Sun Salutation instructions for beginners:
- Stand in Mountain Pose
- Raise hands above head.
- Slowly enter into forward bend. Reach as far down as you can.
- Place hands on floor; jump back into plank.
- Ease self to flow and move into downward dog.
- Jump feet forward to hands (but not on hands).
- Do forward bend.
- Slowly rise up to mountain pose.
Yawn. Boring. Almost impossible to follow!
Doing yoga from written instructions is not fun. It’s a chore, especially for beginners forced to refer to the instructions.
Yoga instruction is better in video?
Yoga is naturally best in a class. But, class opportunity aside, video is the next best instructional method.
It’s better to follow along a yoga routine by video than written text or even a series of photographs.
The beauty of video for yoga teachers, is your yoga video routines can form an effective marketing campaign on their own.
Video marketing is one way to effectively promote your yoga studio, teachers, and your brand. Video makes it easy to show what you offer and the benefits you provide to your students.
8 Video Marketing Ideas for Yoga Studios and Teachers
1. The yoga routine
This is a no-brainer. What better way can you show what you offer than by putting together a video of a routine or routines. This is an opportunity for you to shine. Plus you give website and YouTube visitors a nice freebie. Everyone likes a free 20 minute yoga routine.
You have the studio space, so all you need is the equipment or to hire a videographer. Put together some of your best routines and record it. Add some music, narration, credits (your logo, name, location, website, etc.), and some shots of your studio and you’ve created a terrific promotional video that’s not just and advertisement. You offer value to viewers.
2. Turn informative yoga articles you write into videos
This is an easy and inexpensive method to inform yogis about yoga. Plenty of people prefer watching a video narrating the content than reading. So, take some of your best articles about yoga, create some slides in PowerPoint, and record them using screen capture software such as Camtasia.
Again, add narration, some music, credits, and voila – you have a video.
3. Student testimonials
If you have any students willing to go on video singing your praises, you have some excellent footage for a stand-alone video and clips to weave into other videos.
4. Live class videos
If you get the express permission of all attending students at a session, you could create a dynamic video of you teaching a class.
5. Yoga routine using photographs
Perhaps you don’t have the budget to hire a videographer or buy your own video equipment. An alternative method is to take photos of you in a variety of poses. Organize your pose photos into a routine and place in a slide show. Record the slide show. The result is a yoga class on video about as inexpensively as it gets. Again, add music, narration, and credits.
6. Q & A videos
Create a series of brief videos that answer frequently asked questions. You can do this in the talking head format, via slide show, or both. Talking head format is when you talk into a camera or webcam. This too is simple and inexpensive, yet highly informative.
Don’t answer multiple questions in one video. Instead, create a separate video for each question. Again, add credits and maybe some music; the result is a helpful video.
7. Meditation videos
Create meditation videos using the same methods outlined above for making yoga routine videos.
8. The blatant advertisement
It’s not bad to create an ad or two for your studio. But, try to make it informative and compelling. I suggest include plenty of footage taken outside and particularly inside your studio.
People want to know what your studio looks like before attending. Show them what they’re going to get.
Add all the pertinent information about your studio – location, website, your bio, etc. If you have student testimonials, weave them in the ad-style videos. Make the ad-style videos the best quality you can afford.
Although Q & A and article-based videos need not be top-quality, a blatant advertisement should look professional.
Make your ad interesting.
Create a story; something that compels viewers to watch the entire video. In order to do this well, spend a lot of time writing a script. This is your sales video and it should be good.
Other yoga video creation uses
Create an online membership website
If you get into putting yoga routines on video and create a library of videos, you can create a membership website charging a monthly fee for access to your videos.
Alternatively, you can establish a huge presence online by uploading the videos to YouTube and your website for free viewing.
Generate leads
As I set out in my post Fish for Yoga Students with Bait, Not Your Hands, you can use videos to entice website visitors to sign up for your e-newsletter and build a subscribership.
Are you convinced video marketing is worth giving a try?
If you’re not sure, think about it. It’s time consuming, has a steep learning curve, and can be expensive.
However, if you’re convinced video marketing for your yoga studio is the next step, then start learning how to make great videos. I took this course (called Video Boss) when it was first offered in early 2010. It’s expensive, but if you’re serious about creating videos for the Web, it’s outstanding. Video Boss is only accepting new students from June 8 to 14, 2011.
Yoga Boss seems oriented to selling, but the content spans the entire video-making process. It’s good stuff.
BUT, only sign up for Video Boss and start video marketing for your yoga studio if you’re serious. Dabbling will only cost you time and money, generating lacklustre results. There’s no need to waste your money.
Related posts:
- How to Create a Yoga Studio WordPress Website: Free Video Tutorial Series
- Fish for Yoga Students with Bait, Not Your Hands: Email Marketing
- 11 WordPress Themes Ideal for Yoga Studios & Teachers
- Create Your Own Yoga Cards for Your Students’ Home Practice
- How To Get A Yoga Job On A Shoestring Marketing Budget