7 Practical Steps to Improve Your Online Pilates Presence

Guest Post by Anastasiya Goers

anastasiya-goersDo you know one thing that people love more than doing Pilates with you?

OK, there might be a few answers but spending time online would be at the top of the list.

Most of the US population spends over 7 hours every day online.

We are used to watching how-to videos, keeping up with Facebook and Twitter updates, reading news, watching Pilates videos and awesome workshops (thank you, Jen and Casey for those ;-)), finding local businesses and just killing time (who hasn’t been guilty of that?). The truth of the matter is that online world is the best place to get connected with new clients.

But a lot of Pilates teachers and studio owners really miss out on the opportunity to harness the power of the WEB to connect with more clients. Merely having a website or a Facebook page is not enough to bring more people to your Pilates door.

Let me share with you 7 simple steps that will take your online presence from “barely there” to “awesome.”

  1. Start with a website. Having a website for your Pilates services is as essential as breathing in Pilates.

Even as an instructor working at a studio you will benefit from having your own website. If you consider pursuing Pilates as your main occupation then you need a place online to present your services:

  • Show classes that you teach at different locations,
  • connect with new clients by writing blog posts,
  • show your credentials or
  • advertise your At-Home services.

Having a self-hosted professionally-designed website is always the best way to secure the future of your business. Studios where you teach might change, classes that you offer might change, your geographical location might change but your website will remain with you no matter what.
I would strongly advise against the use of any website builders (Weebly, Wix, Squarespace etc.) because most of them limit the amount of customizations that you can do and are not search-engine-friendly (plainly said, those website will never pop up on the first pages of search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing.)

  1. Decorate your space wisely. The layout of your website should translate the same emotions as your physical space. Dull and amateur-looking websites send the same message to your potential clients: your teaching style and studio are boring.
    1. Use professional-quality images of your space and yourself on your website,
    2. use images of attractive people to demonstrate the results that your clients can get at your studio,
    3. keep the layout clean with as few banners as possible,
    4. use as much text as needed (long dull articles only bore the viewers, really short paragraphs don’t give enough information),
    5. make your call-to-action take the above-the-fold spot on your website (your new client promotion, newsletter sign-up, location and contact details.
  1. Easy mobile access. In January of 2014 CNN Money reported that consumers spend over 60% of their Internet time on mobile devices. As of April 21st 2015 Google uses “mobile-friendliness” as one of the major ranking factors. You can check whether your website is mobile-friendly or not here. Talk to your developer about creating a mobile-friendly website and test the finished product on as many devices as possible.
  2. Harness the power of Google. If you have a business location for your Pilates services then you can use Google Local to put your studio on Google maps – it’s free. Click here to add your business to Google

Make sure to add contact details, business description and photos to your Google listing. Once you have set everything up, ask your clients to review your business. Most people trust online reviews as much as their real friends.

  1. Let your clients praise you. Testimonials are the most powerful part of your website or business listing if they are done right. Ask your current clients to share
    1. why they came to your studio,
    2. what goals you helped them reach,
    3. what they have gained from working with you,
    4. why they would recommend you to their friends.

If possible, try to do video interviews for your website or ask your clients for the permission to use their pictures with their warm words. Seeing faces of your clients will give your visitors a sense that they are talking to a real person about your services. It is a major trust and conversion factor.

  1. Ready. Set. Shoot! Did you ever dream about becoming the next Pilates video star? Or do you get nervous chills at the very thought of putting a video of yourself online? You don’t have to be an Oscar-nominee or have a complete video studio at your disposal to embrace the power of video marketing.

Videos are an excellent way to communicate with your potential clients and to improve your teaching skills. A smartphone camera and good lighting is all you need to record a short video for Youtube.

By the way, did you know that people spend more than a third of their time online watching videos? Let them join you for a quick Pilates class during their lunch break or unwind with Pilates release work after a long day instead of watching Funny Cat videos.

Shoot your video, do some light editing,  upload it to your Youtube account and add a detailed title and description. How easy was that?

  1. Share your Pilates voice. Do you wish that you had more time to share Pilates or holistic tips with your clients? You can do that on the pages of a blog or through a newsletter.
  • Sharing your observations and advice will let potential clients learn more about who you are and your style of teaching.
  • Excellent content will be shared on social media raising awareness about your services among your clients’ friends.
  • You will be a better teacher by learning to communicate your skills not only verbally but also in a written form.

A website is a powerful tool in your marketing toolbox that requires little maintenance once it is done. Use it wisely to create a constant flow of clients who are excited to experience the amazing Pilates transformation.

 

Bio: Anastasiya Goers is following her passion for Pilates by running a community-based Pilates website – PilatesBridge.com (http://www.pilatesbridge.com ) that unites Pilates professionals and Pilates students.She also helps Pilates business owners create authoritative web presence, design/redesign their websites with the new goals in mind as well as come up with creative ways to connect with new clients. Click here (http://signup.pilatesbridge.com/) to get her free training 7 (Practical) Steps to Get New Pilates Clients from the Web

 


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  1. Juleen Black808

    Thank you. That’s some great advise. Really looking forward to getting started. 🙂

  2. Anastasiya

    I am glad you enjoyed the article, Juleen. If you have any questions or need technical guidance I would be happy to help.