How To Grow Your Pilates Studio with Satellite locations

Okay, so I know what you're thinking; satellite locations and database building are entirely different things - how do they relate in a marketing sense? And you're right, traditionally they’re not really the type of thing I’d teach side by side. However, they can work beautifully together, and I will show you how. This is the slightly odd marketing combination I've been teaching Pilates studio owners for years and watching their enrollments and retention soar.

So you already have a decent Pilates studio business. You have a lovely, loyal student base and a steadily revolving door of transient students. You want more, but you want to avoid the stress and expense of opening another permanent location. You also want to reach more people with your Pilates and create a more extensive legacy in your area.

That's where satellite locations (and databases!) come in.

But first off - what's a satellite location? Think of a “studio” outside your studio. You might also have heard these referred to as “branch locations”. Basically anywhere you’d be able to run a class that isn’t in your actual studio. I’ll touch on this more later.

Let's establish smaller studio satellites in strategic areas while maintaining (and funneling new students to!) your central hub.

Here is how satellite locations can help build your Pilates studio.

- It helps you dominate the local market; if you want to expand in your area, you can assert yourself as the number one player, leading to improved retention rates and community engagement. New students will choose your Pilates studio over your competitors because they see how strong your local presence is with your delightful pop-up locations.

- They drive scalability and profitability; if you want to expand but want to avoid the overheads of hiring and managing another location, satellite hubs will be your gateway to different markets and demographics. They're quick, easy, relatively low cost, and a fun new marketing tool to get new students into your main studio.

- They help build new relationships in new areas. You may have an untapped haven of students in an area just outside your demographic who would be so grateful for you to provide Pilates classes at a more convenient location.

- Anywhere can be a satellite location - another studio, a physiotherapist clinic, a local town hall, a school, or a warehouse. Even a mall! Think outside the box for exciting locations targeting your perfect Pilates student.

Here is where we bring in the database. Creating a database of emails is one of your most essential assets for bringing in new students. Here's how to get them at your satellite locations.

- Pop a flyer up in the window of your new locale and the windows of surrounding businesses with a short URL that hosts a simple email sign-up. This way, you can capture the emails of interested people who need more time to be ready to join a Pilates class.

- Set up an automated email sequence. When anyone signs up for your email list, it will trigger the automation of 5 to 7 pre-written emails that nurture these potential new students to join your studio and become raving fans.

- Carry business cards with a QR code that leads to your sign-up page. That way, people can quickly scan the code and sign up in seconds.

The secret path to scaling your Pilates studio business is the powerful yet slightly odd combination of satellite locations and database building. It's about exposure combined with email capture.

If you loved these marketing tips, be sure to check out Your Studio Podcast, which is filled with more marketing and studio owner tips perfect for Pilates studio owners. Head to studioevolution.com/start where you’ll find links to the podcast, as well as our 61-page Ultimate Studio Marketing Guide, where I share even more information and tools for increasing your marketing reach without increasing your marketing spend.

To learn more about Industry Leading Studio Strategist Chantelle Bruinsma and Studio Evolution head to https://studioevolution.com/ . Studio Evolution has been helping studio owners for the past 10 years redesign their studio business for maximum, profit, freedom and joy.