Are you struggling to attract new students to your music teaching business? Don't worry, there are plenty of marketing strategies you can use to make your business more visible and appealing to potential students. In this article, we'll be discussing 5 effective marketing strategies that can help your music teaching business shine. From creating a strong online presence to offering unique incentives, we'll cover everything you need to know to make your business stand out from the competition. So, whether you're just starting out or looking to revamp your marketing efforts, read on to discover the top strategies for attracting new students and boosting your music teaching business.
1) Utilize Social Media (Instagram or Facebook)
This is the number 1 place to post your business and that you have openings. Join a local community board on Facebook and see if you can post in there. Post on your feed. Share pictures of your studio space, pictures of you, your instruments. Set up a tripod and do a personal photoshoot of you playing your instrument. Sounds silly, but in the end, the students are investing in you. You are the product of the service. So you have to show yourself.'
2) Neighborhood Newsletter or Group Feed
Call a nearby neighborhood’s HOA and ask if they have a newsletter that is sent out monthly or if they have a facebook group or communication center you can advertise on. Create a little business card size ad (that way your advertising fee is less with the HOA as you will more than likely have to pay to advertise if you are outside the neighborhood) with your contact information on it to post and that’s it. I look for the super large neighborhoods. That way my info gets in front of a ton of new people. Same with an online group feed. Ask before you post.
3) Use BUZZ Words In Your Advertising or Flyers
Utilizing community posting boards at a coffee shop or local gym, use a buzz word to get people to stop in their tracks to consider you as a teacher! Do you offer online lessons? SAY THAT! “Online Private Music lessons”. Do you offer a FREE trial lesson, say that! “FREE Trial Lesson”. “Jazz piano lessons”, “Classical Specialty”, “Music Audition Specialist”. Say something that makes someone take a second look and think about it. “ONLINE or IN PERSON Private Piano Lessons. Contact by 6/1 for a FREE Trial Lesson!”. That would make someone stop and think about it.
4) Offer a Discount for Military or Emergency Responder Families
This is a big one for me in my area as we have a lot of military personnel in our town. I have a special flyer that I post at the army base and education school specifically for military families. The only thing is, some of these families are not long term, but only for as long as they are in the area. So you can expand it to Emergency Responders, to help out the ones that help you when you need them.
5) Offer Lessons or Variety To Your Studio
Don’t be a one-hit wonder, have more offerings up if you are able to. Most any musician can learn to teach beginning piano. You don’t have to be an advanced pianist to teach piano especially if you only ever plan to only teach beginning piano. Here’s a good rule of thumb, you just have to get really good at teaching through Level 2B of a method books. (I personally love the Faber & Faber Piano Adventures.) It’s okay to only teach through beginning and elementary piano. Most students only go beyond this level. If a student progresses, refer them to a more advanced teacher. That’s what happened to me when I was a kid. I outplayed my teacher and moved up. Nothing wrong with that. Also, if you are already mildly proficient at a second instrument expand your capabilities. Get better at it and continue to work on it. My main instrument is the horn, but it’s a specialty instrument so I also teach piano which I was classically trained on all the way to college. When I first started teaching, I didn’t think I would feel comfortable teaching advanced-level lessons. But they are some of my favorites because it’s real music! And to expand further, I’m developing accompaniment skills and accompanying my horn students with their solos. All the main solos I worked on through college, I’m learning the accompanist parts. So now I can use ACCOMPANIST as part of my BUZZ word with advertising if I need to ever advertise.
What are other ways you found worked for you with advertising?
Happy Teaching!
