How One Yoga Studio Won My Business Over a Competitor

How one studio’s business savvy won my membership by providing a better guest experience.

When I first began practicing yoga, I tried a few yoga studios’ new student specials. The deeply discounted prices for two or three weeks of unlimited yoga classes drew me in. Eventually, I narrowed my choice of yoga studios to two.

One was less than a mile away. The other studio was 16 miles away, in busy traffic. The closer studio’s regular monthly membership was $129. The studio across town’s monthly membership fee was only $89. That’s a big difference in price.

But price was only one of a set of factors I considered each time I rolled out my mat. People who own and operate yoga studios tend to come from a helpful place of wanting others to experience the mind and body benefits of a regular yoga practice.

They’ve experienced firsthand the transformative effects of a regular yoga practice. The yoga zen-like approach to life with all its joy and challenges helps those who practice stay grounded, peaceful and confident that their lives are constantly evolving.

Unfortunately, good intentions alone don’t always cut it when other local yoga studios are vying for new customers and trying to keep them. With these two studios, I chose to sign up for a membership at the yoga studio clear across town. And it wasn’t just the lower membership fee that cemented my decision, either.

My decision was mainly influenced by the distant yoga studio’s astute marketing methods. This owner treated her yoga studio like a business. The closer yoga studio didn’t share that same business savvy — and it showed up in several ways that impacted my guest experience.

Why marketing matters

Both of these yoga studios had the same good idea: Offering a new student special that aims  for new students to try out the studio and sign up for a membership. However, there were key differences between the two that were a result of better marketing.

Here are the factors that prompted me to choose the studio across town over the one just down the street.

1. Price Options

The lower membership fee of $89 a month wasn’t the only factor in my decision. But it was still important. The further studio had several options with different prices and requirements. I could pick the one that worked best for my budget and goals.

The nearby studio offered only two options, and they were both more expensive than the distant yoga studio. That told me the more expensive studio’s research on membership fees wasn’t what it needed to be. Other local studios were also around $129 a month — but they offered greater variety in classes and a better setting.Several others offered a lower membership fee..

Meanwhile, the studio I chose offered a reasonable monthly rate. That studio owner had her eye on what the competition offered. Then she outdid the other studios with a better class selection and a more affordable fee.

2. Better teachers

The studio I chose carefully selected only the best yoga teachers. The one I passed over was hit-and-miss with teacher quality and competence. Some classes were taught by teachers who were obviously experienced. Others were taught by brand new yoga teachers that completed the studio’s yoga instructor course. And it showed.

3. More Appealing Aesthetics

You’d think with the higher membership fee, the nearby yoga studio would be nicer. But it wasn’t. The building was older and not as well-maintained as the studio across town. In fact, one student told me that a heater fell off the wall during a heated yoga class.

In contrast, the far-away yoga studio was more like a sanctuary. Local artwork adorned the walls.The hardwood floors were shiny and in perfect condition. Teachers lit candles and offered aromatherapy towels before class.

After I signed up for the lower-priced studio 16 miles away, I complimented the owner on the way she runs her business. She was moved by the compliment. It turns out her sister is in marketing and offered great advice that put this studio ahead of competitors.

Driving across town for yoga classes hasn’t dimmed my zen. If anything, I enjoy the drive home after class when my mind is clear and at peace. My satisfaction doesn’t come from just the many poses for better circulation and flexibility. It stems from enjoying the results of the thought that the winning studio’s owner put into making her yoga studio stand out from the rest.