Marketing Article
7 Easy Dance Studio Marketing Ideas
What’s the most important thing every dance studio needs?
Dancers!
Casual students drop out to keep up with their homework, families and friends. Which means new students are the lifeblood of any studio.
So, how do you keep those classes full?
There are lots of effective, inexpensive methods for marketing dance classes. Here are 7 dance studio advertising ideas to get you started.
1. Direct mail postcards are a proven tool for marketing dance classes.
An exciting, engaging postcard is one of the most effective marketing strategies for dance studios.
You can target families within a 10-mile radius, families with children under 17 — or both! Call us at 800-628-1804 and we’ll find you the perfect mailing list.
An image and message that connect with potential students (and their parents), your contact information and a call to action — give them a reason to pick up the phone! — are key elements of successful dance studio postcards.
But even more important:
A great offer.
Whether it’s 10% off registration, a free t-shirt, or even a free class.
2. Introduce a “Free Day of Dance” in your advertisement for dance classes or your direct mail postcards and watch potential students file through the door!
Everyone loves a freebie!
When marketing for dance studios, a “Free Day of Dance” is a tried and true method of bringing in new students. It offers prospects a risk-free opportunity to see what your school is all about.
How do we know it works?
One of our clients, D’velda & Siric Dance and Music Center in Fairfield, CT, offered a free day of dance on their dance academy advertisement.
It was a huge hit.
Their free dance day brought in 113 prospects. Guess how many signed up for classes?
Ninety-seven. NINETY-SEVEN out of 113!
3. Local schools are a great resource for dance studio marketing — use them!
Give fliers or class schedules to neighborhood schools to be sent home with children. Parents are always looking for extracurricular activities at the beginning of the school year.
And guess what?
When information comes directly from their child’s school, they are more inclined to trust it.
There’s something else you can do:
Donate to the PTA. A free class, discounted tuition or a pair of dance shoes can go a long way toward growing your customer base. PTA parents remember which businesses donate to their schools, and they’re extremely loyal!
4. Host an open house. Dance studio ads can say anything, but seeing is believing.
You can have the most comprehensive website, the most attention-grabbing dance class advertisement and the most knowledgeable receptionist in the world, but if you are wondering how to market a dance studio, people want to meet you and see your studio in person.
They’re trusting you with their money — and their children!
Up the ante:
Entice them to sign up for classes THAT DAY with a discount on tuition.
5. Dance studio advertising is easy (and free!) with social media.
Communicate with current and future students in a friendly, informal way through social media. Post useful information and links for students and parents on your page.
Photos or videos from classes or competitions do GREAT on Facebook, where they’ll get tons of “likes” and “shares.”
Aim for two to three posts per week.
Also:
Include your social media website links and logos on all of your dance school advertisements. Help students find you on social media by posting a sign in your studio. Make sure they’re a part of your signature on all email correspondence, too.
6. For more effective dance studio marketing, update your website page titles to boost your site’s rankings on Google.
It only takes 3 minutes.
Really.
You know that prospective students (and their parents) are looking online for things like:
Dance studios, <city>
Ballet classes, <city>
Dance classes for kids, <city>
Right?
Make sure they find your studio on Google.
Here’s how: Look at the name of each of your website pages — it’s at the top of your browser bar.
What does it say?
It should include the top keywords that people will be searching for that you want to rank for, like: Dance studio, your city, and ballet classes.
Make sure your content includes these all-important keywords as well.
7. For successful marketing for dance studios, build your Google business page — it’s free!
Speaking of Google…
When a prospective student searches on Google for a dance studio, they are most likely going to see the local listings.
You’d better be there.
Fully build out your Google listing. Add everything you can think of: your hours, pictures, videos… you get the idea.
Do it here: https://www.google.com/business/
Then ask happy students and their families to leave you a nice review. Give them a printed flyer with a link to your Google Business Listing.
They’ll do it!
Then you’ll have a whole marketing team helping you keep your classes full!
Want to see real marketing pieces that other Dance Schools have used successfully? Order your free sample pack here: http://postcardmania.com/freesample
