biz: instantly improve your yoga marketing - don't make my mistake!

if you're looking to instantly improve the quality of your yoga marketing materials -- i.e. your blog, website copy, flyers, brochures, etc. -- to ensure they get a better response rate, start using this simple trick today (and avoid the mistake i made for years!). take a look at how you write -- and who you write for.  are you addressing your students/followers/readers as a whole group?  or as individuals?

i think the easiest and best way to illustrate the point i'm trying to make here is with a little test.  read the following two email intros, and you decide which one appeals to you more:

• hi yoga teachers - mark your calendars!  on thursday, march 21st i’ll be hosting a FREE webinar about how to establish an online presence and grow your following. interested in joining?  you can sign up here.  want the details?  here’s what i’ll be covering during the 45 minute webinar...
• howdy :-) mark your calendar!  on thursday, march 21st i’ll be hosting a FREE webinar about how to establish an online presence and grow your following. interested in joining?  you can sign up here.  want the details?  here’s what i’ll be covering during the 45 minute webinar...

so, which one did you like better?.... the second one?  i thought so!  ok, even if you didn't like the opener of "howdy", the second one still rings in as more friendly and authentic, right?  so, why is that?...

that's because, in the second email, i'm talking to you, and just you!  even if you have a ton of readers or email subscribers, remember that each and every one of them is an individual.  and, when you write, remember that!  your readers want to be seen for who they are individually, not to be lumped together with everyone else.

don't make the mistake i did (for way too long), trying to write for your entire audience -- instead, write for each unique audience member!  by keeping this in mind, the quality of your writing will instantly improve leaps and bounds, and each and every reader will love that you're speaking just to her!

biz: how to distinguish yourself in the crowded yoga world

ok, so you know what want to make a difference through yoga.  you know that it's your calling.  you know it's your life work. but, are you now wondering how you can distinguish yourself in such a crowded yoga world?  with so many studios, teachers, and teachers-in-training out there, how do you make a splash in the yoga community?  how do you get seen, heard, and recognized for what you do best?

well, i have good news for you.  just the fact that you're even asking these questions means that you're ahead of the curve.  a lot of teachers are perfectly happy to teach a few classes a week for their local community.  but not you.  you're thinking about how to be a force in the yoga world.  you want to make a difference not just in your local community, but beyond!

you've likely been giving the advice at one time or another to develop a yoga "niche" if you want to stand out -- yoga for athletes, chair yoga, yoga-dance, what have you.  and that's great if you're really and truly drawn to a niche.  but if you're not, you can't force it.  just like your yoga practice, you're teaching and teaching style has to an extension of you.

instead of thinking about how to incorporate a "gimmick", like playing top 40 songs during class (unless that is an authentic expression of who you are!), think about how you can infuse more of YOU into your classroom, website, and teachings.

remember, your students come to your class for a reason.  they like you.  they like what you say.  they like how you teach.  if they didn't, they wouldn't be there.  just by being you, you set yourself apart from every single other yoga teacher in the world!  you distinguish yourself just by authentically showing up for your students.

now, of course, this is easier said than done.  it's easy to find yourself trying to emulate teachers that you admire, adopting their speech, mannerisms, or cuing (i know i've been there!).  instead, notice how you interact with friends, family, and loved ones, and bring more of that person into the classroom.  is she funny?  wise?  serious?  silly?  poetic?  bold?  powerful?  reflective?  logical?  curious?

take note of what students request of you, what they thank you for, what questions they have, and what family and friends ask your advice on.  maybe you rarely use sanskrit and they love you for that, or you always open with a poem that themes your class, maybe you have a way of breaking down complex poses that gives more students doorways in, or perhaps you're extremely knowledgeable about the yoga sutras and teach on them often.  it could be any number of things, and remember, the very thing that sets you apart is often something so basic and "everyday" (in your book) that you're likely overlooking and over-thinking it.

investigate why people come to you, and you'll likely begin to see that you're already carving out a beautiful (and unique) space for yourself in the vast and wondrous yoga world!  capitalize on the uniqueness you innately possess to distinguish yourself and your teaching.