When a student first comes into your studio, that is prime word of mouth time.

Those first two to three weeks are really important that we knock their socks off and totally WOW them so they will start spreading the word amongst their friends.

If you think about it…

It’s like when you find a new hairdresser or a restaurant that you love. You can’t help telling everyone you meet.

We want the exact same thing to happen when a new student comes into your studio.

There are a few key things you can do to totally blow them out of the water and have them start falling so much in love with your studio, that they spread the word among their entire network.

Create a Welcome “Shock & Awe” Pack

One of my favorite ways to do this is to create a Welcome, Shock & Awe Pack.

It could be a folder, a gift hamper, or a beautiful branded little tote bag.

You should include:

• A lovely handwritten note from you, the studio director, saying, “Welcome. We are so glad to welcome you to the family. If you have any questions, please reach out,”
• Include a whole lot of information about the programs, maybe the progression that they can take through the studio, information about payments, etc.

But then we also want to take this a little bit further…

Without worrying too much about details, ask yourself:

What would totally blow them away?

Maybe you can include a CD of music for them to sing along to in the car so they get excited about learning or include a tutu or maybe even an instrument.

Anything you think that’s going to get them totally motivated and falling in love with their lessons and feeling so connected to you as a studio is a plus.

When you lead with this type of gift, when you create the Shock & Awe Pack, what it does is that they feel…

“Wow! That’s everything I need all in one spot,”

PLUS it’s very generous, thoughtful and considerate.

If the new student feels that you’re being so generous with them, it’s going to get them talking about what a lovely studio it is, how it is quite different from other studios in the area… We want to give them something to talk about.

Example: One studio I know in California, what they actually do is even when someone inquires, they respond, “Thanks so much for inquiring! We would love to send you a bit of information via post.”

They actually send a full-on welcome pack to the family that includes a tutu and everything they would need to know before they’ve even done anything.

You can imagine how high their conversions are. It becomes irresistible for the new students to come to class once they have that little taste.

Generosity is the secret

Generosity is the secret to business and anything you can do along every touch point you have with the student in order to put a smile on their face, to put a bit of wow factor in there is going to reflect back very well on you and your studio.

What would be a great addition to a Shock & Awe Pack for your studio?

What would you want to include?

What were the things that would be really valuable and informative but also that would delight and really excite the people who are going to be receiving this welcome gift?

Chantelle Bruinsma Duffield, Studio Strategist at studioexpansion.com