In today’s world of social media overload and constant algorithm changes, it can be hard to keep up with current marketing trends. We are here to help! From social media, websites, emails, and more, we are experts in marketing for dance studios.
Today, we’re going back to basics! Most marketing tools (Facebook, Instagram, Websites, etc.) are platforms for sharing your message. Do you know what kind of messages you should be sharing? Do you have a clear idea of what your studio offers that is unique from your competitors?
Before you can dive into marketing you have to know WHAT you are marketing. If your answer is “dance class,” that’s not quite detailed enough:) We are going to help you to get clear on what your message is, helping you attract ideal customers. It’s time to take the mystery out of online marketing!
I have to thank one of my marketing professors at the University of Iowa for this strategy. It is one of the only things I remember from my business courses! A big thank you to Professor Randall Schultz for making marketing simple! He had a 10-step process that I would LOVE to get my hands on (the notebook I really should have saved!)… but today I am going to share the key points.
Step 1: Make a list of your studio’s strengths.
Do you have an outstanding ballet program? Are your studio’s systems super organized? Are you able to offer affordable classes? Family atmosphere? Professional faculty? Structured preschool classes? Extravagant productions? The more detailed and specific, the better. Take that list and get it narrowed down to 4-7 things that you do BEST!
Step 2: Take a moment to reflect on your competition.
Pick 4 of your competitors and quickly determine what THEY do best. This should take 5 minutes at most. Use what comes to mind first.
Step 3: Compare YOUR list to your competitors.
Can you identify anything unique about your studio? What do you offer that would be hard for your competitors to imitate? What differentiates you? Hopefully, you have a few bullets. These things are your studio’s core competencies.
Core Competencies: A unique ability that a company acquires from its founders or develops and that cannot be easily imitated. Core competencies are what give a company one or more competitive advantages, in creating and delivering value to its customers in its chosen field. source
Step 4: Share it!
These core competencies should be front and center when you are creating marketing materials, posting on social, and communicating with future and current studio families. Write them down! Put them at your front desk! Make sure teachers and staff members are familiar with them. These are your talking points when you are doing your studio tours and scheduling trial classes. Shout it from the rooftops!
It is impossible to be GREAT at everything. The sooner you can identify your unique strengths, the better. Put your efforts into fine-tuning the things that make you unique, and tweaking your marketing materials so they highlight those offerings and attributes. When we onboard a new client, determining their unique strengths is one of the first thing we do!
It’s a crowded dance studio scene out there. In any given community there are a handful (sometimes MANY more!) of studios that offer dance classes. Position yourself as the only studio in town that offers a pre-professional training program or the only program in town that offers affordable competition teams for students of all abilities. Get specific and attract customers who know EXACTLY what you offer and share the same values. They will feel more confident in their choice to dance with you and more confident referring your studio to others.
Interested in hiring our team to get started on your studio’s unique marketing message? Check out our services and book a discovery call here!
