Market Research Question on Meditation & Mindfulness
May 5, 2015 9:32 AM Subscribe
Mindfulness is trending, and I am opening a meditation studio. I am looking to find out my target audience in order to lock a location. I am seeking a profile on people who meditate. Are they typically baby boomers? Women around 30 years old? Etc. This will also allow me to plan programs, curriculum, and advertising. If anyone knows where I can find information like this (or something close) please let me know. Thank you!
If you want to open a storefront business based on something "trending," do it in the trendy part of town. Follow the organic grocery stores and yoga studios. In a nutshell, your target customer is someone who wants to improve their well-being and has the money to spend on classes.
I agree that the phrasing of your question makes it sound like you're chasing a fad, and that doesn't bode well in a field where authenticity and sincerity (or at least the perception thereof) are important. I'm the kind of person who would consider visiting a meditation studio, but if I got an inkling that the people in charge were just trying to capitalize on a trend rather than bringing something they really wholeheartedly believed in to the public, I wouldn't go.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:58 AM on May 5, 2015 [10 favorites]
I agree that the phrasing of your question makes it sound like you're chasing a fad, and that doesn't bode well in a field where authenticity and sincerity (or at least the perception thereof) are important. I'm the kind of person who would consider visiting a meditation studio, but if I got an inkling that the people in charge were just trying to capitalize on a trend rather than bringing something they really wholeheartedly believed in to the public, I wouldn't go.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:58 AM on May 5, 2015 [10 favorites]
Do not do this unless you are genuinely experienced in your practice and are willing to accept responsibility for your students. This is not a fitness studio; meditation is basically opening up your mind and rummaging around inside. I know it's tempting to wave it off as a health fad, but meditation gives the teacher an enormous amount of power over their students and opens the students up to emotional insights they may not be prepared for.
posted by selfnoise at 11:05 AM on May 5, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by selfnoise at 11:05 AM on May 5, 2015 [10 favorites]
Also realize that you are going to be competing against organizations and groups that do this for free.
Here in the Tampa Bay area, there are many meditation classes - everything from mindfulness, to mantra, to Buddhist to Shambhala to Other - and many operate on love offerings or small token amounts for each class.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 11:20 AM on May 5, 2015 [4 favorites]
Here in the Tampa Bay area, there are many meditation classes - everything from mindfulness, to mantra, to Buddhist to Shambhala to Other - and many operate on love offerings or small token amounts for each class.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 11:20 AM on May 5, 2015 [4 favorites]
Agreed. All of the meditation meetings I attend are based on dana (generosity), with no fee attached. I'm in San Francisco. Further, costs of meditation retreats are based on the actual cost of housing and feeding the retreatant and teachers and staff are paid through voluntary donations at the end of the retreat, with complete anonymity and no pressure to give beyond what is comfortable. After almost 30 years of participating in this model, I would not be inclined to pay for a sitting group/dharma talk.
posted by janey47 at 11:36 AM on May 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by janey47 at 11:36 AM on May 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
I don't think you're going to be able to find hard market research data on this, because the market is so fragmented, and, as Major Matt Mason Dixon mentions above, it's a service found free in many communities, so it's not going to be as easy as, say, tracking down national or state gym or yoga studio revenues.
The good news is, you were going to have to do local community research anyway to determine your competition, and what their advertising and outreach look like. So consider: What services are already available, and how well-utilized are they, and who is utilizing them? Are there a lot of private studios, or does the need seem to be met with temples or other nonprofit organizations? What sort of inroads have private meditation programs made in the major corporations in your area? Are you considering opening a studio in an area where a university or hospital is offering mindfulness courses and support, whether to patients with known conditions or to the general public?
Your business model will help determine your target audience too. How much are you charging? Per session? Memberships? Donations? Which demographics will you be excluding, and are you okay with the charges excluding anyone? Since most people who choose to meditate at centers are aware of the donation-based model, do you have something specific you are offering above and beyond what they do, or will your audience be primarily people who are mostly unaware of meditation and mindfulness communities, who will come in only knowing what they have seen on TV, in magazines, etc.?
Finally, just to put it out there, is starting very small a possibility? Could you open your home to a circle of interested meditators, and just see how much you like supporting the activity, before jumping directly into a business?
posted by mittens at 11:42 AM on May 5, 2015
The good news is, you were going to have to do local community research anyway to determine your competition, and what their advertising and outreach look like. So consider: What services are already available, and how well-utilized are they, and who is utilizing them? Are there a lot of private studios, or does the need seem to be met with temples or other nonprofit organizations? What sort of inroads have private meditation programs made in the major corporations in your area? Are you considering opening a studio in an area where a university or hospital is offering mindfulness courses and support, whether to patients with known conditions or to the general public?
Your business model will help determine your target audience too. How much are you charging? Per session? Memberships? Donations? Which demographics will you be excluding, and are you okay with the charges excluding anyone? Since most people who choose to meditate at centers are aware of the donation-based model, do you have something specific you are offering above and beyond what they do, or will your audience be primarily people who are mostly unaware of meditation and mindfulness communities, who will come in only knowing what they have seen on TV, in magazines, etc.?
Finally, just to put it out there, is starting very small a possibility? Could you open your home to a circle of interested meditators, and just see how much you like supporting the activity, before jumping directly into a business?
posted by mittens at 11:42 AM on May 5, 2015
Agree with selfnoise & Metroid Baby - I used to teach meditation classes for 2 years and it gets real really quick. People came to me with serious life problems and looking for help deepening their practice, both in meditation and when they are off the cushion. It was a responsibility I never took lightly.
If you undertake this, pick your teachers carefully as they make or break a centre.
In my experience, the students came from all ages and all walks of life. There is no need to "brand" a certain way in order to attract your "audience" other than what kind of service you wish to give to the community and the kind of meditation you will provide. People who need you will find you. Again this is where the teacher is crucial - their experience and attitude will shape the centre more than you realize.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:44 AM on May 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you undertake this, pick your teachers carefully as they make or break a centre.
In my experience, the students came from all ages and all walks of life. There is no need to "brand" a certain way in order to attract your "audience" other than what kind of service you wish to give to the community and the kind of meditation you will provide. People who need you will find you. Again this is where the teacher is crucial - their experience and attitude will shape the centre more than you realize.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:44 AM on May 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
To frame this as a response to your question:
The demographic of meditation practitioners is going to skew toward people who will bolt at the slightest whiff of a moneygrabber chasing a "trending" market.
posted by cmoj at 2:31 PM on May 5, 2015 [8 favorites]
The demographic of meditation practitioners is going to skew toward people who will bolt at the slightest whiff of a moneygrabber chasing a "trending" market.
posted by cmoj at 2:31 PM on May 5, 2015 [8 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Whom do you want to serve?
I assume you've been thinking about this for a while. When you visualize your audience, who do you see sitting out there? Who would it give you joy to serve?
The elderly?
Veterans?
Boomers?
Children?
Anyone and everyone can benefit from the service that you offer.
Meditation can change lives.
The way you phrase the question it sounds like you want to jump on a bandwagon because it's 'trending'.
As George Lois says, "A trend is always a trap."
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 10:38 AM on May 5, 2015 [6 favorites]