Social media has changed the way we communicate as well as the way we do business. In just a few easy steps, you can reach new potential students online and stay in touch with the ones you already have! Ready to get started? Here are the basics of setting up your accounts, starting out with your own dance social media posts, and making the best use of your marketing time on social.
Why Social Media?
Marketing your dance studio is important, which means you’ve probably considered newspaper ads, billboards, or even local commercials. If you haven’t started already, social media is a free and easy way to expand your dance studio marketing plan.
This is especially important because consumers today want to see a digital calling card for the businesses they plan to patronize. They want to learn more about you and your dance studio online and will often review your posts or videos before ever stepping foot into your studio.
If you teach young students, this is even more critical. Parents want to make sure their children will find a safe and supportive environment at your studio. Videos of your teachers, happy photos of other students, and highlights of the community work you do can help them feel more at ease.
1. Find Your Network On Facebook
While Facebook may be considered the social media pioneer, it’s still a relevant platform for today’s dance studios. The audience tends to be older, though, which means this is where your students’ parents likely are.
Create a business Facebook page with all of your branding, including logo and information about your hours and class offerings. Use this free space to keep people updated on upcoming events, but also don’t be afraid to get creative! Spotlight a “Student of the Month” or create a “Tip Tuesday” to feature mini dance lessons.
2. Embrace The Power Of Video With YouTube
Social media is increasingly visual, especially in the world of dance. Just think of how many dancers go viral on YouTube. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to showcase your students and all of the hard work they put in.
Preparing for a big performance, recital, or competition? Break out your smartphone and share it. Capitalize on viral dance challenges by having your class get in on the fun. Have your star teachers share quick easy routines or moves for current and potential students alike. It’s also a great space for students to go back and view their most memorable performances in one place.
3. Use Instagram Live And Stories
On that note, people also love the live video and story features on Instagram. The live feature in particular lends itself to showcasing your classes! Give potential students a sneak peek of what you have to offer.
Embrace quick, but fun videos on your Instagram stories as well. These disappear in 24 hours, which means you don’t have to clutter your feed.
4. Partner Up By Using LinkedIn
Many studio owners don’t consider using this social media site, but you can connect with other small business owners in your area by using LinkedIn.
For example, you can find local dance supply stores to work with on cross-promotions. You may consider connecting with bakeries or party supply rental companies for recital season. Looking for professional groups and resources? LinkedIn is the place you’ll find them.
5. Schedule Your Social Media Posts
No time to post in the midst of teaching classes? No problem. This is when scheduling comes in handy. Instead of adding content constantly, set aside one hour per week to schedule your content for the upcoming week.
On Facebook, this feature is built-in, making it easy to draft an entire post, including links and photos and videos. You can schedule it to go live on the day and time of your choice.
For your Instagram profile, you’ll want to convert to a business account. This will not only allow you to schedule posts, but you’ll also be able to view insights and important data to measure how your posts are performing.
Platforms like Hootsuite and Later can also help with social media scheduling.
6. Find The Best Times To Post
As we’ll discuss, many social media websites give you data on when your fans are online.
If you have a smaller audience or are just getting started, it can be hard to glean actionable information from this data, though. Instead, look to Sprout Social’s study of over 20,000 customer accounts. They researched the best times and days to post on Facebook, Instagram, and more.
Across the board, they found that Wednesdays are usually the best days to post, while weekends are often the worst in terms of engagement.
7. Find Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are simply keywords that allow you to be visible in the right conversations. A few relevant hashtags at the end of each post can increase your chances of attracting new followers (for example #DanceTeacher, #DanceLife, or #DanceSchool). They can also connect you with your local community, like #DenverDance or #PhoenixBusinesses.
While hashtags can be helpful on every social network, they’re most commonly used on Instagram or Twitter.
8. Engage With Your Followers
Once your accounts are up and running, keep your followers entertained! Social media really is all about being social. Don’t forget to engage with people by answering questions and “liking” or replying to their comments.
Remember, you don’t have to (and probably shouldn’t) make every post all about your studio. Take time to share inspirational dance quotes, fun stats about the dance industry, your upbeat dance playlists, or tributes to your favorite famous dancers.
Also pose questions to get the conversation started. Ask your followers about their favorite songs to dance to or favorite style of dance. Get creative!
9. Follow The Right Accounts For Inspiration
Sometimes it’s helpful to get a little inspiration before you launch your social media presence.
Use hashtags to find some of the top dance studio profiles across the country or in your community. Take a look at the content they produce and take note of which posts are a big hit with their followers.
10. Do Giveaways And Promotions
Everyone loves a freebie! Consider doing monthly (or even weekly) giveaways and promotions. It can be as simple as a t-shirt with your dance studio’s logo or free classes for new students.
Entice your followers to tag their friends for a chance to win big-ticket items, such as a pack of free dance classes or a gift card to your favorite dance store.
11. Explore Social Media Ads
Don’t be afraid to explore the possibility of purchasing ads on social media. For as little as just $20 per month on Facebook or Instagram, you may be able to boost your studio’s visibility and attract new followers. These ads are affordable and easy to set up too!
You can find a full guide on starting up social media ads on HootSuite.
12. Keep It Visual
Social media news feeds are all about imagery. You need eye-catching photos, as well as energetic videos. Fortunately, this is very easy to do when it comes to social media for dance studios.
On Instagram, posts with a video have 49% higher interaction rates than image posts. Keep this in mind as you develop content as it’s the best way to make sure your followers don’t scroll past your posts.
13. Take Advantage Of Free Tools
As social media becomes an increasingly crucial part of any dance studio marketing plan, free tools continue to evolve.
Websites like Canva allow for free and easy graphic design through the use of their templates. VSCO is a great photo editing tool. For post scheduling, check out Hootsuite.
14. Keep An Eye On Your Data
When you create a business social media account, you typically gain access to important analytics about how your posts are performing.
Check on these once a week or once a month and take note of what posts are performing best. These will give you insights into the type of content your followers enjoy. You’ll also be able to see when they’re engaging with your page the most, which can help you determine when to post.
15. Always Stay Updated
Some studios make the mistake of forgetting to update their accounts with new and relevant information.
Stay on top of editing your hours and class offerings as they change. It’s also important to announce closures for holidays and other breaks. Offering new online classes or did a new teacher join your team? Social media is the fastest way to reach your students and share the news.
Find Your Audience
Dance studio software can help with the administrative tasks of your business, making it easier for you to join in the fun on social media. From registration to marketing (and so much more!), The Studio Director saves you time and money, so you can focus on finding your students.
If you’d like to learn more about our dance studio software, try a free trial today!
