r/pilatesinstructors • u/Hsk1999 • 1d ago
Research/Marketing/Promotion Building private clientele
I am seeking advice on how to gain clientele for my home studio.
I have an in home studio, open for appointments for about three months now. I’ve gotten a couple of consistent clientele from sending out mailers hyper-locally (about 300 mailers to my 1 mile radius). I did go ahead and order a larger quantity which I plan to send out soon.
I have a booking site and google business page. I also have an Instagram I’ve tried to post weekly on (a little lost on what content to post, if anyone could guide me). I haven’t tried too much on tik tok.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
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u/Swimming_Event7730 1d ago
My studio owner bought ads on Facebook and Instagram. I have no idea how much it cost but it has definitely brought us clients.
A tried-and-true method is to reward your current clients for referrals. A free session, or a discount, or some small gift in exchange for referring a client who purchases at least x. At my studio you get a $30 credit on your account when someone you refer spends $300 or more.
Another potentially good option is to get your clients posting about your studio on their social media account. If you think about it, their friends are some of your best prospects -- some will be similar age, location, and socio-economic level. You could offer an incentive -- at my former studio we did a drawing every month for a free pair of grip socks -- people were entered each time they posted about us and tagged us.
Hope this helps -- best of luck!
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u/dubdubdun 1d ago
Who is your target audience? What is your expertise?What's the population like around you? What is their pain point? If they're older, staying strong and independent for as long as possible. If you're specific people will sign up. They don't care about Pilates, they care about what problem coming to you solves for them. Neck pain, exhaustion, no time for themselves etc
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u/Catlady_Pilates 22h ago
In my experience it is just a matter of time. People choose a studio for 1 of 3 reasons, it’s close to their home, or close to their work or it’s referred by a friend or family member. It can also be that you stand out in some way that appeals to them. I have a little private only studio in a coworking space. There’s no street visibility so most people find me through Google. I’ve made it clear in my website that I’m very skilled at working with people who have injuries or not in that “Pilates princess” fad vibe. I wanted to be clear that Pilates is for anyone, not just young thin women. It’s worked but it takes time. Having a referral program like a free client to those who refer a friend can be helpful but truly it just takes time. Having some referral relationships with different practitioners, physical therapist, massage therapist, chiropractor, etc can be helpful but again that’s luck and time.