Yoga Teachers: 7 Easy-to-Follow Steps to Create Your Personal Brand

When you make the transition from teaching a few weekly classes at a studio to creating your own yoga business, it starts with creating your personal brand as a yoga teacher.

There are so many questions, ‘Who am I as a teacher?’, ‘What makes me different from other teachers?’, ‘What are my offerings?’, ‘Who are my students?’, ‘Do I need a logo?’

If you want to build a consistently strong brand, it is important to get the first steps right!

I have worked in the marketing industry for over a decade and below are seven easy-to-follow steps with practical exercises to inspire your thought process and help you develop your personal brand as a yoga teacher.

Are you ready for this? Great, let’s dive right into it!
 

Follow These 7 Steps to Create Your Personal Brand as a Yoga Teacher:

Step 1: Do Your Research

Knowledge is key! Go online and check out a few yoga teachers, yoga studios and online yoga platforms. Look at the big names, it’s always good to be ambitious, but don’t forget the local teachers/studios in your area.

Check their website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, newsletters, etc. Create a mood board and capture things you like vs. things you don’t like.

Knowing what you like is good, but knowing what you don’t like is even better as it already rules out a few directions right at the beginning!

This exercise will help you to develop a feeling for the brand you are creating.

New Yoga Teachers: Use These 5 Tips to Create a Thriving Career in Yoga
 

Step 2: Define Your Why

Start With WHY, by Simon Sinnek, still is the most memorable book for me when it comes to marketing.

No worries, I won’t ask you to read the book, the quote below pretty much summarizes the plot.
 

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” -Simon Sinek

 
Your WHY is what inspires you to take action and helps you create your personal brand as a yoga teacher. It gives your yoga brand/business a purpose. On an emotional level, your WHY is what your students will connect with and what attracts them to you.

To define your WHY, ask yourself: Why did you become a yoga teacher? What are you trying to achieve with your teachings? Be authentic when answering these questions. Write one to two sentences max.

Bonus Tip: Sit with your WHY for a couple of days. Revisit it, reflect on it and tweak it, until it feels aligned.
 

Step 3: Find Your Niche

Stand out from the crowd!

Think about what makes you different from other teachers? Why would students come to your class? What are your passions?

Are you maybe an ex hip hop dancer with a passion for tarot cards and your classes are upbeat, sweaty and inspired by the tarot card of the day? This is an example, but it helps to take a look at your experience and interests to help you find the answer.

Don’t be afraid to be too granular when you create your personal brand as a yoga teacher, the more precise you are, the better!

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Step 4: Define Your Brand Personality

Personality and authenticity is what makes people connect with brands.

What is the personality that defines you as a teacher? Write down three attributes e.g. energetic, witty, playful.

Bonus Tip: If you struggle to find attributes, go online, google brand attributes, pick a list, see which attributes resonate with you. Write them down and then decide on your final three.

Step 5: Create Your Mission Statement

Your mission statement is the magic ingredient as it gives your brand/business a purpose. Take your time with this step. Get yourself a fluffy coffee and biscuits for inspiration and then let’s get to work.
 

Your mission statement is a combination of your WHY, your offers and values, and your goals.

 
Think about a super short elevator pitch. Keep it precise, keep it real and stick with one to two sentences max.
 

Step 6: Define Your Target Audience

Knowing who your students are is important as this will help you define your offerings.

Look at the people who come to your classes/workshops. Look at who follows you on social media. Break it down into gender, age, lifestyle, career, demographics, etc.

Let all of this information feed into the image of your ideal student. Then, write a short paragraph to capture your ideal student/consumer avatar.
 

Step 7: Develop a Mini Style Guide

High five! The thinking part is done, it’s finally time to get creative. In a final step to create your personal brand as a yoga teacher, build a mini style guide. Your mini style guide should include:

These three elements will help you to create a consistent look and feel across your marketing materials which in turn will contribute to a strong brand image and brand recognition with your students.
 
 

Create Your Personal Brand as a Yoga Teacher

And it’s a wrap! Congratulations on creating your unique brand.

When sharing your brand with the world, be proud, be loud, be authentic, and keep in mind that consistency is key!

Want more yoga teacher marketing tips? Read 7 Ways Yoga Teachers Can Market Themselves to Build a Successful Career

Did any of these ideas resonate with you? Or better yet, does this inspire you to develop (or refine!) your personal brand as a yoga teacher? Please share with us in the comments below – we love hearing from you!