advertising Tag

Does your studio have a Facebook page? It seems as though nearly every business these days has one. When I am checking out different businesses — whether it’s a summer camp I want to enroll my daughter in or a new coffee shop in town — I often check out the business’ Facebook page. Checking out a Facebook page helps me get a real “feel” for a place or activity to know whether or not it’s something I want to invest my time and money in. When choosing an activity or camp for my daughter, I can often tell by the Facebook page if the business is active and thriving by whether or not they are posting events, photos and information.

What does your studio’s Facebook page say about your studio? Are you letting your community know that you are an active studio with a lot to offer? Remember that maintaining a Facebook page doesn’t cost a thing!  Free advertising!

farmers marketYou’ve finished your last lessons of the school year, thrown together a final recital and are ready to take a breather from all things studio-related. Rest and rejuvenation are important for studio owners, but don’t put your studio work on the shelf for too long — summer is a great time for advertisement and provides many opportunities to get your studio name into the community.

Here are just a few reasons the summer is a good time to advertise:

  • Parents have completed many activities from the previous school year and are beginning to think about what extra-curriculars they wish to enroll their child in for the fall.
  • As students move, graduate or decide to pursue another activity — you may lose some of your currently enrolled students at the end of the school year and need to replace their spots to maintain your current income.
  • Getting your name into the community during the summer helps current families along with your community see you as an active studio owner.

holiday media opportunitiesThis time of year is always a bit frenzied, trying to fit everything in before the winter break begins at the end of December. But despite my already busy schedule, I always make time for the plethora of publicity opportunities that come up in my community.

These opportunities vary as far as the amount of time involved, the potential exposure, and the nature of the event or commitment, but I look at each as a chance to grow my studio while at the same time increasing my local presence as a small business.

Here are just a few of the opportunities I take advantage of each year; hopefully this list will generate some ideas for how you can do the same in your community.

quitterYou can pick out the family within a few minutes of conversation — the kind who tells you they’re looking to “give piano/violin/dance/etc. a try”. They don’t give the impression of being overly-committed, and within a few months — when repertoire starts to become more challenging or when the exciting “newness” wears off, the student lose interests and asks to quit, which his parents are all to ready to let him do. You cringe when this happens, thinking of the spot he has taken up while students on your wait list have likely found other teachers in the meantime.

marketingWith families returning home from summer vacations and gearing up-for-back-to-school, it’s important that your studio’s name and information is out in the community so that you have new students enrolling this fall. Even if you don’t have a huge advertising budget, there are creative ways to become a community presence that will cost you little to nothing.

Here’s a few affordable — and even free — ideas from my experience and observations of other successful studios in my community:

  • Sample Classes – I teach group piano classes, so during the first week of August, I set up shop at the community room of my local library and offer sample classes. I have my studio policy and registration forms to send home with families and provide a special discount offer for families who enroll within a week of attending a sample class. A friend of mine who teaches Music Together classes does her sample classes at the local Children’s Museum, who advertise them for her free of charge, since they enjoy having a musical activity to offer museum visitors.