Marketing Your Music Studio Online
- Amanda Becker
- Jun 18, 2015
- 5 min read
The world has changed very rapidly and it is very much a digital age that we live in. Sadly, this means that a lot of music teachers, or any entrepreneurs for that matter, who aren't taking advantage of online marketing are getting left in the dust as far as competition goes.
Those who know how to market to students online, and who do it well, will set themselves up for getting students very quickly and effectively. The ones who use old, traditional marketing tactics will struggle to keep up as their pool of students disappears to those who know how to snatch them up quicker because they know where their ideal clients are.....online.
That is why I wrote this blog post for you. It has some tips and tricks for making sure you don't get left behind.
Your potential students are now smart, savvy consumers, who know where to look for what they want and they want to know more about you before they buy than ever before.
If you don't have an online presence, you will not be as competitive as someone who does. So it's time to learn more about marketing your studio online.
You MUST have a website
This isn't an option these days. In the minds of consumers, if you don't have a website, you don't exist. Students will want to know as much as they can about you, what your background is, what you offer, what the benefits are of hiring you, and even what you look like.
Your website is an opportunity to sell yourself and promote your unique vision. You need to have a website.
It is beyond easy to make a website these days. There are so many WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) website builders and software out there, many of which are free, there really is no excuse for anyone to not have a website. Some popular sites to use:
www.wordpress.com (my personal favorite because it is blog based)
These are all simple to use and have templates that are customizable. Get a website!
I suggest getting one that you pay for, however, because the free ones tend to have ads on them and you can't customize the domain name. For example, a wix site that is free will have wix in the URL and ads on the site, which doesn't look very professional if you are trying to be seen as professional, which I assume you are. The best way to stand out is to make sure you purchase a domain name that is uniquely yours (i.e.www.yourstudioname.com).
If this is at all intimidating to you, Music Teacher's Helper has a free website included in their studio management system!
Things to include in your website
You should be sure to have following on your website:
Your name and/or Studio name
Contact Information
Your biography and the biographies of anyone who works for you (especially if they teach)
Services you provide (private lessons, group lessons, masterclasses, etc), when they occur and for how long (30 minute sessions, 60 minute session, etc.)
Studio policies – be very clear and specific (cancellation policy, holidays, additional fees, etc.)
Your accomplishments and awards
Tuition – some instructors opt to not include their tuition on their websites. I suggest putting them on their so you don't waste your time or your potential student's.
Optional things you can include:
Studio events (recitals, special classes, etc)
Helpful links and resources
Student accomplishments
Videos – students performing (get permission from parents) and videos of your instruction are helpful for selling your lessons
Now that you have a website........
So now that you have a website.....you need to promote it. Too many people put up a site thinking that just because it is published that potential clients will come flocking. However, you will need to take important steps to ensure that your site gets found by students, and more importantly, by your ideal client who is most likely to buy lessons from you. You can do one or all of the following to help students find your site:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization – This includes on page and off page SEO. Things such as adding a title and keywords to your website are considered on page. Off page SEO includes creating links back to your website from other places and other types of activities that help you rank higher in the search engines. There are many websites and books out there on SEO, and you really don't need to be an expert to get some results through applying a few simple strategies.
Create a blog – Search engines love blogs. So create one and add to it often. Make sure you include lots of relevant keywords that your potential students would be searching for. Then encourage people to comment on your posts.
Pay-per-click ads – Google Adwords and Facebook ads are examples of pay-per-click advertising. They get people to your site quickly. They are short term solutions, since once you stop running the ad, the rapid traffic you got from it will stop. So you will want to opt for a combination of long term traffic solutions as well, such as blogging and creating content.
Social Media marketing – You can do so much with social media marketing and if you want to be quick and successful at acquiring new students, you need to become a social media expert. See below.
Become a Social Media Expert
Social media can be the single, most powerful force for you business in terms of getting new clients, engaging them, and getting them to trust your so that they will hire you.
Ways to start: open up a Facebook fan page, create a Twitter account, set up a Google+ profile, and create a Pinterest board.
You can post something in social media every day. To make this easy, there are automated tools you can use, such as Hootsuite, that allow you to schedule post and send to multiple sites at the same time. It is important to post releavent content and to not just post for the sake of posting. Your main goal should be to engage your potential and current students.
Great ideas of things to post on social media sites:
Announcements of new blog posts (include a link so they end up on your website)
Ask questions
Post pictures and videos – people engage more with picture/video posts vs. text posts
Fun facts or comments that get people talking
*KEY TIP: Remember not to be salesy. You don't want your social media or your studio to be all about promoting and selling. You want to be building relationships, not selling....sales comes after you build the relationship FIRST.
It's worth it....
If you are committed to getting new students and quickly, it's time to get online and start creating your online presence. It may be intimidating at first, but it is WELL WORTH IT! So go to it and start marketing yourself online starting today!
What other marketing ideas have worked for you?
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