Is there any way to measure yoga studio retention? Do you think it only has to do with the instructor?
If you use a system like mind-body it can help measure retention.
Before you worry about retention you need to establish clientele, to get people through the door. With any new business that can be hard, especially with something like yoga where word of mouth is the number one way to get students in the first place.
There are quite a few things that affect retention.
Location makes a difference. In an urban center where a lot of people work on contract, or near a military base, or a college town, you may find that people will come and go for reasons that have nothing to do with your studio. Say you open in a town with a business that employs almost a third of the population. If that business has a problem, so will you. If you are in a upper socio economic area with a population with a lot of money for non essentials it may be less of an issue, but of course, to open in an area like that the rents will be higher, and you still need enough money to carry you through the lean times as you start up the business.
A well designed studio helps. An easy to find address, good parking, or near mass transit. Lighting, flooring, heat“. all those things can help.
Smart use of things like Facebook, email, and other methods of keeping people aware of your presence.
But yes, you can have a location with lots of problems and a good teacher can keep students, and you can have the most beautiful studio in the world, and if people do not mesh with the type of yoga or teaching methods of your teachers it will not matter. If I were opening my own space I would opt to spend more on teacher pay than on candles and pillows. And I would spend more time looking for teachers, and training them, than on interior design. (though I would do that too)
The instructors can make or break a studio. Clients like a variety of teaching styles to choose from. It is essential the instructors conduct themselves in a professional manner. Professionals are on time, cleanly dressed, take their jobs seriously, and last but not least, continue educating themselves so they are up to date in their field of study.
VERY IMPORTANT! They should understand the class is not for them to stay in shape but to help the clients get through a class safely and effectively.
I hope that helps! Good Luck!!!
As long as your clientele base keeps growing, then you must be doing something right. If not, it’s time to re-evaluate your strategy and figure out why that is.
The instructor plays a major part of the client retention and growth. If the instructor is not good or an efficient teacher then there will be a disconnect between the instructor and the clients/participants. Another factor here is the studio itself. You need to keep it clean at all times, make sure it’s accessible by a number of different ways of transportation, there is enough parking for clients and also it’s located in a safe neighborhood.
You will need to do some marketing and networking if you want your studio membership to keep growing. Joining networking groups and social media are a couple of ways to go about it. It doesn’t matter if you have the best studio or instructor in the world if no one knows about it. You can hold networking events at your studio, parties and appreciation days for your clients to show your appreciation for having them as members.
Best,
Harris
Hi Melissa,
since you mention a ‘studio’, I assume that we are talking about a rather small space with only a handful of instructors.
In a small environment like this, it should be possible to track who is attending which class, and you will probably soon find that the same people tend to gravitate towards the same instructors. The more limited the number of instructors, the more you will be dependent on those that draw participants to their classes. This is even more relevant in yoga practice where you have different yoga styles in addition to the different teaching styles of the instructors.
Having a teacher who draws participation is a great asset because you can use her as a mentor for other instructors, and over time the participants would be willing to accept them as well.
I like Ariadne’s comment about spending more on teachers’ pay than on candles and pillows.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com