How to find new students for your dance school
Every business, including dance schools, strives to grow and attract new clients. The goal of your marketing is to entice new students to sign up - but how is this best achieved?
As a specialist provider of insurance for dance teachers, we love to see our customers' businesses thrive. So, here are a few of the best marketing tips - both online and offline - to find new students for your dance school.
Website
When someone is interested in dance lessons, they will most likely turn to the Internet, usually searching for "dance lessons in [area they live in]". It is therefore important for your dance school to have a well-designed, easy-to-navigate website that comes up high in search engine results. As well as having all contact information and pricing, it should have testimonials and videos, allowing prospective students to see what they would get if they signed up to your school.
Social media
Twitter and Facebook are two of the best social platforms for dance teachers and should be used regularly to inform, engage and entertain existing and potential students. You will need to dedicate a certain amount of time each day to keep on top of your social presence, and you should ensure you are following relevant people/companies and sharing relevant posts.
Emails
Collect email addresses, and then use this valuable data effectively. Send a welcome email to new students and reach out to students who haven't attended a class in a while, telling them about new and exciting things going on in your studio.
Flyers
Flyers are relatively inexpensive marketing material – if used in the right way. They should only be placed in areas where your target customers are likely to see them – for example, if you are targeting young people, you could leave them around the local university campus, or if you hire a studio at your local gym, ask if you can leave some flyers on reception.
Word-of-mouth
Your best marketing tool is a satisfied student, and a great way of reaching out to new clients is through word-of-mouth recommendations. Ask students to leave a comment about your dance lessons and use these testimonials in all marketing material – from your website to your flyers. Student referrals are likely to happen naturally, but offering current students a discount or free class if they refer a new customer acts as a strong incentive.
Performances
Offering free performances to the public is a great way of showing off the skills of you and your dancers, and the attention is sure to attract new clients. You can take part in community outreach in a number of ways – from charity events to health fairs.
Sell your strengths
It is important to identify your USPs, as you can then highlight one or two aspects of your work that will help create a compelling and memorable message. Do you teach a specialist styles? Do you have many qualifications to be proud of? Is your dance school in a very convenient location? Blow your own trumpet and let your audience know exactly why you are the best dance teacher for them.