Kristin Sudeikis is an artistic director, choreographer, master teacher, dancer, producer, and the founder of FORWARD__Space — a highly involved member of the New York metropolitan, national, and international dance communities.
What unique strategies set your business apart from the competition, and how
have they contributed to your success?
Since opening our doors in 2018, our primary marketing strategy has been to focus on organic reach and the power of word-of-mouth– Creating a buzz by word amongst friends and friends of friends in the dance, sport, art, wellness, entertainment, beauty + entrepreneurial space. We have stayed true and connected to our unique, core and original offerings as a business rather than following trends and continue to prioritize sublime hospitality with each client over general campaigns to welcome people in. This built a deep connection with our growing community, so that our clients now tend to naturally share their love, excitement and overall results happening in their life because of FORWARD__Space with everyone they come in contact with.
What challenges do you anticipate facing in 2024? How do you plan on meeting
those challenges?
There is no doubt that the health and wellness industry has boomed over the past several years, with new spaces and experiences opening constantly. While it may be tempting for some businesses to follow trends and tweak their model based on the trend-du-jour, we have found that this provides us with an ongoing opportunity to continue to stay true to our brand values and our unique offering — and we see great success with this. Rather than diluting our brand to mold into whatever is currently popular, we’ve grown our business by staying true to the original intention and demand that I / we opened with and continue to build deeper from there to widen our audience.
Tell us a little about your approach to marketing.
We focus on organic marketing and word-of-mouth– creating merch pieces and experiences that are unlike any other each and every time. We have found that partnerships with like-minded brands — such as Auberge, Living Proof, Kin Euphorics and Wolford — have solidified further trust with our client base and have helped us reach new audiences of like-minded and aligned customers. We’ve also focused on activations in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, London and the Hamptons to spread brand awareness and give new audiences an opportunity to experience the brand and what we uniquely offer.
Which marketing channels are you using currently? Where are you seeing most
success and how has this evolved over time?
We’ve focused on word-of-mouth, social media, email and website marketing. We also see quite a bit of organic influencer marketing happening! We’ve created a one-of-a-kind and authentic space– people ask to come take our classes so they can share it out with their own communities which is always a win/win for all involved. Email marketing has also always been a strong marketing channel for us. We are incredibly careful and precise when it comes to not flooding inboxes with unnecessary emails, while also staying in steady touch with our subscribers and online communities. This has led to high engagement and open rates with our newsletters.
How much or how little are you using A.I. or automation in your marketing efforts?
We do not use AI much, but do have some marketing email automations — this is particularly helpful in welcoming new clients and sending important details that are helpful to know as a new client. This also maximizes the FORQARD__Space team’s time by having automated systems put in place to spread the word and information about FORWARD__Space.
What is something you’ve learned in your career that you would like to share with
young SMB marketers entering the industry?
The learning never, ever stops. It is constant. Staying dropped in, true, and completely steadfast with what it is you are offering to your clients and community– what is the intention of the space, the brand, the experience? Not looking side to side at what others are doing– I and we stay true to what we are breathing into the world with passion and precise and people-first vision. An entrepreneur, founder and marketing team must be tuning into this question time and time again and checking the box each decision aligns with that core knowing, that core intention, that core offering. Listening to what is needed in the now– what is the community asking for– both the community you are already engaged with as one as the community at large who will discover you and are looking for exactly what it is you do and HOW you do it. Be excellent in your listening, compassionate in your perceived failures and steadfast in your pursuit of what is next. Lastly, do your best to enjoy the ride…because, as many of you know, it is a RIDE. And with that, a privilege to bring what you uniquely know, create and have to market for others to experience as they enhance their time and very full lives.
