An assignment from my Marketing Class – ENT 645 – Positioning Grid and Analysis

Scarab Studios, LLC

Introduction

Working on this assignment has really helped me to focus in on what makes my business unique, and how I should be focusing my marketing messages to stand out from my competitors. To prepare my data, I had some informal conversations with some of my current students, as well as a couple of people that I know are, or have been, students of the dance studios I would consider my competition. These conversations gave me insight on the what they value as students paying for classes, what their goals are when taking a class or signing up for a membership, which of my competitors I have the most in common with, and which ones I stand out from. Running an online dance and fitness studio, that specializes in Bellydance, already puts me in a somewhat niche market, so it’s been interesting and inspiring to gather a deeper understanding of the ways I already stand out from the others, and what more I can do to appeal to my market based on their values.

Companies to Compare

Based on the information I gleaned from my earlier mention conversations with students, I have built my positioning grids to include four different studios, which I believe provide a wide scope of business and pricing models, while delivering similar products and services:

Scarab Studios, LLC: We are a 100% online dance and fitness studio, offering a variety of class styles, with a focus on Bellydance, and a full curriculum of on-demand classes for Beginner level dancers and movers. Scarab is a small business and run independently by one owner/operator and features guest instructors from the local WNC areas. Our marketing currently focuses on making movement and dance accessible for all levels of dancer. Current membership pricing: $17/month or $187/year.

Raqs Online: (The “Big Box Store” of online Bellydance studios.) A 100% online dance studio, offering a wide variety of class styles. Raqs Online is owned by Sadie Maquadt, who rose to Bellydance fame after appearing on America’s Got Talant. The business is based out of Denver, CO and features more than 30 instructors from around the world. Their marketing focuses on bringing dance from renowned instructors around the world into your living room. Membership pricing: $30/month or $300/year.

Zoe Jakes Online: A hybrid studio offering both an online membership and in-person classes and intensives. Zoe Jakes first rose to fame in the 90s with her unique style of fusion Bellydance, which she has curated into “Dance Craft,” a four-level curriculum of annual certification style courses, with her online membership housing on-demand and life classes that support the prep-work for each level of certification. Zoe’s marketing focuses on skill training in her distinct style. Membership Price: $65/month for the online subscription, and each level of the Dance Craft is around $800.

World Dance Asheville: An in-person dance and fitness studio featuring multiple class styles including Bellydance, Yoga, Flamenco, and Bhangra. World Dance Asheville is owned by a local dancer and teacher, Kim Riegle, and has a team of 4 instructors. Their marketing focuses on building community and offering a safe space to learn. They do not offer a membership but have drop-in style classes starting at $20/class.

What are my customers really buying?

When someone signs up for a class or a membership, they are not spending their time and money to take the class. My conversations revealed that often students will sign up for a dance or movement class because they value self-care (manage stress, increase physical activity, engage in something just for fun), and for personal growth (learn a new skill, challenge the brain, build confidence). While in-person classes can meet all of those values, once we started talking specifically about online membership classes the conversation centered more around convenience, and affordability as the driving values. Being able to take a class at home (or even while traveling, as one student shared) and on their own time was a big influence in their decision to subscribe to an online membership. Students also pointed out that most online dance studio memberships cost less than attend one in-person class a week at brick-and-mortar studios.

Positioning Grids

For my first Positioning Grid, I have compared how these four businesses meet the values of “Affordability” and “Convenience.”

My second Positioning Grid shows the comparison with the values of “Personal Growth” vs “Self-Care.” (As these values have some nuance to them, the extremities are defined on this grid as follows:

High Personal Growth – Classes that focus heavily on increasing skill level and education. There are clear benchmarks that students must attain before progressing to the next level.

Low Personal Growth – Classes are not necessarily structured by level. All students may take any class offered without a pre-requisite.

High Self-Care – Classes and instructors that focus on both mental and physical wellness and include warm-ups, cool-downs, and modifications for accessibility. Encouraging joy and having fun in a supportive community.

Low Self-Care – Classes and instructors teach the main content without much else. Little to no modifications are provided, and each student is learning on their own.

Summary of Positioning Grids

The information on the first grid, Affordability vs. Convenience, was not too surprising to me. The cost and structure of these individual studios is not a secret, but it is interesting to see the visual and take note of where Scarab Studios falls on the grid. I think having a low-cost/high convenience business will help set me apart from the competition, and will also be good information to keep in mind as my business evolves over the years. The second grid, Personal Growth vs. Self-Care, has a bit more nuance to it and the placement of each business is based off how the students I spoke with described each one, as well as my own research into their class offerings and specialties. I was a bit surprised to see that similar to the first grid, Scarab Studios is again in its own corner, which leads me to believe that I can lean in more to the marketing of the “Self-Care” value that we are providing for our students. Other businesses, such as Raqs Online, and Zoe Jakes, are more situated to focus on Personal Growth with their more rigorous training and skills-based courses, which I believe will allow Scarab Studios to stake a claim in the online studio space as a place for those who want to dance and move more for the enjoyment and health benefits, rather than for personal achievement.

Moving forward, I plan to focus my marketing more on the values that I have found to set me apart from my competition: Low cost AND convenient, while providing a fun and accessible space to learn.

Points of Contact

• Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
• Email campaigns
• Pop-up events
• Live performances
• Flyers and Posters
• Word of Mouth
• Instructor Referrals

Key Messages

• Take care of your body and mind without having to leave home.
• Busy schedule? This class starts whenever you hit “play”.
• Only have 10 minutes? We’ve got a class for you!
• We’ve removed the scary part of trying something new.