Branding Your Yoga in 2023 

One of the best things about being a yoga teacher is the freedom we have to be creative in our teaching style. We could be teaching Ashtanga that may be set by way of their class sequencing or primary series, but an ashtanga teacher can always change up the delivery in order to make the class his/her/their own. Which is what makes each instructor unique. It’s not what we can bring to the table but what we stand for as individuals in our profession that keeps our clients coming back to our classes or studio. 

How do we present that to our audience? Is there a method to the madness of branding or embracing the madness is the method? For the start of 2023, what is our branding strategy? What technology is within reach nowadays? And how do we build them into our brand? We will dive into trends that have come out recently and some trends from 2022 that are here to stay so that you can make informed decisions as to where to take your business in 2023. 

We will divide this article into 2 parts: Classic branding strategies and Trends of today. The previous one will talk about the basic branding techniques we need to start with. The latter will feature what trends are on the rise and how we can incorporate them into our business.

While there are a myriad more trends out there as well as new concepts popping out every day, it’s important to stick to the core of your brand story. 

Classic Branding strategies that Never go out of style

The Business Plan

Not only does a good business plan get your loans approved or maybe find the right investor or partner, but it gives us a framework on how to run our business. By putting in the hours to create our mission statements, putting into paper our target audience, moreover our scope of practice. We build structure because it’s impossible to offer everything. Even if you stay within the confines of yoga, there are some yoga systems that don’t complement each other or bylaws within a method that claim exclusivity. Knowing your wheelhouse means you know where you can operate and what disciplines to leave alone, which will pave the way for your branding strategy.   

Finding the Problem you Want to Fix and the People Who Need it 

Every business presents a problem they are trying to solve. Ikea with ready-to-install budget furniture, they don’t cater to people who want the finer things in life. They mostly market to students, young couples, and renters. We have to figure out what you stand for and who you want to share your practice with. For example, In my case, I teach fitness-based vinyasa yoga and aerial yoga to students that want to increase mobility and flexibility. I target an audience from the mid 20’s to 70’s that want a more active practice. I have a light meditative practice. So people who want a more spiritual discipline will not have me on their radar. 

Make a Website and Use Social Media

This is a business must-have whether you are an individual teacher or a studio (especially if you are a studio). This is the face of your company. This is where people can find you and see what you’re all about. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to be an easy read that shows your contact information, the classes you have, an ‘about you’ page, and a blog with some content to start with. Another thing that can add visibility to your site is a “Google My Business” profile. Use the biggest platform in the world to get your name out there! After you are done with the basics, let’s get your yoga ready for 2023! Finally, take advantage of social media. A good reel can be repurposed for three platforms and get the most visibility. While there is some dispute about whether it gains clients or not, putting your business out there is what any business needs. 

Trends for your yoga in 2023

Portability

Online classes are here to stay! So if you are on the fence about whether to take your business to a streaming platform or create yoga content, get on it because it’s never too late to start. To take it a bit further, sites like Youtube, and Momoyoga, help you publish your content and take payments. You don’t have to wait or build your career so that giant companies like Alo Moves or Apple fitness notice your existence. But let’s take it one step further, these days, one can create a fitness app to launch your content so that your clients can take your yoga classes wherever they go. Whether it’s a beach or a boat, you are within reach. WIX, as well as Bubble are some do-it-yourself options, but there are coding companies that you can delegate to.   

Boutique Fitness 

If you have or are in the midst of developing a method that is uniquely yours, then boutique fitness may be the niche you want to create for yourself. Boutique fitness is a specialized gym or facility that only offers the discipline they are marketing. Corepower yoga combines yoga with weight training, Air uses a spinning aerial yoga and dance technique, and Buti yoga combines dance, GAP, and yoga to generate a 1000 calorie burn in 1 session. Bikram yoga was one of the first boutique fitness facilities that went global. The great thing about this is that a well-developed teaching style has the potential to become a global franchise with today’s technology. So if you have an idea, stick to it. Who knows it might become the next big thing.

Yoga for Mental Health

One of the trends we came across was called creative self-expression. It said, “Over the past two years when people were stuck in lockdowns and quarantine, they had no choice but to deal with the demons in their heads. We saw how mental health took the front seat in most people’s lives.” Which brought us the bullet journals and other texts on how to process feelings. By that logic, as yoga teachers we can help by reading up on yoga and mental health techniques to serve our clients better. Tiffany Cruikshanks has a course on yoga and mental health if you would like to officially add a certification to your list of credentials. 

While there are a myriad more trends out there as well as new concepts popping out every day, it’s important to stick to the core of your brand story.  

A new year sets us off in an optimistic light. We are refuelled by hope that maybe this year will be ours. This is the month to create new things, a month when creativity and ambition thrive. Wherever it is you want to grow professionally, we hope that after this piece, we have brought you closer to that point.