Marketing for new students can be frustrating. You put out the advertising piece (whatever it may be) and wait for people to call for lessons. This can really be stressful, especially if you really need to fill some openings right now. To help keep the students rolling into your studio on a consistent basis, you need to market on a regular basis. To help with that, I’ve created a marketing calendar to help you keep in front of your audience. It starts in August, since next month is August.
August - August 1 send an email to all students past and present reminding them to sign up for fall lessons and detailing any early enrollment/pre payment discount. Now is also the time to run ads in the paper if you have room in your budget for that.
September -
2nd week in September - Send a welcome back letter to teachers and church choir directors in your area. Make sure to include a flier about lessons that they can pass out to students and posters for their bulletin boards. You might follow this up in a week or two with a phone call to ask if you can come in and make a presentation to their students about lessons. Also, if they send students your way, take the time to send them an email thanking them for their referral.
Be sure to send studio promotion cards home with your students. I give a free lesson as a thank you to students who send referrals who sign up for lessons.
October - Send press releases to your local papers about your fall studio recital. Send invitation cards for the fall studio recital home with students to give to friends and family.
November - Early November - order or purchase studio Christmas gifts.
Mid November - Purchase or create studio Christmas cards and label them so they are ready to go out the first week in December.
Late November - Put ads in the paper promoting gift certificates for Christmas gifts.
December -
Last week before Christmas Break - Give out studio gifts and or cards.
January - Send new referral cards home with students. Send an email to teachers welcoming them back to school, include information for spring lessons and helpful article about getting ready for solo and ensemble festival. Send a press release to the paper about students who have received good ratings at Solo and Ensemble Festival.
February - Schedule bring a friend to lessons week for sometime in March or April.
March - Send press releases to the newspapers in your area about your spring studio recital. Send studio recital invitation cards home with students to invite friends and family to the spring studio recital.
April - Send an email to all students past and present detailing summer lessons and any promotion for early enrollment/pre payment. Make sure that you have free lesson cards available at the studio recital for people to take with them if they are interested in lessons.
Last week in April - send a letter or email to teachers telling them about your summer offerings.
May - Run an add in the paper congratulating students on their accomplishments this year.
June - Write an article about selecting a private lesson teacher or keeping your student practicing. Pitch the story to your local newspaper or music store newsletter. Be sure to include a little bit of information about you and your studio at the end of the story. (Amy Gould is a private voice teacher in the Holland area. She has taught lessons for over ten years and performs regularly with the 126 Army Band. She can be reached at amy@lakeshoresinging.com)
July - Create a press release mailing list with contact information and deadlines for press releases (if you already have it, now is a good time to update it.)
For more great marketing ideas, check out these books.
- “The Complete Guide to Making More Money in the Private Music Studio” by Mimi Butler
- “The Practice Spot Guide to Promoting Your Teaching Studio: How to make your phone ring, fill you schedule, and create a waiting list you can’t jump over” by Philip Johnston
These ideas should help to keep more students rolling into your studio on a fairly regular basis. Keep working at promoting your studio a little at a time and you will continue to see the fruits of your labor.
by Leah Coutts — Wed Jul 30, 2008 @ 6:32 pm
by Brandon Pearce (Support) — Thu Aug 14, 2008 @ 5:19 pm