dedication they were putting into making a beautiful studio. They also took the time to ask for feedback from their community about what classes and times were in demand. It was their way to show that they were opening a studio FOR their students, and make them part of the process. Facebook is also a great place to promote specials and upcoming events and answer any questions that students may have about them.

Finally, with the Facebook Places feature that has been integrated into the system, students are promoting the studio they attend with each “check in”. A check in becomes an advertisement for the studio to each student’s Facebook friends – which is a great way to expand their studio’s business!

Social Media director for Impact Washington, yoga instructor for Hot Yoga of Millcreek as well as Bindi Yoga located in Lynnwood, Wahsington. Follow Jessica on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicaingle

Jessica Ingle

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