Case Study: Starting an Online Yoga Studio Website

Cheri has been a yoga instructor for over eighteen years. While teaching mat yoga, she realised that many of her senior students were having difficulty getting up and down off the mat. This prompted her to start creating chair yoga routines. She quickly found there was a large and enthusiastic audience for this type of yoga.

When Cheri launched her membership website, InspireEncourageEmpower, she had already organically identified her target audience - seniors who wanted to improve their flexibility. She had recognised a pain point that was being experienced by some of her students and created a solution.

By defining her 'customer persona' and understanding their problems, Cheri has been able to effectively target her website's content and marketing. In the saturated online yoga marketplace, Cheri has carved a niche focused on delivering a customised member experience to a niche audience.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I have been a yoga instructor for over 18 years and when I was teaching mat yoga, I realized some of my seniors were having a difficult time getting up and down off the mat. I wanted to come up with an alternative yoga routine where they could still remain active, do a yoga routine while gaining flexibility and strength. Over the last 8 years, I have been creating Chair Yoga Routines to teach to seniors at Independent Facilities, Memory care, individuals in wheelchairs, car accidents and 55+ senior communities. It grew rapidly and I was teaching these classes between 12-15 times a week.

Why did you decide to build a membership website?

Since my Chair Routines were so successful, I wanted to reach the collective and get seniors to move their body in the comfort of their own home without having to go to the gym for a workout. Some seniors have health concerns and mobility issues that prevent them from going to any gym facility. This membership site was the best decision I every made. I can now reach people around the globe, keep individuals active and make exercising fun. I LOVE what I do and the testimonials I receive from my seniors, keep me motivated to update my videos and create new ones to make it interesting and dynamic.

Why did you choose the SubHub platform? What are the platform features most important to you?

It was easy to use and I could get all the technical support I need. This allowed me to focus on creating videos instead of worrying about the technical side of the website. The customer support is superior. They are always there to solve your issues quickly and really want to help you succeed and work past any issue you have. I always give them 5 out of 5 stars. I really do appreciate their hard work and dedication.

How did you get your first members?

I have obtained 90% of members through Pinterest and Instagram. I have run google ads and facebook ads in the past but my social media sites are where I obtain my clients. They want to know there is a real person behind this site and I am readily available everyday for my followers creating videos to help them move their bodies. I respond to every email, comment and direct message myself. I do not have anyone working on my behalf!

What has been the most effective way to drive traffic to your website?

Social Media: Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube.

Do you use social media to get members for your website? What platform have you found to be the most effective?

Yes, Instagram hands down!

How have you grown your email list and how often do you send out email campaigns?

Yes, I have grown my email list by offering a free Chair Yoga Video but I think people are bombarded with email and I only send out an email once a month.

What kind of content is most popular on your website? And how often do you post new content? 

My website is pretty static. I post videos 7 days a week on Pinterest, Instagram and 4 times a week on Youtube and I drive everyone to my website and it links directly to my membership page. EVERY link from my social media site links directly to my membership page on my website. I go into details about the benefits they will receive when they join. I always have an opening video of me talking about the membership first and verbiage below with more details.

What advice do you have for anyone launching a membership website?

Start building your social media sites immediately and in the beginning you need to post videos 3 times a day. I know it seems like a lot of work but it will pay off!!

How has the SubHub platform helped you to reach your goals?

They have made my life so much easier by handling the technical side. It gives me more freedom to focus on the videos to help my seniors move their body and stay active. Plus they address any issues I have immediately and try and solve the problems as quickly as possible.

In conclusion

Creating a successful membership website depends a lot on identifying your target audience and defining their pain points. The more you understand your audience, the better you'll be able to address their needs in your content creation and marketing campaigns. Personalising the experience of your product might target a smaller audience but will deliver a more relevant product to your audience and achieve a greater impact. So take the time to understand your audience, their needs and the solutions you can offer.

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Using a membership website to sell your online learning materials allows you to support teachers with fresh resources while generating recurring revenue and showcasing your expertise.

All-in-one membership website builders have emerged as transformative tools that simplify the process of creating, managing and earning an income from your knowledge. They empower individuals by letting them establish their online presence quickly, efficiently and affordably.

These comprehensive platforms offer an array of features and functionalities under a single roof, eliminating the need for coding or the use of multiple tools.

With all-in-one website builders, you can effortlessly design, customize and publish your website. These platforms typically include user-friendly drag-and-drop editors, templates and a variety of built-in functionality so all aspects of your business are in one place.

If you're ready to start a membership website then this article will provide guidance and examples for the top website builders and their best use cases.

What basic features should your builder have

• User registration and login: the ability for users to easily create accounts and log in securely.
• Content restriction: you should have the ability to restrict access to specific content to incentivise memberships and provide value to subscribers.
• Membership levels: this feature is crucial to creating distinctive member tiers and effectively monetizing your audience.
• Responsive design: ensure the platform is accessible and functional on various devices and screen sizes.
• Integrated payment processor: your builder should be able to securely process payments using gateways like Stripe and PayPal.
• Automated workflows: time saving functionality that streamlines administrative processes by sending welcome and renewal emails.
• Analytics: data tracking and reporting tools are essential to making informed decisions about your website’s performance.
• Customer support: access to reliable and responsive customer support for troubleshooting and assistance.

How to select the right all-in-one website builder

When selecting which website builder to choose, start by considering your specific use case, content, goals and audience needs.

By defining the scope and purpose of your membership site, you’ll be able to determine what functionality you’ll need and which platform has the capabilities to deliver it.

Most membership website builders are designed with specific use cases in mind and their features and functionalities reflect this specialization.

For instance, platforms like MemberPress and Wild Apricot are focused on providing solutions for online communities or associations with tools for managing membership.

While education-focused builders like Thinkific and Teachable cater to instructors, offering features tailored for online course creation and management.

The key is to identify your specific needs and objectives, then choose a builder that aligns with your intended purpose. You should also evaluate factors such as pricing, scalability, security, and reliable customer support.

Top 5 membership website builders and their best use cases

Circle is a platform for building, managing and monetising your online community. It's easy to use with a clean and intuitive interface and responsive support.

This platform is particularly useful for those seeking to foster engagement, discussions and collaboration around a shared interest, topic or brand. The cornerstone of the platform is its community facing features.

Features include:

• Community building: tools for creating and customising your online community with categories, topics, or channels.
• Member profiles: so users build a sense of identity within the platform.
• Discussions and posts: initiate and participate in discussions, ask questions, share knowledge, and post content.
• Notifications: features to keep members informed about new posts, replies, and updates.

The platform also includes online courses, live streaming, automation workflows, metrics and more.

Standout feature: is its interactive community space that provides chat rooms, private messaging, event spaces, live streams and more. An alternative to using a private Facebook group.

Use case: best suited for individuals and brands looking to build, manage and monetize their online communities.

Best for: established community centered creators.

Starting at: $49/mo with 4% transaction fee and 10GB of storage.

Kajabi is a premium priced, all-in-one website builder designed for creating and selling online courses, memberships and digital products.

Whether you're a subject matter expert, coach, or organization wanting to provide structured learning experiences, Kajabi offers a comprehensive solution with many built-in tools.

Kajabi provides tools for creating and hosting courses, managing members, marketing your content and processing payments, all within a single platform. It's a versatile choice for those seeking to deliver educational content, whether it's in the form of video courses, e-books, webinars or other digital products.

Your website is built using an editor that allows you to select and assemble content blocks from a menu.

Kajabi has a user-friendly interface but, as with most all-in-one platforms, there is limited customisation that can be done to your website's design.

Features include:

• Course creation: robust system for creating, hosting, and selling online courses which include videos, documents, quizzes, and more.
• Website builder: powerful website builder lets you create a professional looking website.
• Email marketing and automation: built-in email marketing tool lets you to send newsletters, automate email sequences and segment your email list.

Standout feature: is its built-in email marketing editor to create custom email campaigns.

Use case: best suited for coaches and creators looking to monetize their knowledge through online courses.

Best for: established coaches and creators as it is a premium priced option.

Starting at: $149/mo for 3 products, 1000 customers, unlimited landing pages.

SubHub is an all-in-one website builder that specialises in membership and turning all forms of content into income.

It's strength lies in its flexibility, making it a suitable choice for a wide range of membership use cases.

SubHub provides the necessary tools for managing subscribers, selling online courses, delivering content, processing payments and building an online community around your niche or expertise.

Its built-in store adds a significant layer of e-commerce functionality to your membership website. It's particularly useful for those who want to sell additional products beyond just membership subscriptions.

Features includes:

• Robust membership features: unlimited member levels, recurring subscriptions, content segmentation, Stripe & PayPal integration.
• Content monetization: sell membership, courses, digital downloads and store products all-in-one place.
• Committed support: a dedicated 5-star support team that always goes above and beyond client expectations.

Standout feature: multiple tools to monetize your content with memberships, courses, digital downloads and pay-per-view products.

Use case: best suited for individuals and businesses looking to monetize their content through selling memberships and stand alone products.

Best for: knowledge experts, coaches and creators with content rich websites.

Starting at: $47/mo, 500 members, unlimited products and pages.

Vonza is a platform tailored to the needs of course creators, coaches, and digital entrepreneurs. With an array of tools and features, Vonza simplifies the journey of transforming your knowledge and expertise into a thriving online business. It's all-in-one platform provides a comprehensive set of tools to create and deliver online course content.

While Vonza has an array of functionality, its website builder has limited design flexibility compared to other platforms. So its websites can have a generic appearance.

Features include:

• Course creation: easily create and host online courses which include video, quizzes, assignments and progress tracking.
• E-commerce: sell physical and digital products, memberships and courses.
• Email marketing: integrated email marketing tools and lead nurture.

Standout feature: is its powerful online form builder to create online surveys and quizzes.

Use case: best for course creation.

Best for: new coaches and creators.

Starting at: at $99/mo for 5 courses and 10 products and Stripe integration.

Kartra is an all-in-one platform with built-in, comprehensive marketing tools. Whether you're looking to build a website, manage email campaigns, sell products or create marketing funnels, Kartra gives you the ability to centralise all those functions in one place.

Many membership websites use social media to drive traffic. However, if you want to create targeted campaigns then Kartra's integrated marketing suite of tools lets you build and manage lead generation pipelines with opt-in forms and landing pages.

While Kartra's purpose is to simplify e-commerce, the platform is so comprehensive that the learning curve is long and setting up workflows can be complex. So you need to be prepared to commit time to learning the system.

Users also report that the website page builder has design limitations and can be slow to load.

Features include:

• Marketing automation: to create and manage campaigns, set up email sequences, follow-ups and segment your audience to deliver personalized content and offers.
• Affiliate management: recruit and manage affiliates to help promote your membership site.

Standout feature: is its automated, sales-driving marketing funnels.

Use case: best for marketing campaign creation and selling products.

Best for: product marketers.

Starting at: at $119/mo for up to 2,500 contacts, 20 products and 100 pages.

In summary

All-in-one membership website builders cater to a wide range of use cases, from education to content subscriptions and community building. The best choice for you depends on your specific goals and requirements, so it's essential to consider the features and integrations that align with your website's purpose.

The covid pandemic has taught many yoga studios the value of having not just a simple website but one that allows them to generate an ongoing income stream.

Offering live or recorded yoga classes online can transform your yoga business by providing exposure to students around the world, increasing your income and providing the ability to upsell other products like retreats, courses or products.

Of course building a website can seem an overwhelming task at first. But, these days there are a wealth of affordable and easy-to-use tools for beginners that can make creating a website a weekend project.

SubHub’s membership website builder is a platform that provides everything you need to build and launch a website, accept payment and manage the members who are paying to access your yoga content. It's easy to expand your yoga practice with a membership website.

With our beginner-friendly platform, there’s no reason to feel intimidated. We take care of the tech and offer ongoing, hands-on support for when you need it.

So let’s outline the first steps to building, launching and getting members for your your website.

1. Identify Your Customer Profile

Before you start, take some time to identify your ‘Customer Profile’ and your ‘Market Niche’.

Don’t try to appeal to everyone. Instead refine your focus so you can target a specific audience. This makes appealing to and reaching an audience all the more easier.

For example, you may just want to focus on yoga for pregnancy or morning meditation or 5 minute sessions or chair yoga.

It might sound counterintuitive to be limiting your potential audience reach but focusing on a niche allows you to craft content specific to that audience’s needs. 

By narrowing your focus, you can strengthen your online content offering because success comes from meeting the needs of an audience.

This also allows you to refine and tailor the keywords you use in your titles and copy making it easier for people to find your site via search engines.

Read more about marketing strategies.

2. Select a Yoga Template

You can easily jump-start the design process by selecting one of SubHub’s ready-to-use yoga-themed templates.

Each template layout features sections designed to inform and convert visitors to members. But you can also customise your homepages with new layouts from the section library.

What do you need to start designing your website

1. Engaging messaging.
3. High quality images.
5. Example videos.
7. Initial content.

After selecting a template, start customising it by replacing the sample text and images with your own content.

It’s important to remember that visitors ‘scan’ rather than read web pages. So when writing the copy for your homepage be as succinct as possible.

Always introduce sections with descriptive headings because while a user might not read the body copy, they will skim a heading.

Read more about crafting a homepage.

3. Create Content

You should have a minimum amount of content available to members. I would suggest at least 14 pieces of content which could be a mix of blog posts and videos. Then regularly post new content to build your inventory and show commitment to your members.

You can also repurpose content into courses which can be sold individually or included in a membership. Sometimes it’s how you package and present content that can attract a subscriber. For example, a course that organises specifically themed content into a collection can provide a user with an easy to follow path into daily yoga practice.

Where to find high quality free use images, icons and graphics

There are plenty of sites where you can get free use, high quality yoga-themed images and video to make your site visually appealing. Pexels, Unsplash are my favorites and Canva is a superb free, all-round graphic software for creating media posts and more.

4. Get Organised

Your site’s organisation is very important. Your members need to easily find the content they are looking for. Spend time mapping out your navigation and assembling content into easily accessible categories. Think about the user experience. Users should be able to find the content they want in just a click or two.

Your SubHub website comes with an advanced search filter.

This filter allows members to search for content that meets their specific criteria. The filter is particularly useful for searches that include multiple practice variables that you can define - such as duration, style and focus.

5. Build Your Audience

The best promoter of your website is yourself! 

Using social media platforms to promote and drive traffic to your membership website is a must. The platform you chose varies according to where your audience naturally hangs out.

This might mean doing YouTube videos, Instagram Stories, TikTok LIVEs and expanding your practice from the studio into the digital landscape.

Use keywords in your titles that match what people are searching for so they can find your content. 

An important part of any marketing strategy is consistently showing up. This is all part of the process of building trust with your audience. By witnessing your commitment, you'll create loyal followers.

6. Grow and Nurture Your Email List

In order to market successfully, you need to capture a visitor’s email address with an opt-in lead magnet.

This is easily done by offering something free in exchange for their email. It could be something as simple as a checklist. Of course, the offer needs to be relevant and of value to your prospective audience.

Then you must nurture this email list with a followup email sequence.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of free yoga content out there but users will join a membership website for the personal experience, connection and authenticity.

Your website doesn’t need to be perfect before you launch but it should be professional looking and provide value. But keep in mind that as with any experience, it is a continuing process that will improve as you learn and grow.

Read how Cheri of InspireEncourageEmpower and Deborah Stanley of ThriveYoga created their yoga websites on SubHub.

Start creating your online yoga website today with a SubHub free 14-day trial.

Have you thought about taking your yoga studio online with a membership website? Combining online yoga instruction with traditional in-person teaching can offer a range of benefits.

By leveraging the flexibility and accessibility of online classes, you can reach a broader audience, accommodate diverse schedules and create an additional income stream.

Unlock the benefits of taking your yoga practice online

1. Reach a greater audience online

Running your yoga studio solely offline imposes a limit to how many people you can reach. You only have so much time and energy to spend teaching. Not to mention all the people who might love to learn from you, but can’t make it to in-person class.

By contrast, online teaching allows you to create content that can be accessed by an unlimited audience. A single instructional video, can educate hundreds or even thousands of individuals without any additional effort on your part. This scalability makes online teaching an incredibly efficient use of your time and resources. Not only does it enable you to reach a broader audience, but delivers a flexible learning environment for your students.

Moreover, online platforms offer numerous tools and resources to enhance the learning experience, like quizzes, forums and downloadable materials. These features can help create a more engaging experience for your students.

Case Study

Cheri's yoga practice focuses on routines designed for seniors. She launched her membership website to reach students with limited mobility by providing tutorials they can practice comfortably at home. She offers both an extensive video library and weekly live Zoom classes.

2. Create an additional income stream

Adding an online element to your in-person business can unlock a new stream of income. Creating a membership site to host your yoga content is the ideal way to expand your practice into the digital world.

A membership website lets you create a digital library of yoga classes, workshops, and tutorials. This format eliminates the limitations of traditional class schedules, allowing students to access classes anytime, anywhere. With content ranging from beginner to advanced levels, there's something for everyone. A membership site also enables virtual engagement through live-streamed sessions. With members paying an ongoing subscription fee for access to your content, you can generate a recurring income stream.

Case study

Deborah started her online yoga practice as a complement to her in-person studio. Her website offers her students an alternative to practice their yoga at home when it best suits their schedule. A class filter lets her students select their routine by style, duration or focus. She also sells tickets to her in-person classes from her website.

3. Showcase your expertise

A membership website is a platform that offers you the opportunity to showcase your knowledge and skills. By curating high-quality content such as instructional videos, workshops and articles, you can demonstrate your expertise and understanding in various aspects of yoga. This approach enables you to share your passion for yoga, connect with students and build a loyal community. By consistently delivering valuable content and personalized guidance, you establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field. This results in the ability to attract a wider audience and create new opportunities for growth and collaboration.

In summary, by moving your yoga practice online, you can maximize your impact, reach a wider audience, provide a more flexible schedule, all while making a highly efficient investment of your time and resources.

If you’re a yoga teacher attracting local students to your studio, you may be looking for opportunities to generate more income from your business.  You may already have an online presence - a website, Facebook & Instagram postings, maybe even TikTok videos. But an online presence doesn't necessarily equate to an online business.

You may be driving students to your brick and  mortar studio, but there are more income opportunities waiting for you to tap by offering online classes, monthly recurring memberships, webinars and live online coaching.

Many yoga teachers know this but simply don’t know how to get started.  Is that you?  Read on as we will delve into the steps to take to get your profitable online yoga business off the ground.

We’re going to talk about 3 elements of a successful online yoga business - yes, only three!  Which means…you can do this!

Start Right with a Positive Mindset

Don’t be tempted to skip this part.  Believe it or not, your frame of mind is the foundation of your business!  Here are three ways to up level your mindset from teacher to online yoga business owner:

Don’t underestimate yourself

Many yoga teachers would love to expand their influence but suffer from feelings of insecurity.  It’s easy to look around the web and see yoga experts with more experience and knowlege than you.  But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be an expert in your field. You can still lead your followers to achieve the goals they desire.  You have had success and you are knowledgeable and you are experienced.  You may not be the best in the world, but that's okay! You just have to be a little ahead of your students.  And remember, your students will learn from you, but you will always learn from them too, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Don’t be afraid of competition

Yes, there are many online yoga teachers out there, probably in your local area, and around the world.  But there are many more potential students who need your expertise.  Many people have a vague idea of what yoga is, but have no idea of the many types of poses, postures and benefits they offer. It’s a good idea to niche down your expertise and offer specialized teachings in whatever type of yoga you are most interested in.  Do you love to work with kids? Pregnant women? Are you a hot yoga specialist? You will find competitors in all these areas. But the fact that there is competition just means you’re on the right track!

Don’t be afraid of the tech

A well-supported fully hosted membership website platform takes a huge amount of stress out of the technology equation. When it comes to choosing an online platform for your yoga business, the safest bet is to choose a service that includes everything you need from the start. This includes hosting, online course functionality, a membership option, easy video display, and the ability to provide support material to students.  You might also look for a community feature to allow your students to interact with you and each other. SubHub is an all in one membership website platform that lets you easily create courses, membership and free blog content. It also offers hosting and hands on support without plugins or coding.

Create Loyal Followers with a Membership Website

What kind of content and how to display it on your website is the next order of business. A membership website with options for courses and an easy way for your students to pay will offer you and your tribe the most flexibility and ease of use.  Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be well on your way to offering exactly the kind of yoga content your audience is looking for.

Varied formats

You’ll want to provide a mix of free content, online courses and membership content.  Always provide some free videos on your homepage so Google can find you.  Online courses are a great way to present content and can be evergreen so you don’t need to be present as your students take the lessons.  Membership content allows you to charge a recurring fee for your expertise.  And you can sweeten the deal with discounts, coupons and free trial memberships.

Consistent value

Be sure your students and members are getting value for money to keep them engaged. Add new membership content on a regular basis such as podcasts, videos or blog posts.  Have upsells available such as live group calls and individual coaching sessions for members.  These can be in person sessions or over an online service like Zoom.  

Start simple

One membership level or one online course may be enough to get started. The SubHub platform allows you to offer your course or courses for free with a monthly or annual membership so you can provide a mix of content without getting too complicated.  Don’t forget to sign up for a Stripe and/or PayPal account to handle payment processing. These are the most accepted payment processors out there, easy to set up and fully integrated with the SubHub platform.

Polls and Surveys

Successful online yoga business owners don’t play a guessing game with their content.  They don’t go to the trouble of creating an online course without knowing what their ideal client is looking for.  But how do you determine what your audience wants?  Ask them! Facebook group polls and surveys will help you determine what content your audience will respond better to. It might be content for beginners, courses focusing on specific pain points like digestion, or a by muscle group. They may like on-demand videos or live virtual instruction, supplemental meditations or printed support material.

Get the Word Out with Consistent Marketing

There’s no point going to the trouble of creating your online yoga business if your followers don’t know about it!  This is where your funnel comes in.  (Don’t let that word scare you!) A funnel is simply a flow of information that potential students and members can follow to engage with you.  Here are some simple steps you can take to create an effective online funnel:

Entice with free content

It starts with free content on your yoga website and a little on-site SEO (search engine optimization).  This prompts Google to present your website in search listings when prospects are looking for your services.  

Engage with paid offerings

Once they’ve found your website, great! Now your job is to show them what you offer and convince them they’ve come to the right place.  If they are not ready to buy yet, you can still capture their name and email address. Then contact them later using an automated email sequence.  The SubHub platform offers a convenient integration with Mailchimp and Zapier, so you can easily market your paid services by email.  For those who are ready to buy, make sure you have easy to follow navigation and clear, upfront links to your paid subscriptions and courses.  

Market and repurpose

In the meantime, take advantage of social media opportunities to keep your position as expert at the forefront.  Repurpose some of your free videos from your website by posting them on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.  Facebook lives can provide a spontaneous gathering of your followers and solidify your status as expert in your field.

Keep it going

Rinse and repeat! Keep the funnel consistently working and you’ll always have new students looking for exactly what you have to offer.

When should you start this process?  Now!  There has never been a better time to get your online yoga business up and running.  The audience is ready, the technology is available, and the marketing doesn’t have to be complicated.  Get started today with a free 14-day trial with SubHub.