No More Winging It: The Real Reason Your Marketing Isn’t Filling Your Classes

Why do some Pilates studios consistently fill classes while others seem stuck in a cycle of promotions, discounts, and unpredictable revenue?

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield explores one of the biggest mistakes boutique fitness studio owners make when it comes to marketing: treating it as a reactive activity rather than a strategic system. 

Seran shares why random marketing creates random results, how inconsistent messaging impacts client trust, and what successful Pilates, barre, and yoga studio owners do differently to create sustainable growth. 

If you're tired of posting on social media, sending emails, and running promotions without seeing the bookings you want, this episode will help you build a more intentional marketing strategy that attracts ideal clients, fills classes, and creates predictable revenue for your boutique fitness business.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• Why reactive marketing creates inconsistent revenue
• The hidden delay between marketing efforts and client bookings
• How random marketing leads to random results
• Why consistency always beats intensity
• The importance of brand clarity and messaging
• How to become the obvious choice in your community
• Why broad marketing messages often fail to attract ideal clients
• The difference between generating leads and building demand
• How to create predictable growth through intentional marketing systems
• The marketing shifts successful studio owners make to fill classes consistently

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Transcript

Why Your Marketing Feels Random

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Are you posting on Instagram but not really seeing those new clients come in? Are you sending emails and not getting bookings? Are you trying promotions, but you're still struggling to fill classes? Maybe if you're being honest with yourself, your marketing feels, well, a little bit random. Perhaps you're posting when you remember, you're trying things when things feel slow, you run a promotion when you're nervous about numbers. And then perhaps you're always left wondering, why isn't this working? Now, the truth is that most studio owners aren't struggling with all of this because they're bad at marketing. Usually they're struggling because they're winging it. And so I want to talk about that today. In today's episode, I'm going to be talking about the real reason that your marketing isn't filling your studio and some of the shifts that can turn the scattered efforts into more consistent growth. Well, hi there, I'm Sarah and Glanfield. I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you. If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact, you're in the right place. All you need are a few key strategies, the right mindset, and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio. This is the Pilates Business Podcast.

The Reactive Marketing Panic Cycle

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm Sarah Glamfield and we're here today talking about my favorite topic, marketing. And this is top of mind. For anyone who owns a business, we're always thinking about marketing, we're always thinking about where that next new client is coming from. And oftentimes, when we are working in our business like we all are, like you are listening, um, like so many of the studio owners that I work with inside of Thrive, marketing is the all the thing that always feels slightly unfinished. And I think it's because it's one of those things that we certainly need to be doing on an ongoing basis. And you know that you need to be doing something or you are doing something, right? You're probably posting on social, great. You're probably sending emails, great. You're probably running an occasional promotion or campaign, great. You're you're working with your team on, you know, building relationships with your clients in the studio. And perhaps despite doing all of that, you still feel like there is gaps in your schedule, perhaps gaps in terms of your private clients or your class schedule as well. And it's so incredibly frustrating, right? Because you're working hard and you're showing up and you're trying your best, and that's great, but those results are not matching the effort or the bandwidth that you are probably applying to this issue. And the reality is that, you know, my observation from having people call me when they're in this spot, because uh this is when most people reach out, which is that they get in touch when there is stagnant growth, when numbers start to flatline, um, or you're starting to feel some concern about growth. And so naturally, as we all do, you go into reaction mode. And that's when we start to sort of take some action, do some things. You're posting more, maybe you try promotion, maybe you up your engagement a little bit, and you're desperately trying to fill your schedule and your spots. And I see this happen very frequently over the summer months because we naturally see often that sort of slow down as routines get disrupted. And this often creates a bit of a panic effect. And so we we're scrambling to do all these things, and we're often sort of the one big thing that we kind of lean on is that big discount, that big promotion. And it might work a little bit, but oftentimes it's very temporary. And then you'll see that this trickles back down and we see it slow down again. And, you know, you can often find yourself right back where you started. And I think this cycle is very exhausting. It creates stress without a doubt. And I will say it also creates that unpredictability, which I think also drives anxiety around growth on every level, right? I think one of the things that kind of keeps us sort of in the back of our mind is always what's around the corner, what's next. And if your business is not consistent and predictable, then it's always going to make you a little bit more worried about what's coming next and about your numbers. And I think the deeper issue is really this, which is that when we're inconsistent with your marketing, you can only expect that your business then is also inconsistent, right? The studios that are seeing growth and are experiencing a strong revenue, healthy revenue number, um, especially in today's competitive market, they're not winging it when it comes to marketing. Um, and it's not necessarily that they're spending thousands and thousands of dollars on meta-ads or Google ads. It's actually that they're building very intentional, consistent marketing systems. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because I think if we understand some of the what happens behind all of these marketing efforts, um, a little bit more about the real reasons why your marketing might not be working the way that you want, and we can make some changes, right? And that's what we're here to do. So I think one of the things that happens is that we often start to market when we feel like we need to, when we start to see that slowdown, like I said, when classes start to start class attendance starts to flatline or even decline, when we see that cancellation number increase, when people start pausing their memberships, not renewing their packages. Um, and even when we see those months where revenue dips. And I think that's when we start to panic and we will and rightfully

Consistency Creates Predictable Revenue

SPEAKER_00 6:06

so take action. But I think that marketing done in that very reactive mode often I think creates a bigger problem for the business, right? Because you're always behind. So if you're waiting until that moment before you start marketing, then it you're always you're you're already behind, right? And I think by the time your classes feel empty, you know, the reality is that the the real problem actually started weeks or even sometimes months earlier, right? Because what we know and what I've seen and witnessed time and time again from coaching boutique fitness studios for well over a decade now is that marketing is not immediate. Even when you're running ads, even when you're putting thousands of dollars behind it, it is not an overnight fix. There is a delay between visibility and ultimately revenue generation from that. And so between people finding out about you and being aware that you exist and contemplating becoming your client and all of that, and then actually being a consistent regular client, there's a delay there, a time delay. And so when you're only marketing when you're under pressure, you're always trying to fix a problem that is way too is sort of you're deeper into than you need to be. And when we do this, what happens is we create this sort of revenue ups and downs and the unpredictable growth and that stress and anxiety and like that sort of feeling of somewhat chaotic, you know, business practice, right? And I think over time, this will only be exhausting because you never feel quite ahead. You're always trying to catch up. So marketing isn't something that you do only when you need clients. Truly, it is not. It's something that you do so you never need clients, right? The studios that fill classes consistently, they are marketing consistently, even when their schedule is strong, their utilization levels are strong, their capacity levels are looking good, right? Even when they're busy, even when classes are full, even when the studio is energized, even when feel everything is fantastic, they are still marketing because consistent marketing is what creates consistent demand. And that consistency is what creates that revenue stability that I think as a business owner and someone who is relying on their income really is looking for. That's what we all want. We want stability in our revenue. Now, now I think that, and one of the other problems that we see is that many studio owners are doing a lot of marketing.

Activity Without Strategy Stalls Growth

SPEAKER_00 8:40

So I know that you're probably posting to social media, I know that you're sending emails, I know that you're trying a lot of different ideas. Um, maybe you're following some of the trends and audio trends and the TikTok trends and the Reels trends and all these things, right? And it's fun and it's it's you're you're being very active with your marketing. Um but I think that oftentimes it lacks clear strategy. And when we're not working from a place of strategy, even though you're doing a lot, they're not activities that are actually building momentum. So there might be a lot of disconnect uh when it comes to your activities and what you're actually seeing. So you're posting here and there, you're not consistent about your messaging, um, you're promoting, you're doing a promotion or a discount or campaign whenever you have time or whenever, like I said, the studio feels a little bit quieter. Um and so there is not a consistency in your brand and you showing up as your brand. And that truly makes it a bit harder for your clients to trust you. So without a strategy in place, what we see is there is not a consistency in the messaging and the way that you show up in what you're saying. And so we see the messaging kind of bend and sway perhaps to what you know we're we're what our algorithm might even be showing us. Um or we see that visibility really fluctuate. So we, you know, you're very visible one week and then we disappear for three months when people in your community kind of move on to the next thing and forget about you, right? And that's when we see that growth starting to peter out. And so it's not always because you're doing too little, it's often because what you're doing is not aligned with your uh consistency in showing up and in your brand. And I think that when it comes to marketing, I think there is this misconception that you have to be louder and that those studios that are spending more and posting more are always the studios that are winning. But it's not the case. What I've seen time and time again is that those studios that are robust, that grow through every single different economic cycle, who have teachers that stay with them year after year, have clients to stay with them year after year. It's because they are more intentional about their marketing. It has consistency, it's clear, and you know what you're want to be known for, and everybody around you knows what you are known for, also, right? There's a strong sense of uh of purpose there. And the goal of marketing isn't just that anybody sees you, right? It's that you become familiar to the right people, right? And it's that familiarity that people have with your business and your brand that builds that trust. And people trusting you is what drives bookings, it's what drives people to continue to book with you and to tell their friends about their experiences in your studio.

Generic Messaging Makes You Forgettable

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Now, I think it's always really tempting that to um when when classes are not full, when your schedule is not full, to try to broaden your messaging. And I think this is one of the other um problems that we see often. And I was actually just speaking up with a studio owner yesterday about this, um, who she was someone who had seen a little bit of a uh a slowdown in the number of new inquiries. And so she had adjusted her messaging to try to reach more people and widen the or broaden the net or widen the the potential number of people who might be interested in what she does. Um and I think that we have to be very careful about doing this and why we're doing this and how we're doing this when we do it. Now, we want to make sure we're not just attracting any random person. And the reason being is that when we do that, the messaging becomes incredibly generic. Polar is for everybody. Everyone is welcome, something for everyone. And all of a sudden you're everything to everybody and nothing to no one, right? And nothing to everyone. What's that saying? Right. I think I've got that wrong, but you get what I mean. When you're generic and you're not specific enough, you really don't resonate well with the people who you most want to work with, right? And that's when often our marketing truly just becomes sort of forgettable. And in the world that we're in today, with the just the low uh attention levels that exist uh across us all, um people don't tend to see things that are forgettable, right? They are forgettable. So you do not want to fall into that category. You do not want to be forgettable. Forgettable is dangerous. So the studios that fill classes consistently are clear about who they serve. They know their ideal client, not because they know uh what their income bracket is or what their gender is, but because they know what motivates them and all of the things that they need to know to be able to speak to them in a way that is compelling, right? And then when they do, it really, really lands well. And that's when your marketing becomes so much more powerful. And you guys, I witness this every time we do our marketing intensive inside of Thrive. So every few months inside of Thrive, we all do a marketing-intensive deep dive into our messaging and our marketing and our branding. And every time we do this and come back to this deep work, there is always more that we can be uh clearer about what we're sharing, about what we do and who we're talking to. And it's it's so incredibly powerful. And I see it time and time again how my studio owners are able to really, really speak directly to their clients with such specific language that pulls people in and they get great clients coming in, people coming in looking for exactly what it is that they do, which obviously can only then energize you and your teachers and your studio. And that just makes everything just a whole lot easier, right? So I've seen it time and time again that when you take the time to really understand and know your value and what you do and understand your clients, oh my goodness, it really does shift everything when it comes to marketing. And it's often the deep work that is massively overlooked.

Demand Building Beyond Lead Generation

SPEAKER_00 14:47

Now, I also want to talk about marketing and leads and new clients, because when we think about marketing, we're often thinking about new clients, just getting new clients, just as lead generation. How do I get more people in the door? Now, yes, this might be one part of marketing, but this does often create short-term thinking. You focus on the quick wins, perhaps, those promotions, those discounts, that urgency, the deadlines, expir expiring offers, right? And while they can work and they do work in certain places, and you know, we talk about this a lot in SATA Thrive, you know, the way to use these tools, these tactics, um, and and when they work well, and actually when they work against you, we talk a lot about this in SATA Thrive. But what we know is that oftentimes these are tactics that they can work beautifully sometimes, but they can fail epically as well. And so marketing isn't just about getting people in the door, it's about building demand as well, building awareness, building trust, building connection, building reputation, right? And when someone is ready to try, whatever it is that you do, whether it's Pilates or bar or yoga or legis or spin or dance, cardio, you are already top of mind. That's the goal, because that's what really creates momentum in your community. Because when demand builds and you are top of mind, you'll be the one that everyone turns to. So your classes get fuller, your schedule gets filled, sales gets easier, and yes, growth will become more predictable.

Simple Rules For Sustainable Marketing

SPEAKER_00 16:23

So if your marketing isn't working right now, maybe just remember some of these things that I've discussed today. Uh, number one, yes, random marketing does create random results. And I will always say that, you know, we want to be very consistent in so many things in our business. But when it comes to marketing, I encourage you to do it on a very consistent basis. And when it comes to consistency, it does always beat intensity. So what I mean by that is that if you show up and you're active on a on an ongoing basis with your marketing efforts, that will always beat showing up once or twice a year with a huge amount of intensity. Um, it truly will support your business better when we're looking for sustainable, robust long-term growth. Clarity is key. Yes, it wins over quantity, always. And then I'll always set recommend that you build your marketing strategically from a place of purpose and intention, because that will always work better again for building that robust, sustainable long-term business over, you know, just winging it here and there and following trends, right? Because when you stop winging it, that's when you really start to lean into a very intentional marketing that represents you and your brand and who you are and what you do. And that's truly when I see the big shifts happen for the studio owners that I work with. That's when they see new clients coming in very organically, actually. They always come to me and they say, I can't believe it. I've got you know 10 new clients this last week. It's incredible. I don't understand. Um, and it will be because they have integrated a lot of what we share with them and what they learn inside of our marketing intensive. Uh, so they see more bookings and they get great clients because of it.

Thrive Invite And Closing Reminders

SPEAKER_00 18:13

So if you're listening to this as well and you're thinking, I know I need a marketing strategy, but I'm not sure where to start, then that's exactly what we work on inside of Thrive, no matter what stage of business you're at, whether you're newer to studio ownership, whether you've been in business for a few years, or whether you're looking to grow and expand your footprint. Inside Thrive, we help studio owners to build that consistent lead generation. So to consistently get new clients coming in, to create real clarity in their brand and marketing messaging, to build out the systems that support all of their marketing efforts and to ultimately bring predictable growth. Because your business shouldn't rely on luck and you winging it. It should truly rely on strategy. So you can learn more at springthree.com forward slash thrive. And if you're still winging your marketing, just know this: your classes will not be filled by accident. They will be filled by design. And so once you build that, everything gets easier, I promise. So I hope this short episode was helpful to you as you build your boutique fitness studio business. And if you enjoyed this episode today and what you heard, I'd be sure so appreciative if you go to wherever you're listening to this and rate and review this podcast. It would mean a ton to me and will help to get the podcast out into our community so that more teachers and business owners just like you can feel encouraged and supported on their journey in our industry. I'll be back next week with more. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to Spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And before you go, one last reminder. There is no one way to do what you do, only your way. So, whatever it is that you want to do, create, or offer, you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.