Attention: Bikram Yoga Studio Owners
Did You Know That You Could Be Destroying
Your Business By Using Groupon?
Continue reading to learn the 7 Major Marketing Mistakes that I,
as a marketing professional, observed while personally taking
Bikram Yoga classes.
First let me begin by saying….It’s not your fault!
Unfortunately, most small businesses have never been taught how to properly
execute a marketing strategy using Groupon.
Also, unfortunately, Groupon does not see it as their job to do so!
Don’t get me wrong…Groupon has a time and place as part of a well thought out
marketing strategy, but most businesses are just randomly using it to attract new
clients. Without a game plan, they are just wasting money.
If permitted, later I will explain how to properly implement a Groupon marketing
strategy and why randomly using Groupon is…
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 1.
But first, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Darren Mason.
I am a marketing professional with the marketing firm DMC and I just started
taking Bikram Yoga a few weeks ago.
Like most, I saw the Bikram Yoga Groupon offer and said…. Why not? What an
unbelievable deal!!
I purchased the Groupon and let it sit for several months until the weather broke.
Most would think, never showing up after buying a Groupon would be a good
thing for a Bikram Yoga studio, right? WRONG!
Many businesses that use Groupon mistakenly hope that the person buying it will
never use the discount and that it’s free money.
Thinking Groupon is free money is….
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 2.
Actually, I have been doing yoga at home for many months to rehab an injured
knee. I have come to respect its power of healing and my knees and legs have
gotten stronger in the process. I also regained some lost flexibility, so I was very
excited about taking my yoga to the next level with Bikram.
I am a huge fitness buff and an ex-personal trainer, so like with every new
exercise endeavor, I decided to thoroughly research Bikram Yoga beyond my
superficial knowledge of it being a “hotter than hell torture chamber.”
Obviously one cannot do research on Bikram Yoga without encountering the
many bigger-than-life stories of yoga guru, Bikram Choudhury.
Whether the stories are true or not did not matter to me as I knew they would not
have an impact on my yoga experience, so I read them more for entertainment
and as marketing research.
In marketing we call the great miracles and the death-defying feats of Bikram
Choudhury an “origin story.” It is no accident that every great guru has one. Not
understanding the power of an origin story, most hear his stories and pass
judgment on their validity.
I hear them and say Bikram is a marketing genius!!
In fact, Bikram’s story is a major key ingredient to his, and to YOUR, success.
In the interest of time, I will save the explanation of why Bikram’s story is
important for another day. The answer is connected to why EVERY successful
Bikram Yoga studio owner and teacher needs an origin story as well. For now, let
me say that NOT properly positioning Bikram’s stories in your marketing is….
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 3.
During my extensive research, I was really captivated by the number of Bikram
Yoga life changing and life saving stories that are available in the internet. But, I
was shocked that most of the Bikram Yoga studios’ websites have these
amazing marketing tools tucked away under testimonial tabs, or do not use them
at all.
Real life testimonials are one of the most important elements of a properly
executed marketing strategy and to NOT properly use them is….
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 4.
Almost every website I researched lead with a low-price introductory offer as the
attention grabber. Like in most industries, I found marketing incest among Bikram
Yoga studios. Everyone is playing “follow the leader” and doing what others have
done before them…. whether it makes CENTS or not.
Blindly following other studios is….
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 5.
Again, this is not your fault!
When I was a personal trainer, I did the same thing and it worked fine for many
years. Then, one day, blindly following what everyone else was doing stopped
working!
I almost went out of business until I learned how to market independent of others
and to build a marketing system based on measurable marketing. I then went on
to have a successful 9-year career as a personal trainer.
Measurable marketing is defined as: marketing that can be determined as
profitable or unprofitable. No business will survive long term without it.
Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs have never been exposed to measurable
marketing that gets results.
No, this style of marketing is not taught in the universities.
Yes, what most have learned in school about marketing will work for major
Fortune 500 corporations, but not for small businesses like Bikram Yoga studios.
Shocking and sad….but true!
You should forget most of what you learned about marketing in college if
you own a small business.
Many of the websites that I have seen are beautifully done with great graphics of
people bending in perfect yoga poses that would make Bikram Choudhury proud.
I say, great job Yogis (!!!) but just one problem: This type of website is only good
for the person ready to attend a class TODAY.
Question:
But, what about the other thousands and thousands of potential
practitioners that visit your website and leave, never to return
for various reasons?
What are you currently doing to capture them?
If nothing, that is…
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 6.
Actually many of the websites I researched have made no REAL attempt to
capture a visitor’s contact information to begin to educate them about the power
of Bikram Yoga.
No, I’m not talking about an attempt to capture their information with a “Hey,
leave your email for updates” button.
I mean a well thought out attempt to capture their information, allowing a studio
to: educate them on the benefits of this amazing practice, build a relationship
with a future customer, overcome any objections or fears they may have, and get
them in the door WITHOUT the studio paying Groupon a dime.
Overlooking the importance of capturing information for results-driven
communication is….
Bikram Yoga studio major marketing mistake NUMBER 7.
Listen, I know that learning 99.9% of the Bikram Yoga websites are worthless
marketing tools when it comes to converting leads is a difficult pill to swallow.
But, as a marketer who knows better…
I cannot sit back and watch a community that is doing such great work
head down a path of destruction. That is, unless a true marketing vision is
soon implemented.
For me, watching people who are so passionate about helping others toss money
away on marketing vehicles like Groupon….is more painful than doing a
backbend before warming-up.
I know, Groupon is easy (so easy it is referred to as the crack of entrepreneurs)
and it does get new clients in the door, but if not executed properly, you pay a
huge long-term cost beyond the original discount of your prices and the 50% paid
to Groupon.
Groupon is powerful, But…
Using Groupon without the proper
marketing system in place to fully capitalize
on your new (very expensive leads) is
taking hard cash and flushing it down the
toilet.
So….What is a Yogi entrepreneur to do??
>>> If you are not committing any of the 7 Bikram Yoga studio major marketing
mistakes mentioned above…
>>> If your studio has an endless flow of customers and you never worry about
where the next customer is going to come from…
>>> If you have a bulletproof plan in place to convert monthly promotional clients
or weekly trial clients to long-term paying clients…
>>> If you feel that your investment in acquiring Groupon clients has paid off and
you are totally happy…
Then I say, “Great job, congratulations, keep up the good work, and you
can stop reading NOW!!!!”
If not, please continue reading….
As I shared earlier, I am a marketing professional and I work for one of the top
marketing firms in the country, DMC (www.YourDMC.com)
DMC plans to begin aggressively offering its award-winning marketing services to
Bikram Yoga studios across the United States, and shortly thereafter to the
Bikram community across the globe.
By sending you this letter, I am offering you the opportunity to schedule a FREE
consultation with myself to determine if our program will be right for you.
DMC will only choose a few studios to be a part of this pilot program. So if you
are truly ready to implement a proven marketing system, please contact me,
Darren Mason, at 773-580-3637 or Darren@YourDMC.com ASAP.
With our marketing know-how we are going to strengthen your credibility even
more and provide you with a long-lasting marketing system that will set you apart
from your competition. We will put you in a position to raise your prices as all of
your competitors race to the bottom of the barrel. What more could you possibly
need from your marketing?
Namaste,
Darren Mason
P.S. I have seen the 7 major marketing mistakes mentioned in this document
lead to the destruction of many once-thriving businesses so contact me TODAY
at 773-580-3637 or Darren@YourDMC.com.
P.P.S. Remember, only a few studios will be chosen to be a part of this amazing
pilot program so I recommend that you contact me immediately.