The Top 5 Social Media Marketing Must-Haves for Dance Studios”

The popularity of social media, and the hesitation of many dance studios to participate in this new world of marketing and media brings back memories. Memories of the days when Hip-Hop dance classes were not offered in traditional dance studios. I’m sure that it was initially looked upon as a passing trend, a joke, or something that wasn’t legitimate, and would never catch on. These are the same thoughts that many dance studio owners have had towards social media. Fast-forward about 10 yrs, and Hip-Hop dance is the most popular dance form in the majority of American dance studios. Social media has changed the way the world does business, communicates with its consumers, and the way people communicate with one another in general. It’s time for you to get on board, and use the many benefits of social media to your best advantage.

Here are the 5 Social Media Marketing must-haves for dance studios:

1) A Blog – The blog should have up-to-date info on your studio, the latest news, upcoming events, and links to your Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. Possible blog topics include; information to parents about how dance classes/levels operate, upcoming holidays or studio events, last-minute changes, info about group trips/performances, faculty highlights, outstanding students/parents, and any and everything else you may want to share. You can even offer advice on any number of topics; how to become more flexible, how to get stronger in a certain area of dance, how to prepare for a recital/competition, dancing in college and beyond, etc. The Blog can be on your website, or it can be hosted on another blogging platform (what I would recommend) like WordPress or Blogger. It should be updated at least once a week (more often is even better). Whatever time-frame you choose, stick to it. The way to keep people reading your blog (besides offering interesting and useful content) is consistency. This is very important. Your dance studio contacts can easily subscribe to your blog so that they receive new updates automatically via e-mail.

2) A Monthly E-Newsletter – Highlight and showcase all of the wonderful things about your dance studio’s faculty, students, and special events with a monthly e-newsletter. Besides keeping everyone up-to-date on what’s happening, it’s also very easy for your customers to share the newsletter with their friends/family (your potential new customers) with the click of a button. It’s also a good record of your studio’s history that can be archived on your website or blog, and also used for press announcements or features. I recommend Constant Contact.

3) A Facebook Page – The name Facebook has become as popular today as the word TV. I’m sure that by now you realize that a Facebook page for your dance studio is a must. If for no other reason than the fact that, all of your students are on Facebook, most of your students’ parents are also now on Facebook, and your prospective students/parents are on Facebook, so there you should also be. Setting up a Fan page for your company is extremely easy, and now all people have to do is click on the “Like” button on your page, and they become a fan of your dance studio’s page. Use Facebook to interact with your students, offer special promotions, promote your studio’s videos and events, and so much more!

4) A Twitter Page – Twitter is another micro-blogging, social media site (similar to Facebook) that allows you to connect with people in your area, industry, and beyond. There’s a lot that you can learn through your interactions on Twitter. But, hold on, before you get overwhelmed, let me simplify this for you. You can set up your Twitter account in such a way that your Facebook updates are automatically posted to your Twitter page. See how easy that was. You just killed two birds with one stone.

5) A YouTube Page – Videos are one of the hottest and most popular mediums within social media right now. You MUST have video as part of your social media marketing strategy. YouTube is a quick, easy, and extremely popular platform that you can use to promote your dance studio. You can upload videos from dance recitals, competitions, in-studio events, testimonials from students/parents, even short video intros from your staff, and the classes they teach. The possibilities are endless. Setting up an account takes about 45 seconds. Do it today, and you, along with all of your social media contacts, can share the videos on your Facebook page, your Blog, Twitter page, and your website too!

Please keep in mind:

– You should definitely read more about Facebook and Twitter, and learn the specifics of the terminology and functions of each site, to be sure that you use them properly and effectively.

– The Social Media Marketing Strategies mentioned above are now as common and necessary as a website. Do not overlook them.

Lastly, the above marketing methods will also enhance your online presence and increase your search engine optimization. What does that really mean? It’s the difference between your studio coming up at the top of a Google, Yahoo, or Bing search for “dance studio in (your town goes here)”, or the dance studio down the street coming up at the top of the page. It also creates a more tangible personality and feel for your studio, and will help you stand out from your competitors, more than a website alone could ever do.