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| The very first class- only one student |
So, if the social media that takes the world in a storm is not working for business, what shall we do?
On our list from part 1, what we can do are
- offering free stuff
- running campaigns or small functions
- developing referral schemes
- flyers
I would like to start from the most impossible option first, the campaigns or functions. Undoubtedly, campaigns or functions are great to watch and I am sure most people loving watching them. Even better, Hong Kong people love to ‘ig’ or ‘fb’ every tiny bit of ‘unimportant’ things every day, and they love to ‘like’ almost all the postings even it’s about someone’s being ill today (very interesting that FB strategy is just not popular among studios). However, this is not going to work at the initial stage. Why? Simply because you have no thing, no one, no students and a limited budget at first.
The second useless strategy is to offer free stuff. I know, every one likes ‘FREE’, and I am sure that the free classes, free T-shirts, free shoe bags, will be loved, and by the registering students. We are talking about how to lure new feet when you have nothing but just yourself. From my experience, offering free classes is just rubbish. People who registered might not show up. They registered just because they heard the word ‘FREE’- it wouldn’t hurt to sign a name, if there’s anything happening on the day, then just don’t go. T-shirts with the studio logo helps to build sense of belonging, but from my experience, people take the free stuff and just walk away. They take and keep the things will be the best, it’s sad to know that they take at that inpluse but dump our stuff after a second thought.
Referral is good, but the foundation is to have the first student then the first one can refer the others. Well, if we can solve the very first problem then referral is absolutely a good idea, imagine if you can get referrals from other teachers? If you can ally with some other peers during your study of teacher training, this will be good. Never think like teachers would always keep potential students to themselves- a person is just a person, an instructor cannot satisfy all people from all regions and at all time. It is plausible to share a place (and the cost) at a compromised time schedule, also share the base of the students, and maybe make an occasional supply teahcer ally when you are at inconvenient time. A lot of Hong Kong dance learners follow more than two teachers (usually one for Latin one for Ballroom, one for Line Dance or others), finding way to make use of this would be an advantage. So, know your peer and stay tight.
Then comes the last of our list, the flyers. It seems to me that this is the only useful way (but it takes time) to grab students. Traditional wisdom is the best in this case. And there is no need to put fantastic pictures, no need to put what medals you have or what competitions did you win, and no need for colour printing. Put the teacher’s qualification, class timetable and venue, and of course the fee. Be prepare to wait for up to a year until you can form a small group of three coming regularly, and during the time you have to get the studio paid.
Promoting your own dance studio
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