Laura Munkholm:
To start. Oops. Hi, everyone. Welcome. Welcome. Thank you so much for being here today, especially those of you who are on time. Love getting started so we can make sure we respect everyone's time during the day. My name is Laura Muncomb and I am the co founder and president here at Walla. And this is our monthly webinar series. We have a Walla webinar series that we host typically the last Thursday of every month. And we bring in experts in our industry to talk about the things that you all have been telling us are a challenge right now or that you'd love to learn more about. So for all of you that are our regulars, thanks for joining us again. And for those of you that are here for the first time or watching this on recording, um, we really appreciate it. And we'd love to hear from you if there are topics, if there are specific areas of the software you'd like to learn more about or just general industry, um, concepts that are interesting. We're happy to find the people that know the most about it and bring them to you. So with that, um, we are going to be doing this webinar style, so don't be alarmed if you don't see yourself on the screen. Um, it's not supposed to be showing your faces. We do this so we can keep all attention on the content, but that doesn't mean that you can't interact. So we do have a chatbot or chat chat box on the right side of your screen. You can click on chat and actually can everyone get started there? If you wouldn't mind, please pop into the chat, introduce yourself, your studio name, and where you're coming from. It's always nice to know who's here and make sure that we can curate the content a little bit more towards you. Um, just so I don't have to answer this later on because it typically gets asked, yes, this will be recorded, and yes, it will be sent to you. Um, everybody will get a recording as soon as this finishes processing behind the scenes. And, um, yeah, sometime in the next few hours, it'll land in your inbox. Alright. Hi, Kate. Hi, Mackenzie. Hi, Catherine. Thanks for being here, everyone. Uh, without further ado, I'm very excited to introduce Saryn Glanfield to you all. Saryn has been in this industry for over a decade, has been, you know, in front of classes teaching Pilates, has been working with so many, I mean, hundreds of studios, I'm guessing at this point, Saryn. And we actually got to work together leading a mastermind at one point. So I can honestly say she is one of the minds I never get tired of learning from, and I am honored to have you here today. So thank you.

Seran Glanfield:
Oh, I'm so glad to be here. It's always great to see you and all that you're doing, Walla. Um, Yeah. We've been been doing this a little little while now. A little while. Yes. For sure.

Laura Munkholm:
Um, and, actually, just before you kick off on the content, guys, please don't hesitate to ask questions during the presentation. I'll be watching the chat so I can kind of ping them in and make sure that Saren's got, um, you know, especially if there's something that you don't quite understand or you wanna dig a little bit deeper into. I think it helps to have this be a little bit more interactive. So don't be shy, guys.

Seran Glanfield:
Yeah. Don't be shy at all. Every I host these types of events every single week, and, um, I always have the chat opening up so I can I can just quickly, uh, answer any questions if it's if it's something I can quickly get to? But if you've got a bigger question, we we will have a q and a at the end, so don't be shy. Alright? We ready to dive in, you guys? Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. So I wanna kick off with just a quick, um, industry update. Um, as you probably have already experienced, um, we've seen remarkable growth in the last few years in our industry. And we expect to continue to see, um, strong growth, um, with with the industry expected to meet reach around nearly $80,000,000,000 by the 2029. So almost doubling, um, since 2022. And this is huge growth. So for all of you who are sitting there thinking now, like, what does the world look like? What am I what what's what's gonna happen next? What's gonna come our way? The future is bright. Brighter than probably we've seen it in the time that I have been, um, doing what I do, which is well over ten years. I think there's more opportunity in this industry than ever before. But alongside the opportunity also comes competition. Um, as many of you may have found, um, we're seeing a lot more with that with those dollars flowing into industry, we're also seeing a lot more studios open, different types of modalities coming into, uh, becoming more popular. And so for the next phase of growth for all of you in this industry, it's not about putting in more hours. It's about working smarter. It's about, uh, building your business with strategy and with structure and with, um, support and tools, especially like Walla, that help you to optimize your business and grow. Because ultimately, as the CEO of your businesses, as a studio CEO, you are you are you're responsible for the growth long term, which means you can't just keep adding more to your plate. It's about doing the right things consistently and strategically. So, uh, uh, if we never met, um, I appreciate Laura. A quick intro. But let me tell you a little bit more about my, um, background and how what what what I have what brought me here to be in front of you guys today. I began my, um, teacher training program in 2008 in New York City. So that ages me a little bit. Um, and we're all we're on this. Um, and I began building my clientele, um, in 2009, which was at point during what was considered to be the financial crisis. The biggest thing we'd seen in our generation. Obviously, since then we've seen different and worse in different ways. Um, but I was able to really build a very strong and solid client base during that time. And in 2012, after giving a lot of support and advice to friends who were studio owners and teachers, um, who were peers of mine who I've met along the way, who had exceptional levels of talent, I was invited to step into a more full coaching role, a consulting role, um, by those people. Um, because when I before I became a Pilates teacher, I, um, worked in finance and marketing in London and New York. I studied management at the London School of Economics. And what all of that means for you guys here today is that numbers and business don't scare me. It's where I love to be. It's what I love to do, and it's where my brain goes. And so when I look at the industry today and having had over well over a decade of experience working hands on with hundreds of studio owners around the world on strategizing their growth and optimizing their business for their goals, I feel like I have seen it all. Um, and I do see right now that there is a lot of untapped opportunity in most businesses. And I wanna help you to really tap into that. So today, here's what we have planned. Um, we're gonna talk about brand today. We're gonna talk about brand messaging and, specifically, why it is so critical to your success. We're gonna talk about how you can create your own brand. I'm gonna take you step by step through that process actually today. It's exciting. Um, and I'm gonna talk about some of the mistakes that I would encourage you to avoid, but that seem to pop up on a fairly regular basis, and then we can wrap up with a q and a with all of your lovely questions. Um, but for now, I'd love to get maybe a quick poll, um, and we're gonna pop up right now. Um, and perhaps you can share with me what it is that you are most concerned about in your business. So I'm gonna click on the little poll. Um, is there any what which one of those, if you pop in there, let me know which one of those is um, is sort of your biggest concern right now. Um, and if you let me know that, then we can make sure that we bring that all into what the conversation that we're having today. Alright? Yeah. So,

Laura Munkholm:
yeah, you can see just on the side, there's, uh, what's your biggest concern right now, vote now, little poll. So if you guys pop in, it helps to give some context to the presentation.

Seran Glanfield:
Yeah. Great. And Catherine said asked a common question, which comes up a lot, which is, yeah, knowing the correct places and way to grow and expand is some of the things to consider for sure. Yeah. Yeah.

Laura Munkholm:
Looks like lead generation is is winning as far as biggest concerns right now. So that's always a common thread. Always

Seran Glanfield:
a common. Yeah. Yep. Pretty critical to critical to not just growing your business, but even sustaining business. Right? When you all need always need that constant stream of new leads coming in. I'm gonna talk about bit about how we can help you with that today, um, because we're gonna be talking about brand. Okay? So if you're ready, we're gonna dive on in. And I think that in today's, um, in today's environment, branding really matters more than ever. Because as we've already talked about, it is a very competitive space. There are lots of options available to your clients, to the people, to your to your community, and there's a lot of different places that people can spend their wellness dollars. And so there's a lot of choices out there. And because of so many the the the the breadth of the choices available, it connection and the belonging and community matters more in 2025 than it ever has done before. So it's not just about having a good class. It's about building more than that. And that's why brand is so critical to your long term success is because it's the brand part of your business and the effort you put into your branding that actually builds trust and loyalty and longevity. So it's not just about your logo, your colors, or the font you're using on your website. Um, it's the feeling that people get when they think about your studio. It's how it's the it's the promise that you're making to them when you're pulling them into your world, and it's how you make your clients feel like they belong. And so your brand is really that bridge between what you do and why you do it and why people choose you over the competition. And a strong brand is gonna do the heavy lifting. It's going to help you to bring in the right clients. It's gonna help you to build that connection because that what matters more than the why. And the brand is how you can, sorry, the not what has less than the why. The why is is is more important than it's ever been before, and that's why people choose you over others that appear to be competition to you. Right? So one of the biggest mistakes and one of the reasons why, uh, I start every conversation with, um, every sort of growth journey with the studio owners that I work with focusing on branding and messaging. It's because despite the fact that your class is unique and your studio is unique and what you do is fantastically unique in yours, we often rely on language that is fairly generic. We want to help people move better. We want to help people feel stronger. We help you feel stronger. Um, or come join our community. These are all words that I see over and over and over again when it comes when on people's websites, social media, and so on. And the problem with this is that it's not specific or compelling enough to move people to action because it's a little bit too vague. Right? It's a little bit too, you know, broad, um, and that makes it relatively forgettable. It's not enough for you to use just these words in the market that we're in today. And if other people can say that about their business too, then you're not diff you're not able to use it to differentiate yourself. You're just instead blending in, which is what we don't want. And because the reality is is that no matter how many studio owners that I have worked with on marketing and messaging, and we do a deep dive inside of my program on that, your studio is gonna be different to other studios. And what you do, there's more to it than just being able to say we help you get stronger. Right? And so in when we want when we start about when we start to think about how we can really leverage a brand to stand out, you wanna make sure that you are leaning into all of the things that makes you unique. Right? Because when you have a strong brand, you're gonna be able to bring in those people who are looking exactly for what you have to offer. Right? And what that does is it helps to really increase conversions and retention. You're not bringing people in who are just gonna be looking for the discount or that free class. You're gonna differentiate yourself from competition. So you're not competing on price ever, which I love that. I think it's there's only one way to win when you wanna compete on price, and it doesn't look good for you at the bottom line. It helps to build trust faster. It helps clients to feel very confident when they walk in. They know what to expect. And it helps, like, to increase retention because everyone just feels more aligned. They're aware of what you're doing and who you are and what you're all about. And it helps to really also help your team cultivate a great sense of community in your studio. Sometimes that has a bigger impact than we ever put any enough attention on. Um, and it helps you to market with a lot more clarity. So you're not guessing about what I should say or, uh, perhaps perhaps the second biggest mistake I see is competing the wrong way. Right? So when we keep up when we when I find people trying to compete with others in the wrong way, perhaps you end up chasing that next real trend that you've seen your another studio do. Right? You're trying to keep up with others and do it with what other people are doing. You're copying a fun post. You saw another studio post. You're trying to copy other people's pricing perhaps. Or maybe you even add in a different modality because some other studio in town, they're really killing it with whatever class they have at their studio. Right? And what happens when we do that, unfortunately, is it creates actually a problem for us in our business because replicating your competition creates a very direct comparison of experience and price. And that means that when they look at your studio and the other studio, they're gonna look for they're not they're they're there's gonna be so much overlap that there's they're probably gonna only be a couple of reasons why they choose the your studio or the other studio. And what happens is people start ultimately competing on, uh, choosing based on price and things that perhaps are not so supportive of long term growth. So when you compete the wrong way and you're trying to keep up with others, you're trying to copy what other people are doing, you're trying to try that pricing option or add that class, then you end up diluting what you have built and what your identity is. And so and it also creates just this massive ability to compare you to the other studio down the street, and it confuses clients because they're not really sure why to pick you or another studio. Um, and so people start you start competing more on price. You start perhaps discounting more. Um, you get clients that are just looking for the discounts and not gonna be a good fit. Um, and you ultimately end up in a place where your brand doesn't actually match what it is you started out to wanting to do. And it really creates this sort of spinning the wheel situation. So your brand helps you stand out, and it's because it is not about blending in. It's about leaning into more of what you do. Because ultimately, as you know from working with the great clients that you work with, they're not buying just a workout class. Right? They can get that in a big box gym for, like, $29 a month. They're buying is the way that you do what you do in your studio, in a very unique and special way that you do it. And so if you really wanna stop spinning your wheels in that marketing man, and you wanna see consistent growth and sustainable growth, you need to have a marketing strategy that is truly rooted in your brand and that is aligned with all of the good things that make your studio distinct and unique. And so reminder is that, yes, your studio is distinct and unique. Yes. You might offer Pilates or spin or bar or yoga just like many other studios in town, but the way that you do what you do is unique to you. And so you want to leverage the unique experience that as something that helps your studio to really stand out as that key differentiator. And you wanna align your brand messaging with those core beliefs, right, and that mission that you start out with. You wanna develop that brand tone that is uniquely yours. This is often, I think, one of the most challenging things to do, but that also resonates with those clients that you most want. Right? So this is we don't wanna sound like other people. Um, and then you wanna talk more about the results that are specific to your studio. And this last point leads me really nicely into what I find to be one of the other, I should say, probably the third biggest mistake that I see many, many, many, many to your owners making, um, regardless of what stage of business they are in. And that is it's a big one. It's a very easy to make, actually, and that is focusing on features, um, instead of feelings and outcomes. So many studios, when they're marketing their studio, will focus on the class types. They'll say we offer this type of we have we have a hot Pilates. We offer the green Pilates. We offer 45 classes. We have thirty minute classes. They'll focus on the schedule. Right? Um, or they'll focus on, like, the amenities at the studio. And they may even focus a lot on the instructor expertise or the pricing and the packages and the promotions. Typically, this is where most people tend to focus, especially in the top of funnel marketing efforts. Right? And what happens when we do this is that we avoid we miss on all the things that actually our clients are caring about at that point in the customer journey at the top of the funnel. What they're thinking about are, will I belong here? Is this gonna be too hard for me? Is this gonna help me become what I wanna become? Is it gonna help me get the outcomes that I actually want? Right? Because they're looking for you to solve a problem for them. Okay? So they're asking themselves, can this help me become the version that I want to be? And is this the right place and the right group of people that that are gonna I'm gonna fit in well with. Right? And usually, the even if you've got someone who is really, um, you know, is kind of a studio hopper and they've been to a bunch of different studios and they love they love to take in different classes from places, there is always an element of apprehension and and I I don't look right you know, maybe not not lack of confidence, but, like, a hesitation or question or concern that might be sitting in the back of their mind asking these questions about any new studio that they hear about. Right? And so clients don't actually care about the number of classes that you offer. They care about having a routine that they can stick to. Right? They don't care about the certifications. They care about feeling supported on whatever the outcome is that you're going to be able to give them. And they don't necessarily care about they care a little bit about price for sure. But what they really care about is whether that price is gonna give them what they are looking for and help them to feel better in whatever it is that they want to do. Because your your business ultimately solves a problem for your clients, And we when you work on your brand, you also need to understand who it is you're working who it is your clients are and what you they want from you most, and that's what you wanna speak to in all of your marketing efforts. So people don't buy the results. They buy oh, sorry. People don't buy this don't buy services. They actually buy results. They buy the difference that your studio makes, and they buy the change. Right? They actually are looking to buy, like, the version themselves that they can't get on their own, and they need you to help them to get there. Right? So instead of listing features, we really wanna paint a picture for your clients and your potential clients in your community about the transformation that you provide. You wanna show them what's possible for them when they commit to being a client at your studio. So I wanna take a quick pause, and let me know on the copy of the chat any, um, questions so far on anything I've shared with you so so far. Does anyone, um, see themselves in some of this? Perhaps, um, one of these is you're thinking to yourself, I think I might be able to, um, perhaps improve what I'm talking about in my marketing when I think a bit more about how I can leverage my brand. Um, pop in the chat. Let me know if any of this which of these perhaps stood out most to you, whether it was generic messaging or competing the wrong way or, um, fee based features based marketing. Let me know in the chat. Now I wanna switch gears a little bit because now we know what not to do. Um, it's time to talk a little bit more about what we should be doing and doing more of. And so let's start and dive in. And this is where we kinda get a bit workshoppy. So, you know, again, be be chat with me, um, in the in the in the chat there, um, because I want you to I wanna help you really elevate your brand message here today. I think that in the world that we're in today, like I said, with all of the, um, all of the competition that is out there and perhaps potentially even some uncertainty in the economy, you know, later this year, the the the way that we are going to be able to create a very sustainable growth in our business is by leaning into our brand message and then leveraging that in our marketing efforts. Okay? So, um, we don't know what a client is thinking. Yes. Oh my gosh. I know. And this is I love that, Catherine. Um, you are often guessing for sure. For sure. Uh, yes. And Mackenzie says, unique and special. Love to focus on the why in our marketing. It's so powerful. So powerful for sure. Alright. So let's dive in to how we craft a great and strong brand message. Okay? So I'm gonna I'm gonna give you some, um, questions to think about, some things during this next section. Um, so please, um, I'm gonna I'm gonna slow down. We're gonna, um, take our time a little bit so you can really take perhaps you can take the time on this call today, um, to answer some of those questions for yourself. Okay? So first action step to crafting your brand message is to identify what makes you unique. And in sort of traditional marketing world, um, this is called your unique value proposition, um, the UVP. Um, the this is really critical to your business and your marketing efforts if you want them to be strong and successful. This is really the cornerstone of your brand messaging, and it's really what sets you apart in a crowded marketplace. Okay? So it should be some it should be something that is specific, that is compelling, but, also, it should be quite difficult for other people to copy or replicate. And it's not just about being different. It's about being different in a way that matters to your ideal client. Okay? So, um, it this is something that I find when people first start out in their business. They that's often when people do this work, um, but then often never revisited. And often more often, I would say, most folks, you know, you when you're opening your studio, whether that was last month or last year or ten years ago, um, you might be been so busy getting everything else set up that you might have skipped this part altogether. So I always say there's never a bad time to review branding. In fact, I was just speaking to my studio owners yesterday on my on our call, um, and I was encouraging them that this is the time, um, to revisit because if it's been a year or more, um, once a year is a is a is a good time is a is a good kinda length of time to perhaps come back and do a little bit of branding work and making sure that all of your marketing efforts really, really are dialed in. So

Laura Munkholm:
Can I pop in just for a second, Karen? I think it's interesting. I had two conversations this week with different studio owners, both of which who said, um, both of which said the people who ended up being my people are not at all who I intended to find when I started. One of them is a kind of multi modality yoga sculpt Pilates spin studio in Middle America who ended up, she was like, my people are Greek life college students. They love my modality. I set out to build this studio for me and every class is full of sorority girls. And it is, And I was like, wow, not class pass. And she was like, no, the crazy thing is they are so loyal. They show up every day. And I fought it for so long because that's not who I set out to serve. And now I've embraced it. And we have our growth plan around university campuses. And then conversely, I spoke with another client who had set out to, um, essentially work with busy moms. That was her target audience and who she's attracted are retired women who don't want to be home with their husbands all day and want that hour and a half every morning that they come see their friends and have something that makes them feel good about moving their bodies. So both of them had to completely change their brand messaging to understand the people who actually liked their modality were stepping in the door and felt something special from their unique experience. So that's I love the concept of revisit this. This maybe when you started out, you had a very different view of who was gonna be coming to your studio.

Seran Glanfield:
A 100%. I mean, businesses evolve, um, naturally over time anyway. And I think, yeah, it it's really fascinating what what you can uncover when you go through this exercise. And I think one of the biggest, um, I would say one of the most fulfilling things that I see when I do this exercise with my studio owners is that it actually helps to reduce a lot of the anxiety around competition and growth of the industry. Because when, you know, you you you move out of that chasing phase and and trying to keep up, um, and move into really being able to stand in in in your business and have, um, really a strong sense of purpose for what you're setting out to do. And so and that and I think that even that mindset shift as a business owner, you know, this is not what we're here to talk about today, but even that mindset shift as a business owner is so powerful for where you then spend your time, energy, and focus as the CEO of your business. Because if you're chasing other other things, if you're chasing a comp you know, looking like competition or trying to outcompete with the competition, then you're probably losing sight of what's amazing about what you are doing already in your studio. And so it's really a powerful exercise. Yeah. For sure. Alright. Who's ready to dive into some questions? Alright. So so there are some helpful questions, um, that will help you to craft a very powerful value proposition for your studio. And that first one is what specific problem or desire or need does your studio address for your clients? Okay? And I'm gonna give you a couple of minutes. I'm gonna keep talking, but I'm gonna give you some time perhaps to think about this for your business. If you're sitting in front of your computer, pull up a notes or a Word doc. If you're on your phone, pull it up. If you're sitting at a desk and you've got pen and paper, write it down as you're here today so we can make the most of this this time together. But what specific problem or desire does your studio address to your clients? What do you actually help them to overcome or achieve? Um, what problem are you solving for them? Right? And, you know, this can be all sorts of things. And like you said, Laura, like, this is it can be taking time out out of their day so they can spend with their friends. Um, it can be feeling like they're part of a community. Um, it can be overcoming pain. It can be moving their bodies in a way that feels fun so they keep coming. Um, it can be all of the above. Uh, there is no wrong answer here. And I think that when it comes to having your value proposition, I think that's the first rule that I always say is that there is no wrong answer to this question. It's what you see and observe and know about your studio and your business. So I'll give you a minute real quick to take take to jot all that down, give you time to think for a second, and then we'll go on to about the next question.

Laura Munkholm:
I'm gonna pop a couple of brands that have been standing out to me recently in the chat too so you guys, after today or whatever, can jot down these URLs because I just love their messaging and the ads I've been seeing for them.

Seran Glanfield:
Awesome. Yeah. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. And as you think about this question, I want you to think about, you know, what you've even heard your clients say about your business that they love. Sometimes we see things quite differently to our clients, and it can be really interesting to to sort of reflect on what they have told you they enjoy about your business. Um, this is also a good time to think about, you know, how your approach, how much you may have invested in the way that you structure your sessions, your classes, um, and the experience that you give to your clients when they're in the studio. And the idea is that you're you're highlighting some of these sort of key parts of what you're doing for your visit in your business. Alright. So if you've got that, you can always come back to it. And I would say you wanna I would encourage you to let this question sit with you for a little bit. As in, like, a few days. Because you're gonna wanna come back when you'll think of things when you're back in your studio, you're back teaching, and you'll hear things. I encourage you to to come back to this question and add your answers and thoughts and ideas around it because it's shit all of that together will shape your unique value proposition and your brand messaging. So the next question we have to get really clear on is who your ideal client is. Now the biggest first question I always get, um, from my students when we do this exercise is, can I have more than one ideal client? Right? And when we and I always have I I it means that I need to clarify what I mean by ideal client, um, when I hear that question. And because, typically, when we think about our ideal client, um, or anyone talks about their target audience, a target client, or whatever you wanna call it, um, we're thinking about demographics. We're saying these are women in or who are retirees, which means that they are women in their fifties, sixties, seventies. Right? And the reality is is that, actually, what often happens is we can see our clientele over a broad range of ages. We can have men and women in our studio. And what actually we're looking for when we think about our ideal client is not necessarily their age or their gender. It's more about what is it about their motivations and their character and their interests that are similar. Right? And what we find is that though that bridges the age, uh, quite significantly, and with that, when we look into some of the character traits of your ideal client, that is what is sort of universal regardless of, you know, what particular demographic they may fall into. So as you come to answer this question, yes, it may matter that they are women of a in in a certain age bracket, But it may also be that they are struggling with the same problem. It may also be that they are motivated by the same thing. It may also be that they enjoy the same things about your business. And so as you think about your ideal client, we also care a lot about that as well. So we're thinking about lifestyle. We're thinking about motivations. We're thinking about their character. Um, and that's you know, please continue to sort of, uh, you know, ask that question for your for your studios. And what what we find what I find is that, um, what we the purpose of this entire exercise when especially when it comes to the ideal client, um, part of the exercise and thinking about it, is that we're not looking to just, like, pick our, um, we're just looking to pick the the way that we perhaps target our digital ads. Um, it is also about the language we're using, um, in our marketing efforts. And so we also wanna understand what is helping them to make a decision or hindering them from making a decision about becoming a client at your studio or continuing to become a client at your studio. Okay? So we kind of wanna use it to step into their shoes, to see things from their perspective. Okay? Yeah. Yes. This is a actually, that's really a good point, Laura. So Laura mentioned in the chat, uh, great example. There's an aging athlete, um, and what they might have in common. Right? I see this as a actually, a great ideal client. I see this come up a lot, especially, you know, so much. Um, and, uh, yeah. What they usually have in common is that they, depending on what stage of life they're at, they may not be quite in the same shape they once were, and they are struggling with that.

Laura Munkholm:
Or it's like I I've I've talked to a couple of businesses that this is their ideal client, and they don't think about necessarily the age or the gender, which is typically what we talk about right away when you think of your ideal client. They talk about the problem that they they have, which is they typically have, like, an injury from the past. So they're in pain some way, somehow, and they just have this, like, nostalgic feeling around what they used to be able to do. Right. And so that's what they focus on as their ideal client. Someone who is living with some sort of a an injury or pain and has nostalgia for what their body used to be able to do. So that's the ideal client.

Seran Glanfield:
Yeah. And it's amazing because imagine how different the marketing messaging and the copy of the language you use looks if you're speaking to let's just say someone who is 60. Right? A male that is 60 and you're, you know, you're assuming they they are out of shape, and you're talking how different the marketing messaging will be if you're if you're making that assumption about your ideal client or your audience. Right? And if you're but you're actually trying to reach or actually your audience potentially could be someone who is actually, you know, probably still pretty strong but has had a different motivation and they're looking for different results. So it makes such a massive difference for sure. Alright. So next question is, what experience or expertise or methodology do you provide that clients can't get anywhere else? It's a tricky question. Um, sometimes it's really hard to see things from that perspective, but that's why it's really important to do this work. Um, and this is where you wanna think about the when you go back to day one, when you opened your studio, you know, when you designed the experience and when you wanted to open that your space, what was it that you wanted to deliver to your clients? Right? What did you what did you what were you setting out to be able to share with them? And this can look like I mean, it it's gonna be unique to your studio a 100%. And so it might it likely is a combination of many things. And so this is where you wanna bullet point down everything that you can think of, um, that makes your business, your studio unique and different. K? And I will also add to that that it you might feel like you're not doing anything unique or different. So I want you if that is where you're at, um, then what I would encourage you to do is actually to take some time to think about all the things you care about in business, things that you've intentionally created or designed or made happen, um, in your client experience because that creates that that creates that experience for and for your clients. Um, a long time ago, one of my favorite studio owners that I ever worked with, I still I'm actually a client of hers. I have known her since well before I became a Pilates teacher. So it's many, many years ago, and, um, and she had me to do some consulting for her a long time ago. And I said that I asked her this question. I said, you know, I said she said I said, well, what do you think you do that people can't get anywhere else? And she's like, I don't know. We teach Pilates. I I love you to teach Pilates. And as her client, I was like, no. No. No. No. No. No. But no one else teaches the way that you teach. Like, your studio, you are so friendly. You're so welcoming. You really take the care to get to know the clients. You have you create this really sense of calm the minute you walk in. You know, your studio, you've it it feels like it may not feel that different to you, but to the people walking in, it feels really different. And so it was really eye opening for her because then now I mean, that's what she talks about the marketing every day. But it's so you know, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking like, oh, everyone else does what I do. It's not it's not that different, but it it is.

Laura Munkholm:
And you can ask your people this. Right? Like, just like Sarah delivered that message to her. And also ask what I I think we forget about is, like, why do the teachers that teach for you, your loyal teachers, why are they there? Like, what do they think is different about your business? Because it's interesting to hear from the client lens, for sure. But the teachers have a different point of view, and there's probably something really special that they feel in your space or that they are able to deliver in your space because of what you've created.

Seran Glanfield:
Absolutely. Yep. Pull. Pull. Pull. You know? And and you wanna ask those questions in a very open way. So Mhmm. But also as this you know, like, you wanna be listening in the space too. Right? Um, your teachers will hear different things to what you hear Yeah. As well. Alright. So now we've got some we've got some things floating around. You've got some ideas. You've maybe made some lists. Maybe you've been been writing as we've been speaking. The next step was now that you've identified a little bit more and you've got some material about what makes your studio unique, it's really about bringing that into life and utilizing it in your marketing efforts. Right? And so we wanna make sure that we are translating what you do into why it matters for your clients. So with that experience that you've created, what is it why is it important to, um, to your clients and why does that is that the way that you've done it that way? Right? And so, you know, going back to that that common mistake I hear I see often, which is focusing on the features. Instead, wanna focus on the benefits and ultimately the outcomes of what you do and what happens inside the four walls of your studio or inside your virtual space. Right? And so we wanna help clients understand not just what you do, but why it really matters should matter to them. So, you know, when people say things like, you know, we use certain equipment or, you know, all of our instructors are certified or we have early morning classes and evening classes, if we are missing out on, um, really a potential connection, uh, with anyone who is looking at that because we're not connecting the dots for them as to why it matters to them. And so these features are just facts. They don't move people. Right? Feelings move people. Results move people. That's how you're gonna draw people into a call to action to actually, perhaps, follow you or book a class or, you know, get on your on your list. Right? And so we wanna take all of the things that you have mentioned and written down in step one. We wanna translate them and turn them into, first of all, the impact it has on your clients in terms of benefits and then impact it has in terms of, um, perhaps the outcomes, perhaps the feelings people have, um, as a result of all of those, um, all of the the the very specific things that you have built into your business and into the client experience. Right? So I'm gonna translate those features into benefits. So your feature is what your studio offers. The benefit is what that means for the client. And the outcome is how that benefit makes them feel or what it helps them achieve. So for example, a feature could be we offer private sessions and small groups. And the benefit of that is and this is often never said, never spoken of. This benefit this is the sort of thing that sits, like, in the world out there or in the studio in his head, but it's often never shared with a client or anyone. And that is the reason why maybe you offer small groups on private sessions is because you can give clients better and more personal attention. Right? You can work with them specifically on something that is unique to them, and you can give them specific exercises, and you can help guide them forward in their fitness journey in a more in a way that is more personalized. Right? So the benefit of private sessions or small groups is maybe personalized attention. Right? But the outcome of of those private sessions, the outcome of that personalized attention is that maybe you won't ever feel like you're you're you're you'll never worry if you're doing it right, or you'll never worry if a exercise is gonna hurt you, or you're never gonna worry that you're never gonna you're not gonna be able to do something in class because you're gonna tailor the experience to your the client. Right? And what happens is if we don't frame the messaging this way, then you're leaving it up to the client to make assumptions about the private sessions. Right? And we all know that private sessions are typically more expensive than classes. And so if we're leaving it up to the client to make the assumption about why that's important, they're gonna immediately assume that they're gonna go to price as the deciding factor. So private sessions are more expensive. Private sessions cost more. Um, the student down the street has classes that are less expensive. Right? But if you can tie the value to that, then you're talking you're in a different game. So instead of you're letting the client make the assumption, you're guiding them through why it's important to them. So you're leading them to the say to the point of, hey, this is worth the extra money because I'm gonna get, I'm gonna I'm gonna never get hurt in this class because my teacher is gonna work with with me one on one. They're never never gonna get me a give me an exercise that is gonna be way out of my, you know, potential. You know? And they're gonna work with me around maybe the injuries I have or on that specific thing that I wanna work on or that help me perhaps improve my strength in that particular way that I've been looking for. And so when we don't connect the dots, we're missing out. And I think this is one of the biggest gaping holes in most studios' marketing messaging. So if you can tie what you do in your studio to the outcome in every single place that you share any message, marketing messaging about your business, you will be a step ahead of the competition. Okay? So when you frame your messaging with this, your clients will see themselves more in your brand, in what you do, in what you're offering. And they don't just understand what you do, they're gonna fully understand why it is the right fit for them. Okay? And that's when they will take that next step. Okay? So there are four essentials, okay, to compelling brand messaging. Alright? Now brand messaging, you know, know, I think when we talk about you at you, uh, the The U your unique value proposition, um, we often think you have to have, like, one tagline. So I wanna completely dispel that myth right now. You do not have to have one tagline at all. Um, in the world we're in today, we have plat we have we are multi platform. Um, we are everywhere, and different messaging and different types of messaging is gonna work in different places. So you don't wanna have a storytelling at your fingertips. You wanna have maybe that tagline. You might wanna have a longer introduction. You might wanna have a script that describes a bit more about what you do. And so it's not about having that it's not about working on getting that, like, perfect one sentence that captures everything. It's actually about having a toolkit that represents your business that you can use. You can pick out the right tool that you need for each scenario where you might need it. Whether you're talking face to face to a client, whether you are showcasing something in a real on social media, or whether you are doing an event in your local community. So you wanna have clarity in your brand messaging. That's absolutely for sure. You need people need to know, um, um, what you offer, who it's for, and why it matters. You also need to have specificity. So are you speaking to a clear audience? Do you clear about who you are for? Um, and you also have to have consistency. Alright? This is one of the other I would say lesser mistakes. I don't wanna I didn't wanna focus too much on today, but we do need to have consistency, um, so that you are showing up saying not exactly the same thing because that is not always the best way to do it, but that you show up with a a same sort of, um, messaging. So it's not the same might not be the same copy or the same words, but the message is the same. What you're telling people about what you do is the same across your website, your socials, emails, and your signage. Okay? And then you wanna make sure that you're invoking some emotion in people. Right? Private Pilates is not invoking an emotion, but if you tell people that you are gonna welcome them in and help them get the specific results they want for their body so that they'll never get hurt and stay out of pain, all of a sudden, that's a whole lot more appealing. Okay? And so you wanna encourage that feeling when people get in touch and when they see your brand, and you wanna associate that very that with your brand. Okay? So we wanna make sure that we have all of that in our brand messaging. Alright? Now once you have that strong message, then what? So maybe you've got, like, that toolkit and you've got some great things you wanna share. Right? But, you know, we we can't stay sitting on that notebook that you've got in front of you forever. That's not helpful at all. And sometimes people come to me and they'll they'll have all of this great brand messaging, and they'll have a great tagline and all these things, but they don't share it anywhere. Right? So we wanna make sure that we are sharing it in and integrating that and weaving your brand messaging throughout the customer journey. Right? So, yes, they will go on your website. Okay? Check. Yes. You will share it on your social media for sure. In the bios, also very, very regularly in your posts, um, and whatever other digital marketing you're doing. But you also wanna make sure that the way that you price and package all of your offers align with what you're telling people in your messaging as well so that they match. But I think one of the most critical is that you wanna weave and integrate your brand messaging throughout all of your email sequences and journeys. So inside of Voila, you wanna make sure that very first welcome email that you're sending to everybody who joins your who perhaps gets onto is a lead in your business, you're telling them about who you are and what you're about and using the language that we've we've kind of discussed. Right? So that they understand you. Right? And you're not just sharing the fact that you've got thirty minute lunchtime classes and evening classes. Okay? But also, you wanna weave it into what happens in the studio as well. And when you the more that you're talking about your values and what you do and why you care and the experience, and you're talking about that with your clients and your team is talking about that, and you weave it throughout the experience and your marketing messaging, and all of the places that people can touch your business, that's when you start to see a real shift in terms of long term retention. People will you'll get new clients walking in the door, and they will say, hey. My friend told me that you're the place to come for this. And when you start to see that, it's really amazing, and it will happen when you do this. Um, what happens is those people show up, and they know exactly what you're all about because you've been talking about it with your existing clients and in your community, and they will be the perfect fit for your business. Your conversion will increase, and your retention will increase. They will spend more at your studio, which is all good. Right? So what we know is that consistency builds recognition. Recognition builds trust, and trust leads to retention. Okay? And that's what we want for all you guys because it's one thing to have clients come in the door. We don't wanna lose them the minute they've finished clouds. We want them to keep coming back because that's that, you know, that retention component is absolutely critical to your revenue growth over time. Okay? So if you want a few ideas about where you can share your brand message, I do have this brand checklist. Um, and this is, um, a list of places, um, that you wanna make sure that you have, um, you're sharing your brand message to get the word out for maximum impact. So you can just snag that, click on the QR code, and make sure that you use that to make sure that you're not missing out on leveraging your brand message throughout the customer journey and the client experience. Alright? So quick recap. Color a lot today. I do saw quickly, so I'm sorry. Um, and I did have an extra coffee this morning. So so I wanted to give you this quick recap. Your studio is unique and distinct. Please, please, please do not blend in. Please look for ways to leverage what makes you unique and share it with the world. Focus on what sets you apart. Remember to translate those features that are important and, yes, you do wanna share them, but that you're translating them into why it matters to your clients, that you're translating them into those benefits that you know your ideal clients really care about. And then be really specific about the experience and the outcomes that you deliver as part of the way that you work with your clients. And make sure that your messaging, whether it is that first email that gets sent or whether it's the ninetieth email that gets sent in those amazing journeys that you've got access to in Santa Walla, that it shares and showcases your studio's values and purpose. Because, ultimately, we're in a relationship. We're in the game of relationships here. Right? And the long term success of your studio truly depends on the strength of the connection that your business makes with your clients at all of those touch points that they have in your studio.

Laura Munkholm:
Yeah. I think, um, it's so helpful to have somebody, like a third party, be, uh, kind do an audit on this for your brand. Somebody like Seren coming in and being able to look through all of your messaging and go through all of your journeys in Walla, your newsletters, your take pictures of your signage and record a conversation at the front desk. That's the kind of thing that can really you'll probably be surprised at how little consistency is unless you really made a concerted effort around this from day one. I I know I we do this often in our business, and I'm like, oh, shoot. We totally missed the mark there, like on social media or on that, you know, webinar or whatever it might be. So it's I I think it's nice to have somebody outside of you or outside of your business take a peek at it.

Seran Glanfield:
It's totally eye opening for most of you. I did it with a a client of mine just, um, last week. And, you know, it wasn't that what she was doing already was, like, was terrible. It was just that she was just missing the mark. And as soon as I said to her, hey. I think you missed you're not telling people about this this thing you're doing or about this. And we you've already mentioned that your client's like that. She said, oh my gosh. Of course. Yeah. Okay. So we reworked the the landing page of the copy on the landing page of the website. We worked we worked her her email sequence. And, you know, what we see is that it really helps to you know, like I said, you get better clients in the door. They're more qualified to be your clients. And but it we we see lower churn. And, you know, when you spend a lot of time and often investment in getting clients in the door, you wanna stay. Um, and so we see we see it all the time. And so, yeah, we work on that. It's it's all we work on that. The the branding throughout the customer journey is just such a critical component. We don't wanna blend in. We do not wanna blend in, you guys.

Laura Munkholm:
So we have a quick question from Kathleen, Kathy. So she was wondering where you got the data around that initial kind of, um, industry growth trend. I don't know if you have it offhand. But I

Seran Glanfield:
don't have it offhand, and I'm scared if I start clicking around in my place that I'm gonna, um, lose it. But, um, I it's I will find it, and I can I can let you know if you want, Kathleen, for sure? Um I

Laura Munkholm:
was gonna say, we'll have

Seran Glanfield:
we'll share Sorry. I that is a massive oversight that I didn't include the source on that slide. Sorry for that one.

Laura Munkholm:
Yeah. You can share it out afterwards. Okay. Um, we'll be sending, like I said, the recording, but any other questions before we wrap today? Alright. Going once, going twice. My last question is I I know you do this work with people individually, but you also have a group. Um, do you do this type of con do you have this type of conversation in your online community?

Seran Glanfield:
Yes. Absolutely. So I have my Thrive group coaching program is, um, we focus a lot on marketing in there at the top of the funnel, um, all the way throughout, and then obviously, on the back end of retention and win back as well. And, um, as part of that Thrive program, I do a deep dive marketing intensive three to four times a year with my studio owners. So we do a full review of their brand messaging together. We do a full review of whether or not their pricing and packages are aligned with their customer journey. We make sure that there's no sort of untapped opportunity in the marketing funnel that they're missing out on opportunities for more profit and revenue. And so we dive into all of that, and, well, everybody inside of Thrive gets access to that as they need it. We're actually kicking off, um, around on Monday. And, you know, I see people come through. I have my members of my my Thrive program. You know, they're often members for a long time. They stay as a business grows. They continue to access all the resources and coaching inside, and they say that, you know, they come back to this work at least once a year because every time they do, they discover something new about their business that they're not telling people. And they uncover another place in their business that they can actually do better because we have to keep upgrading and refining our marketing efforts Right. Because the industry is changing. Our clients are changing. The landscape is changing. Software changes. And so you can't set it and forget it when it comes to marketing.

Laura Munkholm:
Right. Right. Okay. Awesome. Thank you.

Seran Glanfield:
Cool.

Laura Munkholm:
Alright. Thank you all for sticking with us today, and hopefully, this was a helpful lens to look at your business through. Um, we can always continue the conversation in the Facebook group if you have additional questions. And, Seren, just such a pleasure to see you and to have your insight here. Um, if you have any questions or want to get ahold of Seren, what is the best, uh, best way to get ahold of you?

Seran Glanfield:
Yeah. So you can go to spring3.com, and you will find, um, you can get in touch with me there. Or you can follow me on, um, Instagram. Send me a DM. I'm on there, chitchat away. And then I will just add that if you, um, are a podcast listener, you might wanna have a little listening to the Pilates Business podcast because I share I talk I mean, I could talk all day about this, but I talk a lot on there about this. So, um, you know, pop it on the car, have a little listener, and it will help you to sort of perhaps, um, focus on some of the things that matter most when it comes to business growth. If you don't have a lot of business, it still works for yoga bar spin, and all the other places and all the other things. Um, Yeah. It's it's very relevant no matter what modality you offer.

Laura Munkholm:
Great. Alright. Thanks, everyone. We'll see you next month on our AWalla webinar series. Have a great rest of your day. Thank you so much.

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