Advice please - advertising dance studio

[dldbm]

I attend a dance studio (I am not the owner, nor a partner or anything), which I really like, but which has a very small turnout. I would like to suggest to the owners ways to increase their membership. If anyone is a dance studio owner, do you have ideas that you would share about free or very-small-cost-ways to increase business. I want the studio to do well in general, but also selfishly as I want there to be many people with whom to dance. Thank you. (Being new to dance forums, and not being the personality-type to make a lot of posts, I don't think, following the advertising guidelines noted, it would be appropriate for me to mention the dance studio in this forum - so other ideas are appreciated.)

[Larinda McRaven]

http://www.dance-forums.com/ams/customer/
Here is a way that you can help your studio. Suggest to them that they participate in our advertisnig program. For as little as $5 a month (I spend $20 on mine) they can have an ad at the top of a page of Dance-Forums.

[tangotime]

. If anyone is a dance studio owner, do you have ideas that you would share about free or very-small-cost-ways to increase business.


.)

have owned schools in large metro cities and small towns ( like now )
Oddly enough, of all the forms of advertising I have used, yellow pages always brought more new business... expensive.. but cost effective.

For current situation, the simplest ones that are cheap to do.. Fliers inserted in local paper deliveries... s/market notice boards... guest incentive, offer 2 free classes for each new person they bring to the school .

Approach local buinesses and see if they will let you put small poster in window .
Laundromats are also high visibilty traffic, and of course local and " throwaway " papers .
If there is a shopping mall, ask them if they would be interested in the school putting on a free dance recital .

And last but not least.. are you aware, that if there is a local tv station, the public broadcast channel quite often will accomodate a one off, or weekly half hr show .

[Larinda McRaven]

I think most studios are finally catching up with the times and abandoning paper in favor of electronic.

I don't even HAVE a yellow pages book in my house and probably haven't for about 5 years.

[etp777]

Craigslist has gotten us some good response, at least on teacher search. Can't remember if we've done any regular advertising on there.

[nucat78]

I will still use the Yellow Pages from time to time, but I usually do Web searches for businesses. Aside from word of mouth and posting flyers, I'd say get a *good* Web page set up. I've seen some dance studio Web pages that were so badly designed that I gave up trying to navigate them and never bothered to check the studios out.

I hand out business cards from my studio every chance I get. I don't think anything has come of it, but at least they're out there and will possibly be referred to in the future.

[etp777]

Besides a web pag for your site, look to see if there are other sites, particularly locally focused ones, that you can get the information on. I know that I've found out about a LOT of socials and studios, etc, from ballroomchicago.com. If there's a similar site where you are, definitely be worth looking into (I don't know if it costs, or if so, how much, just using that site as a dancer, not for my studio :) )

[JANATHOME]

Or you can go the chain route... They hold a 45 minute guest party each week, and give the students a free lesson as an incentive to bring in guests. I have always been surprised how many students do this.

This chain also does telemarketing, using high school kids, again selling intro packages at a low cost with the hopes of turning them into long term students.

[danceislove]

i think its great to offer advice as long as its done in a respectful manner. don't give the impression that what they're doing is wrong, peoples feelings can be easily hurt

[Joe]

I think most studios are finally catching up with the times and abandoning paper in favor of electronic.

I don't even HAVE a yellow pages book in my house and probably haven't for about 5 years.
I do. It comes in handy when I have to call the power company to tell them the power's gone out in my 'hood. 'Cause you know, if you don't have power you can't check the number online. :) Unless you have one of them fancy-schmancy phones like Sam's.

Besides, the yellow pages people keep leaving new phone books on my lawn each year.