Most yoga teachers struggle to some degree with social media. I’m often asked for social media tips by sincere yoga teachers who are trying to hold their own in a highly competitive yoga market. Usually, most yoga teachers fall into one of the 3 scenarios below. Which one are you?
- Hate social media & completely avoid it like the plague
- Moody. I post when I feel I need to but don’t really know how to use it strategically
- Love it. I’m on it everyday.
Scenario one…
You don’t have to be on social media if you’re a yoga teacher. It’s completely optional. But you need to recognize that social media is great for discoverability. Remember how we used to get flyers in the mail or newspaper ads where you had to pay to post an ad. Social media is like your free digital printing press. Chances are people who need your services are looking for you on these platforms. Discoverability is high. But your messaging needs to be on-point. Applicable yoga entrepreneurs specifically.
Scenario 2…
This might actually be more harmful than you realize. Because you’re stuck in the middle. You probably spend a lot of time thinking about why you’re not growing on social media while others do so quickly. Showing up inconsistently doesn’t help to build trust. It’s a sea out there for yoga teachers on social media. But inconsistentcy doesnt help. Think of it as not showing up to work on many days. Because social media becomes part of “work” for many yoga solopreneurs.
Scenario 3…
Being on the app regularly should help, right? Wrong. It’s what you’re doing on the app that matters. Enjoying social media & using it strategically to grow your audience base are 2 very different things. You could be on the app everyday consuming other people’s content or you could be out there creating educational content everyday. So use the app intentionally especially if you’re a yoga teacher trying to grow your yoga career.
10 social media tips to avoid overwhelm for yoga teachers…
Treat social media like email with pictures…
Do you open your email a hundred times a day? I sure hope not! The first tip is to remember this social media is nothing more than something like email with pictures. You need it to work & communicate. But you don’t need to it survive. Unless you’re a professional socail media manager & getting paid for it. There’s no need to be on the app all the time. Think of social media apps as one of the many different apps you need to use for your business.
Open only during certain time blocks a day…
This seems easier said that done. I know. But try this. Keep your social media sessions attached with an already established habit. For example, I log in when I have my morning cup of tea. Then my lunch time & lastly evening cup of tea. I’m fully aware that I’m online while doing this. But put the phone away as soon as is done. It’s called, habit stacking according to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. Works if you stack it with something that’s already established.
Set a timer & unfollow or mute these accounts…
Just how you have an inner circle of friends. You need to create an inner circle on social media. So you only see nourishing, uplifting content that is of interest and service to your yoga teaching. Set a timer & purge all unnecessary random accounts that you follow. The moment I see something that doesn’yt appeal to me, I’m pretty quick to unfollow.
For example, I don’t follow any bikini yoga on the beach accounts because it doesn’t resonate with me. Another example, I used to follow Rachel Brathen (yoga girl) on Instagram but realize that she’s anything but yoga & her work is more about her & her life like a celebrity than yoga itself. So set a timer & empty out any junk on your account.
Use the desktop app more often…
Almost every social media app is accessible on your desktop. Certain functionalities maybe limited & that’s actually a good thing. For example, once I post on Instagram, I make it a point to engage, interact & respond only through my desktop app. That way I’m not mindlessly scrolling for hours. Instead staying focussed on what needs to get done for work.
Use scheduling apps to plan & schedule content…
Getting organized about your social media will help deal with the overwhelm most yoga teachers feel. These apps are generally to be used spontenously. That’s what the app creators want you to do – to be on it all the time. But there’s a better way. Spend a few hours or even days planning out all your content. Then use a scheduling app to preload & schedule your content to publish. There are a host of apps with different features and functionalities. Some that come to mind are, Canva, Later, Hootsuite etc…
Certain days for Live content…
On your calendar mark a certain day/s for live content creation. These could be Insatgram lives, IG stories or Facebook live sessions. You don’t need to be online all the time. For example, I go on IG stories only on Mondays & Tuesdays. Perhaps a Thursday if something needs to be said or shared. But Monday & Tuesdays are my heavy live days. Wednesdays & weekends are days off from social media. Find a balance that works for you. This comes by trial and error.
Educate, engage & entertain…
Ask yourself this question often, “are you logging in to educate (post) or enagage (respond only to people who engaged on your content) or entertain (thsi is where you scroll and consume content for fun). Avoid doing a little bit of everything everytime. This is how we end up for hours a day on social media.
Open a less triggering app…
Often when I feel restless & notice I keep grabbing at my phone for stimulation I check myself & encourage myself to open a less triggering app. This could be YouTube to watch cooking videos or audible to listen to a book or my all-time favorite on the phone, the podcast app & I listen to something instead. I also try to journal & read a page of a book instead of 10 minutes of scrolling. Hoping these ideas are sparking ideas for you to try.
Put your phone to charge in another room…
This really works! Just keep your phone out of sight and out of reach. You’ll find yourself using it a fewer times a day when you do this. I let it run out of charge overnight and then charge it in another room so I need to get up and go to check. That does the trick for me (because I’m lazy to go get the phone until I need to).
Don’t try to be perfect…
Trying imperfectly to be better at social media as yoga teachers is better than running away from it all together. One day at a time, if you put some of these tips into action. You should see results over time.
Good Luck. I’ll be rooting for you. Come see me on Instagram and let me know how your experiment goes.
