How Starting A Blog Can Help You Grow Your Dance Studio

“Web-based blogs in all of their shapes and sizes, deserve a tremendous amount of attention, as they are still among the most active and influential news sources, besides traditional media. Not only do they hit mainstream audiences, they also focus on dedicated, vertical communities and nicheworks that equally contribute to your total market.” from “Engage” by Brian Solis.

Don’t just be another dance studio. Be the authority on dance in your local area. A blog is an excellent way to stand out from your competitors. Your opinions, thoughts, experiences, advice, wisdom, etc. is what can help a potential customer make that decision between choosing your dance studio, and the one across town.

There are lots of blogging options. Choose which platform will work the best for you. WordPress, Blogger, Posterous, or Tumblr are the most popular options. I use WordPress.org.

Just imagine….

Studio A has a great website, winning competition team, beautiful facility, some ex-Broadway performers as teachers, and some really great Hip-Hop dance classes. They have a Facebook fan page, and a Youtube page, but they don’t update them regularly, and they’re not really active in social media.

Then there’s you…

Your dance studio has an awesome website, with links to your Facebook fan page, Twitter, flickr, Youtube, and Foursquare accounts. You have a really great welcome/video commercial on your website’s home page. Plus, you have a blog where you offer great tips, and post helpful articles for dance students, kids, parents, etc. You update your Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts on a regualr basis, and as a result, you seem relevant, knowledgeable, and approachable. By the way, one of your new customers was sent to your website as a result of someone sharing a blog post that you wrote on Facebook.

Do you see how it all comes together? Any opportunity that you have to highlight your level of knowledge and expertise, will help you to distinguish your dance studio from your competitors.

Should you have great dance teachers, dance classes, a clean facility, a friendly staff, and an organized and fun environment at your dance studio as well? Of course. But you have to get people in the door to see that you have all of these things first, and blogging is really one of the best ways to do that.

Today’s Checklist:

– Does your dance studio have a blog?

– Do you update your blog regularly?

– Do you promote your blog on your other social media networks?

– Do you have an editorial calendar for who will post articles on your blog, and when?

To Do List:

– Choose a blogging platform to begin using. WordPress, Blogger, Posterous, or Tumblr.

– Start a blog for your dance studio.

– Ask for volunteer bloggers from your dance studio: teachers, parents, students, staff, to help you update it regularly.

– Have a monthly theme on your blog.

– Have an “Ask the Dance Studio Owner” post once a week. Do a video blog (vlog) and post it on your blog, and on your Youtube page (you just killed two birds with one stone).

– Create a publishing calendar.

– Promote and share your blog posts on Facebook and Twitter.

– Comment on other dance-related blogs to connect with other bloggers and potential readers for your blog, and potential customers for your dance studio.

– Encourage your teachers, staff, and parents to read and comment on your blog.

Was this post helpful to you? Please share your feedback, thoughts, and questions in the comment box below.

Please share this post on Facebook and Twitter.

If you’d like to learn more about how to maximize social media marketing for your dance studio, and also need help with finding and hiring dance teachers for your dance studio from time to time, become a member of the Kiner Enterprises Inc. International Dance Teacher Staffing Network today!