These days it’s easy to get caught up worrying about optimizing your SEO, focusing on social media engagement or having a super fancy website – but even in 2025 we think it’s still well worth considering some classic marketing methods.
Here are a few old school ideas that can still be incredibly effective alongside the latest and greatest in marketing techniques.
Display eye-catching street signage
One of the simplest ways to connect effectively with your local community is by displaying an eye-catching sandwich board or other street signage so that your business can easily be noticed by pedestrians and cars passing by.
We recommend grabbing people’s attention by making the most important piece of information most prominent – i.e. emphasizing “yoga” or “Pilates” or “personal training” on your signage so that phrase connects with interested people and they can easily find your business information later online.
If you’re allowed to place an additional sign on the nearest busy road then we’d absolutely recommend doing that too – you might be surprised by how many people you can reach with a one-time investment in some good signage (and you already know they spend time in your area!).
Print some flyers with a modern twist
You might think that printed flyers are a bit old-fashioned but they still work really well and you can harness modern technology to bring them into 2025!
Start by keeping the printed information basic so you know that your flyers will stand the test of time (reprinting them when things change is an expensive and irritating exercise!) and implement QR codes to link to any information that might change over time.
You could use QR codes for:
- A link to your schedule on Punchpass
- A link to your payment options
- A link to a free or discounted pass option for new students (easy to set up in Punchpass!)
A word of warning – some online QR code generators will let you create the codes for free, but will start charging you to use it after a trial period expires. Make sure you check the fine print before committing to a QR code provider!
Leave a welcoming message at your studio door
If you don’t have a staffed front desk then it’s a great idea to print up a quick overview of what happens at your gym or studio and where to get more information, and display it near your entrance.
Adding a printed timetable is also a nice touch but can be a pain to keep updated – once again QR codes give you the flexibility to link to specific things on your schedule or any other information that might change over time.
Anyone passing by your business is automatically a great candidate for attending your classes so it’s best to make sure they have the information they need to eventually sign up and show up.
Be present in local Facebook groups and forums
Maybe you’re not as active on Facebook as you used to be (we miss throwing sheep too!) but there are still a lot of very active community groups and forums where relevant posts (and thoughtful replies) can bring you a lot of business.
You don’t want to overdo the self-promotion but it’s definitely worth joining a few local Facebook groups (and online communities like Reddit and Discord) to keep an eye out for posts looking for the best yoga studio, personal trainer, gym or art class etc in your area.
Hopefully some of your enthusiastic regulars will jump in and recommend your business (definitely reply to their message thanking them and showing that you’re open to being contacted by the original poster) but you can also leave a direct reply (or make a promotional post) with more information when it seems appropriate.
Take control of your Google Business listing
Make sure that you’ve claimed your business listing on Google and that the information there stays up to date. Many people use Google maps essentially as a search engine, so don’t neglect this!
Lots of your prospective customers will view that listing first (even before they see your carefully curated website and social media) and then rely on the information they find to decide whether they want to explore further. (See the section below about reviews!)
It’s critical to make a good first impression by ensuring that your Google Business listing always features some great pictures, an accurate location, up to date hours and the right contact information, then be sure to make updates when things change at your business.
Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews
Facebook and Google are the main places that customers will look for reviews to get a better feel for your business.
Make sure you have reviews enabled on your Facebook account (it can look a little dodgy if you don’t!) and pay attention to the reviews you get on Google so you can respond if needed.
The next step is to regularly reach out to your customers to ask them to leave a review – a few amazing testimonials can really make all the difference (it’s also a great idea to add some of the best ones to your website)!
You can even set up an automated email in Punchpass that goes out after a class (great for collecting feedback after a workshop or special event), or use your email newsletter and social media to request reviews from your regulars.
Take a long, hard look at your website
These days everybody knows the value of having a great website and the basics of what should be included, but there are some simple things that are easy to overlook.
Make sure that your website includes the following information so that potential customers have everything they need:
- Your physical address (if you run in-person classes) – you would be shocked by the number of websites we see where this information is incredibly hard to find. One of the driving factors for whether someone can attend your classes is likely to be convenience so knowing where you’re located is absolutely essential.
- Answers to some frequently asked questions – your FAQ section is a great place to make new customers feel welcome and set expectations for their studio (or online) experience
- A way to contact you – using your personal phone number for your business has its pros and cons so you’ll need to make that call on your own but there are definitely some students who will very much want to chat with you before coming to their first session (and might not feel comfortable reaching out via email). Consider using a secondary phone or Google Voice number to give students a way to contact you, but also protect your peace.
There are a LOT of great website builders & hosting companies (for example Squarespace) – it’s a lot less intimidating than it was even a few years ago.
Take the time for regular reviews
As a studio owner there are few things worse than realizing your Google listing has your business listed as “closed”, or that the links on your website aren’t redirecting correctly, or that potential clients haven’t been able to reach you via email for weeks or months.
That’s why it’s incredibly important to schedule regular reviews of your marketing – things like walking through your website as a new student, checking on your Google listing and making sure all of your QR codes are still firing correctly etc.
These reviews can be done every couple of months or at whatever interval suits you but it’s important to pop a regular reminder on your calendar because as you know all too well – life moves pretty fast as a studio owner!
