All Dance Studio Owners know we have to do it, we all know that we should do it but who has the time to do it! If you feel like this sometimes, join the club. If you want to take your dance studio business to the next level this season the marketing plan you implement could be the most important thing you do. To get better at this I have read numerous books, have had a business coach, have gone to many seminars and am part of a master mind groups. I have had many dance stuido owners say to me that they ran an ad and it didn't work. That they tried a few things but the dance studio business is different, well if that is the approach then you are doomed!
We need to think about our marketing more like the way we prepare for our classes. If we taught one class to students we wouldn't expect results right then and there even if it was a great class. Marketing, I have learned is the same way. It's not about running one ad or putting out a few flyers. It is developing a plan to put into action for the growth of your dance studio business. I can tell you right here and now that there is no magic bullet or ad that will be the one that will change everything. There is, however, a plan that you can develop that will make a big difference to you and your bottom line. To start you need to try many different things. What works best for one may not work that great for the next. On thing is for sure you need to make your clients an offer they can't refuse! We will get more into the offer in other articles. For now let's focus more on the plan.
The Dance Studio Owner Marketing Guidelines
We have found that the best time to focus on our advertising is as follows;
1. May and June. This is the best time to focus on getting new students to register for your program. If they are leaving their former school this is when they will be looking for another school
2. August and September. As we know this is the time many new people come in. During this period offer free trial lessons or placement classes. If the schedule is filling up make sure you have it posted with the words " class closed " across it.
3. October. By this time the people who have forgotten or not made time to find an activity for their child will be in a panic, also soccer season is coming to an end. Your ad will help them to find a good solution.
4. December. Make a holiday gift package offer. We have found that these are the times we have had the best bang for the buck!
Ok now what do you do? Experiment, track and proceed! Post cards, newspapers, flyers, sales letters, magazines, radio just to name a few. You don't have to do one, as the matter of fact, it's best to try several. Just make an offer in each ad and make it so that there is a deadline this way they will feel that they need to respond immediately so as not to miss out.. If you don't track the results you will not be any the wiser as to what is working and why! If you haven't already made your marketing plan, stop what ever it is you are doing and get to it. It is the key to your business success. One side note, you don't have to spend lots of money if you don't have it. Just get creative. Spend time working on your plan but try to do not when you are exhausted. Then go with it. Remember that you must follow through with your plan and expect for some ads to be stinkers! When that happens just cross that one off your list and try another idea on your plan. The feeling should be " oh well, never mind then " NEXT.
