Sometimes, life has a way of uniting our talents and passions with what we do.
And if you’re a busy small business owner, you understand that at the end of the day, as long as you’re doing what you love, it’s all worth it.
For Dawn Greenly, a mother of two boys, AWeber customer solutions specialist, and master yogini, it was a no-brainer decision to begin teaching her own yoga classes, Namaste Baby.
Bringing together her passion for yoga, love for family and expertise in teaching others, Dawn was drawn to the idea of creating a place where families could come together and learn the ways in which they can grow and develop deeper bonds through yoga.
While Dawn has been teaching yoga classes for parents and their babies for eight years (and even opened up a private studio at her home), she recently started dabbling in email marketing to help grow her business.
Here’s what she had to say about her business, and how she’s using email marketing to connect with students, both new and old.
Can you give us a little background into Namaste Baby?
Dawn (D): Ha, where to begin? Namaste Baby, which focuses on yoga for moms, dads, caregivers and their little ones, came out of a need to provide our future generation with a solid foundation by establishing the following:
- A stronger connection between child and parent.
- A stronger communication sense and better understanding of our infant’s needs. Better response time equals reduced stress for both the child and parent.
- Further development in the parent/caregiver’s confidence in caring for and understanding their child’s needs.
- Ways to assist the infant’s body, which is still developing, process all the stresses they encounter throughout the day, stressors we take for granted like taking in food, digesting nutrients, developing muscles, coordination, and social interaction with other infants and their caregivers. There is so much more at work here!
- Ways to help infants develop both hemispheres of the brain – super important for baby boys in particular who tend to have an underdeveloped right side of the brain. By using movement, singing, direct verbal cues, and facial expressions from the caregiver, our infants are able to “exercise” both sides of the brain, thereby developing and strengthening the ease of access to ALL elements. (The left side is responsible for logic, math, language, reading, writing and analysis. The right side is responsible for personality, creativity, intuition, music, art and spatial abilities.)
What methods are you using to grow your audience/customer base?
D: I will be honest and say that this has been a slow process due to life’s twists and turns; however, I have been using the following to spread the word:
- Email communication with AWeber!
- My website
- Special Events/Workshops
- Getting involved with the community
- Word of mouth and business cards
I know I can do more and I’m striving to do just that!
How are you using email marketing to connect with your audience?
D: I have just started using AWeber email marketing. It’s a nice way to see how my students are responding to my emails. With this business tool, I am better able to manage all of my students in general, therefore I can better assist them.
What kind of content are you sending? How frequently are you reaching out to your readers?
D: Content consists of upcoming events and classes, yoga postures, breathing practices, Dharma/yogic teachings and basic health tips.
I send emails to promote upcoming trainings and I send emails to the parents of kids yoga groups that I teach in the winter months to keep the parents in the loop with what we are doing in class. I have also sent out emails promoting 21 days of clean eating with instructions and guidelines for those interested students.
How do you find time for email marketing?
D: It is super tricky for me to find the time; my schedule is very full. I work full-time, teach seven classes per week, I’m a single mom of two boys and I’m a homeowner. That being said, I do my best to set aside time in the evening to do my posts and send emails. I am not as consistent as I would like to be; however, I am still getting into the rhythm of things. It’s a process, for sure.
What tips would you share for brick-and-mortar business owners to grow their customer base?
D: Engage, engage, engage! Keep your content fresh and relevant.
Any other final words of wisdom?
Like everything in life, email marketing is a practice. The only way to get better at it is to set aside some time every day to practice – you and your business will be stronger for it. Grow, grow, grow your business and spread the word.
Namaste!
