Types of Social Media Posts to Generate Traffic to Your Yoga Classes

With live classes on the horizon, we can finally see a light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. While we are still a long way from normal, there is a feeling of hope in the world. What does this mean yoga teachers? We can start planning for our live events while maintaining our new normal.We can plan for the classes we knew and loved to give, while tweaking as well as maintaining our new format in imparting yoga sessions. 

Whatever you’re working on, one thing remains the same–social media. Our marketing strategy as of now, will involve platforms like Facebook, Instagram, coupled with our websites to lead people into our classes. While bombarding potential clients with advertisements is probably a bad idea, a variety of social media posts that generate interest may contribute to acquiring your new students live or virtual. 

Today we will dive into the different kinds of posts and where they fit in a marketing plan. We will also talk about some features that help add some life to your posts. Let’s get started.

The types of posts

The Quote post

The quote post is best pretty much good for anytime. It is visually and mentally stimulating. Words are powerful. So much so that an original quote from you may resonate with a wider audience than your marketing posts. Besides, a good quote is useful in letting your audience get a sense of you as a yoga teacher or maybe even reaching a more personal level. 

The Yoga Pose Picture

An oldie but a goodie. This post is a peek at your journey as a yogi in your asana practice. It visually conveys your skill while you talk about what your experience was like practicing this asana. You can also go another direction and make it a tutorial. Maybe add in some tips to make this posture easier or how to improve your alignment. It is a multi-purpose post that can lead your students to your classes or websites

The Personal Post

Personal posts allow your students to see the human side of you. When you have a marketing strategy for social media, you can’t keep making posts that always lead your following to your classes or paid offerings. Some may know you–but others are just discovering you. Presenting some personal posts makes you more relatable. People identify with that. While a personal post may not lead you to many clients straight away, it will make you less forgettable. Eventually paving the way to your website or studio.

The Thank you post

Always show appreciation for your following because without them there’s no you. Let’s say that you grew your following to 1,000 people and you land a sponsorship. Make a celebratory post thanking your viewers for reaching that number and for making all this possible. Adding a personal touch with a welcome PM or DM is also a winning move. Not many do this yet I can assure you, it is greatly appreciated. 

Reels

Reels on Instagram is basically your yoga teacher trailer. Just like the movies, you put together all the best video content you have in a 15-30 second video. As of now, IG wants the reels to become an indispensable method of marketing by featuring posts using this feature. This means that IG will promote your work to a wider audience when you use it, Increasing your brand’s discoverability.

IGTV

This is YouTube on Instagram. The content can reach anywhere between 3 minutes to 1 hour long. The upside is that  IGTV is completely ad-free ( for now ). Which is a very pleasant viewing experience. The downside is that you have to be very popular to be given an hour-long time slot. For us yoga teachers, I would recommend this feature for video tutorials, samples of your classes, or if you are selling a set of pre-recorded classes IGTV is where you upload a preview. I would like to point out that IGTV is for you if your target demographic is very active IG users. 

Tutorials

Tutorials can range from step by step collage, all the way to  lengthy 5-minute lectures. They can be incredibly versatile with a global reach. Your followers are able to see what a class with you will be like. You can put it up on any platform and lead it to your paid classes, articles, you name it.   

Stories

‘Stories’ is a feature found on both Facebook and Instagram. Videos layered after another so the viewer experience is as if you’re watching a very short movie. As a yoga teacher, it can have a variety of uses. You can post your ads and announcements with moving graphics, you can post personal content so that your views can see your day-to-day life, You can even use stories as market research by creating polls. The best part about the stories feature is that the general public expects to see something candid. It takes the pressure out of creating the perfect video or image as it is impermanent. These videos only last 24 hours. It is a fantastic tool for creating filler content or personal posts in between your marketing ads. This maintains client engagement which will keep your potential yogis updated until you post your advertisements.  

Marketing is more effective when you have something specific to sell while knowing who you’re selling it to. 

Ads and Announcement Posts

Via design software, you can create eye-catching posters for social media that lead your students to your classes. You can write about your studio’s promotions, events, workshops, retreats, again the world is your oyster. This applies to both online and live classes. Right here on Momoyoga, we can share our online classes via feed post or story. It’s easy! Just copy-paste the link of the class you’re offering and either instruct your viewers to click the link on your bio if you are using Instagram or put the link on your Facebook post. Another way is to instruct your viewers to shoot you a DM/ PM. Not only do they receive a personal message from you plus the link, but you have also made a first-hand connection. Speaking from experience, that goes a very long way. We also have options to share your class in Momoyoga so that you may acquire organic growth from us as a business. Check out our article if you need more information on this.

How do we put this all together? 

When possibilities are endless, it can feel immensely overwhelming. On one hand, we don’t know where to start or if there is a formula on how to present things on social media promptly. On the other hand, interacting with the public via the internet is a habit to form and a trial-and-error experience. Some things will work for you and some will not–you won’t know until you try. That said, here are some basic techniques that can increase traffic to your business that may lead to conversions. 

Entertainment, Edutainment, Offer

Much like your basic sales funnel you grab attention by posting entertaining content, present some free education to show your credibility, then make a marketable post that leads people to your paid offerings. What are your entertainment posts? These are your personal posts and quotes Showing your viewers what you can do and how much fun you’re having by doing it. Edutainment is about presenting educational content in a fun way (a term I learned from Cora Geroux in this podcast episode by Yoga teacher Resource with Mado Hesselink). Some inspiration for this type of content could be reels, IGTV, and the like. Finally, move in for the paid stuff by presenting your advertisements like online or live classes. It doesn’t have to be a 3-step process. 

The Social Media Calendar

Another tool you might want to use is a social media calendar. Carefully plan out your posts and content throughout the month to engage your clients until you offer them your services. Each month, take a look at your calendar to see when you have scheduled. Where are your events,workshops, new classes, or whatever you have planned for your studio? Also look at holidays, long weekends. Plan to acknowledge or have a special event for that occasion. Platforms like Hootesuite or any other social media scheduling tool, you can save hours and your marketing strategy runs like clockwork. 

Social media is a remarkable tool to acquire more students. It would be foolish to ignore the possibilities it can bring. Nevertheless, let’s not neglect organic growth as well. Word of mouth travels faster especially if you live in smaller towns. Utilizing both methods is a winning combination. However, the most important aspect of marketing is knowing your people. Marketing is more effective when you have something specific to sell while knowing who you’re selling it to. Accomplish these steps and your plan will flow as easily as your practice does.