Becoming a yoga teacher: the importance of a good value proposition
We have already discussed The importance of copywriting in another article in this blog.
Now we are going to see how to best apply these techniques to create a good value proposition. If you are a newly qualified teacher or are thinking about opening a studio, read on.
Why you need a clear value proposition to be a yoga teacher
We have already spoken about why this is important.
Without a good value proposition that identifies you as unique, people will only choose you if you are either the best in the business, or the cheapest.
If you are already the best at something, take advantage of it: make it your defining feature. However, describing yourself as the best at something may not be very credible. This leaves you with plenty of work to do to get lots of quality references and recommendations from previous students. If you are not the best, please do not decide to be the cheapest. This will not be good for you or the rest of the yoga community.
What do you need for a good value proposition?
The first thing to be sure about is the profile of your ideal student.
Anyone who wants to come to my classes!
Actually, no. As we have already seen, there are lots of yoga teachers and many yoga studios. You can’t just be one more in a crowd.
In this case, where there is so much on offer, especially if you are just starting out, it is wiser to concentrate on just one part of the population. This is what is known as a market niche. Ok, you already have a niche in yoga. What then? You have to choose a micro-niche, or a double specialization. For example, in the case of Yogalinda, Heather decided to open a ‘hot yoga’ studio in Barcelona: her differentiating feature was the 40ºC in the classes.
This will help you to have a clear idea of who you are appealing to, and will make it easier to empathize with them, put yourself in their shoes and speak directly to their emotions. In short, to connect with them.
Once you have decided who your ideal client will be, what do you want to say to this future student? Are you going to tell them what yoga is? All about its benefits? And then what?
This future student (or not) that is tired of reading the same thing on every webpage of every yoga teacher will think “I already know this” and will go elsewhere. Instead of telling them something they already know, tell them how they will feel after regular yoga practice with you.
And you know how that feels because of your own experience. Because you know that yoga marks a before and after in the life any person, even if they only begin to practice for physical reasons. And you know all of this because you have gone through it yourself. So, empathize with your reader and speak to them from the heart: speak to their emotions. Because they will make the decision with their emotions.
Afterwards you can explain what yoga is and what benefits it has to them, if only to satisfy their rational selves and justify the emotional decision that they have taken to practice with you. Now that you have convinced them, guide them into taking their first steps.
You should make them think “Why not? It looks easy and it doesn’t cost me anything.” Provide them with a link to subscribe to your newsletter or to reserve a class with you. Make it very easy. You could say something like:
- Yes, I want to transform my life today!
- I want to try a class!
- I am finally going to get rid of my stress!
Show them exactly how easy it is to take the next step.
How to use copywriting in your value proposition
Copywriting is a great tool for your yoga business. It is the superpower that makes everyone like you.
To start with, combined with SEO, it makes you popular with internet search engines. This is what will make your page appear on the first page of search results. And of course, the reader will like it and will end up choosing you.
This last one can be achieved by putting yourself in the mind of your ideal student, identifying what their needs or painful areas are (sometimes even before they know it themselves) and offering them the definitive solution to their problems.
For example, if your ideal student is a person who works in an office for 8 hours a day, seated, with little movement and with a sedentary lifestyle, it’s possible that their problem areas will be muscle and joint rigidity, back pain… But they may also have psychological symptoms like anxiety or frustration that would be generated by their job. This will obviously depend on the type of classes you offer.
You can begin with something like this…
With this you are reminding them that they spend too much time sitting down, and that it is not good for their health. Being so usual in our society it is possible they had never even thought about it. But now they are conscious of it, and they know that it’s not good. And more importantly, they know that you can help them. Looks more interesting than a simple:
Right?
If you would like to learn more about how copywriting can help you launch your career as a teacher, or attract more customers to your yoga studio, visit my web: www.lobosdepapel.com
Namaste!
Ana (from Lobos de papel) Oh! If you liked this… please share!