Five Ways To Boost Enrollment In The New Year
"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." - Dale Carnegie
It's the nature of the studio business to see students come and go and you may be seeing a higher numbers of families leaving your studio during these uncertain times. Even in the best of times hearing a student is dropping out of class brings up a range of emotions from frustration to disappointment to fear. But you are not alone!
While you cannot control every reason why students come and go, you can refocus your efforts to doing the very best for your currently enrolled students plus get excited to boost enrollment again into the new year.
Reactivate Past Students
Sometimes people just need to be reminded or know they are missed. But we often fear the rejection of them saying no so we avoid asking. Continue to invite them back to dance -- the right timing for them to come back may be right now! Host a virtual open house, virtual demo day, or offer tickets to your online holiday performance so they can attend and get excited about dance again. Utilizing your network of students is one of the best ways to boost your enrollment.
Use the 'Try Something New' Approach
Encourage students to try new styles of dance. Virtual introductions to other genres can spark new interest. Create an 'Introduction to Teen Ballet' class or send an email to a group of students and suggest add-on classes. This is the time to try something new so consider introducing a brand new offering to your students and see what kind of interest you can spark heading into the holidays or new year.
Be the Easiest Studio to Find Online
Claim your local listings! Being easy to find online and having a mobile-first approach for your website and local listings is truly one of the best ways to bring in new students. Go online and check Yelp, Google Local, and Facebook to be sure your listings are up to date with your latest hours, closure notices, etc.
Want more help with local listings?
Check out our member training: Stand Out on Google Local
Get Excited!
We get it... times are tough, but there is always a bright side! What are you excited about at your studio right now? How can you share this excitement with your potential and current students? What makes being a part of your studio studio FUN? Jump on a Facebook live or start a Facebook Group specifically for your studio and build excitement in your community. In sharing your excitement, you'll create special, magical moments for your students even if it's from a distance. Take some time today to reflect on some of your incredible accomplishments this year and share it!
Gather Constructive Feedback from Dropped Students
It is very important for the health of your dance studio business to know what makes a student drop out of class. Strong student retention is a goal for studio owners. Having a system in place to track those who drop off will help you make improvements where necessary.
Want more help with gathering feedback?
Check out our member Exit Survey Template and Dropped Class Cover Letter
Looking for More Resources?
Thank you for a great webinar! It's good to know that we're all feeling the same, no matter where we are in the world. Thanks so much x
-- Vicky G.
I cannot tell you enough how good it feels to connect with someone who's willing to look at the truth of the situation with humor and cautious optimism... I definitely needed a lot of that advice, but more important, I needed to hear it from two badass, empowered women.
-- Lexi M.
Thank you, the webinar has definitely given me some motivation to put some work and time in to plan our new normal in the studio.
-- Jeren H.
Thank you so much for today. Lots of great ideas. Thank you!
-- Emma A.
