The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
112: Niche Down to Market Your Yoga with Amanda McKinney
Description:
Picking a niche is something that can be scary to a lot of us. Particularly as yoga teachers who believe that yoga is for everyone and that we can help everybody, we feel that picking a niche excludes people we want to help. But have you ever thought that specializing is the best way for you to bring yoga to more people? Amanda McKinney is a Marketing Coach for Yoga Teachers, and on this episode, she explains exactly why niching down is the best way to market your yoga.
Amanda provides online courses and group coaching to help yoga teachers market themselves authentically, so that they can earn a living sharing yoga with others, without the burn out that comes with catering to everyone. She has some great information on why it’s so important for you to specialize, and some practical strategies to help you discover your niche.
In this episode (which was also a Live Q&A session!) Amanda tackles difficult questions from yoga teachers, like how to decide which topics to blog about, and how much time you need to market a yoga retreat. She also offers advice on dealing with mindset issues around niching down, and some tips on marketing yourself as a yoga teacher.
Whether you’ve been a yoga teacher for years, or are just starting out on your yoga entrepreneurship journey - Amanda’s insights and tips on niching down and marketing are sure to help you in your business. Tune in to also find out more about the 3-day content challenge and joint group coaching by Amanda and Shannon!
Key Takeaways:
[2:43] Shannon introduces her guest - Amanda McKinney.
[3:35] Who does Amanda work with, and what is the work that she does?
[4:41] Amanda explains the story behind why her website focuses on yoga teachers as business owners.
[7:33] Why do yoga teachers need a niche?
[9:03] Amanda shares her journey of how and why she niched down in her own business.
[9:43] How specific does a yoga niche need to be?
[11:47] What are some of the roadblocks that stop people from niching down?
[14:39] Having a specific niche helps people give you referrals.
[16:50] How can you discover your yoga niche?
[19:30] Listener question from Valeria: How do you identify the topics that clients want to hear about if you host a yoga-focused blog?
[25:20] Listener question from Sue: If I'm marketing a retreat in September, how soon do I start putting the info out there to market it? How early is too early?
[29:32] What does marketing mean as a yoga teacher?
[35:50] What do you do if you can't decide between two or more really good niche ideas? How do you pick?
[37:52] How can yoga teachers combat the feeling of 'Who am I to do this?' when picking their niche?
[40:56] What is Amanda's advice for yoga teachers who feel like they need to be ready or perfect before they start on their business journey?
[44:26] Listener question from Kristen: I'm having a hard time describing trauma-informed yoga in a way that makes sense to other people.
[47:59] How long does it take to develop or find a niche?
[52:05] What's Amanda's response to people who say that niching down has been a challenge?
[55:10] What is the work that Amanda is really excited about right now?
[58:34] Shannon shares her key takeaways from this episode.
Links:
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity
Quotes from this episode:
"So many yoga teachers are not told and informed, they are a business owner once they graduate with their Yoga Teacher Training Certificate!"
"I will have walked the path that my clients and students walk, which I think is the best way to get to know your target audience."
"Yoga is for everyone, and that actually makes the point of niching down more important."
"As soon as you narrow down and focus on one particular thing, it takes away that competition."
"For every $500 that the retreat is, you need 90-days lead time."
"Knowing that there is no other one like you out there, that you will attract the people who will learn best from you."
"The more you can say it, the clearer it's going to be."
"Knowing what you don't like is just as important as knowing what you like."
"Attracting the right person to work with you is important, but repelling the others is just as important."