I had an object lesson this week.
I am absolutely devoted to my Mother Care (peri-natal) yoga class. Half the time there aren’t enough students to make it worth the instructor’s while.
Because I have a vested interest in taking this class, I’ve been working with Kristen (instructor) to figure out how build up her attendance. How hard could it be?
In addition to Mother Care yoga, Kristen teaches popular pre-natal yoga and new parent yoga classes. She is a well-known doula. She emails her regular clients with class updates. She offers discounts for bringing a friend and takes flyers to playgroups. As far as I can tell, Kristen has the absolute best pool of potential clients ever and is doing everything she is should to promote this service.
Why aren’t the moms coming to my favorite class? They should be flocking to it.
At the end of every class (when we have class), Kristen asks students what she can do to make the class more accessible. A different day of the week? Different time? She gently talks about the importance of moms taking time to recharge themselves. About giving dads or partners the chance to be parents on their own without “supervision.”
Kristen gets different answers each time she asks. They all sound logical — weekends are the only time our family can be together, too tired in the evenings, classes are during the baby’s “needy” time.
Because Kristen is a smartypants, she didn’t react to all these suggestions. She considered them. Kristen didn’t feel like she was getting The Real Answer.
I was fairly twitching with impatience and biting my tongue firmly. I wanted to get schedules changed and new fliers made up and to rewrite her class description and, and, and! I wanted the class to happen now.
This week, Kristen got her Answer.
A mom said she wasn’t able to come to classes sooner because her baby was nursing every two to three hours. The class is two hours long. Most new moms who come to the class are nursing. The class plus travel means new moms will be at least 2.5 hours away from their babies.
Ah.
That would be The Real Answer.
So. Good for Kristen for continuing to ask her clients what they needed, for looking for the real reason for sparse attendance. Now she knows that she needs to adjust the length of the class.
I learned that it’s a good idea to keep asking until you get an answer that resonates with you and your practice.
If you are convinced that there is a market for your work with a specialized group — police/dog trainers/welders — keep asking until you figure out exactly what they need. Special hours? Longer sessions? Shorter sessions? Clearly stated bodywork benefits relating to their particular needs?
There is an answer. You’ll know it when you hear it.
All my best,
Eileen
If you’re interested in reading more about writing ad/flyer copy, Diana has a good article on targeting your clients’ real concerns.
Eileen is the marketing coordinator for Natural Touch Marketing.
