Build Your Email List with Your Online Classes

by Amanda Kingsmith | May 11, 2023 | Blog

An important facet of marketing is your email list. This is an essential tool for all yoga teachers (and all small business owners) who want to gain traction and communicate with their people on a personal level.

Your yoga business website can be an excellent place to gather email addresses and begin building your sales funnel, but in a post-pandemic world that thrives on virtual classrooms, there’s an even simpler way to grow your audience. Below is my step-by-step guide to turning your online classes into new email subscribers.

Break through the noise.

There is so much noise on the internet, and this is precisely what makes email lists so valuable. When compared to a new social media post amongst a hundred other new posts, an email is personal, intimate, and more readily acknowledged by the receiver. Even if you’re not interested in sending frequent newsletters or marketing campaigns, emails can be a fun way for students to get to know you better! It’s a direct line of communication between you and your biggest supporters. You’re free to be vulnerable with your thoughts and ideals, and if you strike a chord with a new client, you might just turn them into a lifelong follower.

Choose an email software.

To begin building your email list, you’ll need to choose an email software that’s right for you. MailChimp is a great option for beginners; it’s free up to 2,000 contacts, and it’s super user-friendly. If you already have an email list but would like to upgrade your software, I highly recommend ConvertKit. It has more functionality than MailChimp and is free up to 1,000 subscribers. Other great options include AWeber and Constant Contact, which come highly recommended by friends of mine. I suggest researching each platform to determine which one will serve you and your business best. Consider your current subscriber count, your ideal subscriber count, your business goals, and your budget as you shop.

Alternatively, if your website is built through Wix or OfferingTree, you are set up with integrated email options. This means you can automatically send emails to students who are registering for classes through your site.

Start collecting email addresses.

There are a few ways to start building your email list, depending on your unique situation. Here are some common scenarios and best practices for each:

For the yoga teacher who doesn’t currently have a website and is teaching classes via Facebook and/or Instagram Live: Start by transitioning your online classes from social media to Zoom. This is more legally sound, and you’ll be better able to invest in your students. This is also great for your email list because you’ll need somewhere to send your Zoom link, which will require clients to give you their email addresses.

For the yoga teacher who doesn’t currently have a website and is already using Zoom but has been asking students to DM them for the link: Start by asking students to DM you their email addresses, and let them know that you’ll be emailing the Zoom link. This will make your online classes smoother in addition to growing your list.

For the yoga teacher who has a website: Start by adding an email signup form or button to your site so that your students can easily connect with you. This will encourage others (anyone who visits your website) to subscribe as well. Consider posting your class schedule and email signup on the same page so that new students can easily be added to both your classes and your list.

Note: Each option could be tricky if you’re using separate Zoom links for each class. If this is the case, you can use different email signup forms for each class, or it might be helpful to consider using your personal meeting ID for all classes.

Consider using intermediary software.

An intermediary software program will allow your students to sign up and pay for classes through your website. I use Acuity in my own business, and I highly recommend it. You can integrate Acuity into your site or create a button that sends students to your Acuity page. From there, they can pay for classes, and you can set up Acuity to send out your Zoom link automatically. You can also have Acuity add students to your email list once they’re signed up for classes.

Building your email list this way would enable you to use your list for more personal communications, as opposed to simply sending out Zoom links more efficiently. Maybe you want to send out a few tips for a great yoga practice or a healthy recipe you love. Whatever you’re excited about, intermediary software makes it possible to chat about it with your audience.

This step may sound unnecessarily complicated, but it will actually simplify your life (and the lives of your clients) in the long term. Once your intermediary software is set up, it will be a huge time-saver.

Start sending emails!

Now that you’ve collected email addresses organically through your online offerings, you can begin sending emails to your list. Take a deep breath, dig deep, and have fun!

Pro Tips for Building Your Email List

1. Always let people know when they’ll be added to your email list. If you’re taking someone’s email address for any reason, it’s important that they know what you’ll be doing with it.
2. Give people the option to unsubscribe from your email list. All email software comes with an unsubscribe option, and in the interest of being a kind human being (and running a legally sound business), you’ll want to keep that option readily available for your audience members.
3. Offer a freebie in exchange for an email address. Consider creating a free meditation, yoga video, PDF, or ebook for your audience to enjoy, and attach it to an automated email that sends to all new subscribers.
4. Focus on nurturing your subscribers. Get to know your people. This is one of the main reasons to build an email list, and it’s hugely rewarding to cultivate relationships in this way.
5. Don’t be afraid to invest in your business! If you hit the free subscriber limit and have to start paying a monthly fee for your email software, congratulate yourself. People are signing up for, reading, and recommending your work. This is awesome!
6. If your Zoom link is currently in your bio, replace it with the signup link for your newsletter. If you don’t currently have a website, use your email software to create a landing page where people can subscribe.

Yoga Business OmWork

Let’s start building your email list!

1. Research and choose email software based on your business goals and budget.
2. Start collecting email addresses using one of the three templates above.
3. Send your first email newsletter!

Listen to “How to Build Your Email with Your Online Classes”

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

Danait Berhe on Elevating Your Yoga Brand

by Amanda Kingsmith | May 2, 2023 | Blog

Danait is a brand and marketing strategist who is passionate about helping her clients stand out through the power of messaging.

After graduating with a degree in biochemistry, Danait decided against attending medical school and chose to pursue her interest in business instead. She launched her first business in the sixth grade, creating custom bookmarks, and she knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur at some point… so why not now? She thought she might want to run her own clinic, but in the end, she was drawn toward the psychological element of marketing and messaging. Thus, her agency was born.

I love branding, but admittedly, it’s not my area of expertise, so I was thrilled to jump on a call with Danait and pick her brain about how to elevate your yoga business through branding. Spoiler alert: It’s so much more than just the visual aspects of your business! I learned so much from Danait, and I know you will, too.

Business Lessons

Know what “branding” really means.

Often, when we think of branding, our attention turns to our logos, websites, and color palettes. We focus so much on the design elements of our businesses that the other aspects of branding fall by the wayside.

More than eye-catching graphics, branding is about what makes your business unique. It’s about the people whom you serve and your long-term plan to improve their lives. Branding is your messaging. What are you sharing and how are you sharing it? This is how prospective clients will connect with you.

Design is important, but it’s not everything. The words you use to speak to your people are vital.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Many of us struggle with writing copy because we’re afraid to get it wrong. This takes the fun out of creating a brand, turning it into something to be dreaded (and sometimes avoided altogether).

With her background in science, Danait suggests treating your messaging as an experiment, rather than something that needs to be perfect. Think of it like a game! The same creativity that you bring to your design elements can translate to your copywriting as well. Your only goal should be to connect with your dream student.

If your messaging isn’t performing the way you’d like, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, roll up your sleeves and investigate. So, you didn’t fill your first workshop—how will you strengthen your marketing copy next time? Messaging is meant to evolve as you gain confidence, inspiration, and feedback from your students. It is never perfect and never finished—and that’s great news. You are free to experiment.

Start with your vision.

If you don’t have a vision of where your business is headed, you will find yourself jumping from one idea to the next, which makes branding an unnecessary struggle.

Once you’re rooted in your vision (for both your business and your life), the path forward becomes clearer. You’re able to anchor yourself in those ideas that will propel you forward, rather than throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks. This, in turn, makes your messaging clearer and attracts your ideal students.

Niche down.

If you try to speak to everyone, you’ll reach no one. Instead, get clear on your niche. Who are you targeting? How can you connect with them? What are they struggling with, and how can you help?

This brings us to Danait’s next point…

Define your services.

Once you’re clear on your niche, it’s time to hone in on your unique methodology. How will your offerings solve a problem for your students?

Defining your services has less to do with what you want to do and more to do with your clients’ needs. What will transform not just your life, but the lives of your students as well? How can you facilitate that? And how can you write about it clearly and effectively?

The way you differentiate your work dictates your branding.

Don’t try to create in a vacuum.

As we’re writing, we become attached to certain words and ways of describing things. But when we put our messaging out there… it falls flat. Maybe your audience doesn’t understand what you’re trying to convey, or maybe they can’t feel the heart behind your words. Either way, the lesson is clear: we need to do market research.

Market research does not need to be overwhelming. In fact, it can be as simple as jumping on Instagram Stories and saying, “Hey friends! Does this phrase resonate with you?” or “What do you think of when you hear ____________?” This allows your audience to chime in with direct feedback as you’re creating the brand that will serve them. You can also replicate this exercise in person or via your email newsletter.

Of course, market research is not the be-all, end-all of branding. This is your yoga business, and it’s important that you’re excited about your offerings. You are the expert, and your unique methodology and results are why people want to work with you. Always balance feedback from your audience with your vision and core values.

Yoga Business OmWork

To create clear and impactful messaging for your yoga business, there are three overarching things to keep in mind:

1. The people you want to serve
2. The transformation you provide
3. Your unique process

This is what Danait works on with her clients, and they are the vital components of a solid brand. With that in mind, grab your journal and brainstorm around these three points. It may take some experimentation to discover your niche, but the effort will be worth it.

“We get caught up in all these ‘shoulds,’ and we lose sight of the fact that we started our own businesses to carve our own path in the world… You’re the person who’s going to pave the way.” – Danait Berhe

Connect with Danait
Danait Berhe
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Listen to “Danait Berhe on Elevating Your Yoga Brand”

Photo by Alexandra Tran on Unsplash