"Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation and a pinch of creativity" - B. Bennett

This week I wanted to keep the tip I sent you short and sweet. I hope it gives you inspiration to create something that will get the word out about what makes your dance studio great.

You are creating moments and memories for your students each and every day and for that I really want to say thank you.

A professional, high quality looking video does not have to cost a fortune. And even more so, the tools available to us now make it easier than ever to stand out.

In fact all you need are still photos and some text!

I shared this resource back in February, but was inspired to share it with you again as one of our members and readers who owns one of the largest dance studios in Australia was nominated for a national business award and she used the tool from the tip of the week.

She writes,

"My students are the HEART and the SOUL of my school so I thought I would show the judges some pictures of them and they could understand where I was truly coming from... I created a video using Animoto that really conveys my message and introduces the judges to what is important - the kids! Even more recently I was told I was short listed for the finals!"

The resource is:
http://animoto.com/

What I love about this tool:

--> They have three pricing options: Basic (free), All access, and Pro (still very affordable!)
--> It's easy to share your videos on social networking sites
--> You can easily embed the video right into your own website or email

So this week with the help of Emily Schofield, my administrative assistant, using Animoto she was able to create a quick 1-minute video to generate excitement for our upcoming open houses and why people would want to dance at our studio.

This video was created with the pro version, which is still getting creative on a budget! These pictures were from our recent recital and from some we had taken at the studio.

Here's the 1 minute video:
http://tinyurl.com/animotokbds

--> What could you say in 30 seconds to 1 minute that captures the spirit and energy of your dance studio?
--> Why do your students enjoy learning from you?
--> What makes dancing so great? Sharing your mission and vision with your potential students and current students is a gift.

You can be creative on a budget! Let your enthusiasm shine through.

Social Plugins for Facebook - easy to add to your site

If you're wondering how to easily add the Facebook "Like" Button to one of your pages on your website or the Like Box, this page gives you all the social plugins that will help share your dance studio with visitors and encourage interaction. It's as simple as copy and paste!

http://developers.facebook.com/plugins

3 Simple Ways to Handle the Pre-Registration Fears that both New and Experienced Dance Studio Owners Face Each Year

"I wonder if my students will return in the fall?", "I'm afraid I won't have enough students to meet my expenses!", "Will the economy have an effect on my enrollment?" Do you go to bed at night worried about these things? If so, you are definitely not alone.

http://www.dancestudioowner.com/public/202.cfm

How To Maximize The Four Stages of the Decision-Making Process to Turn Potential Students into Registered Students

What can you do to stand out when it seems that the words and text on the websites of dance studios are similar? In fact there are some popular reports and articles that if you actually Google a few sentences from them you produce hundreds of results of dance studios using the exact same strategies for encouraging registration or helping make the decision process easier for potential students.

http://www.dancestudioowner.com/members/583.cfm