Everyone's on Facebook! This summer I'm watching my own two children keep in touch with friends and grow their fan base on Facebook at lightning speed. So, how do you maximize Facebook for your dance school? Well, you have two audiences, Moms and Kids. The Mom category is the fastest growing Facebook user category on line.
Consider these facts about Facebook from the Internet Strategies Group.
1. 7/8th of its members are older than 24 years old.
2. The fastest growing age bracket is 35 and older
3. The average person is spending 15 minutes per session and accessing Facebook 5-6 times per day!
Your Dance Mom's are on Facebook. Your dancers are on Facebook. They need to be FANS of your business.
Rhee' Gold this month in Dance Studio Life Magazine has a great list of ideas for marketing your business too, go read it! One of his ideas is that people like to belong to a "dance family" so make your business a "place to belong." Facebook can do that easily for you. He had other suggestions but I say Facebook is the way to go!
Create a page for your business. If you have Facebook account already you can add a business page. If not, get online and spend a couple of hours playing on Facebook. It only takes minutes to set up your page, but you'll get lost in the content (trust me on that one).
I'm considering letting my 12 yr. old manage our Facebook account for the Dance Studio... I know scary right? But she knows more than I do and she would learn a lot too. Who do you know that is a huge Facebook user? Call them ask them to help.
Once you are on, join groups, add to discussions, make comments and be social. The key to success on Facebook is acting like a human being, not just a stale business. Have fun. Get creative. You can even add video clips and photos of your recitals!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Dance Correlation to Higher Grades
Yesterday I had the privilege of attending our local elementary school's final assembly to honor students for grades, attendance and civic duties. I am always a local celebrity when I enter the school - I get lots of waves, smiles and "there's Miss DeAnne" when I visit. It sure is fun. We have the majority of our Brodhead Dance Academy students attending this elementary school, so it's a good place for me to make the following observation/correlation.
Of the top academic students in the school (for girls) ALL but two were dancers at our Academy! These kids were the top in their grade and scored the highest on the State Tests in Math and Reading - to be in the top 25% in the state. I was amazed when dancer after dancer arrived on stage to accept their certificates.
I realize there could be many reasons for this correlation and its been discussed before - parents are more engaged, higher income, thus they can afford dance classes...etc. But for today, I think I will let Dance Class take the credit. The skills we teach help on and off the stage to make a life-long difference. I've always known there was a big tie to Tap and Math, "must be the same side of the brain" has been my assumption over the years. But now I see it first hand in all categories. The brain development and learning skills translate across classrooms, be it in the dance studio or the elementary school.
Kudos to all dance teachers who are making the world a better, smarter place one dancer at a time! Bravo!
Of the top academic students in the school (for girls) ALL but two were dancers at our Academy! These kids were the top in their grade and scored the highest on the State Tests in Math and Reading - to be in the top 25% in the state. I was amazed when dancer after dancer arrived on stage to accept their certificates.
I realize there could be many reasons for this correlation and its been discussed before - parents are more engaged, higher income, thus they can afford dance classes...etc. But for today, I think I will let Dance Class take the credit. The skills we teach help on and off the stage to make a life-long difference. I've always known there was a big tie to Tap and Math, "must be the same side of the brain" has been my assumption over the years. But now I see it first hand in all categories. The brain development and learning skills translate across classrooms, be it in the dance studio or the elementary school.
Kudos to all dance teachers who are making the world a better, smarter place one dancer at a time! Bravo!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Recital Success=Marketing Opportunity
As dance teachers each year we have a huge marketing opportunity- the recital. I'm proud to say mine went great this year. In our town of 3,100 people we had 1,500 people come to see our 3 performances! Now that's what I call community support!
I sent out press releases to all the papers in our town and those nearby to celebrate our sold out shows and highlight our program. We received a lot of press which should help with enrollment this year. In an economic downturn like we have now it's important to keep marketing, more than ever. Don't rest on what you did last year, increase your marketing budgets and get creative with public relations.
Last year two days after our recital I received a tragic call from one of my dance moms. One of our pre-ballet students, Isabella died the Sunday after our show while riding a bike. She had a brain aneurysm. At our first show this year we dedicated the performance to Bella and placed a photo and flowers on the corner of the stage so she could dance with us. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. It felt good to honor her, a bit of closure I guess for all of us.
This year we also did a ballet production which was actually our first in our 8 years because now I have the talent level I need in a variety of dancers to pull off a production number. It was fantastic and actually proved to be a great marketing tool itself. Now, the other dancers who had left ballet for jazz or hip hop want to return to ballet after they saw what the potential was on stage. That is rewarding to me. They love ballet! After years of hip hop getting all the attention it's nice to see ballet demand picking up again. Don't get me wrong, I've always had many ballet students, but mostly because I make them take it until they are 8 before I let them move to the other study areas like jazz, tap or hip hop.
I hope all of you out there also had great shows this spring! Now it's time for a quick breather. Make sure to take a few weeks off to decompress and renew your spirit. Creative work like teaching dance is demanding of the heart and mind- give your soul a break.
But keep a notebook close for those inspired moments when you hear a great song or catch a cool beat-- after all the next recital's less than a year away.
I sent out press releases to all the papers in our town and those nearby to celebrate our sold out shows and highlight our program. We received a lot of press which should help with enrollment this year. In an economic downturn like we have now it's important to keep marketing, more than ever. Don't rest on what you did last year, increase your marketing budgets and get creative with public relations.
Last year two days after our recital I received a tragic call from one of my dance moms. One of our pre-ballet students, Isabella died the Sunday after our show while riding a bike. She had a brain aneurysm. At our first show this year we dedicated the performance to Bella and placed a photo and flowers on the corner of the stage so she could dance with us. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. It felt good to honor her, a bit of closure I guess for all of us.
This year we also did a ballet production which was actually our first in our 8 years because now I have the talent level I need in a variety of dancers to pull off a production number. It was fantastic and actually proved to be a great marketing tool itself. Now, the other dancers who had left ballet for jazz or hip hop want to return to ballet after they saw what the potential was on stage. That is rewarding to me. They love ballet! After years of hip hop getting all the attention it's nice to see ballet demand picking up again. Don't get me wrong, I've always had many ballet students, but mostly because I make them take it until they are 8 before I let them move to the other study areas like jazz, tap or hip hop.
I hope all of you out there also had great shows this spring! Now it's time for a quick breather. Make sure to take a few weeks off to decompress and renew your spirit. Creative work like teaching dance is demanding of the heart and mind- give your soul a break.
But keep a notebook close for those inspired moments when you hear a great song or catch a cool beat-- after all the next recital's less than a year away.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Research shares benefits of early training age 3-4
I know most all dance schools provide pre-ballet/creative movement programs for young children, but until recently I hadn't read research to support WHY parents should select this for their children, other than the traditional, balance, poise, social and rhythm advantages.
Recently, I attended a 4-Kindergarten session from a local school district administrator in Wisconsin. While many schools in our area now offer 4K training in the school systems, many don't. So,they are still out there trying to convince taxpayers of the long term benefits of 4K. While I was listening it occurred to me all the same benefits imply for pre-K dance training too.
The Research they shared...
A child's brain grows 75-90% of it's adult size between age of 3-5.
85% of the child's intellect, personality, and social skills are formed by age 5.
There's more, but I guess I don't need more proof. Use research information like this to ADVERTISE your program. What parent can say no to dance class when they think about it this way? It's not about dance class being a "nice to do" its a MUST do when you look at this data.
As teachers we know this intuitively, we see the children progress in the classroom quickly and we can tell the kids that are in a pre-school program from the ones who are staying at home.
Dance training like 4K schooling is an important part of the development process. Especially for kids who are not in other training programs by age 3 - dance can make a big difference.
Another key differentiator was the income of the parents, and while I agree that dance typically tends to go to children in more affluent homes, there's great opportunity for your studio to reach out to low-income families with options to get their children in the studio too. Or maybe this will motivate you to reach out with efforts to your
Recently, I attended a 4-Kindergarten session from a local school district administrator in Wisconsin. While many schools in our area now offer 4K training in the school systems, many don't. So,they are still out there trying to convince taxpayers of the long term benefits of 4K. While I was listening it occurred to me all the same benefits imply for pre-K dance training too.
The Research they shared...
A child's brain grows 75-90% of it's adult size between age of 3-5.
85% of the child's intellect, personality, and social skills are formed by age 5.
There's more, but I guess I don't need more proof. Use research information like this to ADVERTISE your program. What parent can say no to dance class when they think about it this way? It's not about dance class being a "nice to do" its a MUST do when you look at this data.
As teachers we know this intuitively, we see the children progress in the classroom quickly and we can tell the kids that are in a pre-school program from the ones who are staying at home.
Dance training like 4K schooling is an important part of the development process. Especially for kids who are not in other training programs by age 3 - dance can make a big difference.
Another key differentiator was the income of the parents, and while I agree that dance typically tends to go to children in more affluent homes, there's great opportunity for your studio to reach out to low-income families with options to get their children in the studio too. Or maybe this will motivate you to reach out with efforts to your
Monday, March 9, 2009
Baggy ankles and sequins
It's recital season. Dance teachers don't live by a regular calendar year we live by our business calendars. Registration time, back to school, nutcracker season, recital season and summer school... gee, when is it time for vacation season? I need another vacation. Recently I was lucky enough to travel to Las Vegas to the Dance Retailer News Expo for Releve' it was a good show. And I did take a mini-vacation for a day before the show. Las Vegas is fun; it's the place where sparkley dance teachers look right at home in thier sequins and high heels. You know what I'm talking about ladies... admit it.
A couple of observations from the show:
I observed there doesn't seem to be anything all that innovative in the dance world, just more of the same. Some new fabrics were kind of neat, and ballroom is still hot. I did run into a new company that makes barre' wraps, it's called Gypsywraps. She doesn't have a website yet, but maybe a distributor will pickup her products and it will be available soon to us. It's a velcro, terry cloth personal attachment for the barre'. I thought it was cool. I think I will approach her about selling with my Releve' posters too, heck I guess I could be a distributor for her.
I also observed that even in a fashion show models/dancers need to wear tights! Rhee Gold talks about this all the time in his commentary and I totally agree, all dancers need tights. Speaking of tights, I'm trying some new ones out this year at my studio, Revolution brand classic pink. They guarantee no baggy ankles, we'll soon see. I hate baggy ankles. I really do. Makes the kids look like 90 year old women. They already look 30 years old with all the make-up hate to make them grow up too fast with baggy ankles too.Friday, February 27, 2009
Hello Spring, time to spruce up the dance studio.
I'm going to take a minute to remind all our dance teachers that spring cleaning isn't just for our homes. Busy schools start to look a bit worn and torn this time of year. If you have a spring break at your school consider investing in a little bit of paint and wall hangings to spruce up your space. I know we all usually wait until summer to do this, but consider that parents are going to be making resistration decisions soon and you want to make sure to have your best dress on, so to speak. Especially now in this financial turmoil many families are facing.
A fresh coat of paint and a few new interactive art posters from Releve’ dance posters can make the studio shine. And for less than $100.00 you can make parents and students see that you are investing in your business and in them. And make it a place they want to come to for a bit of a reprive.
Your walls talk. Do you know what they are saying about your business? Roll up your sleeves and let's get to work.
(if you want to order Releve' posters, go to http://www.instructdance.com/) Sorry, a little shameless self promotion for my company. These are the 5 positons for ballet and other dressing room type posters to get kids dressed right for class.
A fresh coat of paint and a few new interactive art posters from Releve’ dance posters can make the studio shine. And for less than $100.00 you can make parents and students see that you are investing in your business and in them. And make it a place they want to come to for a bit of a reprive.
Your walls talk. Do you know what they are saying about your business? Roll up your sleeves and let's get to work.
(if you want to order Releve' posters, go to http://www.instructdance.com/) Sorry, a little shameless self promotion for my company. These are the 5 positons for ballet and other dressing room type posters to get kids dressed right for class.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Will the economy hurt my business?
Will the economy hurt my business?
Sounds like an obvious question, but the answer is not completely obvious to me. As a dance studio owner of less than 10 years I have not experienced a downturn in the economy the likes of the one we are facing now. I know that dance studios have been around for a really long time- so what's in their business model that has kept them running all these years, even during economic hard times? What's the secret to staying afloat and keeping kids in the classroom?
When I look at my business I feel like I give an great product at a reasonable price. I know people (and my customer target group) invest in their children before all else. I know as a mom I would do without to make sure my daughter could keep dancing. So what's the answer?
The only way to know if the economy will hurt you is to start asking your customers. I am working on my annual customer survey to every parent - I hope you all do these too- feedback from parents is very valuable. Each year I ask if we met their expectations and other typical stuff. However, the most important question I ask them is "Would you recommend us/or Have you recommended us to a friend or family member." This is the all-important question- to understand word of mouth marketing impact. And word of mouth is a powerful method of marketing during troubled times. People trust each other more than anything else.
This year I'm working on adding a question or two tied to the economy to my survey - Will you be able to continue to provide your child with dance classes next year? Or, what can we do to help you with more flexible payments? etc... I don't have the right question yet, good questions take time, but you get the idea.
I encourage you to start thinking about a question or two you can ask to make sure you can respond and react smartly to the downturn next season too.
Dropping your price is not necessarily the best option(even though your customers may tell you to do it); increasing the value of your product is probably the most sound advice.
You could consider offering "specials" or "loyalty rewards" to existing and new customers. Remember, not to leave the new deals for the new students only. Even if it's a free pair of tights or a free logo'd bag (can be a marketing expense for you, ask your accountants) it can go along way in this deal seeking economy we are in- so reward your customers!
Some other random marketing ideas:
Re-packaging your classes to be more affordable without lowering price is also an option. Shorter term- less price, but at same hourly rate for you. Allows parents to keep some flexibility without committing to a long term service agreement making them feel safe spending money.
Summer programs are probably the most at risk right now. You could offer a free class as part of your package to get people over the hump or other added value efforts.
Other marketing tricks would be to say "we are not raising prices this year" - holding the barre' on prices.
Look for alternate sources of funding, health care plans that cover some classes as part of a fitness program. This is working well at my school. You just may need to rename and invoice differently to make it work for their needs.
Bottom line is you need to be empathetic without sounding to desperate in your conversation with customers in person or in your marketing materials. The economy is tough on all of us, but we'll get through this with some creative thinking.
Sounds like an obvious question, but the answer is not completely obvious to me. As a dance studio owner of less than 10 years I have not experienced a downturn in the economy the likes of the one we are facing now. I know that dance studios have been around for a really long time- so what's in their business model that has kept them running all these years, even during economic hard times? What's the secret to staying afloat and keeping kids in the classroom?
When I look at my business I feel like I give an great product at a reasonable price. I know people (and my customer target group) invest in their children before all else. I know as a mom I would do without to make sure my daughter could keep dancing. So what's the answer?
The only way to know if the economy will hurt you is to start asking your customers. I am working on my annual customer survey to every parent - I hope you all do these too- feedback from parents is very valuable. Each year I ask if we met their expectations and other typical stuff. However, the most important question I ask them is "Would you recommend us/or Have you recommended us to a friend or family member." This is the all-important question- to understand word of mouth marketing impact. And word of mouth is a powerful method of marketing during troubled times. People trust each other more than anything else.
This year I'm working on adding a question or two tied to the economy to my survey - Will you be able to continue to provide your child with dance classes next year? Or, what can we do to help you with more flexible payments? etc... I don't have the right question yet, good questions take time, but you get the idea.
I encourage you to start thinking about a question or two you can ask to make sure you can respond and react smartly to the downturn next season too.
Dropping your price is not necessarily the best option(even though your customers may tell you to do it); increasing the value of your product is probably the most sound advice.
You could consider offering "specials" or "loyalty rewards" to existing and new customers. Remember, not to leave the new deals for the new students only. Even if it's a free pair of tights or a free logo'd bag (can be a marketing expense for you, ask your accountants) it can go along way in this deal seeking economy we are in- so reward your customers!
Some other random marketing ideas:
Re-packaging your classes to be more affordable without lowering price is also an option. Shorter term- less price, but at same hourly rate for you. Allows parents to keep some flexibility without committing to a long term service agreement making them feel safe spending money.
Summer programs are probably the most at risk right now. You could offer a free class as part of your package to get people over the hump or other added value efforts.
Other marketing tricks would be to say "we are not raising prices this year" - holding the barre' on prices.
Look for alternate sources of funding, health care plans that cover some classes as part of a fitness program. This is working well at my school. You just may need to rename and invoice differently to make it work for their needs.
Bottom line is you need to be empathetic without sounding to desperate in your conversation with customers in person or in your marketing materials. The economy is tough on all of us, but we'll get through this with some creative thinking.
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