Did you know that 94% of consumers research products online before buying? Or that three out of five people use search engines as a go-to shopping and service resource? (official Google statistics)
We live in the tech world where information is available at our fingertips. While word of mouth is still one of the best advertising strategies in the Pilates world it’s not the only one anymore. People are searching for Pilates studios on Google, they are checking out Facebook and Twitter for deals or friend recommendations, they are using directories to find real reviews.
You can’t be sitting on the offline sidelines anymore. Online marketing is the reality of the modern life and it can be quite enjoyable if you have fun with it.
Your clients are more likely to hear about you or find you ONLINE than through any other channel of promotion or advertising.
Most Pilates business owners have a Facebook page or a website already, they might even be twitting their specials and sharing photos on Instagram. But merely having an online presence doesn’t cut it any more.
When it comes to online marketing for your Pilates services you must focus on 4 main things:
- Can you be found online?
- Do you convert visitors to your website into clients?
- Do you engage your social media followers?
- Are you building brand awareness?
Online marketing might be another thing that you don’t have the time for, I get it, but you can’t ignore it if you want your business to succeed. You need to put your “business” pants on and go at it. I will give you 10 essential steps that you need to focus on. Take it one step at a time and feel free to contact us if you need more information or if you need help with anything. We are here to help you!
Just in the past 4 years the overall time that we spend online has increased by 233%! That is the number to consider when you are creating your business marketing plan.
According to the 2014 statistics shared by ReachLocal, one of the leading marketing and advertising companies in the US, 85% of consumers search for local businesses online. Unfortunately,about 63% of local businesses still don’t have a website and 25% don’t show up in local searches(ouch, let’s hope that your Pilates business doesn’t fall into any of these categories.)
By maintaining a vibrant website as well as leveraging modern web tools Pilates instructors and studio owners can present their high-end services in an attractive packaging congruent with the industry pricing.
Are you ready to take your Pilates business to the 21st century?
10 Ways to Create a Steady Flow of Customers to Your Pilates Business in the Web 2.0 World
Before you get started with this guide please download a comprehensive Worksheet with practical tips and resources that will help you create a personalized online marketing plan.
1. Find your space
As much as it is important to have a good location for your business it is also important to have a good website. When looking for a space for your studio you have probably considered proximity to the business or tourist center of the city, ease of access, visibility from the main road, size of the space as well as the layout.
The same things are important for your website.
- Get a descriptive and easy-to-remember domain. Your clients must be able to remember your domain and the search engines should be able to pick it up as a reputable business address. Keep it simple, as short as possible and straight to the point.
- Have a good hosting provider. I like to describe a host for your website as your landlord (because you are in fact renting a space on their server.)
Make sure to pick a host that offers back-ups, has excellent customer support, has low downtime and makes your website as fast as possible. Do your research or ask a professional for help.
PilatesBridge is hosted on GreenGeeks – an environmentally friendly hosting provider with awesome customer support.
In this day and time people hate slow websites. Most consumers will abandon a slowly loading page within 1 and 5 seconds.
2. Make your space easily accessible
You want your clients to be able to easily access your studio so you will not rent an awkward space with unsafe stairs, maze-like entrance or very low doors.
These things seem obvious but modern business owners rarely think that their website has even more demands than a physical space. In January of 2014 CNN Money reported that for the first time mobile apps and searches overtook desktop usage in the US. In fact, consumers spend over 60% of their Internet time on mobile devices.
Responsive design is one of the must-haves of the modern web technology but the majority of local businesses are not mobile-friendly.
Here is another stat for you, 70% of mobile searches lead to an action on a website within 1 hour of the search (for Pilates business owners, it could be a phone call to schedule an appointment, opting in for your newsletter or buying a trial package.)
Talk to your developer (or contact us) about creating a mobile-friendly website and test the finished product on as many devices as possible.
3. Decorate your space
How would you describe your Pilates space? Is it calming, bright, energizing or fun?
You put a lot of effort into keeping it neat and clean, decorated to create the best possible experience for your clients.
The layout of your website should translate the same emotions as your physical space. Dull and outdated websites send the same message to your potential clients: your teaching style and studio are boring.
You have only 1 to 5 seconds (if you are lucky!) to grab your website visitor’s attention. If they even have to think about the next action that they should perform (sign-up for your newsletter, call you to schedule a session, find where you are located or what classes you are offering) then your website has already failed!
- Use professional-quality images of your space on your website,
- keep the layout clean with as few distractions as possible,
- use as little text as possible (long dull articles only bore the viewers),
- simplify the navigational menu to include only the most important links,
- make your call-to-action take above-the-fold spot on your website (your new client promotion, newsletter sign-up, location and contact details.) You have only a couple of seconds to grab the visitors attention so don’t waste that time on blocks of text or poor-quality images.
4. Don’t tell a story, show a story
You can blame it on modern technology, busy lifestyles or laziness but most people don’t have time or desire to read. People want to be entertained and scan through information until they find exactly what they are looking for. In order to keep up with this trend you need to tell captivating stories through images instead of writing LOOOOONG paragraphs about how you became interested in Pilates or what benefits Pilates will offer your potential clients.
Use visually-appealing images for everything from sharing your favorite Pilates quotes, advertising a studio special or celebrating your clients’ accomplishments.
Let your smart phone be your best friend while teaching (ask your clients to fill out a photo release form first!)
Use these free tools to make your images stand out:
5. Share your news on a blog
Flyers were and still are a powerful way to share your news with the community. But today you can reach even more people through a blog on your website. Andrea Maida, from Solana Beach CA says that starting her own blog has helped her “articulate and deepen her understanding of the method.” Her blog brought hundreds of visitors to her website and has helped to share her authority and credentials with the potential clients.
However, few things look worse than an abandoned blog post advertising a New Year special two years ago. If you are planning to commit to blogging then get at it but if you don’t have the heart for it then use Facebook and Twitter to share your news and tips.
6. Turn word-of-mouth into word-of-share
Americans today spend at least 40 minutes every day following a Facebook feed which means Facebook gets the most mindshare minute for minute of any other websites.
Most of Pilates studio owners today have a Facebook page and a Twitter account so using them is a no-brainer to market your services. However, in order to see a return on your time investment into social media consider the following strategies:
- share client transformations or accomplishments,
- post pictures taken during classes and tag your clients in them,post links to helpful articles (from your blog or from external resources) that you followers would like,
- post inspirational images or tips,
- ALWAYS ask your followers to Like or Share your post, because otherwise they might forget about it even if they liked the resource.
- DO NOT overload your posts with hashtagas and business promotions.
- Be personable on your business FB page.
7. Run an ad campaign
If you have ever considered advertising in a local publication then consider advertising on Facebook. The cost of a Facebook campaign would be just a fraction of a conventional campaign but it will let you reach your target audience.
ON Facebook you can choose who will see your ad so you can target only people living in your area, interested in fitness or the ones who like other local businesses that are relevant to your services. For example, a person who likes a local chiropractor or a massage therapist is very likely to be interested in Pilates as well.
NOTE: most people will not be willing to schedule a session with you right away. Let them sign up for your newsletter or like your Facebook page. Once you have their trust you will be able to market your services to them.
Consider it a way to increase your brand awareness and to introduce your business to more local people.
You can learn a lot of great Facebook tips from Amy Porterfield – make sure to sign up for her free video course, it’s 100% worth your time.
8. Get listed
The days of Yellow Pages are pretty much gone because everybody wants to see real-time business listings with genuine reviews.
- With Google being the #1 search engine these days it is imperative to add your business to Google Local, and the best thing is that it won’t cost you a penny. Simply create a Google page for your business and list all of the relevant details there (including your website.) Simply go to this link to get started: https://www.google.com/local/add/
- Also consider adding your business to any relevant and reputable online directories.
Backlinks from the directories will help your website rank higher in search results (Google these days pays less attention to backlinks than even a year ago but Yahoo and Bing still do. However, Google changes its algorithm so often that you never know what they are going to consider important tomorrow.)
- Having profiles in several relevant and reputable directories will give your potential clients an impression that you take your business seriously (which you do) and that you will be as professional teaching them as you are maintaining your online presence.
- You will create online brand awareness. When potential clients see the name and logo of your business everywhere online they recognize your brand and are more likely to use your services.
- Get real reviews. According to the 2013 study by BrightLocal, almost 80% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Harness this power of reviews by asking your current clients to review your business in different directories.
Consider the following directories as your main focus Yelp.com and Pilates Finder at PilatesBridge.com
9. Create an on-going Open House for your Business
During an open house you get to invite visitors to your studio to check out the space and maybe try a few free or low-priced classes to get a feel of what you offer. It is a great marketing strategy but it can get quite pricey.
Consider creating a Youtube Channel for your studio. Digital Sherpa (the largest content marketing company in the US) shared that YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google and that most Internet users will spend a third of their online time watching videos. (why not let them watch your videos during this time?)
- When new clients find your website they want to get a feel for the classes and the instruction that they are going to get at your place. Pilates classes are not cheap so the consumers want to be sure that they get what they pay for.
- Creating videos doesn’t take special knowledge or training. Your smartphone has all the tools to record a great video and post it online.
- Recording yourself teaching will also be a useful tool in improving your teaching skills. You can later review your cues, gestures and even posture while teaching to look more confident in front of the camera and your clients.
10. Get into their email box
Send your current clients a newsletter with valuable tips, pictures taken during classes, special offers or maybe even some fun moments from the studio. Many business owners really lose an opportunity to connect with their current and prospective clients because they send out only boring promotional emails. These emails go straight to the Trash folder of most of the recipients.
Consider the following tips when creating your newsletter:
- Add a newsletter sign-up form to the website. Give your potential customers a reason to sign up – offer a discount that they will get in their email box, a free Pilates video that they can download or watch, a small recipe book of cleansing recipes etc.
- Use an email provider to send out professional-looking emails. There are many to choose from but I really like Mailchimp because they have an easy-to-use interface and fun features for your campaigns. Another bonus is that you can sign up for free and maintain a free account until you reach 2000 subscribers.
- Post consistently. Decide how often and on what days you would like to post and stick to your schedule. Don’t flood your customer’s email box with newsletters and don’t disappear for several months to the point that your subscribers don’t even remember who you are.
- Use the same branded template for your communication. It will make it easier for your readers to find the exact information that they are interested in.
- Share relevant tips and resources to engage both your loyal clients as well as the readers who have opted in on your website but haven’t booked a class yet.
According to Gartner Research, 81% of customers will make a purchase after the 5th reminder or call, 67% will buy in the next year, and 80% will buy within 2 years. Use your vibrant newsletter to stay in touch with the clients who are not ready to invest in your services right away but have the potential to become your loyal clients in the future.
Creating a vibrant online presence for your Pilates business or for your instructor services is not just a way to get more clients or get a competitive advantage. It is a way to influence the entire community locally and globally by spreading your love for the Pilates method. With each Facebook share, each picture upload, each article posted, each video shared you raise the awareness about Pilates in the entire world and ultimately create more excitement about Joe’s Method that all of us love so much.
Do you have questions or are you considering creating/redesigning your website? We can help you focus only on the things that TRULY matter for your business and explain any technical terminology that you might not feel comfortable with. We speak “Pilates” and not “techy geek” 😉
PilatesBridge offers website development (click here for more details) services specifically for Pilates business owners. Talk to us about how you can improve your online marketing efforts.