10 Smart Ways For Dance Studio Owners To Maximize Social Media To Grow Your Studio In 2015

Social media marketing for dance studios can be extremely overwhelming for any studio owner.
As a former dance business owner, I know how time-consuming, overwhelming, and frustrating it can be to run a successful business, AND manage a powerful online presence, through social media. It’s darn near impossible!

 

Not to mention, social media and digital marketing are moving targets. They are ever-changing. What works today, may not work tomorrow. Every day there are new networks, trends, and changes to keep up with.
After creating social media marketing strategies for many dance studio owners over the past few years, I’ve really come to know what works, and what gets the best results. Go through this list today, and be sure to implement these tips, to get the most value for your time spent on social media marketing for your dance studio.

 

10 Ways For Dance Studio Owners To Maximize Social Media To Grow Your Studio In 2015

 

1. Mix up the media. Share helpful blog posts/articles, videos, photos, quotes, inspirational photos, ask questions, etc. If you’re sharing a video, be sure to upload it directly to Facebook to get the most visibility in the Facebook news feed. You can add a call to action with a link to your YouTube channel, within the video description. This is the most effective way to post videos to Facebook. Try it, and watch your organic reach numbers skyrocket! Note: Videos perform really well on Instagram too.

 

2. Monitor your posts. Keep track of what times of the day you get the most responses, likes, interaction, and then be sure to continue to post at those times of the day/evening. Pay close attention to which types of posts get the most likes and engagement as well, and post more of that type of content, to keep your fans engaged and active on your page. Also, stay on top of answering questions, replying to comments, and deleting things, in a timely manner.

 

3. Use Your Cover Photo To Celebrate Milestones/for Promotion. You can now include your contact info, pricing, web address, and a call to action in your cover photo. Take advantage of your options with this, and change it up once a month, or when you have something special to promote. The image size should be 851 x 315 on Facebook. Take advantage of opportunities to promote your biz on all of your dance studio’s cover photos, including Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well.

 

4. Post A Call To Action/Engaging Question With Each Post. For example, “Can you relate to this?”, or “Reply in the comments below with your answer/thoughts”, or “What has your experience been?”

 

5. Keep posts short and sweet. You don’t want to have too much text in your updates. Also, keep in mind that your Facebook posts are going to Twitter too (learn how to connect your Facebook page to Twitter here), which has a 140 character limit. So be aware of this when posting your updates. It’s okay if some of it gets cut off on Twitter from time to time, just make sure the important stuff is being seen.

 

6. Every Post Should NOT Be Directly Related To Your Dance Studio. They will all represent the mission and values of your dance studio, but they won’t always be about your dance studio. For example, if you post an inspirational quote, that is something that is not directly related to your studio, but it’s something that correlates with your values.

 

 

7. Schedule Your Posts Throughout The Day/Evening. Make sure you’re not just posting in the mornings, or only in the evenings. Spread your updates evenly and consistently throughout the day, and schedule them in advance using buffer or hootsuite.

 

8. Post Several Times A Day. Posting only once or twice a day is not going to get you the best results. Remember, the Facebook news feed is a competitive place, and if you’re not posting often enough, you’re missing out on opportunities to reach your target audience on Facebook. Don’t worry about being annoying to your fans. If you’re posting the type of content they want to see (not posts that are strictly promotional), then they will be happy to see your content, and naturally want to like, share, and comment.

 

9. Share Lots Of Personal Photos. Your students in class, your parents’ smiling faces in the lobby, your teachers working on choreography or giving a correction to a student, backstage at competitions/performances, your students being silly in the hallway, your cute little ballerinas, your advanced students showcasing their flexibility or technique, etc.  Share photos that highlight the true culture and essence of your dance studio, vs. a head shot of one of your teachers, and a bio. Make it personal, and make it fun!

 

10. Use Relevant Hashtags. This is especially important on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Google+. Include hashtags that are popular in the dance niche, and hashtags that your current and potential students and parents might use in a search. E.g.  #dancestudio, #dancephotography, #dancer, #dancerecital, #dancerprobs, #dancerproblems, #dancerlife, and so on. You can use Iconosquare to search for the most popular hashtags for dance. Be sure to use a hashtag for your location as well, i.e. #nyc, #nj.
What has worked for you? Have you tried all of these tips? Post your question or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

 

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