August Challenge: Consistent Marketing

It was one of the biggest revelations that I've had as a studio owner. 

I was talking to a successful studio owner on Facebook about advertising and was trying to pick her brain as her story was very similar to mine. Opened a studio with about 60 students and her as the only teacher. 5 years later there are hundreds of students, dozens of teachers, group classes, retail store. I have the questions all of us do: How did you do it? How can I get more students?

She asked me how I was advertising and marketing. I thought hard and came up with three things: Facebook (including ads and community sites), Road Signs, and Word of Mouth. 

She told me that she had
​DOZENS of marketing strategies in play. 

​If I have 3 chances for students to hear about me (road signs, word of mouth, facebook) and she has 30 that means that students are 10X more likely to hear about and sign up for her studio than mine. Ten times! That number continues to increase as we put ourselves out there. 

I read somewhere that the average customer needs to see your message 7-8 times before they are ready to buy. That means that most won't jump into your studio after they see your Facebook ad. Often they won't even realize that they've heard of you....you will just sound somehow familiar.

​Maybe a couple of friends have mentioned your studio in passing. They saw a student wearing your T-shirt once. They've driven by your studio and seen your sign. They saw your students perform at a community event once. A local paper did quick writeup on you. Then they see your Facebook Ad and they feel like they can trust you. It's mostly subconscious but having seen and heard of you so many times they just have this feeling that you are trustworthy and popular and they need to be involved. 

AUGUST CHALLENGE: Market your studio in at least 10 different ways this month. 3 of them must be new to your studio or vast improvements to your norm. 

​Now, here's the catch...these will go by category. So sending out 3 newsletters this month doesn't count as 3 different ways. Adding yourself to 10 online directories doesn't count as ten different ways. Go as crazy as you want in each category but the idea is to market yourself in 10 completely different ways to attract students from a variety of sources and to let them have maximum exposure to your studio. 

Here's a few to get you started:

1. Facebook Ads
   
2. ​Google Adwords
3. Road signs outside of your studio
4. List yourself on Online Teacher Directories (thumbtack, lessons.com, etc)
5. List yourself on Online Business Directories (yelp, YP.com, google, bing, etc)
6. Craigslist ads
7. Online Newsletter (Mailchimp, etc)
8. Facebook Community Groups
9. Swap advertising with local businesses
10. Free Studio Swag at events (t-shirts, bracelets, pens....anything with your logo)
11. Scheduled Social Media Posts
12. Write a weekly blog on your website
13. Write a guest blog on another website
14. Have an article written about your studio in the local paper
15. Write a guest spot for the local paper
16. Be on the local morning news show
17. Postcard mailout
18. Door to door flyers
19. Flyers on cars
20. Perform or have students perform at local community event
21. Reach out to local daycares and preschools
22. Reach out to local schools about offering after school lessons
23. Find contacts and advertise in local schools: flyers, business cards, etc. 
24. Buy advertising in local relevant businesses (football programs, theater programs)
25. Individual emails to former students
26. Referral Program (cards, incentives)
27. Bring-A-Friend Week
28. Career Day at local school
29. Music Demo for local school/music class
30. Guitar or Lessons Giveaway in exchange for emails for mailing list
31. Rent a billboard near your studio
32. Take out a TV or Radio Ad
33. Be a guest on a local radio show
34. Offer Homeschool Fieldtrip to your studio (tryout instruments and get demos)
35. Post flyers around town on local community boards
36. Add a vinyl decal to your car window....or WRAP YOUR ENTIRE CAR!
37. Send out car magnets or stickers for students and parents. 
38. Yelp ads
39. Send home flyers with current students
40. Plan a HUGE studio event sometime this fall (open house, concert, etc)
41. Post on your personal facebook page that you are looking for new students
42. Groupon/LivingSocial 
43. Put out roadsigns around town (not in front of your studio)
44. Start posting tutorial and performance videos on your Youtube account
45. Reach out to competitors to gain students they can't work with (area, instrument, etc)
46. Offer a deal to encourage families and siblings of current students to sign up
47. Contact local churches to help train their worship teams and choirs
48. Branch out to a different demographic or instrument....who are you NOT reaching?
49. Contact retirement homes about offering on-site lessons
50. Call students, parents, and businesses. Actually make a phone call on the phone!
51. Thumbtack ads and quotes. Send a TON!
52. Facebook Mom Groups
53. Facebook Homeschool groups
54. Sidewalk art - use chalk to advertise on local sidewalks
55. Hand out business cards at local events and playgrounds when your kids play
56. Start a business Pinterest page
57. Start a business Google+ page
58. Start a business Facebook page
59. Start a business Instagram page
60. Start a business Youtube Page
61. Start a business Tumblr or Snapchat
62. Water bottles or similar for carpool lanes at local schools
63. Pass out free water bottles in front of your business...it's hot!
64. Sponsor local events
65. Be a guest presenter at local homeschool meetings
66. Get a booth at a local community event
67. Get a booth at a local homeschool fair
68. Contact a local guitar tech or piano tuner and ask for mutual referrals
69. Contact local music stores to set up referral programs
70. Print your info on balls and Frisbees and leave them at local parks
71. Have a American Idol type competition. Use local restaurants for performances. 
72. Create a viral video for your studio
73. Plan a flashmob
74. Join LinkedIn
75. Social Media Contests: Tag 3 friends and win a free shirt!
76. Give away helium balloons with your studio logo at a community event
77. Provide crayons and coloring sheets to local restaurants with your studio info
78. Donate lessons in local auctions
79. Tag parents/students in Facebook and Instagram posts
80. Ask parents to write and share reviews on their Facebook pages
81. Comment on blogs and Facebook posts as your business
82. Talk to local people about your business and ask about theirs. Have conversations!
83. Give away T-Shirts to all of your students
84. T-Shirt contest: Students wear your shirt in unique places and post about it
85. Start a business Twitter account
86. Have students check-in on social media at your studio
87. Sponsor a local kids sports team
88. Do a free concert or demo at the Library
89. Play or have students play at a retirement home
90. Take it outside! Do lessons in the park or outside of your studio one day. 
91. Pass out candy and business cards at local events
92. Give out free sunscreen at waterpark/beach with your card or logo on it
93. Give away school supplies with your logo or add your card to a bunch of supplies
94. Have a Serve Day for your studio. Wear shirts and go help your community!
95. Free Car Wash with your students providing music while people wait. 
96. Be a drop-off location for various things (toy drives, school supply, food pantry)
97. Give away free water at local kids sports events to families
98. Logo: After Dinner Packets with mints and moist-towelettes at local restaurants 
99. Business Card Drop: Take 100 cards and leave them EVERYWHERE
100. Adopt part of a highway for cleanup...they'll put up a sign about your sponsorship!
101. Play for a church in exchange for advertising in the church program. 

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There you go! 101 ideas to get you started and spark some creativity..

The key here is diversity. You want to put your best foot forward in each marketing strategy but don't spend all of your time on one or two. You MUST get at least ten! Get yourself out there. Break out of your comfort zone. 

Things that improve your studio but aren't marketing are not your focus this month. Improving SEO and your website navigation is a fantastic thing that will help you in many ways. But it's not your focus this month. Work on it in the background if you need to but don't put too much energy there right now. 

Another big thing to remember: the key here is attracting new students, not retaining current students. Obviously both are very important but we do things in our studio like sending home birthday postcards and new student postcards, swag bags for new students, and lots of cool in-house stuff to make the students experience better. These are great but they are not your focus this month. School is starting. Get as many people in the door as your possibly can. We'll talk about creative ways to keep the there soon. 

Make improvements to what you currently do. If you are currently running Facebook ads, don't just check off that box and move on. If you count it towards your Ten, then find a way to improve it and make it even better!

What are YOU doing? Let's hear it in the comments!