059: Marketing and Promoting a Yoga Teacher Training with Ashley Hagen [Consultation Call]
Today’s episode is a consultation call between Shannon and Ashley Hagan, who is preparing to co-teach her second 200-hour yoga teacher training course. Ashley is a full-time yoga teacher with a background in graphic design. She has been the lead instructor at a yoga studio for 4 years and has come to the realization that she wants to build her own yoga business by hosting trainings, retreats and more. Ashley loves taking yoga teacher trainings and pulls from them to inspire her to teach in her own way.
Shannon coaches Ashley by asking her to reflect on the first 200-hour yoga teacher training she led, how Ashley and her teaching partner Dave split the work, why Ashley wanted to create her own course and more.
Shannon advises Ashley on marketing her course as it’s Ashley’s top priority to fill the spaces available. She also leads Ashley to distill her course and who she and her co-teacher Dave are down to the essence, as well as envisioning their ideal student in order to market the training.
Shannon also asks Ashley to consider what makes her teaching unique, what defines her course over the many other 200-hour yoga teacher trainings and the importance of taking a stand on what she wants to include in the content of the course.
02:40 How a consultation call with Shannon works
07:25 What Ashley finds to be the most challenging aspect of her yoga business
08:10 Ashley’s previous experience with leading a yoga teacher training
08:30 Working with a partner and splitting the work
11:10 When her teacher training starts and the style of training
11:35 What motivated Ashley to create her own teacher training
12:45 Feedback Ashley received from her previous teacher training and challenges she encountered
14:35 What unique offerings Ashley feels she brings to her trainings
16:00 Shannon asks Ashley to reflect on yoga teacher trainings she’s taken and how she would like to teach aspects of the course differently
17:45 Ashley describes Budokon and what she draws from the practice
19:30 Shannon asks Ashley to consider her interest in Sanskrit and yoga philosophy as a strength and perhaps incorporating it into her teacher trainings
21:25 Shannon suggests Ashley incorporates developing yoga teacher confidence into the course and advice on getting yoga teacher jobs
22:05 What Ashley finds to be the biggest challenge in attracting yoga students to her training
22:55 Shannon’s sticky note method to visualize, in a concrete way, how many students you need to fill your course and how to accomplish that
24:00 Shannon asks Ashley if she has a mailing list and if she has a method to reach out to that list regularly, in a personal way
27:00 What Ashley believes to be her target audience and is advised to market keeping this in mind
28:40 Reaching out to yoga teachers that may have students who are interested in YTT and considering incentives for those who refer students to the training
33:25 Using video to introduce yourself and your partner to tell your background story and using Facebook Live to preview part of the course
37:20 Making a plan to post on social media and sending out emails, including some course content or relating it back to activities in your life
42:55 Establishing what makes you unique is key to elevator and escalator pitches- Your One Thing, THE strategy, the essence of your yoga teacher training
45:40 Highlighting the relationship between you and your co-teacher and the way you work together can make students feel confident about taking your course
Taking a stand on the YTT that you want to teach and letting students know that the 200-hour yoga teacher training is just a start
52:00 Shannon and Ashley discuss where and how Ashley is going to market next
56:25 Shannon’s closing thoughts
Links
Article: Budokon, made in America, mixes yoga with martial arts on reuters.com
Relevant Podcast Episodes:
Sticky Note Method- 049: Grow Your Yoga Student Base [Part 1] with Shannon Crow
002: Reconnect With Your Yoga Practice with Nina Andic [Consultation Call]
018: Get Creative with Your Yoga Cues [Consultation Call] with Brittany Alred
029: Creating Your About Me Page with Trevor Parks [Consultation Call]
040: Grow Your Audience with a 5-Day Challenge with Patricia Fasciotti [Consultation Call]