1. Social media and content
This is the most obvious and commonly used but we still want to emphasize that you should take time and make sure you are listed properly on all social media platforms so prospective students can find you.
Make sure you create constant content and upload to all channels. Content can be anything including short videos of you playing or a students video or small lessons.
2. Facebook ads
Facebook is an extremely powerful tool and Facebook ads can bring in a ton of leads if you set it up carefully! There are several steps to making sure that your ads are successful.
First, make sure the quality of your video or photo is top notch. If need be hire someone to make an ad for you. A video is more engaging and is always preferred. Highlight your playing, how you can help the student and more information about the classes.
Tu run ads on the platform you will have to go to Facebook ads manager. This gives you the option to fully customize and target your audience. Now think cleverly of who it is that will be taking the decision of joining your classes. Are you targeting students who are children or are you targeting adults. If it is children then what is the age group.
Typically a teacher will be targeting students from maybe 8 years of age and up. with 8 years to 16 years being the primary audience. Now the mothers of these children are the ones who will be taking the decision to enroll them.
Facebook ads is extremely detailed and can give you the the option to choose very detailed demographics for your ads. When you set up your ads you can select to target only women who are also parents and in the age group of maybe 32-45, which would match your target child age.
Facebook ads are all about testing and you will have to test different audiences to understand what works for you.
3. Google business listing
As per StatCounter almost 92% of the worlds search traffic was on Google. We ourselves search for any and everything on google. Listing your business on google makes it visible to a huge amount of people searching in your area. You will be surprised at how effective it is to get more students.
4. Join local community pages
Almost all communities have local page and groups on Facebook. These include posts for anything under the sun in that community but can be very powerful in reaching potential customers.
5. Contact local music stores
Music instrument stores tend to get a ton of requests for music classes but not all of them have in house teachers. Many of them give contacts for nearby teachers who they have a relation with. Just reach out to local stores and let them know that you are available to take classes.
6. Posters in local tuitions
Where are all the local students currently going to? Well other private tuition classes in the area. Get in touch with local classes and ask if you can put up a poster or leave pamphlets at their reception. Pay them a sum if you have to because these classes have a huge footfall of students as well as parents in your target age group.
7. Workshops in local schools
If you are comfortable conduction workshops then get in touch with local schools to get more students. Providing advanced workshops for students in schools can work wonders. If the student sees you perform and likes your teaching they might sign up for private classes.
Do make sure to take pamphlets which you can send back home with the student so that the parents know who to call and talk to!
8. Free introductory lessons
This is the best way to convert an inquiry you may have and get more students. Whenever you get an initial inquiry that prospective student will probably be checking out several options and chances are that they will initially be comparing only based on price.
There are very few people who would refuse a free introductory lesson. Give them a taste of why you are good and what they can possibly learn from you.
9. Make videos of current students
If you already have several students then take the time and film them playing songs or specific parts. Most students you will get will never have been in front of a camera and wouldn’t have imagined having a video of themselves on Facebook or YouTube. They will be excited and more importantly will share that video from your page with every friend and family member they have. This can be a very effective way to get more students.
10. Ask current students to leave review
Reviews matter. A few weeks after a student has enrolled make sure to ask them to leave a review on you google business page.
A bunch of good reviews will not only influence your prospective students decision but also increase your credibility.
11. Tuition credit for students when they refer
Reward your students if they refer and get other students for you. You can have schemes where if a new student comes via reference then the one who referred will get 1 class or maybe 1 month free in classes.
Remember a student will have to go out of his way to help you can they should be rewarded for it. A reference from a current student is extremely powerful.
So remember there are a lot ways by which you can get more students and you will have to figure out what combination works out best for your situation. We suggest using a mix of a lot of them and constantly trying and testing to get figure out the most profitable and effective methods.
Be sure to check out our article Teaching Music – The 7 Basic Things To Remember, for general tips and tricks to help you run your classes better.
The Author, Naman Sachdev, is a metal drummer and owner of Whack Studio.
