And just… like… THAT! Summer is nearly over. How in the heck did that happen so fast? Again?? Hopefully you’ve had a little time to decompress and maybe even get away on a well-deserved vacation (in addition to managing your summer classes, camps, and/or masters workshops). You’ve also hopefully had time to make sure your website materials are up-to-date and implement a marketing technique or two.
Here’s a marketing idea that celebrates two things – the end of summer and your dancers/dance parents:
Plan an end-of-summer ice cream social or picnic, and use it as an opportunity to bring your “dance family” back together. Ask people to share what they’ve done this summer. Have students who participated in summer dance or theatre programs share their experiences, or better yet, perform a number they learned during summer session.
Encourage families to bring friends and neighbors to join in the fun, and be sure to pass out referral coupons. Depending on what works best for you, a new student who signs up might receive the first two weeks free, a discounted registration fee, or a free t-shirt, with the referring dancer receiving the same or something similar. Consider offering a special, larger gift for those who refer three or more students.
If you don’t want to have the ice cream social at your studio, you can rent a room at your neighborhood community center or host it at a nearby park. Provide the fixings for ice cream or frozen yogurt sundaes, as well as some games or activities. The money you spend will be returned in the form of customer loyalty and new prospects/students.
Offering a free and fun dance class can help kids work off their ice cream while introducing newbies to your studio in a non-threatening way. Consider teaching something “out of the box”, such as Bollywood dance, so that everyone is on a more even level and so that all groups (even adults) can get up and moving.
Another way to provide entertainment, have fun, and inspire newcomers to join your studio is to have a combination of teachers and students do a short demonstration of each style taught at your studio. This can be done in a relaxed and fun way, so there is no pressure on anyone involved.
Advertise your event through Facebook and Twitter, as well as through posters, emails, and word of mouth. With a little planning and effort, the end of summer will segue into your busiest fall yet!
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