
After the local circus school closed, it left a group of circus enthusiasts – including me – without a means to help them continue their aerial arts journey. A couple instructors provided sporadic private lessons, but they soon left for performance opportunities overseas. I’ve recently reconnected with a couple of other aerialists I met at the circus school, and we started training together. We also learned that we have all been asked to provide aerial instruction or already do informally. Just for fun, we thought there might be an opportunity to put some thought into starting a small business of providing aerial lessons. Before we do this, it’s important that we look at our target audience.
Target audience
The social media accounts for the former circus school are still online, and that provides valuable insights on our target audience. Regionally, most aerial students tend to identify as female, and range from youth to middle-age. The adult students are either pursuing, or have completed post-secondary education, and many have a full-time career outside of the performing arts (interestingly enough, biochemists, nurses, PhD students). Most are active practitioners of, or have a background in yoga, gymnastics, or dance. This market tends to seek adventure, be aware of trends and is ready to try new things.
To further understand this target market, a strategy that monitors their communications and activity online would supplement the information gathered from local social media accounts. RSS feeds could be created for various keywords such as aerial, circus school, and aerial silks. New trends and information affecting the industry could be monitored and the tone of the content and interactions analyzed from the accounts of aerial influencers such as a Mizumi Shinagawa and Womack & Bowman (Brent Womack and Rachel Bowman).
Communicating with the Target Market
Aerial is a very visual activity, so social media platforms should be more visual than textual. That would mean that a platform like Instagram would be more effective than Twitter. Video-based platforms like TikTok and YouTube would also be effective especially for short, simple tutorials. A blog could provide information on students’ aerial journeys, provide detail on techniques, and provide more in-depth content to supplement the visuals. Finally, it might be valuable to partner with others in the performing arts, such as jugglers, trapeze artists, and DJs for cross-linking opportunities, and reaching new potential students who share similar demographic and psychographic characteristics.
It’s also important to understand the values of the market and incorporate these themes into content. For example, strength is an important quality, more than performance quality or experience. A supportive tone that celebrates individual accomplishments is key.

Case Study: Aerial Physique
Aerial Physique (https://www.aerialphysique.com/) is an aerial studio based in Los Angeles. They have a large social media following on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Their market extends beyond the United States, as they regularly provide workshops internationally and offer virtual training online. They keep their audience engaged by posting content regularly, new tutorials every Tuesday and holding online contests related to aerial and strength training.
Opportunities
The aerial arts continue to gain more popularity, especially in this region that was formerly serviced by a circus school. The students suffered the loss of this school. Though the school is very much missed by its students, it does provide an opportunity for someone else willing to research the market and get organized to address the gap.